Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons

A recipe for Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons! These vanilla-speckled macarons are filled with a rich cream cheese frosting.

I have always wanted to attempt macarons and finally gained the courage to try! These Vanilla Bean Macarons were the perfect place to start.

The chewy, delicate vanilla-speckled shells blend perfectly with the smooth and fluffy cream cheese frosting to create such a wonderful pairing. 

Decorating the Macarons

I have decorated these macarons a couple of different ways. When I first started making the Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons, I would add a few rainbow nonpareils for a pop of color against the white shell and filling. This is the style my daughter prefers. She always finds a reason to add some sprinkles.

Another fun option is to add 2-3 drops of gel-based food coloring to the egg whites as they finish beating. I went with turquoise for this batch. After assembling the macarons, optionally drizzle a little melted white chocolate over the top to contrast with the colored shell.

A Few Vanilla Cream Cheese Macaron Tips

I recommend using the metric measurements for the macaron shells for best results, but have also included the US Customary conversions.

For the ground almonds, I generally use almond meal/flour. You can also process whole almonds in the food processor. Just make sure the almonds and powdered sugar are very fine to create smooth macaron shells.

Aged, room temperature egg whites are best for whipping into stiff peaks.

My previous failures have generally been attributed to overmixing- easy to do with overzealous young helpers. You want to gently fold in the beaten egg whites until they are completely combined, but not to the point of being runny. I have seen the resulting texture described as “molten lava.” To get to this point, it usually takes me around 50-65 folds.

If you want to make sure every macaron shell is the exact same size, use a silicon macaron mat or make your own by drawing circles using a circular cookie cutter on parchment paper, then flip it over so the drawn part is on the bottom (use white translucent parchment paper so the circles can be seen through the top).

When piping, hold the pastry bag and tip completely vertical. 

Putting the baking sheets filled with piped macarons under my ceiling fan works well on helping create the shells before baking. They should be dry enough that the tops don’t stick to the finger when lightly touched. Make sure the fan is evenly overhead and not blowing air from the side. This may create uneven and oval macarons.

To keep the bottom of the macarons from becoming golden too quickly, it helps to double up on the baking sheets.

If your oven bakes unevenly, it also helps to rotate the sheets halfway through baking.

Pipe just enough of the vanilla cream cheese to fill the center. You don’t want the filling seeping out as you bit into them, but you also want to be able to see the frosting.

Refrigerate the macarons for about a day to allow the flavors to settle. Quite a few of mine didn’t make it that long. They can be refrigerated for up to a week- again, mine didn’t make it that long.

Bring to room temperature about 10-20 minutes before serving for the best texture. 

Looking for more Macaron recipes?

Try my:

• S’mores Macarons
• Brandy Milk Punch Macarons
• Matcha Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

This recipe was originally posted in February 2014 and updated in December 2025.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons Recipe

Adapted from Birch Tree Baking and Jo the Tart Queen 

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3 from 1 vote

Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons

A recipe for Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons! These vanilla-speckled macarons are filled with a rich cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword cookie, cream cheese, dessert, macaron, vanilla, vanilla bean

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 24 -30 Macarons

Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Macarons:

• 100 grams (1 cup) ground almond flour
• 200 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
• pinch salt
• 100 grams (3 large) egg whites room temperature
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Optional Decorations:

• 2-3 drops turquoise or blue gel food coloring
• melted white chocolate for drizzling
• Rainbow nonpareils optional

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese softened at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) powdered sugar sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/2-1 tablespoon (7-15 milliliters) milk

Instructions

To make the macarons:

• In a food processor or blender, pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar a few times until fine. Do not over pulse. Sift into a bowl with the salt.
• In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until frothy. Continue beating while slowly adding the granulated sugar and seeds scraped from the vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste) until stiff peaks form. If using food coloring, add 2-3 drops after the vanilla.
• Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the ground almond and powdered sugar mixture until combined, but be careful not to overmix. It should be the consistency of “molten lava” but not runny, about 40-65 folds.
• Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 0.4 inch (10 millimeter) circular tip.
• On a parchment lined baking sheet, pipe 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) circles at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Repeat with remaining baking sheets. If your oven runs hot, place an empty baking sheet under each baking sheet with the macarons to offer some protection against the heat.
• Firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter to remove excess bubbles. If desired, top with a few rainbow nonpareils. Allow to rest uncovered 30-60 minutes to form a shell.
• Preheat oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
• Bake the macarons in the center of the preheated oven until the tops become firm, about 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from baking sheet.

To make the filling:

• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese on low speed until smooth. Dice the butter and add to the cream cheese. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla, then the milk to create a smooth and creamy frosting. If too thick, slowly drizzle in a little more milk. If too wet, slowly add a little more powdered sugar. Transfer the cream cheese filling into a bag fitted with a star or round tip.
• Pair together the cooled macaron shells that are similar in shape.
• Pipe the filling onto half of the bottom side of the shells, taking care to not over-fill. Top, bottom side towards the filling, with the paired shell. Gently twist until the cream cheese filling reaches the edges. Repeat with remaining pairs.
• If decorating with white chocolate, transfer the melted white chocolate to a piping bag with a small round tip. Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of each macaron.
• For best results, refrigerate the Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons in an airtight container for 24 hours before serving.