Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
This easy Coconut Macaroons recipe is perfect for coconut lovers! These cookies are irresistibly soft and chewy with no condensed milk, and they may be dipped in chocolate to take them over the top. They’re dairy and gluten-free and are ready in about 30 minutes!
I love coconut, and am a firm believer that it makes almost everything better.
Coconut adds lovely texture and flavor in my coconut overnight oats and coconut oil brownies.
It also makes a wonderful coating for chocolate truffles and it adds a pleasant surprise in my double chocolate zucchini bread.
These Coconut Macaroons are one of the best ways to enjoy coconut. They’re addictively soft and chewy, and are reminiscent of Mounds bars when they’re dipped in chocolate.
Of course they’re better than the candy bar because the texture is incredible and homemade is always best.
These cookies are sheer coconut bliss!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- This coconut macaroon recipe is so easy to make and comes together with just a few ingredients in just one pot.
- They’re addictively chewy with a soft center, and are delicious plain or dipped in chocolate.
- The cookies are dairy and gluten-free, and easily customized with ingredients you have on hand.
Macaroons ingredients
There are many different ways to make this recipe, but I’ve chosen to make these coconut macaroons without condensed milk to control the sugar and make them dairy-free.
They include just 6 ingredients, with chocolate being an optional ingredient. I highly recommend trying chocolate dipped coconut macaroons — they taste just like a Mounds bar!
Ingredient notes
- Coconut. I used organic unsweetened shredded coconut for this macaroons cookie recipe. I prefer it over sweetened flaked coconut because it allows me to control the sugar in the cookies and it doesn’t contain preservatives. If you prefer to use sweetened flaked coconut, decrease the amount of sugar to about 3/4 cup.
- Almond flour. I watch my gluten intake, so I’ve used a bit of almond flour to act as a binder in these gluten-free coconut macaroons. The almond flour may be substituted with gluten-free 1 to 1 flour or all purpose flour.
- Egg whites. You’ll need (4) large egg whites in this recipe, which give the cookies a nice light texture and binds them together as well.
- Sugar. There is 1 cup of granulated sugar in this recipe as the coconut is unsweetened and there is no sweetened condensed milk. If you use sweetened coconut, be sure to cut the sugar down to about 3/4 cup.
- Vanilla. The vanilla gives the cookies great flavor. It may be omitted or substituted with your favorite extract.
- Salt. A pinch of salt is essential to balancing out the sweetness in the cookies.
- Chocolate (optional). If you love the chocolate and coconut combination (think Mounds bars!), I highly recommend making chocolate dipped coconut macaroons. Dark chocolate chips are my favorite, but use what you have on hand.
How to make this coconut macaroon recipe
There are so many ways to make coconut macaroons. Some include sweetened condensed milk, and some require the egg whites to be beaten until thick like meringue.
This recipe comes together on the stove top in just one pot, and you’ll be amazed that they come out perfectly soft on the inside and chewy on the outside with even less effort.
Pro tip: Use a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop to portion the dough and press it into the side of the pan to make the cookies nice and compact.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place the egg whites in a large sauce pan along with the granulated sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the egg white mixture is lukewarm to the touch, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut, almond flour and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Use a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop to scoop the dough out and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2″ apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown and cool on a wire rack.
- Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, then heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each until melted and smooth. Dip the bottom of the macaroons in the chocolate, and gently shake off the excess.
- Place the cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet, then give them a little twist and set them down to even out the chocolate on the bottom. Allow the cookies to set at room temperature or speed things up by placing them in the fridge.
FAQs
Macaroons and macarons are often confused because their names are similar, but that’s where their similarities end.
Coconut macaroons are dense, chewy coconut cookies that take just a few ingredients and are incredibly easy to make.
French macarons on the other hand are crisp, chewy meringue-based sandwich cookies made with almond flour. They’re completely delicious but are definitely more complicated to make. See my red velvet macarons recipe to find out more!
Coconut macaroons often includes sweetened condensed milk and sweetened flaked coconut, which makes them overpoweringly sweet in my opinion.
This macaroons recipe includes unsweetened shredded coconut, egg whites, sugar, vanilla and almond flour instead of all purpose flour, so they’re dairy and gluten-free.
Eliminating the sweetened condensed milk and sweetened flaked coconut allowed me to control the amount of sugar in the recipe, which results in soft, chewy macaroons with the perfect level of sweetness.
They can be dipped in dairy or dairy-free chocolate to take them over the top, which is optional but highly recommended!
Coconut macaroons can be made gluten-free very easily by replacing any all purpose flour with almond flour or gluten-free 1 to 1 flour.
This recipe includes almond flour, so these macaroons are both gluten-free and grain free.
Recipe variations
There are so many ways to change up this macaroons recipe so that they’re new and exciting every single time.
- Substitute the vanilla extract with almond extract for a delicious almond flavor. Hazelnut, peppermint and lemon extracts are all great ideas as well.
- Add citrus zest such as orange, key lime, lemon, etc. for bright, citrus flavor.
- Instead of making chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, add about 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Use a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop to portion the dough and press it into the side of the pan to make the cookies nice and compact.
- I don’t recommend using sweetened flaked coconut for this recipe as the cookies would be far too sweet. If that’s all you have, reduce the amount of sugar to about 3/4 cup.
- Store the cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
More cookie recipes you’ll love:
- Almond flour cookies by The Big Man’s World
- Carrot oatmeal cookies
- Chocolate dipped almond horn cookies
- Greek butter cookies
- Flourless peanut butter cookies
- Key lime cookies
- No-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies
- Salted chocolate chip cookies
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup almond flour may be substituted with gluten free 1 to 1 flour or all purpose flour if not gluten intolerant
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips optional; use dairy free if lactose intolerant
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line (2) baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a large sauce pan and heat over low heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is lukewarm, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut, almond flour and salt and stir over medium heat just until the dough starts to pull from the side, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.4 large egg whites, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/3 cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2″ apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Remove from heat and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and microwave for 1 minutes. Stir, and cook another 30 seconds if necessary. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Dip the bottom of each cookie in the melted chocolate and shake off any excess. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet until set. You can place the cookies in the refrigerator to help the chocolate set faster. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Use a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop to portion the dough and press it into the side of the pan to make the cookies nice and compact.
- I don’t recommend using sweetened flaked coconut for this recipe as the cookies would be far too sweet. If that’s all you have, reduce the amount of sugar to about 3/4 cup.
- Store the cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This recipe was originally published in May 2019. The photos have been updated and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.
4 Comments on “Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe”
These are so pretty, Marcie! I have got to try them. I’m so curious to hear about the results from your elimination diet, too!
Thank you Katherine! I cannot get enough of these, and I’ll get my results published when I figure out what type of photos to include. lol
I absolutely love chocolate and coconut together, and keeping these grain-free and dairy-free is right up my alley! I’m pinning this recipe to try soon!
Yessss! I love that I could actually eat these!! haha They sound SO good. And the photos are so pretty!