Buttery and totally irresistible: Keto sugar cookies taste just like traditional sugar cookies, only without the carb load. This easy sugar free cookie recipe requires only 6 ingredients and is gluten free, grain free, low carb and suitable for diabetics. 1g net carbs per cookie!
Table of contents
If you're looking for an easy and yum cookie recipe, you are reading the right post. These low carb keto sugar cookies are the perfect buddies for your afternoon coffee or tea. You can enjoy them plain, decorate them with sugar free icing or dip them in sugar free chocolate.
I've been wanting to make sugar free sugar cookies for a while now. One reason for this is that I love simple, no-nonsense cookies and these almond flour sugar cookies totally fit the bill. The other reason is that "sugar free sugar cookies" just sounds so nutty it's kind of fun.
In fact, I've replaced the wheat flour in the traditional sugar cookie recipe with a mix of almond flour and coconut flour. I find that a mixture of these two grain free and gluten free flours gives a texture that resembles "real" cookies.
There are recipes which include cream cheese in sugar cookies (I have done this with my Low Carb Sugar Free Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies), which results in a softer texture. For these Keto cookies I was after a gently crispy texture, which I achieved by using butter (plenty of butter!!).
You can roll the cookie dough into a log and slice them into circles or you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters - the choice is yours!
How to make easy keto sugar cookies
1.) Mix your dry ingredients - almond flour / ground almonds, coconut flour, powdered sweetener, baking powder and xanthan gum, if using.
I've used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend for this recipe. Erythritol works great in sweet Keto Recipes because it sets hard.
Xanthan gum gives the cookies a better crumb structure, it is often used in gluten free baking. The recipe works without, but your cookies will be a little more brittle.
2.) Add the wet ingredients. In this case, that's just the butter and the vanilla extract. If you want cookies to taste utterly buttery, you need a decent-sized amount of butter 🙂
TIP: To elevate the taste of these low carb sugar cookies, scrape out the seeds from 1 vanilla pod and use this in place of the vanilla extract. This is not the cheapest option, but will taste AMAZING.
3.) Aaaaand mix! I like to use my trusted old food processor for this, but you can use a stick blender or an electric mixer.
TIP: The dough will be soft in the beginning - let it sit a couple of minutes and wait until the coconut flour absorbs some of the moisture.
4.) Now get yourself some cling film and roll the sugar cookie dough into a log that's roughly 6 cm in diameter. Wrap the log in cling film and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes or twice as long if you put it in the fridge instead. It's much easier to handle when it's cold.
If you prefer to make sugar free cut-out cookies, separate the dough into 2 balls. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it's the desired thickness and place the whole lot into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Again, cooling the dough before using the cookie cutters is an absolutely essential step.
5.) It's a doddle to cut nice round shapes now! If the log gets flat at the bottom due to the knife pressing down, just give it another quick roll.
If you would like your cookies to be thinner, simply flatten them with your hands after you place them on the baking tray. Space them out a bit - they spread a little while they bake.
Tip: I always line my baking tray with parchment paper. If you haven't got any, you can spray your tray with a bit of coconut oil to ensure the cookies won't stick.
6.) And this is how your Keto sugar cookies will look like after 8-10 minutes in the oven - lightly browned on the edges.
Ovens do vary in temperature and how long your cookies will take to brown also depends on how thick you cut them. Check in on them after 8 minutes and take it from there. Super-sized cookies may need up to 15 minutes until they're ready.
IMPORTANT!!! Do not attempt to handle these cookies until they're cooled down. Keto cookies are VERY FRAGILE when hot. PATIENCE!! They firm up once cool and will be fluffy and light, gently crispy and simply delicious.
Recipe variations
- For low carb almond thins - substitute 1 tsp of vanilla with 1 tsp of almond extract
- Low carb gingersnap cookies - add 1 tsp of ground ginger, ¼ tsp of nutmeg and ¼ tsp of cloves
- Keto cinnamon cookies - add 2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of ground coffee
- Keto chocolate chip cookies - add ¼ cup of sugar free chocolate chips.
Serving suggestions
If you're a purist, you can eat these sugar free sugar cookies straight up as they are.
To take it up a notch, dust them with powdered sweetener after baking. Alternatively, reduce the sweetener amount stated for the recipe to ¼ cup and dip the cookies in granulated sweetener BEFORE baking. That should add a nice crunch.
Another idea - melt some sugar free chocolate or 90% dark chocolate and dip the cookies or drizzle them with chocolate.
Or how about a cream cheese frosting? Mix ½ cup of cream cheese with ¼ cup soft butter, ½ tsp of vanilla extract and ¼ cup powdered sweetener.
Last but not least - ICING! Use ¼ cup of powdered sweetener and mix with 1 tbsp water. Add food colouring, if desired, and brush over cookies or simply dip them into the icing mix bowl. Let dry on a cookie rack.
