These naturally gluten free homemade coconut macaroons are sweet, moist, and chewy on the inside with a delightfully crisp exterior. They’re quick and easy (no dough chilling required!), and come together with just 5 simple ingredients.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and success tips. I also included a variation in my cookbook Sally’s Cookie Addiction.
When done right, coconut macaroons taste like the irresistible coconut center of an Almond Joy or Mounds bar. Chewy, moist, and sweet! When done wrong, they’re dry and fall apart easily.
The recipe below is my all-time favorite, and its perfect combination of ingredients produces oh-so-moist and tender macaroons with delightfully crisp exteriors. They’re a favorite in my collection of naturally gluten free dessert recipes and quick dessert recipes. You can leave them plain (with just 5 ingredients), add a dunk in chocolate and/or almond on top, or really elevated them like we do with this caramel coconut macaroon thumbprints recipe.
One reader, Rosemarie, commented: “I’m making these cookies for the third time. My daughter-in-law is gluten free and dairy free, and this is something special for her that everyone can enjoy. They are delicious, and I usually have to hide some extra for her! Another winner, Sally. Thank you. ★★★★★“
Coconut Macaroons Details
- Just 5 ingredients in the base recipe
- Can leave plain or add toppings/add-ins
- Dough comes together in 1 bowl
- No cookie dough chilling required
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free
And remember, these are coconut macaroons, not macarons. If you want to learn how to make those delicate sandwich cookies, I have an in-depth French macarons tutorial.
3 Notes About The Coconut:
- Use Sweetened Coconut: Sweetened coconut is extremely moist and a little sticky, which is exactly what you want for these cookies. Unsweetened coconut can work instead, but you may need to increase the egg whites and add more sugar. For best results, use sweetened.
- Measure Accurately: You need 4 and 3/4 cups (about 385g) of sweetened shredded coconut, which is a little less than a standard 14-ounce package.
- Chop It/Pulse It: Pulse the coconut shreds in the food processor a few times to chop up the pieces. Why? Smaller pieces of coconut help the cookies hold their shape better—the cookies will be more compact this way. If you don’t have a food processor, spread the coconut onto a cutting board and give it all a rough chop.
Here are the ingredients you need:
Finer pieces of coconut help the macaroons hold shape better; I pulse it with a food processor a few times to break down the shreds:
Make the Coconut Macaroons Dough
Even though the process is really easy, I want to walk you through a few steps so you can have success on the first try. This has been my favorite recipe for decades, and I’ve picked up on several tricks (learn from my mistakes!).
In addition to coconut, egg whites are a main ingredient in this dough. More specifically, beaten egg whites. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer, you’ll beat the egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract together on medium-high speed until foamy and the sugar is mostly dissolved. The trick here is to not over-beat the egg whites—this should really only take 1 minute.
If you over-beat the eggs, you’ll end up with a stiff meringue-like mixture, and the baked macaroons will be very dry.
Here’s what you’re looking for (on the left):
Fold the chopped coconut shreds into the egg white mixture. After that, use a medium cookie scoop to shape 1.5 Tablespoon portions of dough onto a lined baking sheet. I usually fit 12 on a standard 12×17-inch half baking sheet.
Coconut macaroons do not spread much while baking. Sometimes they can leak a little sugar/egg white liquid, but if you chopped the coconut up enough, this shouldn’t really happen.
Bake until a little toasty on top, about 20 minutes at 325°F (163°C).
Avoid Over-Baking
Bake for only a precise 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Over-baking will dry out your coconut macaroons.
Can I Add Add-Ins or Toppings?
Yes, absolutely! Macaroons can be dressed up in so many different ways. While they’re absolutely incredible plain, I love dipping the bottoms in melted dark chocolate. Other varieties:
- Chocolate almond macaroons: Pictured below! These remind me of an Almond Joy candy bar. Instructions in the recipe notes.
- Sprinkle loaded macaroons: Carefully fold 1/3 cup (about 57g) sprinkles in the coconut macaroon dough before scooping and baking. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls).
