These Strawberry Macaron Shells are bursting with real fruit flavor thanks to freeze-dried strawberries blended right into the shell batter. They’re filled with a creamy Strawberry Buttercream, then finished with a drizzle of white chocolate and a sprinkle of freeze-dried strawberry powder—perfect for spring, Valentine’s Day, or anytime you want a pretty pink treat!
🍓 Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Macarons
- Real strawberry flavor: Freeze-dried strawberries add a concentrated berry taste and natural aroma.
- Beautiful presentation: Drizzled with white chocolate and topped with strawberry powder for extra flair.
- Tested tips included: Learn exactly how to process strawberries, color your shells, and avoid common macaron issues.
📺 Want to See Exactly How They’re Made?
Watch the full video tutorial on this page or on YouTube, where I walk you through every step of making these Strawberry Macaron Shells.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my Privacy Policy [here].
🧁 Can You Flavor Macaron Shells with Freeze-Dried Fruit?
This is one of the most common questions I get—and the answer is YES, if done properly.
Adding flavor to macaron shells can be tricky. Shells are very sensitive to moisture, fat, and even the texture of your ingredients. That’s why I only recommend using powders like:
- Cocoa powder
- Matcha
- Espresso powder
- Freeze-dried fruit powders
Avoid anything with high fat content or moisture, like extracts, oils, or fresh fruit puree. Even something as subtle as the fat content in cocoa powder can cause your shells to crack, bake unevenly, or become hollow.
So when testing these Strawberry Macaron Shells, I used 5 grams of finely sifted freeze-dried strawberry powder—and the results were amazing.
👩🍳 My Macaron Shell Color Tip
The strawberry powder alone won’t give your shells that pretty pink color. My first batch turned out orange-ish. For this final version, I added a drop of fuchsia gel food coloring to get the soft pink hue you see here.
🛒 How to Find Freeze-Dried Strawberries
If you can’t find freeze-dried strawberry powder, buy whole freeze-dried strawberries and blend them into a powder using a small food processor or spice grinder.
💡 Tip: Always weigh the powder after sifting. You’ll need to process more than 5 grams of whole strawberries to end up with 5 grams of usable powder after sifting out chunks.
❄️ Why I Skipped the Egg White Powder
In dry winter weather, I noticed my shells were drying too fast and becoming lopsided. I traced it back to the addition of egg white powder, which I normally use. But for this recipe—and during dry seasons—I recommend skipping it.
📋 Ingredients for Strawberry Macarons
Strawberry Macaron Shells:
- 100 g egg whites
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 105 g almond flour
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 5 g freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 1 drop fuchsia gel food coloring (optional)
Strawberry Buttercream:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder (~30 g)
- 2–4 tbsp milk or water
To Decorate:
- 56 g white chocolate
- 5 g freeze-dried strawberry powder (for dusting)
🧑🍳 How to Make Strawberry Macaron Shells
- Prep your tools and ingredients. Line baking sheets and fit a piping bag with a round tip.
- Make the strawberry almond flour blend: Sift almond flour, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried strawberry powder together.
- Create a meringue: Whisk egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar dissolves, then whip to stiff peaks.
- Fold the batter: Add dry ingredients and fold using a “J” motion. Add gel food coloring now, if using. Macaronage until batter flows like lava and forms a figure 8 without breaking.
- Pipe the shells: Pipe onto prepared trays, then tap the trays to release air bubbles.
- Rest the shells: Let them sit until dry to the touch. (This may take 20–60 minutes.)
- Bake: Bake at 310°F (154°C) for 15–18 minutes.
- Cool completely before filling.
🍓 How to Make Strawberry Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberry powder. Mix until fluffy.
- Add 2–4 tablespoons milk or water to adjust consistency.
🎀 Finishing Touches
Once your macaron shells have cooled, pipe the strawberry buttercream onto one shell, sandwich with another, then:
- Drizzle with melted white chocolate
- Dust with freeze-dried strawberry powder
🍬 More Macaron Flavors to Try
If you loved these Strawberry Macarons, you’ll also enjoy:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
- Dragonfruit Macarons
- Raspberry White Chocolate Macarons
- Creme Brûlée Macarons
- Strawberry Lemonade Macarons
- And more on my blog!
📚 Want to Improve Your Macarons?
Head to my [Macaron School]—it’s packed with tips, troubleshooting guides, and step-by-step videos to help you master your macaron journey.
Leave a Reply