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 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. You can leave them plain (with just 5 ingredients), or add a dunk in chocolate and/or almond on top.
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 Rum Truffles
- 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.
I made these for my husband today and they turned out great! He LOVES coconut. Me? Not so much. Therefore, I have never eaten a coconut macaroon, let alone baked a batch. But, as with all of your fabulous recipes, they turned out great. He gave them 5 stars! I’m not sure why others had trouble with this recipe. It was so easy! I did pulse the coconut in my food processor more than a few times. And I used Bob Evans’ Egg Whites. So thanks to those who provided that suggestion. I will definitely be making these again.
Any idea why these would have spread into one big coconut mess instead of staying in lovely macaroon form?
Hi Jennifer, usually the spreading is caused by too much moisture. It could be that there was more humidity in the air when 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 thank you for giving these a try!
Another Sally’s recipe for the win! I wanted to make some gluten free treats for a friend. These are delicious! Be careful when buying chocolate bars – some say they may have wheat. So I ended up using 3.5 oz (as the chocolate bars are no longer 4 oz!) Ghiradelli semi-sweet and a 3.5 oz Trader Joes 85% Dark Bar. Those two mixed together made a wonderful dark chocolate that went well with the sweet macaroons. I think if I used two semi-sweet bars it would have been a bit too sweet. I also added a dash of kosher salt to the coconut mixture. Excellent!
This did not work well for me. I weighed all the ingredients but the cookies were just too wet. I wonder is the size of the eggs is a factor? Most of your recipes are wonderful so I am still a fan but I need to work on this one.
Hi Kjuneau, we always use large egg whites here. Did you use extra large?
I’m making these cookies for the third time. My daughter in law is gluten 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
Amazing recipe, tasted wonderful! I added a chocolate chip on top of half the batch and an almond on the other, amazing! Absolutely recommend ✨
Sorry forgot to select the 5 stars!!
I made these last night, followed the recipe exactly. I left some of them plain and drizzled the rest with chocolate. They were the perfect consistency and sweetness. The touch of almond extract bumped this to the next level!!! One tip is every 3 or 4 cookies, rinse your scoop off in water, dry it off then re-scoop. It ensures a perfect-looking cookie and eliminates the coconut mixture from sticking to the scoop. 5 stars for this one!
Macaroons turned out perfect.
Only had 2 cups coconut so needed to halve-ish the recipe to use up leftover egg whites. Picture of bubbly eggs and sugar was probably why they came out great!
Still have some whites left…
I had several problems with this recipe. 14oz coconut pulsed was less than 4 3/4 cups, not more! Egg white leaked out of bottom of cookies. Used 1.5 tbsp scoop and balls did not hold together. Edge and tops were brown but not bottoms. After baking some cookies fell apart. Used silicone mats and Nordic Ware baking sheets. Egg whites were at room temperature.
These turned out so well! Everybody in my family loved them, and I’d definitely make them again. I cut the amounts of all the ingredients in half to make a half batch of the cookies, but forgot to cut the amount of chocolate I used for dipping in half. So I used a 4 ounce chocolate bar to dip the bottoms of the cookies in, but ended up having enough left over to give a very generous drizzle over the top of all the cookies as well. But nobody complained about the extra chocolate 🙂
These are so good! I made them for Christmas and they are the best coconut macaroons I have ever made! I love how big they are, too!
Just made a recipe with sweetened condensed milk a few days ago. Tried yours and it is divinely superior! Yum! Will there be enough left for tomorrow’s guests? I doubt it. Thanks.
Sally, your recipes almost never fail me but this one was a nightmare from beginning to end. The liquid/coconut ratio was totally off, so I had liquid running off the little clusters of coconut and they fell apart as I tried to dip them in the chocolate. The wrecks were delicious, but I’d really try to give this one a major tweaking before attempting it again. And I followed your instructions to the letter.
Hi Joan, I make these often and haven’t experienced the ratios being off. Are you sure to break down the coconut into smaller shreds? Because the smaller pieces help soak up the egg whites. Be sure to whip the egg whites and sugar until foamy. If thinner and left liquid, it will pool out of the baking cookies.
Yes. I ran the coconut through the food processor as directed. I really followed this recipe exactly. The 14 oz package of coconut did NOT yield even 4 full cups of coconut, hence my comment. That’s most likely why the liquid to solid ratios were so off. I was also careful to whip the egg whites/sugar as directed, until foamy but not quite stiff. The result was a runny mess. They did bake up finally and they were delicious but I’d really dial back on the liquid/coconut ratio before attempting this again.
I think it may be a case of shrinkage of the package. Just as the 4 oz chocolate bars are now only 3.5 oz – the package of coconut probably shrunk. No matter what it says on the outside. I have weighed food items that say one weight on the outside – but if you weigh the actual food – it is less. Always weigh your ingredients. I weighed out the coconut in grams and ended up with a perfect macaroon.
I have semi sweet ganache left from another recipe. Can I use that for this cookie?
Hi Marcia, you could, but it won’t really set and harden quite like plain melted chocolate would.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Hi Anne! 18 large cookies (or 24 small).
Should I continue to bake past 20 mins if the macaroons haven’t browned? And can I put them straight into the oven if making ahead of time or need to get to room temp? And should I bake for longer if I chilled it?
You can extend the bake time by a couple minutes if needed. No need to bring to room temperature if the mixture is cold, but I would expect to bake them a little longer.
Can pasteurized egg whites be used?
Hi Holly, egg whites in a carton should work just fine here.
Can I just use vanilla? If don’t need the almond extract should I double the amount of vanilla?
Hi Fi, you can simply omit the almond extract. Enjoy!
Is this also dairy free or no? (I know chocolate has dairy)
Hi Fi! Yes, the macaroons are dairy free.
These were sooo Delicious! I tripled the batch for Christmas cookies, so I recommend regularly stirring the batter as the eggs settle toward the bottom as you make and cook the cookies.
This is one of my favorite recipes, I make it every year! Question: can this recipe be doubled?
Absolutely! Enjoy.
Hi! I was going to try and make this recipe for a Christmas party. Could I stuff it with chocolate?
Hi Grace, do you mean chocolate inside of the coconut dough/mixture before baking? I haven’t tried it before. I fear the cookies will spread.
Hi Sally – you’re the best! What is optimal baking time for smaller version (20G)? THANKS!
Hi Terry, should be about the same, just a few minutes shorter. Hope you enjoy them!
Instead of pressing a whole almond into the top of the cookie can I add crushed almonds to the dough? If so, how much?
Hi Jamie, I’m sure that would be fine. I think 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup would be fine. (About 75g to 110g)
This is an awesome cookie. As written a toasted coconut exterior with chewy interior. I drizzled chocolate on top, and it was better than a candy bar. It’s also quick to make, which is an added plus.
Can I use Bob Evans Egg Whites in this recipe?
Hi Elaine, egg whites in a carton should work just fine here.
Thanks! I tried the egg whites in a carton and used the amount called for on the carton for 4 whites. It worked fine and they were delicious, but I found the mixture to be a little watery. Next time I will decrease the amount of egg whites by a few tablespoons.
I’m allergic to almonds. Is there a way I can enjoy these cookies? They look amazing!
Hi AN, you can leave out the almond extract if you need to!
Anothere successful cookie bake. Thanks Sally. First time making this cookie and they came out perfect. I doubled this recipe, like I do with most of the others from this site, and in my rush, I added and extra tsp of almond. That’s about the amount of liquid I had in the bottom of my bowl after I got all the cookies onto the sheets. Just waiting for them to cool enough to dip in chocolate now, but they taste really good without it.