My keto oatmeal cookies have a lovely crunch on the outside and a soft and chewy centre. Even better, they are ready in just 25 minutes. Find out in the post how I make this classic recipe low carb and sugar free!
There's comfort in a simple cookie that just hits the spot, whether you have it with a glass of milk after school or with a cup of tea taking a break from work.
I used to love homemade oatmeal raisin cookies as a kid and as we all know, some things never change.
That's why I have taken my mum's secret oatmeal cookie recipe and made it keto friendly!
I've enjoyed these low carb oatmeal cookies both as a snack and for breakfast and can confirm either is a great choice.
The recipe is now part of my "noatmeal" collection, alongside this low carb porridge and my keto overnight oats.
READER REVIEW
"They are so delicious! I could eat a trayful in a sitting! I baked them for about 30 mins for my husband's sake. He likes everything crispy. They still have the soft chewiness in the middle. The recipe works every time and we both love them." (Hania)
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The Secret To Keto "Oatmeal" Cookies
I conjured up "keto oat cookies" with keto-friendly swaps:
- Coconut and almond flakes instead of oats
- Almond flour replaces wheat flour
- Sweetener instead of sugar
Almond and coconut flakes mimic the chewy texture of oats really well - without the carb count!
With my subs, each cookie is only 2.1g net carbs.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we need for sugar free oatmeal cookies.
- Almond flour, Coconut flakes, Almond flakes: We chop the flakes to the size of oats.
- Butter - melted and then cooled
- Granulated sweetener - any sugar substitute works here. I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend.
- Egg - mine was large and fridge cold
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract.
I'm also using a pinch of salt and xanthan gum. Neither is strictly necessary. Sea salt improves the taste and the xanthan gum gives a stronger crumb structure.
Without xanthan gum, your cookies will be a little flakier, but the recipe still works well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Let's make keto oatmeal cookies in five simple steps!!
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
STEP 1
Chop the sliced almonds and the coconut flakes.
STEP 2
Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the melted butter and egg and mix to form a cookie dough.
STEP 3
Roll the mix into 9 balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Alternatively, use a medium cookie scoop and scoop the dough onto the baking sheet.
STEP 4
Press almond flakes into the top, flatten the cookies and shape the edges with your figures to remove cracks.
STEP 5
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until golden.
Katrin's Top Tips
Taste the cookie dough. If you have a sweet tooth, add more sweetener to taste. I don't like my cookies too sweet.
Use a cold egg. My cookies did not spread much because I used a cold egg and I made sure I only JUST melted the butter. With room temperature egg and hot butter, the cookies spread more.
Soft cookie dough? If your cookie dough is too soft to handle, chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Let the cookies cool fully. Low carb cookies need to come to room temperature on a cooling rack before handling. They are fragile when hot and firm up as they cool.
Add-ins
- Sugar free dried cranberries: Regular oatmeal cookies often contain raisins, which are very high in natural sugars. Sugar free dried cranberries are a brilliant substitution, because they have the same chewy texture. You could also add either dried unsweetened cranberries or dried blueberries.
- Low carb oatmeal chocolate chip cookies: Add ¼ cup of sugar free chocolate chips.
- Make them nutty: Chopped walnuts or pecans would work well. I'd also add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon peanut butter for more flavor.
- Add sugar free icing: Mix ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) powdered sweetener with 1 tablespoon cream. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Substitutions
Nut Free
Use only coconut flakes and substitute almond flour for ⅓ cup coconut flour. Coconut flour is more brittle than almond flour, so the xanthan gum is a must. You may also need one additional egg.
Note that this will change the taste of the cookies considerably and they will definitely NOT taste of oatmeal cookies any more. The great thing about almond flour is that it is very neutral in taste.
Dairy Free
Use coconut oil or a nut butter instead of the butter.
Egg Free
Replace the egg with a flax egg. If you don't mind adding some carbs, you can also sub in banana or apple sauce. The cookies won't be keto friendly any more, but still sugar-free!
