Blend vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry for the perfect trifecta of flavors. These Neapolitan macarons combine chocolate and vanilla French macaron shells with a white chocolate strawberry ganache.
Quick Look: Neapolitan Macarons
- Servings: 30 macarons
- Kitchen Timing: 2 hours and 9 minutes
- Flavor Profile: Everything you love about Neapolitan ice cream in macaron form.
- Leftover Tips: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Skill Level: Advanced
- What You'll Learn: How to make French macaron shells, including a chocolate variation. Plus, my favorite strawberry ganache macaron filling.
- Why You'll Love This Recipe: I'll break down step by step how to make macaron shells, including the tricky techniques like stiff peak meringue and macaronaging.
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If you're looking for a unique macaron filling, you have to try these Neapolitan macarons. They're packed with all of my favorite things — chocolate macaron shells, a classic French shell that we're calling "vanilla", and a strawberry twist on my white chocolate ganache filling.
Plus, I'll show you how to split one batch of macaron batter so half of the shells come out white and the other half comes out chocolate.
If at any point in this recipe you run into issues, check out my macaron baking course. I created this course after spending years mastering macarons. It will walk you through a detailed step-by-step guide for all the important techniques you'll need to understand.
Make sure to grab my free macaron template to help you pipe perfectly circular macarons. Plus, you'll learn some of my favorite tips for making beautiful macarons in this email series!
Ingredients You Need
- Egg whites: Egg whites are mixed with the granulated sugar to create meringue. I prefer using fresh egg whites (not ones from the carton), and I always allow them to come to room temperature before I begin the meringue.
- Almond flour: You'll want to use super fine almond flour that is blanched (meaning there are no almond skins). I prefer to use Blue Diamond, but really any brand of almond flour will work as long as you sift it.
- Confectioners' sugar: You may also see this ingredient labled as powdered sugar or icing sugar.
- Cream of tartar: I like to call this ingredient my insurance policy. Cream of tartar is an acid that's added to the egg whites at the beginning of the whipping process. It helps to stabilizes the egg whites and prevents an overwhipped meringue.
- Granulated sugar: You'll need all the sugar listed in the recipe. This ratio helps to ensure you have a sturdy meringue, which is important once you bake the macaron shells.
- Gel food coloring: Always use a highly pigmented gel food coloring (not liquid). My preferred brands are Chefmaster or Americolor.
You can check out the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
How To Make Neapolitan Macarons
Step 1: We'll start by whipping the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until the eggs are very foamy.
Step 2: Next, it's time to add the granuated sugar, which will help thicken the meringue. I like to add a third of the granulated sugar at a time, allowing the mixer to beat in each batch of sugar for about 45 seconds before adding in another batch. Slowly adding the sugar ensures your egg whites don't become weighed down.
Step 3: Contintue mixing the meringue until it reaches stiff peak, about 10–11 minutes. It's really important to allow the meringue to whip fully to stiff peaks. You'll know it's ready becuase the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk. Pull the whisk attachment off of the mixer. You should feel a thick meringue and see these pointy, stiff peaks.
Step 4: Next, pour the sifted almond flour and confectioners' sugar into the meringue mixture, then fold everything together using a silicone spatula.
Step 5: Evenly, divide the batter into 2 medium-sized mixing bowls. You'll add the sifted cocoa powder to one bowl, and leave the other bowl white. In the white bowl, you can add the smallest dot of purple food coloring, like I do with my white shelled macarons, to keep them a bright white.
Step 6: Next, it's time to macaronage the batter. This is what helps the batter become the correct consistency and is one of the most important steps to get right. Spread the mixture along the side of the bowl, then wipe it back down. Repeat this until the mixture has reached a smooth, lava like consistency.
You can test that it's the correct consistency by this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops smoothly. Once the batter drops back into the bowl, it should take about 10–15 seconds for the ribbon that formed to "disappear" back into the rest of the batter. You'll need to repeat this step for both the white and chocolate batter.
Step 7: Pipe both sets of macarons (each flavor on a different sheet pan), then bang the sheet pan down on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop any large bubbles that rise to the top with a toothpick.
Next, we'll allow the macarons to sit on the counter and dry for about 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining them. If you want to skip this set, you can use an insulted cookie sheet like I do for my no rest macarons.
