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Matcha Green Tea Macarons with Strawberry Buttercream - Naturally Coloured and Flavoured

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Matcha macarons filled with strawberry cream that is naturally colored and flavored. The shells are extra flavorful with green tea powder.

Stack of naturally colored green tea macarons filled with strawberry filling.

This recipe was influenced by a dinner party experience I had in which one of the guests was concerned about food that contained food colouring. Before eating each dessert item, he asked diligently if it contained any food colouring. Unfortunately, I had indeed used some food colouring in the macaron shells so he couldn't have any due to his concern in regards to it. It really got me thinking. Yes, brightly colored baked goods are so cute and too darn photogenic for their own good but not everyone may feel comfortable ingesting it. So I created this new recipe which is naturally flavoured and colored. Today I present to you this Matcha Green Tea Macaron filled with Strawberry Swiss Buttercream.

In the last matcha macaron recipe I wrote, I included the addition of a few drops of Americolor's Avocado gel color to give the shells the typical vibrant green color one comes to expect in their macarons. This time, I left out the Avo green gel color and let the natural colors of the matcha come through. As you can see, the result is a more muted and mossy green. As for the strawberry buttercream, the pink color derives solely from the real strawberries used in the recipe. I quite admire this natural colour combo and believe you can take great pride in letting your guests know that this macaron is naturally colored and flavoured from raw ingredients. It also tastes absolutely delicious - a winning combo! I'm proud to have this new recipe in my recipe box and I hope you will be too.

Happy Baking!
XOXO, Mimi

Stack of matcha strawberry macarons on a counter with some loose green tea powder.
Yield: 12

REAL Strawberry Swiss Buttercream

REAL Strawberry Swiss Buttercream

Matcha macarons filled with strawberry cream that is naturally colored and flavored. The shells are extra flavorful with green tea powder.

Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 14 minutes
Rest Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 44 minutes

Ingredients

Matcha Green Tea Macaron Shell

  • 65 grams almond flour
  • 65 grams icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
  • 45 grams castor sugar
  • 50 grams egg whites, aged, room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Fresh Strawberry Puree

  • 350 grams fresh organic strawberries
  • 6 tsp granulated sugar

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 65 grams egg whites
  • 130 grams granulated sugar
  • 195 grams room temperature butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-1 1/2 tsp strawberry extract (optional)

Instructions

Basic Macaron Shell

  1. Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
  2. Pulse almond flour and icing sugar together in a food processor to further break down any large pieces of almond flour.
  3. Sift dry ingredients: almond flour, icing sugar and matcha powder. Discard big pieces of almond that can't be sifted.
  4. If you are new to making macarons, please read the instructions to my BEST MACARON RECIPE before attempting to follow the rest of the instructions since it is condensed for the advanced macaron baker.
  5. With the balloon whisk attached, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-medium speed.
  6. Add cream of tartar when it becomes foamy.
  7. Turn up the speed to medium.
  8. Once the whisk starts to leave tracks in the egg whites, add sugar a little at a time.
  9. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until firm peaks, stop mixer and add gel food color if desired. Continue whipping on medium-high until stiff peaks.
  10. Fold the dry mix and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
  11. Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
  12. On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe out round shaped macarons. 
  13. Rap the tray hard on the counter to remove any excess air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles. 
  14. Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. 
  15. Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes. Every oven is different, you may need to adjust your own temperature settings. Please read How to Use Your Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
  16. Macarons are done when the foot doesn't push back and the tops don't move when you wiggle it. 
  17. Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.

Fresh Strawberry Puree

  1. Wash strawberry and remove stem and a bit of the surrounding white flesh with a paring knife. Dry it with paper towels. 
  2. Place the strawberries and sugar in a small pot, boil on LOW heat for approx 30 minutes. 
  3. It will start to break down by itself. Occasionally, stir the mixture so the sugars and juices come together. 
  4. Using a heat proof spatula, occasionally press down on the fruit very gently to help break it down. If it is still hard, just let it break down by itself until its soft enough to push down on it with the spatula. 
  5. It will reduce into a very thick, chunky compote that is not runny. Take off heat after appr. 30 min. (Watch accompanying video to see the proper consistency. You may need to keep it on the heat some more if it is still runny.)
  6. Pour the compote into a food processor or blender and blend for a minute or two until the fruit is all broken down. 
  7. Pour through a sieve into a heat proof cup. The mixture is thick so use a spoon to push it through. If the consistency is correct, you should have about 3 tablespoons of puree. Set puree aside. 

Swiss Buttercream

  1. Cut up butter and let it come to room temperature as you measure out other ingredients. 
  2. Add sugar and egg whites into a heat proof mixing bowl. Stainless steel is light and safe.
  3. Place over a pot of boiling water. 
  4. Whisk the whites & sugar mix over the boiling water.
  5. Pay attention to whisking the mixture when it starts getting hot, you don’t want to cook the eggs.
  6. Whisk the mixture until the temperature reaches 160F. This temperature is generally accepted to be able to kill salmonella in eggs.
  7. Pour the mixture into the Kitchenaid mixer and whisk on low with the balloon whisk, then turn it up to medium.
  8. Once the mixture is thick and glossy, and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, stop mixer. Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.
  9. Add butter a little bit at a time while beating with the paddle attachment on medium speed.
  10. The mixture might look curdled or separated for a while but keep mixing. It will all come together.
  11. Add strawberry puree a tea-spoonful at a time to a max of 3 tablespoons. Beat until incorporated. 
  12. Add strawberry extract if desired and incorporate. 

