You will love these light and delicate earl grey macarons! Each macaron is packed with earl grey tea flavor to taste just like a cup of tea. This macaron recipe will easily become your favorite flavor!
Unique macaron flavors - like my fruity pebble macarons or cake batter macarons are some of the most popular macaron recipes on the blog! These earl grey macarons are made with fresh ground earl grey tea, giving them a unique flavor you've never had before.
Earl Grey tea has notes of bergamot orange, Meyer lemon, lavender, and grapefruit. I love sharing them at bridal showers, tea parties, or brunch weekends; everyone always loves them!
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Why You'll Love These Earl Grey Macarons
- These macarons are light, delicate, and not too sweet, similar to my banana pie macarons.
- Every macaron is packed with earl grey flavor! Both the shells and filling have ground tea in them.
- They taste just like a cup of earl grey tea!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Almond meal: My favorite brands are Costco and Bob's Red Mill. Ideally, you want to use a super fine blanched almond meal which will give you super smooth shells.
Granulated sugar: It's best to use granulated or cane sugar for this recipe.
Egg whites: You should always use fresh separated egg whites for the best results. I don't recommend carton egg whites because they can be unpredictable.
Earl Grey tea: Use loose-leaf tea or tea from a tea bag. To make it finely ground, grind it with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Use any leftover tea from these earl grey macarons to make my earl grey cake!
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Before you start, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 1: Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the finely ground earl grey tea, powdered sugar, and almond meal into a large bowl and set it aside (image 1 below).
Step 2: Make the meringue. In a stand mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue mixing while you sprinkle in the sugar. When the whites hold a stiff peak, stop mixing. (image 2 below).
Step 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in thirds with a rubber spatula (image 3 below).
Step 4: Deflate the batter. Use the spatula to scrape and deflate some of the batter against the sides and bottom of the bowl (image 4 above).
Step 5: Figure 8 test. Keep folding and scraping the batter until it flows in slow ribbons off your spatula and you can draw a figure 8 (image 5 below).
Step 6: Pipe, rest, and bake! Pipe 1 ½ inch shells spaced two inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Drop the tray on your counter to release any air bubbles, then let them dry at room temperature before baking(image 6 below). Once baked, let the shells dry on a wire rack before filling.
Step 7: Make the Earl Grey buttercream. Combine the warm milk and earl grey tea leaves (image 7 above). Let it steep until the milk is cool and the color looks tan. Meanwhile, mix the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Mix in the steeped tea milk (discarding the tea leaves) until the buttercream is super light and fluffy.
Step 8: Fill the macaron shells. Pipe a dollop of the earl grey buttercream onto half of the shells and then sandwich it with the other shells (image 8 above). Let them mature in the fridge in an airtight container, then enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Turn your pan upside down. My top trick for perfect macarons is turning the pan upside down and piping the shells on the bottom of it.
- Use an oven thermometer. You don't want the shells rising too quickly or slowly. Chances are, your oven temperature is off by a few degrees so I always keep my oven thermometer on the lower oven rack.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I always make them ahead of time and they are always best after maturing in the fridge overnight before eating them. You can make my orange mint macarons and Oreo cookie macarons ahead of time too!
How long the shells dry will depend on the level of humidity in your kitchen. This step could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.
Yes! I recommend adding only gel food coloring like Americolor, while you are whipping the egg whites. Only use 1-2 drops to avoid too much liquid in the batter.
You can store the assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can freeze both the shells and the assembled macarons. It's best to store them in a sealed container and place parchment in between layers if stacking. They will stay fresh for 1 month in the freezer.
more macaron flavors to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Earl Grey Macarons
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups blanched almond meal
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon earl grey tea leaves ground with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder
- 3-4 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 tablespoon earl grey tea
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, almond meal, and ground tea until no lumps remain. Set aside.1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, 1 ⅔ cups blanched almond meal, 2 tablespoon earl grey tea leaves
- Add the room-temperature egg whites to a bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the egg whites on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until white and foamy, then add the cream of tartar.¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, 3-4 large egg whites
- Slowly add in the granulated sugar and then increase the speed to medium-high. Mix for 7-8 minutes until stiff peaks form.½ cup granulated sugar
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the almond meal/powdered sugar mixture into the stiff egg whites. Slowly fold and mix the batter until smooth. The batter is ready when it flows slowly in ribbons off the spatula and you can draw a figure 8.
- Line an upside-down baking tray with a silicone baking mat. Fill a piping bag with a small round piping tip and pipe the batter over the top of the tray into 1 ½ inch rounds spaced 2 inches apart. Tap the baking sheet on the counter to remove any air bubbles. You can pop them with a toothpick if desired. Then let the macarons sit at room temperature to form a skin, anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
- While the macarons are resting, preheat your oven to 300F/149C.
- Bake each tray for about 13-14 minutes. The macarons are done baking when you gently touch the top of the shell, it should just barely budge from the foot. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
- To make the buttercream: pour the milk into a small bowl and microwave or heat until hot, then add the tea leaves. Let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes or until the milk is cold and the color is tan-ish.1 tablespoon whole milk, 2 tablespoon earl grey tea
- In a stand mixing bowl, mix the butter on low until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low speed until completely combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar
- Strain the steeped milk into the bowl and discard the tea leaves. Mix again on low until combined.
- Assemble the macarons, piping a dollop of the buttercream in the center of one shell and then sandwiching it with the other. Place them in a sealed container to mature overnight in the fridge to soften, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Taylor says
Hi, I've made these a few times and they're great and loved by everyone! I do have to adjust the measurements when I make the Icing sugar though, as the milk being at 1 tbsp and the tea being at 2 tbsp doesn't quite work. Can you confirm the measurements for that? 1 tbsp of milk and 2 tbsp of tea leaves? Or is it the other way around?
Also, is there a way to make them slightly less sweet as well, without changing their texture?
Cambrea Gordon says
Hi Taylor, I'm glad to hear you are enjoying them! The tea leaves you're using may be different than the brand I use so you may need to adjust the milk for it to steep properly. Ideally you want at least 1 tbsp of the tea milk to add to the buttercream. As for the sweetness, unfortunately you can't mess with macarons too much because the ratio of ingredients is important to their success.
ColoringPages says
These earl grey macarons are absolutely exquisite! The delicate balance of the fragrant earl grey tea and the smooth texture of the macarons is simply divine. Each bite is like a little piece of heaven. Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe, it has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. Keep up the fantastic work! Best wishes, Becky Gomez.
Karla R says
I made these while I had COVID, they were the first ever macarons I’ve ever made and they were absolutely perfect. I didn’t have cream of tartar so I didn’t use it as I read that it’s not *technically* necessary but highly recommended. If you are able to go out to the grocery store definitely get the cream of tartar though. I am not sure exactly what it does but it seems important! Since I was sick, I “had to” eat the whole batch by myself, and I will say, they taste even better the next day. These are earl grey perfection! I will 100% be making these again and trying out the other cambrea bakes macarons recipes as well! A matcha macaron recipe would be amazing!
Cambrea Gordon says
Karla this review just made my whole day!!! I'm so so happy to hear how much you loved them. I will definitely add a matcha macaron recipe to my list! 🙂
Sal L. says
These macarons are my favorite flavor I’ve ever come across. The earl grey flavor is perfect and really great. They were a hit