Step 8: Finally, bake the macarons one sheet at a time in your preheated oven. The chocolate macarons need to bake longer than the white macarons, so make sure you pay attention to the timing of each in the recipe card.
If this is your first time baking macarons, you may need to adjust your oven to find the ideal baking temperature for your macarons. You'll know the macarons have finished baking becuase they will be hard and no longer sticky or wet.
Step 9: For the ganache filling, start by placing white chocolate and butter in a heat-safe bowl.
Step 10: Warm the heavy cream, then pour it over the chocolate, and allow the mixture to sit, without stirring, for 3 minutes. The cream should help the butter and chocolate gently melt.
Step 11: Whisk the ganache together, then add in freeze dried strawberries, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt. Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.
If you notice there are still bits of chocolate or butter, heat the entire mixture in the microwave on 50 percent power (medium) for an additional 15–30 seconds, until the correct consistency forms.
Step 12: Transfer the ganache to a shallow container, and press plastic wrap against the surface of the ganache (this prevents a skin from forming on top). Place the ganache in the fridge, and allow the mixture to cool until it’s firm enough to pipe, about 1–2 hours. If the ganache gets too hard, allow it to sit at room temperature until it has reached a pipeable consistency.
Then it's time to pipe the strawberry ganache on the macaron shells. Grab a white "vanilla" shell and a chocolate shell that are similar sized. Pipe a dollop of ganache on one shell, then place the other shell on top.
Expert Tips
- Mastering your oven temperature is an important part of perfecting your macaron shells. If you're experiencing hollow shells, make sure to pay attention to both the macacaronage stage and fine tuning your oven temperature.
- Learning how to macaronage macaron batter is probably the most important step. Over mixing the batter (when it's thin and runny) can cause many different macaron problems like fragile or wrinkled shells.
- To avoid cracking on your macaron shells, allow them to fully dry before baking. This means, you can run your finger over the macaron without messing it up. If you're having trouble with macarons that aren't drying, try using a fan.
FAQs for Neapolitan Macarons
Mastering macarons takes some time and patience. You can always refer to my macaron troubleshooting guide if you need additional help.
You'll most often experience flat macarons when you over worked the batter during the macaronage stage. If you noticed during the piping stage that the macaron batter almost poured out of the piping bag, try macaronaging (mixing) less next time.
If you're experiencing cracked macarons, it's likely becuase you didn't fully allow the macarons to dry before baking them. If you live in a humid climate, sometimes the shells will need to dry for 60+ minutes before they form a skin that is thick enough to bake without cracking.
Wrinkled macarons are common from underwhipped meringue (meaning it wasn't fully at stiff peaks), or batter that was over macaronaged (meaning it was too thin and runny). 
Fragile macarons can come from a couple different causes. First, underbaked macarons can be soft and fragile. Make sure the macarons feel hard after cooling from the oven.
Underwhipped meringue or over macaronaging can also cause shells that easily break.
Tall macaron feet are a common when your macaron batter is under macaronaged (it's too thick). While flat macarons with no feet are often caused by over macaraonged batter that's too thin.
Oven temperature can also play a role in macaron feet, as well as properly resting the shells.
In order to get full macaron shells without a hollow inside, you need to nail these three techniques:
1. Learn to get the meringue fully to stiff peaks
2. Properly macaronage until the batter is a lava like consistency
3. Perfect your oven temperature
All of these techniques play an important role in ensuring your macaron shells are high quality and bake up with a full interior. 
More Macaron Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below. Have questions as you're cooking? Leave a comment below, and I'll help!
Neapolitan Macarons
Equipment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- light colored baking sheets
- silicone mat or parchment paper
- pastry bag with ½ inch (1.3 cm) round tip
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 112 grams egg whites
- 140 grams super fine almond flour
- 140 grams confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 126 grams granulated sugar
- 10 grams natural unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
Strawberry Ganache
- 1 ¼ cups white chocolate morsels
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature and cut into 1 tablespoon (14 grams) pieces
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries finely pulsed in a food processor
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
For Macaron Shells
- Separate egg whites from yolks, and allow egg whites to come to room temperature.