Recipe FAQs
No. Oats are whole grains and high in carbs. 100g (roughly ⅔ cup) of uncooked rolled oats have 55 net carbs. If you want to keep your net carbs anywhere between 20 and 40 per day and your blood sugar levels stable, then oats, or oatmeal, are not a good choice.
Yes, "proper" low carb oatmeal cookies are possible! I've done the nutrition calculation for you: If you replace the almond flour with ⅔ cup or 100 grams of oats, the net carbs are still only 7.6g per cookie.
To achieve crunchier cookies, flatten them more and leave them in the oven longer.
Of course! Instead of 9 large cookies, you can make 18 small ones. Keep in mind you may need to reduce the baking time.
Use pure granulated erythritol or an erythritol blend with stevia or monk fruit. Xylitol or allulose are a possibility, although allulose will result in a softer cookie. If you use Splenda, measure in US cups only. It's lighter in weight than erythritol. If you're using a granulated stevia sweetener, check that is a 1:1 sugar substitute. They are often twice as sweet as sugar.
Storage
Room temperature: Store keto oat cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. There is no need to store them in the fridge.
Freezer: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
More Keto Cookie Recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour or ground almonds
- ½ cup / 115g unsalted butter melted, then cooled
- ¾ cup / 75g flaked almonds
- ⅓ cup / 20g coconut flakes
- ¼ cup / 50g granulated sweetener
- 1 large egg cold
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum optional
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C electric or 320F / 160C fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Using a sharp knife, chop ½ cup / 50g sliced almonds and the coconut flakes to resemble the size of oats. Option to use a food processor and pulse if you prefer.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (almond flour, sweetener, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, chopped flaked almonds and coconut. Stir to combine.
- Add the melted butter, vanilla and egg and mix to form a dough.
- Roll the mix into 9 balls.
- Chop the remaining ¼ cup of almonds.
- Place the balls on a baking tray and press crushed almonds into the top.
- Flatten the cookies and shape the edges with your fingers to remove cracks. Bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden.
Deborah
Delicious. I used walnuts instead of almonds, brown sugar substitute, and added a little cinnamon. Will definitely make again.
Kat
These Noatmeal cookies are the bomb! They are absolutely delicious and addictive! Thanks so much for the recipe xxx
Jo
These are amazing! I only had frozen shredded coconut but will try with desiccated coconut next. My only complaint is that they don’t last long enough! I might had to quadruple the amount next time!
Julie Monteleone
I would love to try this, but I have a family member who is allergic to coconut. Is there a swap I can use?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could perhaps use hemp hearts or other seeds. Of course, this way it will taste less and less like "oatmeal cookies". Or, if you don't mind a few more carbs, use oats. I have done a nutrition calculation in the post if you were to use oats in the recipe. The cookies would still be low in carbs with 1/3 cup oats.
Gabriela
Thank you for another amazing recipe. They are really delicious!
Dawn
My mom’s special oatmeal cookie recipe included *all* the optional extras: walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips and some chopped dried cherries, though she had to use a bit less oats to accommodate the extra ingredients. I can’t wait to try adapting extras into your recipe, though I’ll use SF chocolate chips, dried cranberries and maybe some dried currants instead of raisins and cherries. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger
Can't wait to hear how the cookies turn out with ALL the extras! How exciting.
Rose M
These are delicious, thanks. Just made them for the first time and hubby and I just shared a still-soft one just to see. This is be on rotation 🙂
Cathy Stuart
I have made these many times but they are so addictive I cant stop eating them so haven't made them for a while- will have to try again.
Joan R.
They taste SO good. I don't like coconut, but I love these. They are a real winner!
Eva
Great taste! I made 18 cookies instead of 9, that should be about 1 g carbs per cookie, right?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that’s correct. Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Hania Bienkowska-Baker
They are so delicious! I could eat a trayful in a sitting! I baked them for about 30 mins for my husband's sake. He likes everything crispy. They still have the soft chewiness in the middle. The recipe works every time and we both love them. Thank you Katrin for another brilliant easy snack/treat.