More keto cookie recipes:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Keto Sugar Cookies
from sugarfreelondoner.comNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour or ground almonds
- ⅓ cup / 35g coconut flour
- ⅓ cup / 35g powdered sweetener
- ½ cup / 120g unsalted butter softened
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum optional
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients - almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using).
- Add the butter and vanilla extract and blend until you have a smooth dough
- Place dough on cling film and roll into a log, about 2 inch in diameter. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes (or in the fridge for 30-40 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Remove log from the freezer and cut off cookies. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten with your fingers. Leave some space between the cookies - they spread a little.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are browned. Baking time will depend on the thickness of cookies. Rotate the baking sheet if necessary.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before handling. Low carb cookies are VERY soft when hot. They crisp up once cooled.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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First published in December 2018. Updated in November 2021.
Eve says
So I didn’t read that it’s supposed to be powdered sweetener and I used Monk fruit golden instead but it came out fine. I tried one batch as your ginger cookies which are great but still needed something so I made the icing but added a little cinnamon and just striped them. Then I made the cinnamon espresso ones OMG I think dipping in them and chocolate would be great next time but I ran out of time lol. Sugar cookies were great as is. In the future I might make a lemon glaze. I want to say thank you I love so many of your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
That's so good to hear! Sounds like you had a cookie baking marathon!
Chelsea says
Do you have to roll it into a log or can I roll it out to use cutters?
Katrin Nürnberger says
You can also roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Make sure that it's really cold when using cookie cutters so it is easier to work with. If it's sticky, simply place the rolled out dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Christina Johnson says
They were awesome
Sarah says
Hi,
This recipe looks great! I will be trying it this week.
How long will the cookies stay fresh for? What is the best way to store them?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I store mine in an airtight container at room temperature - like you would other cookies,
Ellis den Hartog says
Fantastic cookies, so easy to make. Thank you!
Donna L Helps says
Made for the first time, and both my husband and I really liked them. I love making homemade cookies, but since my husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I didn't think it was fair. These were the first ones I tried. I can't wait to try the oatmeal and raisin cookies, but need to figure out how much almond and coconut flour to use in place of flour.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you liked the cookies! I have a recipes for keto oatmeal cookies that you may like to try.
Laura says
I SO want to add a pinch of salt… no?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course! That always works well 🙂
Tracey says
Can I use all almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger says
That should work, although you cannot replace the coconut flour 1:1. You would need around 3x as much almond flour as coconut flour, so probably 1 cup.
Rita says
I don’t have xanthan gum, what does it do to the cookie and how will it be without?
Katrin Nürnberger says
The cookies will be more fragile, especially when warm. Xanthan gum gives Tham a stronger crumb structure. It's possible to omit it, but you'll have to NOT TOUCH THEM AT ALL until they are fully cooled.
Candice says
Can I use monk fruit sugar crystals? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, as long as it's a 1:1 sugar replacement. If your sweetener is sweeter (some are twice as sweet as sugar), you'll have to change the quantities.
Wendy says
One word - WOW!!!! I have missed cookies like this so much (T2D), and what a game changer to capture that flavor. I sliced the dough a little thick (I should have watched the helpful video), though I was able to achieve a crisp bite by turning the oven off and leaving them in over night. I made the plain cookie, which is amazing with a delicate sweet flavor and almost reminds me of the Girl Scouts Shortbread Cookies. This really is a great cookie to have with coffee or dip in a chocolate or vanilla glaze.
I will definitely make these cookies AGAIN AND AGAIN!!
Thank you for the fabulous recipe!!
Mamello Mashoba says
Great recipe, I thought I had made a mistake with the recipe not including an egg but it tastes amazing and super easy.
Marija Petkovic says
Perfect recipe! Easy to make and very tasty.
Janice says
So easy and taste awesome.
Tanziha says
Nothing has ever exceeded my expectation like this recipe did. Love love LOVE it!
laura Griffith says
You are the Smart Cookie !! Thank you for this recipe. I have some fun cookie cutters I wanted
to use and give these cookies to the folks at work.
Terri L Koury says
Just made these and they are absolutely PERFECT!! Bookmarking, posting and remaking SOON!!
Colleen Page says
I just made these and they are so easy and taste fabulous! I used 2tsp of almond extract because I love almond cookies and then dipped half of the cookie in Lily’s melted chocolate. They are one of the best cookies I have ever had. Thank you for the recipe!!
Gabriela Guzman says
Hi,
Can I substitute butter with coconut oil?
Thanks
Gaby
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that would work 🙂
Bessie Rogers says
I AM GOING TO TRY THIS SOUNDS GOOD HAVE TO SHOP FIRST BUT I AM EXCITED
Ming Siew says
Can I use coconut flour only without the almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger says
You could try - although you would have to change the quantities. Normally, you can replace almond flour with 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of coconut flour. Your cookies will probably also be more crumbly so add 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum.