This classic coconut macaroons recipe is so easy to make… and hard to resist!
Homemade Coconut Macaroons
Soft
Chewy
Vegan
Oil free
Gluten free
Paleo & keto versions
And they have just 6 ingredients
These delicious and deceptively simple coconut cookies are so quick and fun to make that they might just become your new favorite cookies!
How To Make Macaroons:
Stir the ingredients together in a bowl.
Microwave or heat on the stove.
Form balls and bake in the oven.
Eat them all up… then head straight back to the kitchen, to make another batch!
(Above, a video of the chocolate version)
Macaroons Or Macarons?
So what is a macaroon? If you google “macaroon recipe,” you’ll find cookies that look like the ones in these photos, and you’ll also see cookies that look completely different.
Modern day coconut macaroons are soft coconut cookies, sometimes made with almond paste or even potato starch. They’re popular for Christmas and are also a popular Passover recipe because they’re unleavened. Macarons—spelled with one o instead of two, or sometimes called French macaroons—are egg white meringue-based sandwich cookies made with ground almonds or almond flour and often filled with ganache, jam, or buttercream. They come in a rainbow of colors.
The two cookies are adaptations of what was once the same recipe, hundreds of years ago.
For Keto Macaroons: Add 3 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil in place of the maple syrup, and sweeten with uncut stevia to taste.
For Paleo Macaroons: Use either almond meal or coconut flour for the 1 tbsp flour of choice.
For Protein Macaroons: Substitute an equal amount of your favorite protein powder (I like this vegan protein powder) for the flour or almond meal.
These healthy coconut cookies have been a staple on my holiday baking list for the past seven years, and I’ve made them a million different ways. Aside from changing the recipe up by using different flours or protein powders, you can also add almond extract, peppermint extract, or spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, for endless flavor combinations.
The cookies need no refrigeration, making them an excellent choice any time you need to make a dessert for a holiday party. Just be sure not to eat them all before they reach their destination!
Coconut Macaroons
Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp almond meal or flour of choice
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp milk of choice or coconutmilk
- just over 1/16 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup, honey, or agave (a keto option is listed earlier in the post)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla or coconut extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together all ingredients, then either microwave or heat on the stove until thick enough to scoop balls onto a cookie tray. (I used a melon baller, but a spoon or ice cream scoop also work.) Bake on the center rack 15 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the tray. If desired, dip in melted chocolate or melted Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.
More Coconut Recipes:
Coconut Ice Cream – 5 Different Flavors
Coconut Butter And Coconut Oil – Everything You Need To Know
Christy says
6th December 2018 at 10:50 amI can’t wait to make these for my coconut loving BF for Christmas. Question for you, you stated in the description you could add other flavors (almond extract, peppermint extract, etc.). In doing so, do you replace it for the vanilla (or coconut) extract in the posted recipes or in addition to??
Thanks!
Jason Sanford says
6th December 2018 at 10:53 amYou can leave the vanilla in or omit it. However, if using almond or peppermint, be sure to use PURE almond or peppermint, not imitation. And a little goes a long way with those, so start with just a few drops and taste the batter. You can always add more. Katie has a chocolate peppermint version here: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/12/11/peppermint-chocolate-coconut-cookies/
Jason (media relations)
Dana says
15th December 2018 at 8:13 pmI made them with a little peppermint extract (still kept the vanilla in as well) and they were SO GOOD! Next time I might try stirring in some crushed candy canes. I highly recommend the recipe. It’s a keeper 🙂
Tracey Eisenberg says
6th December 2018 at 12:38 pmWhen you say coconut milk do you mean canned coconut milk or something like Coconut Dream that I use in other things? thanks.
Jason Sanford says
6th December 2018 at 1:07 pmAny milk of choice will work here 🙂
Aurélie says
6th December 2018 at 4:18 pmThis recipe looks amazing! I’m sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you get the chocolate base on the photo? How did you get the chocolate bit to harden? Thx in advance for your feedback 🙂
Jason Sanford says
6th December 2018 at 4:38 pmNot silly at all! Just dip the cookies in melted chocolate and place on a parchment-lined plate. The chocolate will harden on its own, but to speed up the process you can put it in the fridge or freezer.
Aurélie says
6th December 2018 at 5:29 pmThis is what I was thinking, but wasn’t sure so thank you for your answer! I have a Xmas potluck on Saturday and I’m planning to give these a go! I’ll let you know how I went!;)
Thanks for all of your lovely recipes!!
Jess says
7th December 2018 at 11:11 amYou can even make your own chocolate base by mixing 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and sweetener of choice! It hardens well in the fridge but if left outside it will melt faster. Just a suggestion!
Max Santiago says
28th July 2019 at 11:25 pmIf you’re using regular chocolate you must temper it first before dipping the cookies in it. Otherwise they will never look like the ones in the picture. The easiest and best thing to do is buy what is called coating chocolate ( or glaze chocolate) this chocolate does not need to be tempered just melt and dip and it will set hard and beautiful
Suchot says
6th December 2018 at 11:28 pmInteresting how macaroons and macarons are based on the same original recipe – other than the similar names they seem like completely different cookies!
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
7th December 2018 at 3:44 pmI had macarons for the first time when I was traveling in Paris this past summer! However, I love coconut and this ingredient list and can’t wait to try making these at home!
Little Plastic Footprint says
11th December 2018 at 10:32 amHmm, these look delicious! I’ve been looking for healthy snacks to take to my daughters ‘special helper’ day at school and these will work great! Thanks
Lorain says
16th December 2018 at 7:20 pmThese are great. You need to cook down the ingredients until most liquid is gone…then pack them firmly. Be sure to cool completely or they will crumble.
