These gluten free coconut macaroons are crispy outside, soft and chewy inside, and only as sweet as you want them to be. Whether you think you love coconut or not, you'll love these cookies!
Why I love these gluten free coconut macaroons
With extra crispy edges, and chewy centers, these homemade macaroons rival anything you'd find in a box. Anything prepackaged is at least somewhat weepy and wilted.
And unlike many other coconut macaroon recipes, this recipe doesn't call for any sweetened condensed milk. That makes them lighter and airier, and also naturally dairy free.
I really prefer making these treats with unsweetened coconut. It really allows us to control the sugar, so the other flavors shine through—including the flavor extracts and maybe the chocolate you dip them in.
I also include instructions for how to make these gorgeous nuggets with sweetened coconut, in case that's all you can find. You'll reduce the amount of added sugar considerably (or not, if you really like your macaroons on the sweeter side).
What's the difference between coconut macaroons and French macarons?
You know those super fancy French melt-in-your-mouth meringue confections that often come in a rainbow of colors? These are not those.
These are gluten free coconut macaroons. Those are macarons, made with superfine almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and whipped egg whites—and no coconut at all.
Both macarons and macaroons are made with a sweetened, whipped meringue made of egg whites, which provide structure, and airiness. They also have a bit of a tangy flavor from the egg whites.
The taste of macarons reminds me of marzipan, which is a sweetened almond paste made with a rich simple syrup (a simple cooked sugar) and confectioners' sugar. The texture of macarons is like the meringue on top of lemon meringue pie.
Since these macaroons are also made with whipped egg whites, like macarons, they have a meringue texture once baked. But the coconut flavor is entirely their own!
Ingredients & substitution suggestions
This macaroon recipe is already naturally dairy free, so no substitutions needed there. Let's talk about a few of the other ingredients, to set you up for success.
What type of flavoring extract is best?
I like macaroons best with a mixture of vanilla and almond extracts. The almond extract really enhances the coconut flavor, and reminds me of the bakery-style cookies.
Can you make a macaroon recipe without egg whites?
I think so! Try. making this recipe for coconut macaroons with aquafaba (the liquid brine from a can of chickpeas) in place of egg whites. Just measure by weight.
Whip the aquafaba with half of the granulated sugar (75 grams). Then, to avoid weighing down the vegan meringue, add the remaining 75 grams of granulated sugar to the coconut and rice flour mixture before folding in the meringue. Bake as usual.
Can you replace the superfine rice flour in this macaroons recipe?
Yes! This recipe uses a few tablespoons of superfine white rice flour to add structure to the cookies, allowing them to hold their shape as they cool.
In its place, you can use our 3-ingredient basic gum-free gluten free flour blend. You can even try using potato starch or cornstarch.
Recipe tips & tricks
This recipe is made by whipping egg whites with sugar until the whites are tripled in volume, tossing together the few dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then folding in the egg whites. The most crucial parts of the recipe are selecting the right coconut, and whipping the egg whites properly.
Here are some tips for coconut macaroon success:
How to select the right type of coconut
I generally prefer baking with the broad, flat unsweetened coconut flakes that we use in granola and for general snacking. I think it has a better mouth feel than shredded coconut.
You'll need to pack your coconut pieces together into the cookie scoop when you portion the macaroons. If you use coconut flakes that are in long, elegant, thin strips, pulse them a few times in your food processor.
If you prefer to use shredded coconut, you should also pulse it a few times in a food processor, too. If you're using sweetened shredded coconut, reduce the granulated sugar by about half, to a total of 75 grams.
Weigh ingredients for best results
Since there are so few ingredients, and you may or may not be processing the coconut a bit before using it, it's really important to measure all of your ingredients by weight. Coconut strips or shreds that have been pulsed in a food processor have less volume after processing, so volume measurements are unhelpful.
Similarly, we're separating eggs and using only the whites. Some egg whites are half the weight of the full egg, and weigh 25 grams.
But sometimes, the yolk is smaller than normal and the white weighs 40 grams. Measure out 75 grams of egg whites by weight, and you won't go wrong.
When to remove your macaroons from the oven
Even though meringue cookies, like a pavolva, tend to be rather fragile and may collapse as they cool, these gluten free macaroon cookies tend to hold their shape well out of the oven. To ensure that they maintain their shape well, be sure to bake them until the very top of the cookies has some brown flecks.
You can also turn off the oven and allow the baking sheet to sit on the rack inside the oven, with the door ajar, for 10 minutes. But if you've whipped your egg whites enough and measured your ingredients by weight, your macaroons should be beautifully puffed and round.
How to shape your gluten free macaroons
The perfet macaroon shape is a round globe on top that's flat and crispy underneath. The best way to achieve that shape is by using a medium-size spring-loaded ice cream scoop. To ensure your ice cream scoop releases the scoop cleanly, rinse it off with cool water between scoops.
