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If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know how much I love to make macarons. These finicky French pastries can be difficult to master, but good tools and supplies will make the learning process easier. Below are a few of my favorites. I’ve included some fun options for painting and decorating, too!
If you want to complete your macaron toolkit, I recommend the following products:
Silicone Mats
Buy Now → Pipe your shells on a plain silicone mat or silicone mats with guides. I don’t recommend using parchment—it tends to shift around on the tray, and can also cause wrinkles in your shells.
Mesh Strainer
Buy Now → Before adding the dry ingredients, sift the almond flour and confectioner’s sugar to remove any lumps or debris. I use a bench scraper to push the ingredients through a mesh strainer and into a clean bowl.
Fondant
Buy Now → I’ll sometimes use white fondant (tinted with gel food coloring) to add small decorative details to my macarons. It’s especially useful when making food-themed designs, like these cheeseburger macarons.
Food Coloring
Buy Now → For adding color to your shells and buttercream fillings. It is important to use gel to achieve bright, vibrant shades, without adding too much liquid to the batter. I also use gel coloring to paint designs on my baked macaron shells. I love the Chefmaster brand.
Piping Bags
Buy Now → Disposable piping bags are a must-have. While reusable bags work for some pastry applications, I prefer to use the disposable kind for macarons. Macaron batter is finicky, and an oily residue left in the reusable bag from another baking project can ruin macarons.
Piping Tips
Buy Now → You’ll want to purchase a good set of round piping tips in an assortment of sizes. This way, you can choose different tips to vary the sizes of your finished shells. If piping pretty buttercream fillings, it can also be helpful to have a set of star piping tips on hand.
Paint Brushes
Buy Now → I use teeny tiny paint brushes and gel food coloring to paint my shells. Artist brushes work nicely; just purchase a clean set to set aside for cookie decoration only. Never use the same brushes for painting or art projects.
Metal Bowl
Buy Now → I use the largest bowl from a set of metal mixing bowls; I’ll often use the smaller bowls for my almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, and caster sugar, or for making buttercream and other macaron fillings.
Digital Thermometer
Buy Now → If you’re planning to make macaron shells using the Italian method, which requires cooking the sugar, you’ll need a good thermometer. My go-to is this Taylor Instant-Read Digital Thermometer.
Edible Glitter
Buy Now → A dusting of edible glitter makes macarons sparkle! After baking, use a clean paintbrush to dust the glitter over the shells. Put down a sheet of parchment first, or you’ll find glitter everywhere for weeks afterward.
Flavor Oils
Buy Now → For flavoring buttercream fillings. I prefer the LorAnn brand, which comes in countless flavors, so you can make everything from cheesecake to cotton candy to mint chocolate chip fillings for your macarons.
Lustre Dust
Buy Now → When applied with a cotton ball, metallic lustre dust adds an elegant finishing touch. (It’s especially nice for a bridal shower, wedding, or engagement party.) I prefer the Roxy and Rich brand of lustre dust.
Cocoa Butter
Buy Now → Like fondant and edible glitter, I use colored or metallic cocoa butter to paint decorative details on my macaron shells. I prefer to decorate with the Chef Rubber and Roxy and Rich brands.
Foil Leaf
Buy Now → A few tiny specks of edible gold leaf or edible silver leaf elevates the look of macarons. Use tweezers or a small paring knife to apply leaf to the shells; do not attempt to use your fingertips!
Rubber Spatula
Buy Now → While we all own our share of novelty spatulas, a good-quality rubber spatula is a must for macaronage. This red-handled Rubbermaid spatula is standard in many culinary schools and professional kitchens, and is the one I have in my own kit as well.
Kitchen Scale
Buy Now → Macarons are all about precision, and it’s difficult to accurately measure ingredients by volume. A kitchen scale is an absolute must for making macarons. You don’t need to spend much money—there are options on Amazon for as little as $8.
Paper Boxes
Buy Now → If you’re planning to sell or gift your macarons, clear-windowed paper boxes offer a professional finishing touch, and keep your macarons safe in transit. It also makes them stackable, which is immensely helpful if storing finished macarons in the fridge or transporting your macs.
Toothpicks
Buy Now → Always keep a couple of wooden toothpicks (cocktail sticks, if you’re in the UK!) nearby. After piping, use these to gently pop any bubbles in the shells, and touch up small mistakes. If you’re planning to paint decorations on the shells, toothpicks are also an easy way to add tiny dots (or very teeny tiny details) with gel coloring.
Freeze Dried Fruit
Buy Now → A natural way to add color and flavor to macaron shells. Unless you’re an experienced baker, I recommend finding a recipe which specifically calls for powdered freeze dried fruit.
Macaron-Making Books
Buy Now → There are plenty of fantastic macaron books, including Les Petit Macarons by Kathryn Gordon, Macaron School by Camila Hurst, French Macarons for Beginners by Natalie Wong, and Macarons by Pierre Hermé.
Rebecca Frey is a freelance recipe developer, food writer, photographer, stylist, and pastry chef. She earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie (French Pastry Techniques Diploma) from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2020 and an MSc in Culinary Innovation from Birkbeck, University of London in 2022, where she focused her dissertation research on Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. She also holds a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolat. Rebecca has developed recipes for websites including Serious Eats, The Spruce Eats, Wine Enthusiast, and others. Follow her on Instagram @bastecutfold.