- Measure dry ingredients using a kitchen scale. Double-sift the almond flour and confectioners' sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a little white vinegar on a paper towel to remove any leftover oils.
- Print off the macaron template. Place them on a light colored sheet pan underneath a piece of parchment paper.
- Prepare two piping bags with a ½ inch (1.3 cm) round tip. Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set one bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make pouring the batter easy and clean.
- Add room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed until the eggs are very foamy, about 3 minutes. Add a third of the granulated sugar at a time, allowing the mixer to beat in each batch of sugar for about 45 seconds before adding in another batch.
- Once all the granulated sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium-high, and allow the egg whites to continue to whip until stiff peaks form, about 10–11 minutes. Once at stiff peaks, you'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk and is glossy. To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out. Make sure not to overbeat the meringue at this stage (this is when the egg whites look dull or curdled).
- Pour the sifted almond flour and confectioners' sugar into the meringue mixture, and gently fold them together using a silicone spatula. Continue until all the meringue is fully incorporated and no dry bits of almond flour remain on the bottom of the bowl.
- Evenly, divide the batter into 2 medium-sized mixing bowls. Add sifted cocoa powder to one bowl and leave the other bowl white. Begin working the batter until everything is fully incorporated (this is called the macaronage process). Slowly, spread the mixture along the side of the bowl, then wipe it back down. Be sure to do this gently. Repeat until the mixture has reached a smooth, shiny, flowing consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once the batter drops back into the bowl, it should take about 10–15 seconds for the ribbon that formed to "disappear" back into the rest of the batter. Don't over macaronage the batter or the macarons will not properly bake in the oven.
- Pour each batter into the prepared piping bags. Hold the bag vertically, and pipe 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) circles. Once you have reached the desired size, release the pressure on the bag, and twist your wrist without lifting up. Pipe all of the chocolate macarons on one sheet pan, and all of the white macarons on another sheet pan.
- Bang the sheet pan down on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop the air bubbles with a toothpick. Allow the batter to sit on the counter and dry for 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining the macaron. This resting time will vary depending on the humidity (they may take up to 90+ minutes to dry if you live in a humid or rainy environment). While the macarons are drying, place the oven thermometer in the center rack of the oven. Heat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake the chocolate macaron sheet pan in the center rack of the oven for 24–27 minutes. You can test that the macarons are done by gently touching the edge and the feet of the macarons. If the shell wiggles, is sticky, or wet, the macarons need to bake longer. Remove macarons from the oven, and allow the pan to rest on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Bake the white macaron sheet pan in the center rack of the oven for 19–23 minutes. If you notice the white macarons are browning or dulling in the oven, once the macarons have formed feet and a solid top (this usually takes at least 10 minutes) place a piece of aluminum foil over the macarons for the remaining cooking time. Remove macarons from the oven, and allow the pan to rest on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.
For Strawberry Ganache
- Place white chocolate morsels and butter in a medium-sized heat-safe bowl.
- Heat heavy cream in the microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 1–2 minutes, until the heavy cream begins to steam and bubble but doesn’t boil over. Immediately, pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Make sure all of the chocolate is submerged under the cream. Allow the mixture to sit, without stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Add freeze dried strawberries, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt to the chocolate, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and fully blended. If there are still bits of chocolate or butter after stirring with the heavy cream for 60–90 seconds, heat the entire mixture in the microwave on 50 percent power (medium) for an additional 15–30 seconds, then stir until the correct consistency forms.
- Transfer ganache to a shallow container, and press plastic wrap against the surface of the ganache (to prevent a skin from forming on top). Place the ganache in the fridge, and allow the mixture to cool until it’s firm enough to pipe, about 1–2 hours.
- Match a chocolate macaron shell with a white one, so they are paired with a similar size/shaped shell. Pipe ganache on one side of the macaron shell using a ½ inch (1.3 cm) round piping tip. Gently, place the matching macaron on top of the ganache.
- Mature the macarons with the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor.
- Store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. To serve, allow the macarons to come to room temperature.
Notes
- The meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while mixing.
- When you pull out the whisk, the peak stands straight up without curling at the tip.
- You can flip the bowl upside down without the meringue moving.
- The meringue feels sturdy and holds its shape.
Jessica
Is it just me or are you obsessed with how these look?!