If you don't have an ice cream scoop, you can form rounds with two medium-size round bowl spoons. Scoop with one spoon and scrape and shape with the other.
Let's talk about chocolate
You don't have to dip these macaroons in melted dark chocolate, but it makes a great presentation and adds a lot of flavor to these simple cookies. Whether you melt dark chocolate disks or chopped chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stovetop, try “seeding” it to bring it to the right temperature easily.
First, melt about 2/3 of the total amount of chocolate in 20 second bursts in the microwave or over a simmering bowl of water. Then, add the remaining chocolate after you remove it from the heat, and mix it until the remaining chocolate is melted and smooth.
The remaining chocolate will “seed” the melted chocolate and cool it down just enough to temper it. Then, when you dip the cookies, the chocolate will dry cleanly.
I always add just a few ounces of miniature chocolate chips to the cookie dough. The mini chips add just the right texture and chocolate flavor throughout the cookie.
And of course, the chocolate drizzle is optional, but it definitely makes them look absolutely beautiful.
FAQ
Some recipes for coconut macaroons are naturally gluten free, if they're made without any stabilizing flour. They're also much more delicate than this recipe, which is gluten free but made with some white rice flour.
No, this recipe can't be made with almond flour, which is too heavy and will weigh down your macaroons.
You may not have whipped your egg white meringue until it tripled in volume. Your oven may also be too cold, or you didn't bake them for long enough.
To maintain texture, store your completely cooled macaroons in a sealed glass container at room temperature.
Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 (75 g) egg whites
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ cups (270 g) wide flat coconut flakes processed into smaller pieces (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 tablespoons (27 g) superfine white rice flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or half pure vanilla extract, half pure almond extract
- 4 ounces miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
- 6 ounces dark chocolate melted (optional, for dipping and drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the white attachment or a medium-size bowl with a handheld mixer, place the egg whites. Begin to whip until frothy.
- Adding the granulated sugar slowly while the egg whites are whipping. Continue to whip until the mixture turns white and glossy, and is tripled in volume.
- The egg white mixture won't form peaks but with fall off the whisk in heavy ribbons. And it will take at least 6 minutes of continuous whipping.
- Add the vanilla and/or almond extracts, whip until fully combined, and then set the mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, place the coconut, rice flour and salt, and mix to combine.
- Add the whipped egg whites in 3 or 4 batches, folding them in to the coconut mixture. Mix until well-combined and all the coconut is moistened and holds together.
- Add the optional chocolate chips, and mix gently until evenly distributed throughout.
- Using a medium-size spring-loaded ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough in tight mounds of about 1 1/2 tablespoons each on the prepared baking sheet, about 1-inch apart from one another. They will not spread during baking.
- Place the macaroons in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet 180° and continue to bake until golden brown underneath and beginning to brown on top (about another 10 minutes).
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the macaroons to cool on the baking sheet completely.
- Once the macaroons are cool, melt the optional dark chocolate in 30-second bursts in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate and return to the baking sheet, chocolate side down.
- Drizzle the tops with more melted chocolate in a zigzag pattern, if you like. Allow them to sit until the chocolate is set.
- Store in a sealed glass container at room temperature.
Notes
If you can't find coconut flakes, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut. Process it similarly to small pieces (but not crumbs). If you're using sweetened shredded coconut, to control for sweetness, reduce the granulated sugar by half. Recipe originally published on the blog in 2015, new photos in 2017, republished again in 2021 with lighter, crispier recipe, new photos, text, and video.
Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 (75 g) egg whites
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ cups (270 g) wide flat coconut flakes processed into smaller pieces (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 tablespoons (27 g) superfine white rice flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or half pure vanilla extract, half pure almond extract
- 4 ounces miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
- 6 ounces dark chocolate melted (optional, for dipping and drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the white attachment or a medium-size bowl with a handheld mixer, place the egg whites. Begin to whip until frothy.
- Adding the granulated sugar slowly while the egg whites are whipping. Continue to whip until the mixture turns white and glossy, and is tripled in volume.
- The egg white mixture won't form peaks but with fall off the whisk in heavy ribbons. And it will take at least 6 minutes of continuous whipping.
- Add the vanilla and/or almond extracts, whip until fully combined, and then set the mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, place the coconut, rice flour and salt, and mix to combine.
- Add the whipped egg whites in 3 or 4 batches, folding them in to the coconut mixture. Mix until well-combined and all the coconut is moistened and holds together.
- Add the optional chocolate chips, and mix gently until evenly distributed throughout.
- Using a medium-size spring-loaded ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough in tight mounds of about 1 1/2 tablespoons each on the prepared baking sheet, about 1-inch apart from one another. They will not spread during baking.
- Place the macaroons in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet 180° and continue to bake until golden brown underneath and beginning to brown on top (about another 10 minutes).
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the macaroons to cool on the baking sheet completely.
- Once the macaroons are cool, melt the optional dark chocolate in 30-second bursts in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate and return to the baking sheet, chocolate side down.
