Almond Macaroons – Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free for Passover
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These Almond Macaroons are yummy gluten-free and dairy-free cookies that are perfect for Passover. Although they taste delicious with a cup of tea or coffee for any time of the year! They make a delicious alternative for those with strict dietary requirements around the holidays too.
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Almond Macaroons
This recipe for Almond Macaroons comes direct from my [Jewish] mother-in-law who kindly shared it with me many years ago!
While I am not Jewish, I am married to a Jewish man and have celebrated many Passover Seders at his parent’s house.
My mother-in-law would always make these yummy macaroons as well as her delightful Cinnamon Balls which are also suitable for Passover. You can also try out her Coconut Macaroons.
These Dairy Free Almond Flour Cookies are another great option if you need another gluten-free and dairy-free cookie to make!
Passover (which lasts for 8 days) is the strictest Jewish holiday when it comes to food. Jews traditionally avoid eating food made from leavened grains such as bread and bread products.
This means not using ingredients such as wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye. Wheat flour is permitted only if it is baked into Matzah (unleavened bread).
So that means these delicious almond cookies are gluten-free as they use ground almonds instead of regular flour.
They are also dairy-free, however they do contain egg whites.
The macaroons are quick and easy to make and are so moreish! One is never enough!
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe.
I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
This recipe uses just FOUR ingredients:
- Ground Almonds – might be known as Almond Flour too. It’s quite grainy.
- Egg Whites
- Sugar (white/caster)
- Whole Blanched Almonds – or you could use flaked almonds instead
Almond Macaroon Recipe Tips
The original measurements of this recipe imperial rather than metric, since the recipe came from my mother-in-law who has all her recipes scribbled down on scraps of paper – love it!
Back in the day we used pounds and ounces instead of grams and kilograms!
Most food weighing scales will have both measurements on them.
I have only even baked these cookies using the imperial measurements, however I’ve added the approximate equivalent in both metric and in American cups.
This is a forgiving recipe so even if things are a little bit out I’m sure they will turn out just fine!
- Use a whisk to beat the egg whites to soft peaks – you could do this by hand or with an electric handheld mixer.
- Then simply add the ground almonds and sugar and mix to form a dough.
- Wet your hands to form the dough into 1-1½-inch balls – this will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands too much.
- Gently press down and top with an almond.
- You can use blanched or flaked almonds – the choice is yours!
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
The recipes I’ve suggested below may not necessarily be Kosher or suitable for Passover.
- Appetizer: Chicken Soup
- Main Dish: One-Pan Lemon & Rosemary Chicken Thighs
- Side Dish: Roasted Apple Cauliflower Mash with Crispy Brussels Sprouts
- Beverage: Prosecco Cocktail with Blackberry, Elderflower & Basil
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
If you would like some more gluten-free recipes, check these ones out next:
- Gluten-Free + Paleo Spiced Apple Loaf
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Vegan; Gluten-Free; Keto; Low Carb Afternoon Tea Recipes
More Cookies with Almonds
I love the flavor of almonds and it would seem I have quite a few cookie recipes using them. Here are some to try:
Please note they may not be suitable for Passover or be gluten-free or dairy-free.
Know someone who would love this recipe? Why not forward it onto them by email or WhatsApp?
Almond Macaroons – Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free for Passover
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1½ cups ground almonds
- 1 cup white sugar
- 20 whole blanched almonds or almond flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the egg whites into a mixing bowl and whisk to a soft peak.
- Add the ground almonds and sugar to the bowl.
- Stir everything together to bring to a dough.
- Roll about a teaspoon of the mixture in your hands into a ball. (Wet hands slightly to prevent sticking).
- Place each ball onto the prepared baking sheet and press down to flatten slightly.
- Add an almond on top of each macaroon.
- Bake 10-15 minutes until golden. Eat & Enjoy!
Notes
- 2 egg whites
- ¾ pound ground almonds
- ½ pound white sugar
- 20 whole blanched almonds or almond flakes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Judi
December 13, 2025 @ 4:04 am
I have made this recipe many times in past few years. It’s a fave. Today I am baking a large amount for recovery homes (10 dozen but some different) so I was doing multiples if this and either my computer does not communicate or there is an error on this page. The multiplier doubles and triples for the gram weights but not for American pounds or cups. Fortunately I can turn my almost disaster around. Ugh! However, these are great for Passover, gluten free friends, and any time you want something different.