I used 18% coffee cream and almond flour, it was perfect. I also,dipped mine in chocolate, yummy. May add a toasted almond next time to replicate an Almond Joy…
Jason Sanford says
17th December 2018 at 9:04 amCoffee cream macaroons sounds so amazing!
Brianne McCasland says
22nd December 2018 at 2:25 pmI used Bob’s gluten free baking flour, and bulk unsweetened coconut that was fairly fine. These turned out great!! They had to cook much longer than I thought they would need. Keep it on a low temp so you don’t scorch the bottom. A bigger saucepan would also help. I used a cookie scoop, and they cooked up so pretty and kept their shape. I cooked them for a extra 3-5 mins so the middle wasn’t so soft. The chocolate bottoms pulled this together perfectly, but we did eat a bunch without chocolate too!
lissaa says
4th January 2019 at 4:26 amI haven’t made these cookies yet, but have a question. Would like to try them but couldn’t understand how the coconut stays together to form a cookie.
Is it the flour and milk being heated up that creates a roux that holds the shredded coconut together?
Thanks.
Jen says
3rd February 2019 at 1:22 pmI just tried these after reading all of the comments, knowing that I was trying it with sweetened coconut even though the recipe calls for unsweetened. I’m running to the store now and unsweetened coconut is on my list! My original ones with sweetened coconut turned out similarly to others comments, so I’m assuming that was the difference – the coconut! However, I’m still so excited to try these again, rather than blaming the recipe 🙂 Also, they’re delicious despite having to scrape the gooey macaroons off the pan!
Marie says
10th March 2019 at 11:57 amI just made these today. I can’t believe how easy they were to make and they turned out SO good. My kids loved them and were disappointed I hadn’t made more 😁. I used all-purpose flour, coconut milk, unsweetened coconut and maple syrup; it took maybe 3 minutes for the batter to thicken enough in the microwave and it was extremely easy to scoop it into balls onto the tray. Chocolate on top after they had cooled down and we couldn’t even wait for the chocolate to set. They were dreamy ❤️
Radhika says
11th March 2019 at 6:39 amHi, I wanted to check
Do you use freshly grated /froze coconuts or the dry dried desiccated coconut?
Thanks,
Radhika
Jason Sanford says
11th March 2019 at 6:53 amDry 🙂
TeenChef says
25th April 2019 at 6:40 pmThese turned out delicious!!!!! 🙂
Ahbra says
6th August 2019 at 3:57 pmWhat size scoop did you use for these?
Jason Sanford says
6th August 2019 at 4:44 pmMini cookie scoop 🙂
https://amzn.to/2KnecSl
Jason (media relations)
Amanda says
7th October 2019 at 8:56 pmHey!
Just letting you know these little treats were fabulous!
Needed to make a dessert for the younger ones and happened upon these. Love that it’s only milk & honey! No eggs or condensed milk! Plus they taste much better in my opinion. Doubled up on taste-testing and not sorry.
My 4y.o. and I whipped them up in the microwave, in short bursts. Took about 3 1/2 minutes all up. I don’t have a baller of any sort, so we used a Tablespoon measuring scoop to dump them out onto the baking tray and we got 14 pieces. Baked them for the longer amount of time, til the edges started to golden, and left them on the tray to cool. No falling apart worry here, but they do melt-in-your-mouth! SO GOOD!
Thank you 🙂
Becca says
21st December 2019 at 12:39 amSo delicious and so quick and easy!! My hubby keeps popping them in his mouth… they are supposed to be for Christmas goody bags.
Jason Sanford says
21st December 2019 at 9:40 amThose look perfect!
Aurora says
30th December 2019 at 5:56 pmI would love to try these but I only have sweetened coconut flakes on hand. Must I make the trip to the store to buy the unsweetened kind, or can I make it work? I’m guessing I could omit or reduce the maple syrup in the recipe.
Jason Sanford says
31st December 2019 at 4:36 amI think the sweetened ones are not dry enough to work? It’s a different texture and probably would cause the macaroons to not set up. But I’m not sure – be sure to report back if you experiment!
Jason
Aurora says
8th January 2020 at 6:48 pmForgot to come back and update. I used only 1/2 cup of soy milk and no sweetener at all. They turned out great! I’ll try using slightly less milk next time or cooking it for a bit longer so they set up better, but this first try was delicious.
Jason Sanford says
9th January 2020 at 12:09 pmThose look wonderful!
Aurora says
13th January 2020 at 8:57 pmI just had to update you on my second try because they turned out even better! Still using sweetened coconut flakes, I used slightly less than 1/2 cup of soy milk, and omitted the maple syrup. And, since I had some leftover sweetened condensed coconut milk, I added 1 TBSP of it. Cooked on the stove instead of warming in the microwave like last time, and baked until golden. So delicious! They didn’t last the night 🙂 Thank you so much for this recipe!
Stef says
14th January 2020 at 11:00 pmTried making the keto version (with coconut oil) twice and it never dried up for me like in the video. Started to burn both times and it was still oily. Heated in microwave in short bursts btw.
Jason Sanford says
15th January 2020 at 7:33 amHi Stef, It’s so weird, because some people (including myself, and of course Katie) are having success, but you’re maybe the third person who didn’t, and I’d like to try and figure out why not everyone is having the same good results! What type/brand of coconut did you use? I wonder if some brands just have less fat or are less dry… Otherwise it doesn’t seem to make sense that the recipe works for some but not all! Are you in a moist climate/environment? I’m trying to think of other variables.
Jason