- Drizzle the tops with more melted chocolate in a zigzag pattern, if you like. Allow them to sit until the chocolate is set.
- Store in a sealed glass container at room temperature.
Notes
If you can't find coconut flakes, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut. Process it similarly to small pieces (but not crumbs). If you're using sweetened shredded coconut, to control for sweetness, reduce the granulated sugar by half. Recipe originally published on the blog in 2015, new photos in 2017, republished again in 2021 with lighter, crispier recipe, new photos, text, and video.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
emily says
can i get away with replacing the sugar with some stevia??? >:)
Nicole Hunn says
I don’t recommend Stevia as a sugar replacement, Emily. You can try using something like Lankato brand monkfruit or Swerve granulated sugar replacement, but they tend to be quite drying, which unbalances the recipe. I haven’t tried either, though, in this recipe, so you’ll be experimenting.
Ruthie says
Greetings,
New to your site. Found you because of one very ripe banana, made your GF 4 ingredient banana pancakes. Wow, just fab. At any rate, am exploring your website.
Now to macaroon comment. Have you ever tried this recipe with aquafaba rather than egg whites?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Ruthie, Welcome to GFOAS! So glad you enjoyed the banana pancakes. About the macaroons, I actually cover that in the post. I think so! Just scroll up to the text.
Kim says
These turned out perfect and as pictured. So yummy I can’t keep them away from the gluten eaters in the house.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so great to hear, Kim! Tell them to make their own. :)
Karen S says
Made these yesterday, no changes other than leaving out mini chocolate chips. I used the half vanilla, half almond extract which I added to the dry coconut mixture as that step was left out of instructions. That worked out well because the end result was a beautiful, chewy macaroon and a huge hit in our house.
This is my first time commenting but want you to know I’ve made many of your recipes, all successful even among the non-GF people
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Karen! Thank you for the kind words—and for pointing out that the vanilla extract is left out of the recipe instructions (it’s there now). I really appreciate all of it!
Christine R. says
Hi Nicole, Your pictures do a great job visually explaining the process. I’d like to see the video but I can’t ever find a link. I selected recipe and video but all I get are the printed info, pictures, recipe but no video. I use Chrome.
Christine
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Christine, if you aren’t seeing the video, it is likely because you are using an ad blocker. Please turn off your ad blocker, which seems fair since that’s the only way I get paid for the free content, too!
Alene says
What can I use instead of rice flour, which I can’t have? Tapioca? Thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the ingredients and substitutions section, Alene, where I’ve answered that question!
Alene says
Thanks! I must have missed that.
Karyn says
Can you use coconut flour instead of rice flour.
Nicole Hunn says
Definitely not, Karyn. Coconut flour is not appropriate as a substitution for any other flour at all, as it is entirely unique.
Donna says
Is there anything to use in substitution for the egg white. Along with gluten and dairy free I don’t use eggs. Thank yiu
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Donna,
You could try using aquafaba (just google it) as a substitute for the egg whites, but you’ll still have to replace the whole egg. Feel free to experiment!
Carol says
Hi Nichole- Is there a commercial flour blend I can buy that will work with this recipe? Thanks and happy Mother’s Day!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid not, Carol. You really need the simple gum-free 3-flour blend that I recommend.
Donna Carlen says
These look great; will put them on my “to bake” list. When I was a little girl, my mom would make circles in wonder bread with a shot glass, and dip them in sweetened condensed milk, then coconut, and lightly bake them. I don’t know where she got the recipe, but she’d make them maybe 2x a year.
Kendall Cooper says
Thanks for the recipe. My wife has had coeliac since she was a baby. Coconut macaroons are my favorite cookie from my childhood. Thanks! Ken
Nicole Hunn says
My pleasure, Ken!
Betty A. Swanigan says
I would like to know why I can’t copy your good recipe and so I can but on Mocrsoft word so and I can keep and use late. I like to copy good recipe and but then on Mocrsoft word for to use late on. I would also like to copy and paste Eddie Cookie Dough out in Mocrsolft too. I sign to get Eddie Cookie Dough but it keep to long to prossessed it.
Nicole Hunn says
Betty, feel free to print my recipes using the printer icon at the top and bottom of every post. You can’t copy and paste the recipes, though. Sorry for the inconvenience, but preventing copying and pasting cuts down on sites that scrape and steal my content.
Lucy says
Hi Nicole, your macaroooons look beautiful.
I have been busy here now that summer is in full swing. The peach trees we planted last year are loaded. I have been making jam. But still have loads more to pick; wish you weren’t on the other end of the continent, I would send you a bin full.
Any suggestions for using up peaches?
Keep cool and take care :)
Nicole Hunn says
I’m of course terribly envious of your peach trees, Lucy, and I will have a bin full of them, if only in my dreams. :) I actually have a recipe coming up next week for peaches that I think you’re going to love. And of course these apricot crumble bars couldn’t be more perfect with peaches if they tried.