- White chocolate cranberry macaroons: Add 3/4 cup (about 100g) of dried cranberries to the dough when you add the shredded coconut. Melt 4 ounces of pure white chocolate and drizzle over cooled macaroons.
- Strawberry macaroons: Here’s my strawberry coconut macaroons recipe.
- Almond butter macaroons: Here’s my almond butter coconut macaroons recipe.
If you’re looking for a moist and chewy coconut macaroon with a toasty exterior, you’ve come to the right place. When you’re feeling fancy, dress the simple recipe up with any of my suggested varieties in the recipe notes. Be sure to try my almond butter coconut macaroons, too!
More Coconut Recipes
- Coconut Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies
- Coconut Chocolate Easter Cupcakes
Coconut Macaroons
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour (includes cooling)
- Yield: 18 large cookies (or 24 small)
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These naturally gluten free and dairy free homemade coconut macaroons are sweet, moist, and chewy on the inside with a delightfully crisp exterior. They’re quick and easy (no dough chilling required!), and come together with just 5 simple ingredients. Avoid over-baking.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 and 3/4 cups (385g) chopped sweetened shredded coconut (a little less than one 14-ounce package, see note)*
- optional: two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars (226g), finely chopped
Instructions
- Preliminary Note: I recommend pulsing the coconut in the food processor a few times to cut it down and break it up. Finer pieces of coconut make a tighter, more compact coconut macaroon that will hold its shape. Measure 4 and 3/4 cups after it’s been pulsed. If you do not have a food processor, spread the coconut onto a large cutting board and roughly chop it.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Make the macaroons: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract together on medium-high speed until foamy and the sugar is mostly dissolved, only about 1 minute. Do not over-beat. Fold in the chopped coconut, making sure the coconut is evenly moistened.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop 1.5 Tablespoons (about 30g) of the mixture and arrange on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. (For smaller cookies, measure 1 Tablespoon (about 18-20g) per cookie.)
- Bake until lightly browned around the edges and tops, about 20 minutes. Make sure to rotate the pan to help ensure even baking.
- Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The bottoms may be sticky, so use a thin spatula to help release them from the mat/parchment paper.
- Dip in chocolate (optional): Melt the chopped chocolate, either in a double boiler or the microwave. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each until completely melted. Dip each cooled coconut macaroon in the melted chocolate and place back onto the baking sheets. Allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Macaroons stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Macaroons, with or without chocolate, freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can prepare the coconut macaroon dough up to 3 days in advance; cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Thin Spatula | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melting chocolate)
- Can I use unsweetened coconut? I love unsweetened coconut for a lot of baking recipes, however, it’s not the best choice for this macaroon recipe. The macaroons will taste dry. Feel free to try increasing the egg whites and sugar, if you’d like.
- Chocolate Almond Coconut Macaroons: Follow recipe above. Melt an additional 2 ounces of chocolate. (10 ounces in total.) Dip the bottoms of the cooled macaroons in the chocolate, as directed in the recipe above, and then drizzle remaining chocolate on top of each. Press 1 almond into the tops while the chocolate drizzle is still wet.
- Sprinkle Loaded Macaroons: Carefully fold 1/3 cup (about 57g) sprinkles in the coconut macaroon dough before scooping and baking. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls).
- White Chocolate Cranberry Macaroons: Add 3/4 cup (about 100g) of dried cranberries to the dough when you add the shredded coconut. Melt 4 ounces of pure white chocolate and drizzle over cooled macaroons.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I want to make these, intending to share the bulk of them with my apartment building neighbors. However, several have severe nut allergies, so I can’t use the almond extract. Should I just increase the vanilla, or…? Thanks! I appreciate all the work you and your team do, to test and get all these great recipes out to us
That being said, I attempted to ask this exact same question, on the Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies recipe, and immediately after hitting “SUBMIT”, I received a notice saying “Comments for this recipe are closed”.
What’s up with THAT? Please and thanks. A team member last replied to a question, on that recipe, in mid October, just over a month ago. Sorry, but IMHO, if you’re NOT going to be open to questions or comments about a recipe, the recipe shouldn’t be there!
