Chocolate Macaroons
These chocolate macaroons are packed with chocolate and coconut flavour, make the perfect dessert for any holiday or special occasion and are easy to make with just 6 healthy ingredients.
Recipe Highlights
- Amazing taste and texture: You will love the decadent chocolate coconut flavour and firm but tender texture.
- Easy to Make: You’ll need just 6 simple ingredients.
- Dietary Needs: Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free.
- Holiday-Friendly: Perfect for Christmas and other special occasions.
- Make in Advance: These store well in the fridge or freezer so can be made up to 3 months in advance.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.
- Dates: You can use any variety of dates as long as they’re not too dry. These sweeten and bind the recipe and I can’t recommend a suitable substitution for this recipe.
- Cashews: Use plain, raw cashews with no added oil or salt. They can be substituted with blanched almonds.
- Coconut: Use unsweetened fine or medium shredded (desiccated) coconut. No substitution is available.
- Vanilla and Salt: Optional but recommended flavour enhancers.
- Cocoa Powder: Regular baking cocoa powder, dark cocoa powder or raw cacao powder all work well. If you don’t have cocoa powder, try my vanilla coconut macaroons.
- Chocolate: Any dairy-free chocolate chips or dark chocolate works. If you’re not vegan or plant-based, you can use any chocolate.
Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: Soak the Dates
Place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them soak for 15 minutes.
Before draining them, reserve a few tablespoons of the soaking water and set them aside.
Quick Note: It’s okay if the dates remain wet, just make sure any excess water has been drained off. I try to press them against the bottom or side of the bowl when draining to help remove excess water.
Step 2: Blend Coconut & Cashew
While the dates are soaking, add the cashews and coconut to a food processor. Blend until they reach a pasty, oily consistency. This make take a few minutes.
What should the consistency be like? It will still be crumbly but have an oily sheen and almost a paste-like consistency. It’s important you allow it to get oily as this is what creates the amazing, buttery texture once baked!
Start preheating the oven to 350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Step 3: Blend Dough
Add the soaked dates and 1 tbsp of the reserved soaking water along with the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla to the food processor.
Blend into a crumbly and oily but sticky dough. You should be able to pinch it between your fingers.
Step 4: Shape Macaroons
Use a cookie scoop to create about 20 approximately 1-1.5 inch macaroons, placing them on the prepared baking tray.
Quick Note: The dough can be a little fragile so you may have to do a bit of surgery with your fingers once you scoop each macaroon. They don’t have to be perfect!
Step 5: Bake
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes then let cool for at least 30 minutes. You can pop them in the fridge to help cool them down!
Quick Note: The macaroons will be fragile when they come out of the oven so resist the urge to handle them. Once they cool, they’ll firm right up.
Step 6: Dip in Chocolate
When you’re ready, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave then press each macaroon into the chocolate so it coats the bottom and about 1/4 inch up the sides.
Place the coated macaroons back on the baking tray.
Once you’ve coated them all, drizzle any remaining chocolate over the top of each macaroon.
Place them in the fridge until all of the chocolate has hardened. This should take about 30 minutes. They’re now ready to enjoy!
Notes and Tips
- Sugar-Free Option: These can be made sugar-free by using sugar-free chocolate such as Lily’s sweetened chocolate chips.
- If you want to skip the chocolate coating, totally fine! The macaroons aren’t super sweet on their own but they’re still very delicious.
FAQs
You can use either sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut for this recipe. I prefer and recommend unsweetened coconut. You’ll get a better texture and they won’t be overly sweet. However, if you prefer things on the sweeter side, go ahead and use sweetened coconut.
No problem. Just use your hands to create the best macaroon shapes you can. They should be about 1.5 inches across in the shape of a little dome. Like a haystack cookie!
Store macaroons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days or freezer for up to 3 months. They can be kept at room temperature for some time, however, the chocolate will start to melt if gets too warm.
Sorry, this particular recipe really does require a food processor to achieve the right consistency for the cashews and coconut. If you don’t have a food processor, I’d suggest these no-bake chocolate macaroons.
Traditional macaroons are not vegan as they typically use ingredients like egg white, butter and milk. This recipe is dairy-free and egg-free, which makes it completely vegan. Just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate to keep it vegan.
Did you try this recipe?
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I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.
