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Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe (V, GF): an easy vegan recipe for sweetly tart lemon macaroons made from healthy ingredients to brighten your day! Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free.

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So I had no idea whatsoever that my sister Jenny LOVES coconut macaroons. Like… I’ve only known her for 32 years of my life. No big deal, right?

Wait a minute, I’m 32, right? Someone call Erik and check my age for me!!

The older I get, the less I actually remember what age I am, when my birthday is (or even what month it’s in), and apparently what my family member’s current likes and dislikes are.

A glazed macaroons on a table with lemons and unglazed macaroons behind it.

Meanwhile, when I started this coconut macaroon expedition a few months back (in March, and yes, I totally had to check), I did my usual thing: tested, re-tested, then tested again to make sure the recipe for my 4 ingredient vegan coconut macaroons (the base recipe for all of my coconut macaroons) was on point.

After those rounds of testing, I did my other usual thing, which was to bring those batches over to my mom and my sister Jenny’s house.

Never expecting for a moment the reaction I’d get.

Jenny said, “WOW. These taste like…

…the REAL THING.”

Lemon macaroons on a table before being topped with lemon glaze.

And coming from Jenny, who loves all manner of junk food and is a connoisseur of desserts, I was blown away. And pleased with myself, of course. ๐Ÿ˜‰

In the months that followed, I made and shared more vegan coconut macaroon recipes with you (and Jenny), and yet, still, she would ask for more. See: my Chocolate Dipped Vegan Coconut Macaroons Recipe and my 4 Ingredient No Bake Coconut Macaroons. The thing is, sometimes when I’m recipe testing, I unfortunately have loads and loads, make that batches and batches, of the exact same thing to share.

When I was testing this Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe, there were like 1,000 cookies (OR 1,000 lemon coconut macaroons, I should say) that I had to unload. And there’s only so much the freezer will take. So the burden falls to loved ones/casual acquaintances/people on the street to take these goodies. 

Overhead shot of unglazed lemon macaroons.

But after you bring these folks the 5th batch of the same thing, ya kinda feel bad, ya know? Like, they must be sick of this by now.

Surely!!

Well, guess what? Jenny never got sick of my coconut macaroons. And she sure as heck never got sick of these Lemon Coconut Macaroons. OH YEAH!! Even after the possibly-100s of paleo coconut macaroons I’ve brought her, she’s still asking me to make a bigger, wink wink, batch of these lemon coconut macaroons to bring over. And, in typical Jenny fashion, she also asked me to bring over some vegan lemon poppy seed muffins and a few slices of my easy vegan lemon loaf along with all the macaroons.

And that, folks, is how you KNOW they’re good.

Lastly, special shoutout to my reader, J, for requesting these lemon coconut macaroons. And a super special shoutout to my J for requesting that they be made with lemon icing. (Um, YUM!!) I went ahead and included that optional lemon glaze just in case you wanted your socks blown off in the most delicious way possible.

Yep, even I don’t really know what that means… Heh heh.

Batch of lemon coconut macaroons with lemons around them.

In case you’re still on the fence, check out this Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe’s finest points! They’re…

  • super easy to make
  • vegan, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free
  • made with just 6 simple ingredients
  • the perfect excuse to bust out your citrus zester and your citrus squeezer
  • just the vegan macaroons recipe you’ve been searching for
  • made with the healthy & allergy-friendly, whole ingredients that you know and love
  • perfectly tart and delightfully sweet
  • basically everything you could ever want out of healthy paleo macaroons 

Are you ready to bake this? You grab the coconut, I’ll grab the lemons! Let’s do it. ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s truly such a joy to share these recipes with you. I can’t wait to hear what you and your loved ones think (hopefully they’re as pleased as Jenny!!).

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

If you enjoyed this Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe, then you’ll just love these healthy paleo dessert recipes:

Gluten Free Vegan Coconut Recipes and More

Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe (V, GF): an easy vegan recipe for sweetly tart lemon macaroons made from healthy ingredients to brighten your day! #Vegan #Paleo #Macaroons #Coconut #GlutenFree, #DairyFree #RefinedSugarFree #Dessert #HealthyDessert #Lemon #LemonDesserts #VeganDesserts | Recipe at BeamingBaker.com
5 from 18 votes
Servings: 9 large cookies or 18 medium cookies

Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe

Lemon Coconut Macaroons Recipe (V, GF): an easy vegan recipe for sweetly tart lemon macaroons made from healthy ingredients to brighten your day! Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy-Free.
Prep: 12 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
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Ingredients 

Lemon Coconut Macaroons

Optional Lemon Glaze (leave out glaze for paleo)

