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 – Chocolate Coconut Cookies)
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!
Even more cookies —> Healthy Cookies Recipes
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.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Coconut Recipes:
Coconut Ice Cream – 5 Different Flavors
Coconut Butter And Coconut Oil – Everything You Need To Know
I 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.
I 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
Forgot 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.
Those look wonderful!
I 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!
I made the mistake of using coconut flour in mine and they came out very delicate, crumbly and a bit dry. I had forgotten how coconut flour really soaks up liquids! I’ll try almond or normal baking flour next time 🙂 despite the slight mishap, they tasted absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
Can i use whole wheat flour instead?
I have checked on very well fit calorie counter and I don’t get the same as you. Here is what it says:
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 143
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10.9g 14%
Saturated Fat 9.5g 47%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 12mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 8.9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2.7g 10%
Total Sugars 5.3g
Protein 1.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 19mg
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
16 tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Medium No Name 120 Calories per serving
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Wheat Flour, White, All-purpose, Enriched, Bleached 2 Calories per serving
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/2 cup Milk, Reduced Fat, Fluid, 2% Milkfat With Added Vitamin A 5 Calories per serving
3 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 1/2 tbsp Syrups, Maple 15 Calories per serving
vanilla
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract 0 Calories per serving
One of them must be wrong….
You know that Product/Brands vary sometimes GREATLY in Macros, right?
These are good! And easy! I’m glad to have a vegan macaroon recipe.
A tweak that really worked well: I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons of tapioca flour instead of 1 T of almond or white flour. The tapioca flour lends a chewy texture, much better than most other flours. (Tapioca flour is sometimes called tapioca starch, Bob’s Red Mill sells it, among others.)
Thanks for posting the recipe.
I used almond flour, unsweetened soy milk and maple syrup. My mistake….i microwaved it for 1 minute. Should have wondered what the point was and done it much longer! I had hard time scooping the “batter”,,it was so ljquidy. As a result they didnt set. Still good but basically a coconutty mess. Ill make them properly next time. Cook until thickened THEN scoop!!! Duh! Thanks. I know this will be good. I just need tomread the recipe more closely!😃
I had to simmer this for quite some time to form the sticky balls of coconut macaroon. They tasted very flavorful and we loved them. My husband from Mexico called them Coconadas – he says they taste like the coconut cookie from Mexico. What a flavor. Will be making again. I don’t think it needs chocolate btw
Thank you so much for trying them!
Hi. I want to try these but I wanted to ask- It says use any flour- What about coconut flour? I know coconut flour behaves much differently than other flours, so I just wanted to check.
Thanks 🙂
It would be really helpful if there was a time estimate for the microwave and stovetop. How thick are we looking for here?
Took a while for the macaroons to be dry enough for scooping. Probably needed about 5 minutes in the microwave (did that 1 minute at a time) and an extra tablespoon of flour.
Cook time was also a bit longer.
Used a cookie scoop to get uniform shape and size.
Tasty!
I just made these, and were absolutely delicious. Even before they went in oven the mixture tasted so good. Thank you for the wonderful recipe Katie.
Thank you so much for making them 🙂 🙂
Where did I go wrong?! They came out super crumbly but crazy delicious in flavor! I doubled the recipe to yield more macaroons, so maybe it was too much liquid? I the only sub I made was coconut flour and I only had 2% milk handy. I microwaved it for about 4 minutes, intervals of 1 min…but in the last minute I looked away and it overflowed everywhere…but I kept going nonetheless ha! They tasted incredible raw so I wanted to see it through…but after 17 minutes in the oven at 350, the bottoms were getting really brown, but after they cooled, they crumbled. I only managed to salvage 4. Maybe I should use AP flour and not double the batch next time?? I’m allergic to raw almond flour, so that’s out of the question. They really did taste amazing, so I want to perfect these for the holidays!
Hi Michelle, doubling might definitely have been the issue especially because you used coconut flour – it is such a drying flour, and perhaps with a doubled amount, you just don’t need as much! If you try it again with less, definitely be sure to report back. Hopefully that will do the trick!
These are my favorite. I tried making the recipe but they were not done after 15 minutes in the oven. I used the stovetop to heat all of the ingredients. How long should I have cooked them before placing in the oven?
They are delicious BUT…how long do you leave them to cook on the stove top? I found making the balls I spent a loy of time licking shreds off my fingers…did I not wait long enough?
These are terrific! I love being able to alter the sweetness since most macaroons are too sweet for my diabetes, plus have so much fat. Being WFPB and avoiding oils this recipe is perfect. Scraping the pot is also a tasty exercise! Thanks again for a terrific easy recipe!
Do these need to be refrigerated?