How to Store Macarons

Hello friends, let’s talk about macaron storage and how to store macarons today!

It’s great to bake ahead for the holidays, every Christmas I like to make a Christmas Cookie Box, like this one, also this one, and this other one (yes, I’ve been making them for years now).

And even if it’s not the holiday season, you still want to be able to freeze macarons for certain events, parties, to serve your guests, or if you make a batch of macarons and don’t have a chance to eat them all before they start going bad.

So today we will talk all about how to store macarons, if macarons can be frozen, what’s the best way to freeze macarons, and more!

To be able to make a box like the one above, it will be very helpful to make some of the macarons ahead of time, or you’d be having a very busy week trying to make so many flavors and designs at the same time.

One of the biggest questions I get concerning my macaron boxes, is if the macarons can be made ahead of time. Or people will ask me: can you freeze macarons?

So let’s do a Q&A of some of the most common questions I get concerning macaron storage and how to store macarons.

Can you freeze macarons?

Yes, macarons can be frozen.

Can you freeze macaron shells?

You can freeze the plain shells without filling. Organize them in an air tight container, and place them in the freezer. When you are ready to fill the macarons, simply remove the container from the freezer and begin filling them, no need to thaw the shells.

How long can macaron shells be frozen?

Macaron shells can be frozen for a couple of months. I would say up to 2 months, but I do know of people who have kept them for even longer than that. After a couple of months, the shells will begin to lose their fresh quality, but if you are just using the macarons for home consumption instead of selling, I see no issues with that.

Can you freeze filled macaron shells?

Yes, filled macarons can be frozen. It’s best if the filling is something like a ganache, or a buttercream, or a cream cheese frosting, which are solid fillings.

When it comes to macarons filled with curd, or jam, the issue is that the curd or the jam might start to make the shells soggy after a couple of weeks in the freezer, specially depending on the consistency of your macaron shell.

If the shells are on the soft side and if you live in a humid climate, they might become soggy faster. Now if the shells are on the dry side (for example if you use egg white powder in the shells, or if you have over baked them ever so slightly) there’s a better chance they will hold up a little bit longer.

I have personally frozen macarons filled with jam and curd, and they stayed fine in the freezer even for a month. I make my jams very thick with the addition of cornstarch, and I cook my curds to a thick stage as well, which helps.

You can also brush the bottom of the shells with melted chocolate, or buttercream, let the buttercream crust, or let the chocolate dry, and then fill the shells with the jam or curd filling, this will help form a barrier between the wet filling and then shell.

So these are all things to have in mind if you are planning to make a jam filled macaron for example, to freeze later.

Another alternative if you are planning on filling macarons with jam for an event ahead of time, is to make the shells, freeze them, and then fill the macarons a couple of days before the event. Remember, don’t fill them the day of the event, because macarons need time to mature in the fridge, so remove the frozen unfilled shells from the freezer a couple of days in advance and fill the macarons to give them time to mature in the fridge.

How to freeze filled macarons?

To freeze filled macarons, first you want to fill them with the filling of your choice, then place them in the fridge to mature for 24 hours. The maturing process is important to develop the texture and taste of the cookie. While maturing, the shells get hydrated and the texture becomes chewy and soft.

After letting the macarons mature in the fridge for 24 hours, place them in the freezer for as long as needed.

How long can you freeze macarons?

Like I said above, the unfilled shells can stay fresh for 2 months or so.

Filled macarons will stay well in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. If you are selling, I don’t recommend going over 1 month, unless you’ve experimented with it and it all worked out for you. After a certain time, the macarons begin losing their freshness.

Also have in mind that if the macarons are filled with a wet filling such as jam or curd, they might last a bit less than 1 month before they start getting soggy.

Can you freeze macarons with marshmallow filling?

I get this question a lot concerning my S’mores Macarons, or Key Lime Pie Macarons because they feature marshmallow in the filling. And the answer is yes! They do freeze well. I used to think they couldn’t be frozen because the marshmallow tends to deflate quickly, however it holds up surprisingly well as a filling.

Same thing with my Creme Brûlée Macarons, which feature a torched sugary top. The top will quickly loose its crunch quality as the macaron sits, and once it gets frozen it might become a bit sticky, but people I’ve served this to didn’t seem to mind.

How long do macarons keep in the fridge?

I tend to keep my macarons in the fridge for 4 to 7 days, no more than that. If I know I will be freezing them, I will move them to the freezer on the second or third day after being in the fridge, but they will also be ok to be moved to the freezer after 4 or 5 days or so, but that may impact how long they stay fresh in the freezer, so just have that in mind.

What is the best container to store macarons in the fridge and in the freezer?

When storing macarons in the fridge or in the freezer, it’s best to keep them in an air tight container.

I like like all Sistema containers, and also the ones from Rubbermaid. The Rubbermaid containers might be pricey, but they are extremely durable and really keep things fresh in there.

If I am leaving the macarons in the fridge just overnight, I don’t mind keeping them in the baking tray covered with a Half Sheet Lid. It’s not precisely air tight, but it gives the macarons some temporary good protection. I won’t use this for the freezer though, because it won’t keep the macarons protected enough.

In doubt, always go with the air tight container, it will prevent the macarons from getting freezer burned in the freezer, and it will prevent them from drying out in the fridge.

Can macarons stay fresh out of the fridge?

Macarons shouldn’t be kept out of the fridge for too long. And depending on the filling they have, they shouldn’t be out of the fridge for longer than 2 hours.

If the filling you used in the macarons is a cream based ganache, or a buttercream with milk added, or caramel sauce cooked with cream, jam, curds, or anything that isn’t shelf stable, the macarons shouldn’t be out of the fridge for longer than a couple of hours, 2 to 4 hours max if the weather isn’t too hot.

If you made a water based ganache, or a shortening buttercream, or even a brigadeiro filling, the macarons can stay out of the fridge for a day or so. In that case, you can benefit from freezing them prior to taking them out, and also make sure to keep them in a cooler if at all possible.

If you are shipping the macarons, that might not be possible, so always choose overnight shipping, and make sure the macarons are staying refrigerated until the very last minute before sending them, and also put back in the fridge or freezer immediately upon receiving.

I hope to have answered all of your storage macaron questions! If you have anymore questions about how to store macarons feel free to leave them down below in the comments!