How to Make White Macarons (With Banana Ganache Filling)

White macarons look elegant, delicate and timeless. However, achieving perfectly white macarons can be surprisingly tricky. The natural colour of almond flour and the heat of the oven often cause macaron shells to turn slightly beige or brown rather than the bright white many bakers hope for.

In this guide, I will show you how to make white macarons, including the trick I use to keep the shells beautifully pale. I will also share my favourite banana ganache filling, which turns these delicate macarons into a truly irresistible treat.

These white macarons with banana ganache are simple, elegant and absolutely delicious.

Why white macarons are harder than they look

When people hear "white macarons", they often imagine the simplest macaron shells to make. In reality, achieving bright white macarons requires a bit more attention.

There are two main reasons for this:

1. Almond flour has a natural yellow hue

Almond flour is the main ingredient in macaron shells. Even high-quality almond flour naturally has a slightly yellow or beige colour.

2. Oven heat can cause browning

During baking, macarons can easily develop a golden or brown tint, especially on the top of the shells.

If you simply prepare the batter and bake as usual, you will most likely end up with slightly beige or brown shells rather than pure white macarons. The good news is that once you understand the causes, it becomes much easier to control the results.

How to achieve perfect white macarons

To make beautiful white macarons, we need to address both of the causes mentioned above: the colour of almond flour and the browning during baking.

Method 1: Using titanium dioxide

Many bakers add titanium dioxide (E171) to their macaron batter to create bright white shells. It works in the same way as food colouring: simply mix a small amount into the batter to whiten it.

Although food-grade titanium dioxide is widely used in baking, I personally prefer not to use food additives when a more natural solution exists.

Method 2: Using white food colouring

Another option is to add white gel or powder food colouring. However, it is worth noting that many white food colourings traditionally contain titanium dioxide as a whitening agent. So it can be quite similar to method 1.

In my experience you often need to add quite a large amount to see the whitening effect. Too much colouring can affect the texture of the batter and may lead to imperfect macaron shells. You might achieve the colour but lose the structure of the macarons.

Method 3: My favourite trick - a touch of violet

This is my favourite method for achieving bright white macarons and it works beautifully.

The idea comes from colour theory. Violet neutralises yellow tones. I originally used this trick when making Swiss meringue buttercream. If butter makes the frosting slightly yellow, a tiny touch of violet food colouring helps brighten it to a clean white.

The same principle works perfectly for macarons.

How to do it

Simply dip a clean toothpick into violet food colouring and wipe the tiniest amount into your macaron batter during macaronage.

You only need a very small amount. Too much violet will turn the batter grey, so keep it subtle.

This small adjustment beautifully offsets the almond flour's natural colour and helps produce lovely white macarons.

Preventing browning during baking

Even if your batter looks perfectly white before baking, the oven can still cause browning.

Here are two simple techniques that help maintain the pale colour.

Lower the oven temperature slightly

Reduce your usual macaron baking temperature by about 5°C and place the tray on the lower rack of the oven.

Use a tray to shield the shells

After about 7-8 minutes of baking, place an empty baking tray on the rack above the macarons.

This acts as a shield and prevents the tops from browning while the shells finish baking.

I have tested placing the tray from the beginning, but it can interfere with the macarons rising properly. Adding it later works much better.

My Swiss method for macaron shells

I use the Swiss method for all of my macaron recipes because it produces a strong, stable meringue.

Making the Swiss meringue

Place the egg whites (fresh or bottled) and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and whisk continuously so the egg whites do not cook.

After about one minute, the mixture should reach around 45°C and the sugar should be completely dissolved. You can test this by rubbing a little mixture between your fingers. It should feel smooth rather than grainy.

Remove the bowl from the heat and place it on the stand mixer.

Whipping the meringue

Whip the mixture as follows:

• Speed 2 for about 2 minutes to remove large bubbles
• Increase to speed 5-6 and whip until stiff peaks form

Avoid whipping at very high speed. Medium-high speed produces a stronger and more stable meringue.

Fresh egg whites usually take 12-15 minutes to reach stiff peaks while bottled egg whites can take around 20 minutes. Making macarons has certainly trained my patience.

Signs of a properly whipped meringue

A strong meringue is essential for successful macarons. Here is what I look for:

• The meringue gathers inside the whisk and forms a firm peak
• In the bowl, it forms a solid mass rather than sliding around
• When you swirl the whisk through it, you feel clear resistance

Once you reach this stage, you have already won half of the battle.

Preparing the dry ingredients

While the meringue is whipping, briefly pulse the almond flour and icing sugar in a food processor (about 10 pulses). I no longer sieve almond flour and icing sugar after blending as it is unnecessary if pulsed properly. Whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly.

Macaronage (Mixing the batter)

Add the dry ingredients to the meringue and mix using the paddle attachment.

• Mix on speed 1 for 10 seconds
• Stop and scrape the bowl and add the tiny touch of violet colouring
• Mix again for another 10 seconds

Continue folding gently with a spatula until the batter flows slowly like lava.

Over-mixing can cause flat shells and weak feet so I always prefer to slightly under-macaronage rather than overmix.

Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 12 nozzle.

Piping and baking the macaron shells

Pipe the round macaron shells onto a macaron mat with your desired template underneath.

Tapping the tray a few times to smoothen the shell surface. Use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles.

To give these white macarons a delicate look, I added small heart-shaped sprinkles to each shell. I also used the circular edge of one of my piping nozzles to gently stamp a ring of edible sparkle powder onto the shells. The effect is subtle, dainty and perfect for elegant macarons.

Dry the shells in a preheated oven at 140°C with the oven door slightly open for 3 minutes, then close the door and start baking. After about 7-8 minutes, slide an empty tray onto the rack above the macarons to prevent browning and keep your white macarons beautifully pale and continue baking for another 12-13 minutes. So the total baking time is around 20 minutes.

Allow the shells to cool completely before removing them from the mat.

Banana ganache filling

We love banana in our family, so banana ganache felt like the perfect filling.

It is also a great way to use up overripe bananas, which often happens towards the end of the week before the next grocery shop.

I prefer using real banana rather than flavouring.

Infusing the cream

Slice the banana and place it in a bowl with double cream and a small squeeze of lemon juice to prevent oxidation.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Then you can either:

• leave the banana pieces in the ganache for texture
• strain them and use only the flavoured cream

I prefer leaving them in because the filling becomes a beautiful mixture of banana, cream and chocolate.

Making the banana ganache

Transfer the banana cream mixture to a saucepan and het until just bubbling.

Immediately pour the hot mixture over chopped white chocolate.

Let it sit for a minute, then stir. For extra shine, add a small amount of butter.

Blend with a hand blender until smooth.

Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours until thick.

When ready to use, whip the ganache briefly with a mixer until thick and pipeable. This only takes a minute or two so avoid over-whipping.

Assembling the white macarons

Pipe generous banana ganache onto one macaron shell and sandwich with another. Once filled, store the macarons in the fridge so the filling can mature the shells, making them perfectly soft and flavourful.

The result is delicate white macarons filled with creamy banana ganache - elegant to look at and absolutely delicious to eat.