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Last Updated on April 7, 2026 by becky
Coconut lime macaroons made with chewy coconut, egg whites, and lime juice and zest. Dipped in melted white chocolate, these are the sweetest lime macaroons for spring!
Why Make These Coconut Lime Macaroons?
I love shortbread and biscotti and sugar cookies, but when ranking my favorites, it’s hard to top the coconut macaroon. Chewy and sweet with a pronounced coconut flavor, these traditional Jewish-American confections are easy to make (much, much easier than the macaron, with which they’re often confused!) and fun to customize. You cake make plain macaroons, add flavorings like birthday cake or salted caramel, or dunk them in melted chocolate, as I’ve done here.
Like my margarita lime cheesecake bars and coconut lime truffles, these coconut lime macaroons celebrate a popular, tropical-inspired flavor combination often found in cocktails, hydration drinks, and other refreshing summer beverages. Finished with a dip in white chocolate, they offer the perfect, citrus-y sweet twist for spring and summer baking.
Lime Macaroon Recipe Ingredients
To make these coconut lime macaroons, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Coconut – Opt for sweetened coconut, like Baker’s in the blue bag. While unsweetened shredded coconut works nicely for pudding or homemade Mallo Cups, for macaroons you really need to use the sweetened version.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps the tops of the cookies to brown. If substituting caster sugar, measure by weight rather than volume.
- All Purpose Flour – All purpose flour (plain flour in the UK) acts as a binder in this recipe. To make gluten free macarons, substitute potato starch instead.
- Kosher Salt – A small amount of kosher salt (or fine sea salt) cuts the sweetness of the coconut and the sugar.
- Egg Whites – This recipe requires about 65 grams of egg whites, or the whites of 2 large eggs. You won’t need the yolks, so save them to make buttermilk ice cream, pastry cream, or homemade lemon curd.
- Lime – The lime flavor comes from a combination of freshly squeezed lime juice, and freshly zested lime. For best results I recommend zesting the fruit on a Microplane rather than a box grater.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – I recommend a vanilla bean paste by Nielsen-Massey, Taylor & Colledge, or Simply Organic. Or, substitute the scrapings of one vanilla pod.
- White Chocolate – To finish, I dipped the bottom of each macaroon in melted white chocolate. If preferred, you can scoop the chocolate into a piping bag and drizzle or pipe it over the top of each cookie. If you don’t like white chocolate, replace it with dark or milk. Or, omit the chocolate altogether for a less sweet macaroon.
Macaroon vs. Macaron: What’s the Difference?
It’s amazing how many people—even experienced bakers— think that the “macaroon” and the “macaron” are the same thing. So much so that you’ll frequently hear the terms used interchangeably, which is one of my biggest food-related pet peeves.
Macarons (delicate French biscuits made from egg whites, sugar, and almond flour, with a smooth top, ruffled “feet,” and sweet fillings like chocolate ganache, caramel, or buttercream sandwiched in between) bear little resemblence to macaroons (mounds of sweet, chewy coconut, often dipped in dark chocolate). They’re two totally different cookies with two totally different ingredient lists and sets of instructions.
I always have fun making French macarons—there are endless flavor combinations to explore, and I love turning the shells into whimsical creations like cheeseburgers or tacos—but they’re not the same as macaroons. And as a lover of all things coconut, I definitely prefer the taste of macaroons, too.
Macaroons are also much easier to make than macarons. Just combine sugar, egg whites, and sweetened coconut; spoon mounds of the batter onto a prepared tray; and bake until the tops turn lightly golden brown. No meringue, no macaronage, no waiting an eternity for the shells to dry…and no tears of frustration when things don’t quite go as planned!
Are These Macaroons Gluten Free?
While some coconut macaroon recipes are naturally gluten free, this recipe contains all purpose flour. The flour acts as a binder, improves the texture of the cookies, and prevents them from over-spreading as they bake.
To make gluten free macaroons, replace the all purpose flour with potato starch. (If you’ve made any of my homemade marshmallow recipes, you probably have a big box of the stuff left over, anyway!)
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Allow chocolate to set, then layer macaroons between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Other lime recipes you might enjoy:
Lime Curd
Margarita Lime Cheesecake Bars
Key Lime Parfait
Coconut Lime Truffles
Raspberry Lime Whoopie Pies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Coconut Lime Macaroons
- Total Time45 minutes
- Yield15 macaroons 1x
Coconut lime macaroons made with chewy coconut, egg whites, and lime juice and zest.
Ingredients
125 grams sweetened coconut flakes (about 1 1/2 cups)
65 grams granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
25 grams all purpose flour (3 tablespoons)*
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten (about 65 grams)
15 milliliters lime juice (1 tablespoon, or juice of 1/2 lime)
12 grams lime zest, zested on a Microplane (2 tablespoons), plus more to garnish
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
120 grams white chocolate (about 4 ounces), to decorate
Instructions
Method:
Preheat oven to 330° F / 165° C. Line a half sheet rimmed baking tray with a silicone baking mat, and set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, stir together sweetened coconut flakes, granulated sugar, all purpose flour, and kosher salt.
Stir in the egg whites, followed by the lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla bean paste.
With a teaspoon, drop batter onto prepared tray. You should have about 15 portions. Discard any liquid left in the bottom of the bowl.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until set and lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely on silicone mat, about 15 minutes.
While macaroons cool, line a separate tray with a sheet of parchment or a silicone baking mat. Melt the white chocolate over a bain marie or double boiler, or in the microwave in 15-second increments.
Dip macaroons, bottom side down, in melted chocolate.
Place on prepared tray and allow chocolate to set at room temperature, about 1 hour. Garnish with additional lime zest just prior to serving.
Layer macaroons between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
*For gluten free macarons, replace the all purpose flour with potato starch.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