  • 1 ½ tablespoons organic, unrefined confectioners’ sugar*** (sugar-free substitute in notes)
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
  • Add all Lemon Coconut Macaroon ingredients (coconut, almond flour, oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and lemon zest) to a food processor (preferred) or blender. Here are the gluten-free small coconut flakes that I use–you must use small coconut flakes in this recipe, about the size of sprinkles. Using large coconut flakes will result in flat, spread-out cookies.
  • Blend just until you get a wet and sticky mixture, with smaller, but still noticeable coconut pieces. If any maple syrup remains at the bottom of the processor, fold into dough until well mixed.
  • Using a cookie scoop, scoop firmly packed balls of coconut mixture. Drop onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure to space balls evenly apart.
  • Bake for 14-18 mins, until golden around the edges and slightly golden on top. Mine took 16 mins for large ones. Place baking sheet onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 30 mins-1 hour.
  • Optionally, make glaze (skip for paleo). In a small bowl, whisk together Lemon Glaze ingredients: organic, unrefined confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until thickened. Drizzle macaroons with glaze. Optionally, top with lemon zest. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.

Notes

  • *You must use small coconut flakes for this recipe. The coconut flakes should be the size of sprinkles, or about half a grain of rice. Large coconut flakes will result in flat, spread out cookies (unlike the round macaroons you see in the pictures). Here are the gluten-free small coconut flakes that I use (pictures included in link).
  • **Solid coconut oil is best for this recipe. Using melted coconut oil will result in smaller macaroons.
  • ***Powdered sugar substitutes: Swerve powdered sugar is a good sugar-free, low carb substitute. You can also grind the sweetener of your choice, such as Xylitol, in a coffee grinder or small blender until you get a powder. Since Swerve is a bit drier, use about 2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice to make the glaze. You can also add more powdered sugar if you’d like a thicker glaze.
  • Store in an airtight container for 1 week at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
  • If freezing, store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw for 15 minutes before enjoying.
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Photo of Demeter, author of the Beaming Baker blog.

Hi there!

I'm Demeter, it's nice to meet you! Here, you'll find easy recipes that are fun & approachable. I love cozy movies, a good mystery, and chocolate. Welcome!

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68 Comments

  1. Travy says:

    5 stars
    This cookie dough has great flavor! The recipe was very easy to follow and delicious. I skipped the glaze And didnโ€™t miss it!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Woohoo!! Iโ€™m so happy to hear it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out. Happy baking, Travy! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. RunnerGirl says:

    Making these tomorrow! Will the glue harden or stays soft? I want to package them to take to a class

    Thanks!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      The glaze? ๐Ÿ™‚ Not sure it thatโ€™s what you meant by โ€œglueโ€ (autocorrect?!? Lol). It depends on how much powdered sugar you add. The more you add, and the thicker it is, the harder it will get over time. Enjoy!

      1. Jeannie Lin says:

        5 stars
        thank you! I was thinking I put my glaze on too soon as it just disappeared into the macaroon. Still, delicious ๐Ÿ™‚

      2. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

        My pleasure! Also, make sure to cool the macaroons all the way before drizzling. Hot macaroons can cause the glaze to stay melty and disappear. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Enjoy, Jeannie!

  3. Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says:

    These look so good!! Quick question: can I use coconut flour instead of coconut flakes? I may not have an access to coconut flakes anytime soon… and these look so good to delay. Haha! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Hi Jhuls! Unfortunately, I donโ€™t think that will work. If you ever try it, let me know your results!

  4. Julia Marshall says:

    5 stars
    I love macaroons, so this recipe is definitely going to get made by me ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Fantastic! Canโ€™t wait to hear how you like them Julia!

  5. Sarah says:

    Hi Demeter! I was so excited to find an โ€œallergy-friendlyโ€ macaroon recipe….and then I saw the almond flour. Unfortunately that is not safe for macaroon eaters with nut allergies, like in our house. Any suggestions for a substitution? Thanks! Sarah

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Hi Sarah! Aw, darn… Iโ€™ve had a reader use coconut flour (perhaps 2 tablespoons or so bc itโ€™s way more absorbent). Try it and let me know how they turn out!

  6. Bridgette Lacke says:

    5 stars
    Ahhh! I love these. This was my first attempt at a vegan dessert, and I’m obsessed! The texture is awesome!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Woohoo!!! Iโ€™m so happy that you loved them, Bridgette! ๐Ÿ™‚ Hereโ€™s to more delicious vegan desserts (homemade by you!) in the near future. โค๏ธโ˜บ๏ธ

  7. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says:

    5 stars
    What a perfect little bite of a cookie. It looks absolutely delicious!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Oh yes Renee, itโ€™s totally delicious! .

  8. Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says:

    5 stars
    I could finish a dozen of these macaroons! Looks delicious!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Haha I know what you mean! . Totally irresistible!

  9. Abeer says:

    5 stars
    So delicious! And I love the texture of these vegan macaroons.

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      You got that right Abeer! Such a wonderful texture. .

  10. Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says:

    I want to grab these from my screen and eat them up!

    1. Demeter | Beaming Baker says:

      Thanks Amy! Enjoy. ๐Ÿ™‚