Fresh, homemade cookies are such a treat and, even if you follow a low-carb, ketogenic diet, we want you to know that you can still indulge in this tasty dessert!
Sugar cookies are the ultimate cookie flavor as they are sweet, delicious, and easy to prepare. Traditionally, though, sugar cookies are prepared with high-carbohydrate flour and sugar, which are ingredients that simply won’t work when following a low-carb diet.
Luckily, recipes that are sugar-free exist, so that those who eat a low-carb diet can satisfy their sweet tooth without consuming an exponential amount of carbohydrates.
About the sweeteners
In the recipes included on this list, you'll notice that the use of low-carb sweeteners are necessary. These sweeteners, namely monk fruit sweetener, erythritol, and stevia, are commonplace in sugar-free recipes as they taste very similar to traditional sugar, yet contain no actual sugar content.
Unlike cane sugar, these low-carb sweeteners contain 0 calories and 0 grams of net carbs.
Monk fruit sweetener blends and erythritol, specifically, substitute in for cane sugar at a 1:1 ratio, making them the perfect choice for simple use in your favorite dessert recipes. Stevia, on the other hand, is quite potent and only a little bit of this ingredient goes a very long way, so keep that in mind when you want to use stevia in your recipes.
About the flour
You'll also notice that many of these cookies are made with almond flour, coconut flour, or a mixture of the two. This is because both of these flours have similar properties to white flour, yet are much, much lower in carbs, making them a pantry-staple for a majority of people who eat a low-carb diet.
While both of these ingredients can be used to create baked goods successfully, it's important to note that they should not be substituted in for one another at a 1:1 ratio; in fact, it's best to not substitute the flours for one another whatsoever as they have very different absorbency rates.
You can find low-carb sweeteners like those listed above, as well as almond flour and coconut flour, for sale in most local grocery stores in the baking aisle. However, if your store doesn’t offer these products, they are all readily available for online purchase.
To properly utilize almond flour, coconut flour, and low-carb sweeteners in your cookie recipes, we recommend following each recipe exactly as written, as swaying from the instructions can cause the baked good to be a waste of ingredients and a waste of your time - or, in other words, a "trash-worthy flop".
Following the recipes is especially important when it comes to the flour to liquid ratio, as too little liquid will likely result in dough that is mealy, while, on the other hand, too much liquid may yield dough that is far too thin, both of which will lead to dough that is challenging to roll and work with.
Find your new favorites
Each of these recipes are low-carb, written in a way that is very easy to follow, made with simple ingredients, and absolutely delectable. We promise you will enjoy each bite of every cookie recipe you make!
So, whether you're looking for chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cookies, or even “oatmeal” cookies, we know you’ll find some new favorite recipes within this list!
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1. Sugar-Free Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
If you're searching for a cookie recipe to bake for an upcoming party to impress all of your guests, this is the one! Beautifully crafted with the perfect amount of sweetness, these Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are the perfect addition to your dessert table.
We especially love this particular recipe as the dough can be easily prepared ahead of time and stored in the freezer, so whenever you need a cookie recipe to bake up in a pinch, you can quickly thaw out the dough and have these done and ready to serve in no time flat!
Makes 15-20 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp liquid stevia extract
- 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 159
- Fat: 14.4g
- Net Carbs: 2.42g
- Protein: 4.25g
Get the recipe from A Sweet Life.
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2. Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies with Almond Flour
This is the recipe you need to “bookmark” for the times you want to cut your dough into special shapes! While the dough of some low-carb, sugar-free cookies is impossible to cut and retain shape, this cookie recipe can be cut with cookie cutters, easily transferred to a baking sheet, and baked into sweet, soft perfection!
Even better, the resulting cookies are crisp on the outside and soft and luscious on the inside. These are basically the sugar-free cookies of your dreams!
Makes 24 servings
Ingredients:
- 5 tbsp butter, room temperature
- ½ cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- 4 tbsp coconut flour, packed
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 59.2
- Fat: 5.4g
- Net Carbs: 0.8g
- Protein: 1.6g
Get the recipe from Food Faith Fitness.
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3. 3 Ingredient Flourless Sugar-Free Cookies
Don’t let the minimal ingredient count of these cookies fool you into thinking that they’ll be lacking in flavor! The resulting baked cookies yield a scrumptious bite that is soft, sweet, and reminiscent of the cookies you grew up eating.
We especially love that these cookies can very easily be made nut-free or egg-free, so if you have allergies or bake for someone with them, be sure to keep this recipe on-hand.
For a nut-free variation, seed-based butter can be easily substituted in at a 1:1 ratio for nut butter, while, for egg-free cookies, chia seeds can be used. Chia seeds are a remarkable ingredient that can serve as an egg substitute due to its gelatinous effect.
If you’ve never tried this substitution, we recommend you do because we know you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results!
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
Original version
- 1 cup smooth almond butter or nut/seed butter of choice
- ¾ cup granulated sweetener of choice or monk fruit stevia blend
- 1 large egg
Egg-free version
- 1 cup smooth almond butter or nut/seed butter of choice
- 3/4 cup granulated sweetener of choice or a monk fruit stevia blend
- 3-4 tbsp chia seeds, ground
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 101
- Fat: 9g
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Protein: 5g
Get the recipe from The Big Man’s World.
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4. Low-Carb Almond Crescent Cookies
How fun are these crescent-shaped cookies?! They're a perfect treat to whip up for a holiday party or family get-together as they are easy to prepare and taste absolutely decadent!
The most important part of successfully making this recipe is to ensure that you follow the instructions exactly. While you may feel the need to bake them longer than instructed, it’s important to take these out of the oven at the specified time.
Take a look at the full recipe post and whip up a batch of these this weekend; you won’t be disappointed!