Notes

  1. Castor sugar is also known as extra fine granulated sugar or berry sugar. Granulated sugar can be used by castor sugar is preferable.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 248Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 35mgSodium 170mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 1gSugar 24gProtein 3g

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did you make this recipe? Share your results with me 🙂

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Mimi
Cuisine: french / Category: Macarons
Close up of rows of strawberry matcha macarons.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mari says

    These turned out so good! I followed a larger recipe for the shells, but same ingredients. I measured out the icing sugar and then took away 1 Tbs worth and replaced it with the matcha powder.

    These turned out perfect (minus my poor piping) and tasted so good.

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Perfect! I'm so happy to hear that and thanks for including your mod for us explore this option as well.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  2. Ado says

    Hi Mimi! Is there any reason why every time I add matcha powder to my shells, when they bake the feet always bulge out. Please and thank you!

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Hi Ado,
      Could it be that you're folding it too much because the mixture is more "dry" thank you're used to? You can try lessening the powdered sugar and see if that helps you.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  3. clara says

    I failed the macaron shells by substituting granulated sugar by sweetener, is that the reason the shell didnt work out :(?

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Hi Clara ,

      I'm not quite sure as I have never tried using a sweetener instead. I don't recommend substituting any of the ingredients in the shell for novice macaron bakers. Once you have tried baking them normally and have no problems, it will be easier to pinpoint where you went wrong when you try new ingredients. Please let me know how it goes 🙂
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  4. Anna says

    Hello - I just wanted to confirm the amount of sugar in the strawberry puree... should it be 6 TBSP or 6 TSP. I only ask because I currently have 350 g of fresh strawberries in 6 TBSP of sugar and it sure is taking a long time to reduce... then I thought I'd compare your strawberry basil puree recipe and that one says 6 TSP of sugar. So it made me wonder if it was a typo ...

    Love your macaron recipes!! 🙂

    Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Hi Anna,
      Yes, that is 6 tsp, this recipe is a derivative of that one. Oh my goodness. I am sorry for the confusion. I hope you were able to work it out! I will fix it right now. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  5. Jane says

    Hi Mimi,
    I baked macaron successfully using your recipe. But I try to use freeze dried fruit powder to replace food Colouring, like raspberry powder. I failed. Should I reduce the icing sugar or almond flour when I add 1 tbsp raspberry powder?

    Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe.

    Jane

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      I would reduce the sugar. Watch out for how much you add. Not only that the acidity of your powder may affect the outcome of your macarons too. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

      • Jane says

        Thanks Mimi for your reply.
        I forgot about the acidity. It may be not a good way to use fruit powder for macaron.
        Again thank you for your reply.
        Jane

        Reply

  6. Thi says

    Hi Mimi, thank you so much for the perfect recipe. I finally made perfect macaron shells just by following all your steps. I want to make pistachio macaron shells with real pistachio flour, what should i do? You have any suggestions? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Hi Thi,

      I'm so happy to hear that! You can make pistachio macarons by subbing in half of the almond with the pistachio.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

    • Mimi says

      Hi Nancy,

      I have heard that you can. Although if you're new to making macarons, I'd start with real eggs first just to make sure that is not the variable causing any failures.

      Xoxo,
      mimi

      Reply

  8. Natalie says

    Hi! do you have any recommendations for a filling that doesn't use any dairy? Looking to start selling my Macarons in the Farmers Market but I will have to eliminate all dairy out of my fillings.

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      You can make a ganache with butter (mixed with some shortening) or soy creamer. Marshmallow Fluff, American Buttercream without the milk. Curd without the eggs.
      Xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  9. Timi says

    So happy you're sharing this. I'm in quest for natural food coloring that works with macaron shells because the farmer's market I want tot join asked for it. If you have any more suggestions it would be more than welcome!

    Reply

    • Mimi says

      Awe Thanks so much Timi!
      I'm so glad to hear that this recipe works exactly for your needs. I have been trying to experiment with more natural combos. Here's another recipe that is naturally colored and flavoured. Salted Caramel Chocolate Macarons Recipe

      Here's Earl Grey and Lemon Macaron Recipe. Just leave out the purple color. It will look natural and have nice tea speckles in the shells.

      Here's a chocolate orange flavour. You'll have to leave out the orange color though.

      Xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

      • Timi says

        Thank you so much for all the great tips! I'm gonna start trying them out. I always get back to your blog whenever I'm screwed. Thanks for sharing all you experience!

        Reply

        • Mimi says

          Aww! Thanks Timi, it's so nice to receive a simple note of thanks! Really warms my heart.
          Xoxo,
          Mimi

          Reply

    • Mimi says

      in addition to the recipe flavors, as for the coloring, you can look into: beetroot powder for red, tumeric for yellow,

      But keep in mind the flavour it will add into the macaron shells.
      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

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