The basic ingredients of a macaron are egg white, almond and sugar and they are filled with a butter and icing sugar buttercream, a chocolate and cream ganache, jam or a curd. Plus any flavourings and colourings you choose to use. So no a traditional French macaron is not vegan but they are usually vegetarian.
Egg Substitute
However… you can make a vegan alternative to a classic macaron using a common household ingredient as a substitute for the egg whites. As a vegan it is highly likely chickpeas are part of your diet, for this recipe you wouldn’t use the chickpeas themselves but the water they are in, AKA aquafaba. No we haven’t made this up, there are hundreds of aquafaba recipes out there.
Yes that gloopy water in a can of chickpeas is the key ingredient to vegan macarons. Surprisingly it can be whipped up and mimics the soft peaks of egg whites. However a key step you will need is to reduce the liquid before you start whisking, without this step you will be adding too much liquid to your macaron mixture. To do this separate the water from your can of chickpeas and weigh it, preferably with digital scales. Reduce the weight by half by heating in a pan and reweighing. Don’t be put off but the smell at this stage, it won’t come through in the final product. If you over reduce the chickpea water you can dilute with tap water to create exactly half the weight of the original liquid. Allow it to cool then you are ready to whisk.
Vegan Macaron Fillings
For your macaron filling it is easy to make a vegan ganache or vegan buttercream. Simply swap the butter for an alternative vegan spread and/or shortening such as stork or trex and a drop of your favourite milk. If you’re making a chocolate ganache, use a vegan chocolate, a vegan spread and the cream can be swapped for coconut cream.
So for example for a rose buttercream you would beat together your spread and shortening until smooth and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat again (If you’re using a mixer remember to cover it with a tea towel or the icing sugar will go everywhere). Add enough milk to loosen and lighten the mix and add your rose water.
For a dark chocolate ganache you would melt dark chocolate together spread in a bain-marie. Once the chocolate has melted add coconut cream and mix gently until combined. Allow to cool before piping it into your macarons.
Take a look at our Cococabana Bars, a deliciously rich chocolate bar containing no animal products.