Thanks for listening!
Hi Terry, there have been glitches on my website for the past several months where discussion boxes are missing. It’s something that needs to be manually checked back “on” individually. Thank you for letting me know about that other recipe; we welcome questions and reviews on my website recipes! For these coconut macaroons, you can simply leave out the almond extract. Feel free to add more vanilla extract in its place but you don’t have to. For the coconut blondies, there is no almond extract in the batter.
I have tried many macaroon cookie recipes aa one of my favorites and have family members that are gluten free. This recipe is hands down, the absolute best! Thank you!
These were great! I had a little pooling but I don’t mind too much at all – dipped it in chocolate or I could have easily cut off the pooled stuff. I’m wondering, has anyone made these with chickpea juice instead of egg whites to make them vegan?
Made these and while they taste good I felt like they weren’t wet enough before baking them so they were crumbly when forming a ball. I didn’t cook them longer than the time suggested and followed the direction well but they crumble easy and are not moist like I’ve had when purchased. I’m not sure why they were so dry. Maybe I’ll try this again but only use 4 cups coconut or use 5 egg whites and add 2 tbsp more sugar. Hmmm. Wanted to love this recipe since I love all of your other recipes I use but I’m not sure what went wrong.
This is my go-to website for recipes. Just finished a wonderful quiche and we are working on a blueberry crumble pie, with our own blueberries….all Sally’s recipes! Now today these wonderful coconut macaroons drizzled with chocolate. Great instructions on all recipes, can’t go wrong! Many Thanks!
Hi Sally, I made these and they were delicious. They stayed together amazingly, no pooling like others have mentioned. The only thing is that mine didn’t have the *crunch* on the outside like you said they should. Mine came out slightly browned exactly like the photos. I still found the texture great and wonderfully moist, but I’m wondering what I need to do to get that crunchy outside. Should I leave them in for just an extra minute or two? Thanks!
Hi CB! We’re so glad you loved the macaroons! All ovens are a little different. You can certainly try extending the bake time by a minute or two. You could also use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is baking at the correct temperature. Hope this helps for the next batch!
Can refreeze my frozen batch of leftover macaroons after they were defrosted?
That shouldn’t be a problem.
This mixture is far too wet. Use an entire 14 oz pkg of coconut plus another third pkg. OR use only 3 egg whites. I am watching mine pool as I type this and I am looking at a runny pool in the bottom of my mixer while trying to rescue the rest of the batch.
These were really good. I used the whole 14 oz package which measured less than 4 3/4 cups after pulsing. They did not puddle. They kept their shape very nicely. I dipped them in chocolate as directed. They were very pretty, slightly crunch on the outside, chewy on the inside. So good!
I read in one of Sally’s cookbooks that you could use lemon zest and white chocolate in her macaroon recipe as an alternative. I’d like to try it, but I’m wondering if I still include almond and vanilla extract from the original recipe? I love her recipes!
Hi Barbara! I usually still add the vanilla and almond extracts. You drizzle the baked and cooled macaroons with white chocolate. And I usually use about 1 packed teaspoon of zest, and stir it in after the extracts.
I really think these need a bit of flour, otherwise the egg white puddles around the cookie. I’ll cut that part off and dip the bottom in chocolate so the cut edge doesn’t show. They taste a bit too sweet and stick to my teeth; if I make these again, I’ll use a T of flour and unsweetened coconut.
Hey there! I was wondering how much difference almond extract makes. Do I really need it?
You can leave out the almond extract if desired, but it does give lovely flavor.
Hi Sally. I’ve made these macaroons a few times. First time they turned out great, second and third times the cookies spread, not resembling macaroons at all. Any thoughts what could have gone wrong?
Hi Sue, usually the spreading is caused by too much moisture. It could be that there was more humidity in the air the second and third times you made them. Another potential cause of spreading could be not pulsing the coconut enough in the food processor. See this note from the recipe: I recommend pulsing the coconut in the food processor a few times to cut it down and break it up. Finer pieces of coconut make a tighter, more compact coconut macaroon that will hold its shape. Measure 4 and 3/4 cups after it’s been pulsed.
