Macaron Troubleshooting (Complete Guide)

Learn how to troubleshoot any and all problems you're having with macaron shells. This guide will walk you step-by-step through how to fix your macarons.

Six panels of macarons troubleshooting tips.

Ready to perfect your macarons? You've come to the right place!

If your macaron shells didn't turn out perfectly the first time, don't worry! With a few tweaks, you can troubleshoot what went wrong. This post is designed to help you pinpoint the exact issues you're experiencing with your macarons.

Here's how it works:

Scroll through the troubleshooting guide list and see which photo/description best matches the problem you are observing with your macarons. Even if your macarons don't look exactly like the photo, choose the one that best matches the issue you are seeing.
Once you've selected an issue, this post will guide you through a step-by-step roadmap for potential reasons why you may be experiencing this issue. The roadmap will start with the most common solution to fix this problem, down to more unusual solutions.

This roadmap can help as you walk through your macaron baking process and assess which of the techniques, equipment, or ingredients are causing your macarons to bake up less than perfect.

If you compound multiple issues on top of each other (i.e. weak meringue + low oven temperature) you may have more than one issue that you'll need to fix.

If this seems overwhelming, check out my step-by-step course, The Macaron Baking Experience, where I'll walk you through the techniques you need to perfect macarons. This is a quick and easy-to-understand course that will teach you everything in just one weekend.

Jump to:

Airy/Porous Macarons
Bottoms Stick To The Mat
Browned Macarons
Bumpy Tops
Cracked Macarons
Fragile/Soft Shells
Flat Macarons
Hollow Macarons
Irregularly Shaped Macarons
Lopsided Macarons
No Feet/Small Feet
Ruffled Macaron Feet
Speckled Macarons
Splotchy Macarons
Tall Macaron Feet
Wrinkled Macarons
More Troubleshooting Guides

Airy/Porous Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up with a porous or airy texture. Usually, this includes some small cracking, bubbles/air holes, and a very fragile texture.

Solution #1: If you're using the Italian meringue method, ensure you properly heat the sugar syrup to 244°F (118°C). Heating the syrup under 244°F (118°C) can cause this issue.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks.
Solution #3: Ensure you banged the sheet tray to release air bubbles. Pop large air bubbles with a toothpick.
Solution #4: Ensure you're using a reliable recipe (like the ones found on my blog). Some recipes with incorrect ratios (a high ratio of egg whites not balanced by a proper ratio of granulated sugar or a high ratio of egg whites not balanced by a proper ratio of dry ingredients) can cause this issue.

Bottoms Stick To The Mat

The Problem: When you try to remove the macarons from the baking mat, the bottoms will not release and stick to the baking mat.

Solution #1: Retest your oven temperature and baking times. Low oven temperature or macarons that didn't bake long enough will have this issue.
Solution #2: Purchase a new silicone baking mat. Not all silicone baking mats conduct heat the same way. I have had very poor luck with the Amazon Basics baking mat.
Solution #3: Ensure your macarons are fully cooled before removing them from the baking mat.
Solution #4: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Over macaronaged (over mixed) batter can cause these issues.

The Problem: When you remove the macarons from the baking mat, you notice the bottoms have large holes and are not perfectly smooth.

Solution #1: Retest your oven temperature and baking times. Low oven temperature or macarons that didn't bake long enough will have this issue. If you're using a silicone or Teflon baking mat, you may need to bump up your oven temperature.
Solution #2: Purchase a new silicone baking mat. Not all silicone baking mats conduct heat the same way. I have had very poor luck with the Amazon Basics baking mat.
Solution #3: Ensure your macarons are fully cooled before removing them from the baking mat.
Solution #4: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Over macaronaged (over mixed) batter can cause these issues.

Browned Macarons

The Problem: The macarons brown in the oven while cooking. The color drastically dulls during the baking process.

Solution #1: Retest your oven temperature and baking times. Hot oven temperatures or macarons that bake for too long can have browning.
Solution #2: Once the macarons have formed feet and a solid top (this usually takes about 10 minutes in my home oven when baking at 315°F (157°C)), prop the oven door open for the remaining cooking time. This is especially helpful for white-colored or pastel macarons.
Solution #3: Once the macarons have formed feet and a solid top (this usually takes about 10 minutes in my home oven when baking at 315°F (157°C)), lightly place a piece of aluminum foil over the tops of the macarons for the remaining cooking time. This is especially helpful for white-colored or pastel macarons.

Bumpy Tops

The Problem: The macarons bake up with rough, bumpy, or unsmooth tops.

Solution #1: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Under macaronaged (under mixed) batter can cause bumpy tops.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Over whipped meringue can lead to difficulty with the macaronage stage.
Solution #3: Ensure you sifted the almond flour and confectioners' sugar. Discard any large pieces of almond flour before mixing the dry ingredients with the meringue.
Solution #4: Ensure you banged the sheet tray to release air bubbles. Pop large air bubbles with a toothpick.

Cracked Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up with tall, raised cracks that resemble a volcano that erupted.

Solution #1: Rest the macarons for a longer time until a thick skin forms on top.
Solution #2: Try no rest macarons.

The Problem: The macarons bake up with cracks along the top of the shell. This could be large or small cracks.

Solution #1: Ensure you banged the sheet tray to release air bubbles. Pop large air bubbles with a toothpick.
Solution #2: Retest your oven temperature. An oven that's too hot can cause cracked shells.
Solution #3: If only a few macarons have cracked shells, you may be experiencing oven hot spots. Rotate the baking sheet throughout the cooking process.
Solution #4: Switch your dark colored baking sheet for a light colored pan.
Solution #5: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks.