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- pinch of kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated erythritol sweetener
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups superfine almond flour
- ⅓ cup almonds, sliced
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 185
- Fat: 11g
- Net Carbs: 2.5g
- Protein: 5g
Get the recipe from I Breathe, I’m Hungry.
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5. Keto Gingerbread Cookies
There are few flavor combinations better than ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves! Warming and perfectly autumnal and wintry, these nut-free gingerbread cookies will be a hit at your holiday parties!
We recommend making several batches of this recipe up to cut them into various shapes to give out as little gifts to friends and family. They are especially fun for kids to make, as they will have a great time cutting the dough into fun shapes like the traditional gingerbread men shape pictured here!
As an added taste component, you can garnish the cookies with some powdered monk fruit sweetener for a beautiful, keto-friendly, and delicious treat!
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients:
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour
- ½ cup classic monk fruit sweetener
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
- 4 large eggs, divided
- ⅓ cup SunButter, softened
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- nonstick cooking spray
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 8g
- Net Carbs: 3.8g
- Protein: 4.6
Get the recipe from Real Balanced.
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6. The Ultimate Low-Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made with simple, wholesome ingredients, these chocolate chip cookies will be a hit wherever you serve them!
As a note, for the chocolate chips, to ensure the carbohydrate content is kept at an absolute minimum, it's suggested to use dark chocolate. A good rule of thumb to follow when searching for keto-friendly chocolate to bake with is to look for the cacao content to be as close to 100% as possible, as the net carb content will be significantly lower than something like milk chocolate.
Do note, however, that the higher the percentage of cacao, the more bitter the flavor. For this recipe, in particular, it’s recommended to use 85% cacao chocolate, which is a perfect flavor combination with the other ingredients this cookie recipe calls for.
Made in under 20 minutes, we think this is a great recipe to keep posted in your kitchen for the times a craving for something sweet hits and you want to whip something together in minimal time.
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients:
- 100g almond flour
- 1 medium egg
- 2 tbsp double or heavy cream
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted, softened
- 3 tbsp granulated sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50g dark chocolate or chocolate chips (85% minimum or sugar-free)
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 132
- Fat: 11.2g
- Net Carbs: 1.8g
- Protein: 2.8g
Get the recipe from Sugar Free Londoner.
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7. Sugar-Free "Oatmeal Cookies"
Did you think oatmeal cookies were entirely off-limits while following a low-carb diet? We did too until we found this magical recipe! These cookies contain oat flour and taste so similar to traditional oatmeal cookies, you’d never know the difference.
In addition to oat flour, these cookies are made with grass-fed beef gelatin, which, while it may seem like an unusual ingredient to include in a baked good recipe, you won't want to omit. Gelatin in baked goods provides an added elasticity and softness that is scrumptious and protein-packed!
Bake these up for a delicious dessert and we’re sure you’ll be happy you did!
Makes 20 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 oz unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup Sukrin Gold
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp oat fiber
- 2 tsp grass-fed beef gelatin
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 ½ cups almonds, sliced
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 11.3g
- Net Carbs: 1.14g
- Protein: 3.2g
Get the recipe from Low Carb Maven.
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8. Low-Carb Holiday Cookies
These festive cookies are so fun to make, frost, and eat! Simple to make with delicious ingredients, we know this recipe will be an instant household favorite.
The most fun part of this recipe, though? These cookies are made with ricotta cheese! This cheese is creamy and provides the cookies with an extra level of flavor and texture so soft and scrumptious.
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
Cookies
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup low carb sweetener (ex. xylitol or granular Swerve)
- ½ cup ricotta
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Frosting
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp Confectioners Swerve
- ¼-½ tsp extract (ex. almond, peppermint - optional)
- 1 tsp sprinkles, optional
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 135
- Fat: 11g
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Protein: 5g
Get the recipe from Step Away from the Carbs.
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9. Soft Gingersnap Cookies
These gingersnap cookies are soft and mouth-wateringly delicious. With the spreading of homemade frosting atop each cookie, we suggest you enjoy one (or two!) helpings of these during the winter months to fully enjoy all of the warming spices included in each bite!
They are incredibly easy to make and, from start to finish, are ready in only 25 minutes flat! Bake up a batch today and share them with friends and family for a special, sweet gift!
Makes 18 servings
Ingredients:
Cookies
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Gentle Sweet
- 3 “doonks” pure stevia or an additional ¼ cup Gentle Sweet
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp unsulphured blackstrap molasses
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend
Frosting
- 1 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tbsp Gentle Sweet
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 105
- Fat: 8g
- Net Carbs: 1g
- Protein: 4g
Get the recipe from My Montana Kitchen.
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10. Cranberry Almond Biscotti Cookies
If you were looking for an excuse to eat a cookie for breakfast, look no further than this wonderful recipe for cranberry almond biscotti!
Cranberries are a fantastic addition to any keto baked good as they are bursting with bright flavor and quite low in net carbs. This recipe, in particular, is especially delicious as the cranberries are paired with a dark chocolate drizzle, so the resulting flavor in each bite is tart, chocolatey, and so delicious.
Bake these biscotti up this weekend and serve alongside a cup of strongly brewed coffee to enjoy a perfect start to your day!
Makes 14 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup low carb sweetener
- ¼ tsp lemon stevia drops or plain stevia and a ½ tsp lemon extract
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup sugar-free dried cranberries
- ½ cup almonds, sliced
- low carb dark chocolate, melted, optional
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 112
- Fat: 9g
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Protein: 5g
Get the recipe from Low Carb Yum.
Craving more sugar-free treats? Explore our 17 Sugar-Free Snacks for a Healthy On-the-Go Lifestyle.