Hope this helps, and that they turn out great next time!
Hi, I am allergic to chocolate and strawberries. Can I use anything else instead of chocolate to give them flavor?
Hi Andi, coconut macaroons are delicious plain without adding garnish!
These are delicious!! Made them exactly as recipe states. used the whole 14oz bag of coconut, pulsed in food processor.
Made a mistake and did 375 degrees. Hope they turn out ok
Made these with left over egg whites from Sally’s Key Lime Pie recipe. Did not add sugar as I had sweetened coconut and I don’t have a food processor so didn’t pulse the coconut. Took Sally’s advice on some folks’ issues and I let the mixture set for an extra minute or two to soak up all the egg white mixture, gave it another good mix and tried hard to pack tightly since I didn’t chop it down. In retrospect I could have just chopped down a bit with a knife. ♀️♀️ but they turned out delicious and with such simple ingredients and simple baking, I will definitely make again! They are a great addition to my “freezer cookies “!
If I prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake do I need to let the dough come to room temperature first?
Hi Ann, you can bake them directly from the refrigerator, no need to bring to room temperature first. Enjoy!
Very good and I appreciated the tip about chopping them in the food processor to help them stick together. My coconut weighed 475 grams (16.75 oz) and I don’t think the recipe would have worked with less as there was a tiny bit of liquid oozing in a few of them, the ones with less coconut. I will make these a lot as they were soft inside and crispy outside and so quick to make.
Hi, I would like to make little coconut macaroon nests for Easter, do you think that this recipe would hold that shape? Thanks!
I love your posts!
Hi Linda, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but we can’t see why not. Let us know if you give it a try!
Sally, I love your site – your recipes always turn out for me. Today though I strayed and tried a DIFFERENT macaroon because I wanted them to taste more like Samoa girl scout cookies. The texture was all wrong. All that being said, do you have any ideas on how you could imbue the above recipe with a salted caramel flavor?
Thanks for all your lovely posts!
Hi Martha, We haven’t tested this recipe with caramel in the actual cookie, but let us know if you try anything! You can certainly dip the bottom in chocolate and then drizzle salted caramel sauce over the top.
Hi Sally,
Is it possible to use liquid egg whites for this recipe rather than the egg whites from the egg directly. I have a bunch of liquid egg whites in my fridge that need to be used up!
Hi Karisma, Use 3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites per egg white called for in a recipe. Just make sure it’s 100% whites (and not Eggbeaters or similar with added ingredients).
Sally,
When I made these Coconut Macaroons the liquid seemed to pool at the bottom of the macaroon during cooking leaving the tops a little dry and the bottoms wet…what do I need to do different the next time?
Hi Lynn! I find this happens when there isn’t enough coconut to soak up the liquid– try adding another 1/2 cup of coconut. This will helps!
best recipe for coconut macaroons that we’ve found. Very moist with a delicious crunch on the bottom. These are so easy and perfect because we can’t find flour right now!
I went ahead a tried, they came out super dry with the desiccated coconut. I guess you’d need a whole lot more egg whites.
Thanks very much for the reply, so nice of you!
Stay well and stay safe!!
Janice
Would this work with dessicated coconut, instead of pulsing shredded coconut… would that change the amount of coconut in the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Janice, Unfortunately, no. You need shredded or even flaked. Shredded is preferred though.
Wouldn’t change a thing! Made these while in self this weekend. Even the kids loved helping. We loved them dipped in chocolate. Thanks Sally!
These were incredibly easy to make! I had just under 4.75 cups before pulsing, but that made them moist and not too crumbly. I’m a fan, thanks!
I used an entire 14 oz bag of shredded coconut and it measured just 4.25 cups. The recipe came out fine anyway— very tasty. My cookies stuck to the silpat, but a light touch of cooking spray fixed that. Recommended recipe.
My daughter made these for Christmas. Since I have to watch my sugar intake she subbed with unsweetened coconut, erythritol and melted Lily’s chocolate chips. They were delicious!