Buttery and totally irresistible: Sugar free sugar cookies taste just like traditional sugar cookies, only without the carb load. This easy keto cookie recipe requires just 6 ingredients and is gluten-free, grain free and suitable for diabetics. 1g net carbs per cookie!
I've been wanting to make keto sugar cookies for a while now. One reason for this is that I love simple, no-nonsense cookies.
The other reason is that "sugar free sugar cookies" just sounds so fun!
These low carb cookies are an easy and delicious treat for any time of year. You can enjoy them plain, decorate them with sugar free icing or dip them in sugar free chocolate.
Of course, they also make the perfect cutout cookies during the festive season!
"Wow. I'm definitely not a cook/baker, but this is SOOOO tasty in its most basic form!! I can't thank you enough for something I can actually make that's fast, easy and tastes AS GOOD AS STORE BOUGHT!!" (Diana)
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How I Made Sugar Cookies Keto Friendly
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 low carb flours achieves a texture that resembles "real" cookies.
I also use a zero carb sweetener instead of sugar.
Some sugar cookie recipes call for cream cheese and egg. In my opinion, this makes cookies softer (such as my keto Thumbprint Cookies). I was after a crispy texture here, which is why I used plenty of butter instead.
The result? Each cookie is only 1g net carbs and the recipe is perfectly sugar free and diabetic-friendly.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Almond flour - Use regular almond flour or ground almonds. Reduce the amount by 1 tablespoon for super-fine almond flour.
- Coconut flour - sifted.
- Powdered sweetener - I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend. Erythritol is best for crunchy keto cookies because it sets hard.
- Butter - softened
- Baking powder - for a little rise, makes the cookies light and fluffy
- Vanilla extract - check that it is sugar free
- Xanthan gum - optional. Gives the cookies a stronger crumb structure.
Instructions
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
Let me show you how to make sugar free sugar cookies!
STEP 1
Mix your dry ingredients - almond flour or ground almonds, coconut flour, powdered sweetener, baking powder and xanthan gum, if using.
STEP 2
Add the wet ingredients. That's just the softened butter and the vanilla extract.
STEP 3
Blend until smooth! I like to use a food processor for this, but you can use an immersion blender or a regular electric mixer.
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.
STEP 4
Put the cookie dough on cling film and roll into a log. Wrap the log in cling film and chill in the fridge or in the freezer.
It's much easier to handle when it's cold.
STEP 5
Cut off round cookie shapes with a sharp knife.
If the log gets flat at the bottom due to the knife pressing down, just give it another quick roll.
STEP 6
Transfer the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you would like them thinner, simply flatten with your hands after you place them on the baking tray.
Bake in the oven until lightly browned on the edges.
Katrin's Top Tips
Use parchment paper. I always line my cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you haven't got any, spray your tray liberally with oil to ensure the cookies won't stick.
Give them room. Space the cookies out on the tray. They spread a little while they bake.
Check during baking. 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 are ready.
Patience! Do not attempt to handle until they're cooled down. Keto cookies are VERY FRAGILE when hot. They firm up once cool.
Variations
Ingredient Substitutions
Use fresh vanilla. 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.
Dairy-free. Use ⅓ cup or 80ml coconut oil instead of butter.
Nut-free. Try replacing the almond flour with a blend of sunflower seed and sesame seed flour.
Add-Ins
It's easy to add different flavors to this basic sugar free cookie recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Low carb almond thins - substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla with 1 teaspoon of almond extract
- Low carb gingersnap cookies - add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon of cloves
- Keto cinnamon cookies - add 2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of ground coffee
- Keto chocolate chip cookies - add ¼ cup of sugar free chocolate chips.
Decorations
Most of the time I enjoy my sugar free sugar cookies "pure". Here are ideas how to decorate them:
- Dust or dip in sweetener. Dust the cookies 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 adds a nice crunch.
- Chocolate coating. Melt sugar free chocolate or 90% dark chocolate and dip the cookies or drizzle them with chocolate.
- Cream cheese frosting. Mix ½ cup of cream cheese with ¼ cup soft butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ cup powdered sweetener.
- ICING! Use ¼ cup of powdered sweetener and mix with 1 tablespoon of water. Add food colouring, if desired. Brush the icing over the cookies or simply dip them into the bowl with the icing mixture. Option to add sugar free sprinkles, too! Let the icing set by putting the cookies on a cookie rack.
See below how the cookies look dipped in sugar free sweetener and with icing. I also demonstrate the how-to steps in the recipe video.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. To make sugar free cut-out cookies, separate the dough into 2 balls. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it has 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. You can use any cookie cutter shape you want!
Yes. Use an additional 1 cup or 100 grams of super-fine almond flour in place of the coconut flour. Use an additional 1 ¼ cup or 125 grams if using ground almonds.
The recipe works without xanthan gum, but your cookies would be a little more fragile.
Yes, you can prepare the dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. If they have softened after defrosting, stick them back in the preheated oven for a few minutes to extract the moisture.
Related Recipes
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Recipe
Sugar Free Sugar Cookies - Keto!
Video
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 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon 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.
Karin
These are delicious—thank you
Ella
I made these yesterday and was a bit wary because most keto desserts I have tried have been disappointing. These, however, were AMAZING. My brother even asked if I was sure they were keto. Thank you so much!
Cheryl
Just made them. Waited impatiently for them to cool, and devoured 4... mine got quite brown but I liked the caramelized notes... thank you!!
Jenelyn
Okay, WOW. First off, the cookies are not even in the oven yet. They're chilling in the fridge at the moment. I absolutely LOVE baking, but cookies for some reason never come easy. This recipe however--the measurements were seriously on point! I always have some sort of issue that causes me to need more or less flour, etc. even when I use my food scale. When I blended in the butter this time, the dough was the perfect consistency to roll into a log. I am truly so, so impressed. I'll update once these are nicely baked. But thank you so much for this recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger
So glad they worked out well so far! Can't wait to hear if they pass your taste test too!
Nk
Just so yum! Thanks for the recipe. I added Chia Seeds... worked well.
Katrin Nürnberger
That's so interesting! I must try that 🙂
Claire
This turned out very good! Thank you for the recipe! Gonna try to melt some chocolate and put a little sprinkles on it for Christmas!
Katrin Nürnberger
That sounds like a great idea!
Michelle
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m featuring some holiday favorites on my blog and have linked to this post. You can find it here: https://buckcreativeco.com/keto-desserts-10-recipes-survive-holidays/
I've been keto since the summer and have dropped 40 pounds. I'm struggling with the holidays though. Thank you for providing options for us lazy people who don't want to come up with new recipes!
Amanda
Hi,
Just wondering if I can use xylitol instead of Erythritol in this recipe? I have xylitol in the cupboard! Thanks
Katrin
Yes, that should work. Your cookies may end up a little less crisp, I find that erythritol makes cookies crunch up more.
EA
These are sooo goo! I'm new to baking and to eating low carb but this has been one of the easiest and yummiest sugarfree cookies I've made. 🙂 Thanks a lot!
Debby
I made thes cookies and oh my lord the are so good!thank you