Vegan Chocolate Macaroons
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 20
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Amercian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Incredible chocolate macaroons that are easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients. You will fall in love with the rich chocolate coconut flavour and to-die-for texture of these beautiful sweet treats!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pitted dates (110 g)
- 1 cup raw cashews (150 g)
- 2 cups unsweetened fine shredded coconut (200 g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (25 g)
- 1–2 tbsp reserved date soaking water
- 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (130 g)
Instructions
- Place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 15 minutes. Before draining, reserve 2 tbsp of the soaking water and set aside. Drain the dates well. Squeezing off any excess water. It’s okay if they remain wet just make use any excess was has drained off.
- While the dates are soaking, add the cashews and coconut to a food processor. Blend until it has a pasty, oily consistency. This make take a few minutes. You should almost be able to pinch it between your fingers.
- Add the vanilla, soaked dates plus 1 tbsp of soaking water you reserved, salt and cocoa powder. Blend until you have a crumbly and oily but somewhat sticky dough. If needed, add up to another tbsp of the soaking water. You don’t want it overly wet but it should easily stick together.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to create 20 haystack dome shapes about 1.5 inches wide, placing them on the baking tray. The dough can be a little fragile so you may have to do a bit of surgery with your fingers once you scoop each macaroon. They don’t have to be perfect!
- Bake for 12 minutes then let cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes. You can pop them in the fridge to speed up the cooling process. You want them almost completely cooled before dipping them in chocolate. Note that they’ll be quite fragile after coming out of the oven but will firm completely once they cool, so avoid handling them until they’ve cooled.
- When you’re ready, melt the chocolate using a double boiler or in a bowl in the microwave until completely smooth and creamy. If using the microwave, melt in 15-seconds increments, stirring in between. Once most of the chocolate has melted, stir to melt in the rest. This will prevent burning.
- Press each macaroon into the melted chocolate so it coats the bottom and about 1/4 inch up the sides. Lightly scrape the bottom of the macaroon on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. You just want a thin layer there. Place the coated macaroons back on the baking tray. Once you’ve dipped them all, drizzle any remaining chocolate over the top of each macaroon. Sprinkle them with a little additional shredded coconut, if desired.
- Place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes or as long as needed to completely harden the chocolate.
- Enjoy right away or store for later!
Notes
Storing: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 3 months. They’re ok at room temperature for a while but the chocolate may start to melt if it’s too warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 125
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
Keywords: vegan chocolate macaroons, chocolate coconut macaroons
I have made these several times and they are amazing! One time I rolled them raw, froze and dipped in dark melted chocolate for a cold raw truffle sort of thing. Both ways are fabulous!!
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Sounds amazing! Glad you liked them. Thanks for the review!
It’s that ok if I use coconut flour?
I don’t think that would be a suitable substitute in this case. The coconut starts turning into a paste that binds them. There might be a macaroon recipe made with coconut flour if you look online though!
Wow these were amazing! I made half with milk chocolate and the other with no sugar added chocolate and both were so so delicious. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for the review!
These have a great texture and the perfect amount of sweetness. Thanks Deryn.
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Sue! Thanks for trying them!
These are wonderful! I’ve made them three times already (about to do it a fourth time too!)
★★★★★
Amazing! They really are so yummy, aren’t they? So glad you enjoy them and thank you so much for the review.
So amazing! These macaroons were a huge hit in our house. So easy and decadent at the same time. I think they will be a holiday tradition for us.
★★★★★
Just made my first batch and they have turned out sooo beautiful. Thank you for such an easy and fantastic recipe, I’m sure I’ll be making some more for the holidays. 🙂
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Maria! Thanks for leaving a review. Have a great holiday!
Holy cow, these are insanely good! My husband and I ate them in 3 days…oops. Will be making these again and again! So perfect for Christmas..thank you so much!!
★★★★★
AMAZING!!! Glad you mentioned to process for a while or I would have stopped too soon. These are truly fantastic and the recipe is filed away with my holiday recipes! Thank you!
★★★★★
Made these today and oh wow- so yummy!! I left them maybe a bit too long in the oven but nonetheless they are so tasty! Again, just sweet enough to take the edge out of the bitter taste from the chocolate powder they have a lovely balance and one could eat more than 3 without feeling too guilty 😉 Thanks a lot Deryn, let’s see what else I can make today! xx
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed these and I think 3 is just right for a serving size! It’s definitely hard to stop at 1. Have fun making more treats! Thanks for leaving a review!
Just made this recipe and they are so yummy! Easy to make with the step by step direction. A perfect treat for the holidays or and day…:)
★★★★★