Michelle Ordever
December 13, 2025 @ 10:18 am
What a lovely thing for you to do! This is one of my older recipes, and I can see that the conversions were not multiplying correctly, I can only do it for grams or American customary (cups etc) and not imperial pounds, so I’ve up dated it, and if you weigh stuff in pounds, it’s going to have to be old fashioned mental maths!
Judi S
March 25, 2021 @ 3:53 am
This is a very basic recipe for my favorite Passover treat, and now that almond flour is so popular, they are easy cookies to make all year long. However basic, Michelle’s recipe does not disappoint (except in the quantity it yields … I want more!). The added bonus here is her link to the cinnamon balls. It’s just as easy and again you will wish for a larger quantity. These cookies with berries will provide a delightful dessert for any Passover meal. If anyone doubles the recipe with good results leave a note. As written, for 20 cookies it is a quick and easy effort. Thanks Michelle!!
Michelle
March 26, 2021 @ 9:04 am
Thanks for your comment Judi – it was an emotional rollercoaster for a while as I wasn’t sure if you enjoyed them or not! Yes, more is always wanted with these cookies!!
As for larger quantities, I’ve always just doubled it and had no problem!
Have just posted a coconut macaroons recipe for Pesach which I hope you’ll enjoy just as much.
Beverley
December 22, 2018 @ 2:50 pm
Eggs or egg whites ????
Michelle Ordever
December 24, 2018 @ 8:59 am
Good spot! It’s egg whites!!!
Debby Brown
January 23, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
Just to let you know that although I rarely bother voting for various things online, I was so impressed with your blog and the recipes that are good for me and others with food allergies, that I voted for The Purple Pumpkin Blog in the 2014 UK Blog Awards and would be happy to recommend that others do the same – it would be good to see you recognised in some way for your efforts and thoughtfulness. I also like and appreciate the personal responses to reader’s comments (unlike the automated responses so common these days), and with everybody so pushed for time the personal touch is often overlooked, so extra brownie points there too – I shall certainly make a point of checking the blog regularly and maybe letting you know as and when I try out a recipe or idea. Good luck for future blogging and life in general – and for the awards, I hope you win.
Michelle Ordever
January 23, 2014 @ 3:29 pm
Thank you Debby for your very kind words, and I’m happy to know that you’ve discovered my little piece of the web. It’s always nice to know when others have tried out my recipes – they are all tested on us as a family, so I know that for us they work! Hope that they work out for others as well :)
Thanks for your vote, I do appreciate it and I’ll be letting my readers know if I made it through to the next round.
Debby Brown
January 21, 2014 @ 3:35 pm
I am going to have to have a bash at making these as they look and sound delicious. Being lactose-intolerant can be a bit of a pain when it comes to desserts and snack-treats, so it is nice to see you cover recipes that are great for me and others with various allergies too. I love nuts and like to keep my baking as healthy as possible too so these will probably end up being made regularly. Think I might just go and have a peek at the Cinnamon Balls you mention when I’ve finished here as cinnamon is one of my favourite spices to use, especially in sweets, cakes and biscuits (I also use cinnamon essential oil too as the smell is so comforting and warming, but that doesn’t have much to do with wanting to go and find something nice to eat now! lol!) Good blog by the way – glad I fond it and reckon I’ll be back. Our fridge-freezer has been on the blink a few times, so, along with everybody else, I shall certainly be keeping my fingers crossed hoping for a little bit of luck to come my way – this item is top of my ‘needs replacing’ list.
Michelle Ordever
January 23, 2014 @ 11:54 am
They are really delicious. I love the flavour of almonds, so these are just perfect.
I’m glad that you’ve sourced a couple of different sweet treats from me that you’ll be able to make and enjoy because of your intolerance.
Definitely try out the cinnamon calls, it’s another favourite spice of mine too and my dad requests that I make them often for him!