Fragile/Soft Shells

The Problem: The macarons have a weak or soft top. When you press on the top of the macaron shell, it easily breaks or dents with slight pressure.

three macaron shells cracked from weak tops.

Solution #1: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Over macaronaged (over mixed) batter can cause weak tops.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Under whipped and over whipped meringue can lead to weak macaron tops.
Solution #3: Retest your oven temperature and baking times. Low oven temperature or macarons that didn't bake long enough will have weak tops.
Solution #4: Ensure you're using a well tested recipe (like you'll find on my site). Some recipes with incorrect ratios can cause weak tops.

Flat Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up very thin without much rise.

Solution #1: Ensure your batter is not over macaronaged.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Under whipped meringue can cause issues.
Solution #3: Ensure you're not excessively banging the sheet tray when releasing air bubbles.
Solution #4: Retest your oven temperature.
Solution #5: Don't use too much gel or powdered food dye.

Hollow Macarons

The Problem: Hollow macaron is a term used to describe an air pocket that is present in the shell when you crack it open.

Solution #1: For small hollows, allow the macarons to mature in the refrigerator with a filling for 24 hours. This technique can, at times, fix some minor issues with hollow shells.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. If you are having trouble with this step, try whipping your meringue at a lower speed (around medium speed like 6 or 7 speed on a KitchenAid) so you can easily tell which stage your meringue is at.
Solution #3: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter.
Solution #4: Retest your oven temperature. An oven that's too hot or too cool can cause hollows. Additionally, if you are underbaking your macaron shells, they may not be fully rising, resulting in hollow macarons.
Solution #5: Ensure you are setting yourself up for a successful meringue: Don't use carton egg whites. Always use cream of tartar. Don't make meringue with cold egg whites. Don't whip egg whites at a high speed at the beginning of the meringue whipping process.
Solution #6: Try a different baking surface, parchment paper, or a silicone or Teflon baking mat, and retest your oven temperature.
Solution #7: Ensure you are popping large air bubbles.

Irregularly Shaped Macarons

The Problem: The macarons aren't perfectly round. They may look oval or oddly shaped.

Solution #1: Ensure your batter is not over macaronaged. This can cause the macarons to spread and become irregularly shaped as they are piped.
Solution #2: Ensure you're piping while holding the piping bag vertically (not at an angle).
Solution #3: Switch from parchment paper to a silicone baking mat or Telfon mat. The batter moves around less on silicone and Teflon.
Solution #4: Ensure you are evenly banging the baking sheet while releasing air bubbles.
Solution #5: Ensure you sifted the almond flour and confectioners' sugar. Discard any large pieces of almond flour before mixing the dry ingredients with the meringue.

Lopsided Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up with uneven, lopsided feet. One side of the macaron has small or no feet while the other side has normal or large feet.

Solution #1: Ensure your oven is heating evenly. Rotate the baking sheet throughout the cooking process.
Solution #2: Ensure your baking mat is completely touching the pan. If there is air between the pan and the baking mat, you could experience lopsided macarons.
Solution #3: Ensure you are evenly banging your baking sheet when releasing air bubbles
Solution #4: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Over whipped meringue can lead to lopsided macarons.
Solution #5: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter.
Solution #6: Ensure you're piping while holding the piping bag vertically (not at an angle).

No Feet/Small Feet

The Problem: The macarons bake up with nonexistent feet or very small feet (under 2mm).

Solution #1: Ensure your batter is not over macaronaged.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks.
Solution #3: Ensure you're not excessively banging the sheet tray to release air bubbles.
Solution #4: Retest your oven temperature. An oven that's too cool can cause this issue. Additionally, if you are underbaking your macaron shells, they may not be fully rising.
Solution #5: Don't use too much gel or powdered food dye.

Ruffled Macaron Feet

The Problem: The macarons bake up with feet that spread horizontally instead of vertically. The feet look frilly or ruffled.

Solution #1: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Over macaronaged (over mixed) batter can cause ruffled feet.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Over whipped meringue can cause ruffled feet.
Solution #3: Retest your oven temperature.

Speckled Macarons

The Problem: The macarons have tiny discolored dots all around the top of the shell.

Solution #1: Don't add too much salt to your macarons. If you choose to use salt in your macarons, only use a pinch, or add salt to your macaron filling instead of to the shells.

Splotchy Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up with an uneven, discolored top that looks splotchy. This oftentimes happens after they have cooled from the oven.

Solution #1: Bake your macarons for a longer time. Underbaked macarons can cause this issue.
Solution #2: Retest your oven temperature. An oven that's too cool can cause this issue.
Solution #3: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter.
Solution #4: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks.
Solution #5: If you're making chocolate macarons, try baking for a longer time period. If that doesn't work, try switching to a different brand of cocoa powder.

Tall Macaron Feet

The Problem: The macarons bake up with excessively large feet (over 5 mm).

Solution #1: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter. Under macaronaged batter can cause tall feet.
Solution #2: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks. Over whipped batter can cause tall feet.

Wrinkled Macarons

The Problem: The macarons bake up with a wrinkle or textured tops.

Solution #1: Ensure your meringue is whipped perfectly to stiff peaks.
Solution #2: Ensure you properly macaronaged the batter.
Solution #3: Retest your oven temperature.
Solution #4: Use less cocoa powder if you're baking chocolate macaron shells.
Solution #5: Don't overheat the Swiss meringue sugar and egg white mixture. Only cook to 100°F (38°C).
Solution #6: Ensure there is no oil on your equipment while making meringue.

More Troubleshooting Guides

Need more help? Check out my specific troubleshooting guides:

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