I am obsessed with Nutella, and it was only a matter of time before I made Nutella Macarons!

These are made with French chocolate macaron shells, piped with fluffy Nutella buttercream, and filled with a straight-up Nutella center! They chewy, sweet, and quite literally full of Nutella!

Making These Nutella Macarons with the French Method

There are a few different ways macarons are made. French macarons are considered easier to make while the Italian and Swiss methods use a few more steps but are more structurally sound.

French macarons also require less equipment. While I love Italian macarons, I like to keep things simple and used the French method for this recipe.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Nutella Macarons

I’ve made quite a few batches of macarons, and they definitely turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.

These are the tools I like to use when I make these macarons:

• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large (18″) piping bag (for the batter)
• Round piping tip (for the batter)
• Small (12″) piping bags (for the filling)
• Small French piping tip (for the filling)
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)

How to Make These Nutella Macarons: Step-by-Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!

Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

Step #1: Make the French Meringue

The first step is to make the French meringue! If possible, separate your eggs at least a day in advance. They’re easiest to separate when they’re cold!

Store the whites in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for a few hours or up to a few days before baking with them. Be sure to bring them to room temperature before whisking them.

Whisk the room temperature, aged egg whites on a medium-low speed until the surface is covered in small bubbles.

Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until the whisk begins to leave tracks.

Gradually add the granulated sugar over a few minutes white mixing on a medium low speed. Then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed.

Mix until stiff peaks form like in the photo below. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing the meringue.

Step #2: Sift and Fold the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue

Sift the superfine almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into the meringue.

If there are any bits that aren’t going through the sieve, use a rubber spatula to push them through.

Then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula.

Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.

Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.

You should be able to draw a couple figure 8’s with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream once it is the right consistency.

If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to this, you may need to fold it a bit more.

Step #3: Pipe the Chocolate Macaron Shells

Fill a large piping bag with macaron batter and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto 2 silpat lined baking sheets. Space them about 1-inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times.

This brings any trapped air bubbles to the surface, which can then be popped with a toothpick or scribe.

Popping these little bubbles can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Step #4: Rest the Chocolate Macaron Shells

Let the macarons rest for about 30 minutes, or until they form a skin. On rainy days this can take up to an hour where I live!

They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked. While the shells rest, preheat your oven.

Step #5: Bake the Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray in the middle rack of your oven.

Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.

Let the macarons cool fully on the pan, then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

If they’re properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly.

Step #6: Assemble the Nutella Macarons

While the macaron shells bake and cool, make the Nutella buttercream.

Place the frosting in a piping bag fit with a small French piping tip and set aside.

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a ring of Nutella buttercream on one macaron shell. Fill the center with Nutella.

Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.

Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight.

Letting the filled macarons rest overnight softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavor to develop.

Troubleshooting These Chocolate Nutella Macarons

While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these macarons will turn out perfectly, my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.

Macarons are incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right. If you run into any issues, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Choosing the Right Filling for These Macarons

While we put tons of energy into the shell of a macaron, almost all the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling.

The shell gives macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

Using Nutella in the buttercream and to fill the center makes these macarons so delicious!

However, if you want a less sweet filling, try piping a ring with my chocolate ganache filling.

How Many Macarons Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 36 large macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons.

You can double or halve this recipe as needed.

The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of macarons you pipe. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches.

Tips for Making the Best Nutella Macarons

• Wipe your mixing bowl, mats and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making the meringue. It will help your egg whites whip up better!
• Separate your own eggs and age them if possible. Do not use egg whites from a carton.
• Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. You really need to be precise with this recipe. These macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
• Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
• Let your baked and filled macarons mature! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
• If your macarons don’t turn out, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Making These Nutella Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

• Macarons need to mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge in an airtight container before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and flavor.
• Refrigerate these filled macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Freeze unfilled macaron shells for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Make the frosting ahead of time too or save any leftovers! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for Nutella macarons, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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If you want to take a walk down memory lane, below are some of the original photos from this post in 2015. I think my baking and photography has come a long way in the last 5 years 😛