Flourless low carb peanut butter cookies – easy, quick and only 4 ingredients needed. Perfect for low carb and keto diets. Gluten free and sugar free!
We’re all about back to basics today with this fabulous 4 ingredient low carb peanut butter cookies recipe!
There are a number of reasons why you’ve got to try these cookies ASAP:
NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
To make keto peanut butter cookies, you need NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT. In fact, you can mix the dough in a bowl with a fork. And then lick it (the fork). See? No labour-intensive cleaning of blenders/food processors = more fun!
QUICK ASSEMBLY
All ingredients go in as-is, and in any order you like. Some cookie recipes require that you beat egg whites stiff, or that you mix your dry ingredients before adding the wet and if you don’t – you might as well start again. Here, you throw in your 4 ingredients (or 5, if you want to add cinnamon) in any order you like. YOU JUST CAN’T GO WRONG. Guys, this recipe is easy on the brain.
SUPER SATISFYING TASTE
You’ll love these absolutely delicious, chewy-crunchy Keto peanut butter cookies – and your family will never guess they’re low carb and sugar free!
The ONLY ever-so-slightly challenging part of this recipe is the creation of those pretty criss-cross markings on top of the cookie. Naturally they are not essential at all, so if you cannot be bothered, by all means, don’t. But if you want to post your cookies on Instagram, wow your crowd or just feel up to it, wet your fork before you get going and clean/wet again as you work your way through the batch. This prevents the cookie dough from sticking to the fork.
BAKER’S TOP TIP: If you want a cookie that’s soft in the centre, bake for around 8 minutes. If you prefer a crunchy one, leave it in the oven for 10 minutes. The cookies will be soft when freshly out of the oven. Patience!!!!!!!! They firm up as they cool down.
What to look out for when buying peanut butter:
Always check the label! Often, brands add palm oil and sugar. Here in the UK there are several brands that sell peanut butter that contain only one ingredient – peanuts. Try the Meridian brand in the UK or Whole Earth in the US.
If you have a food processor, you could even make your own peanut butter. Simply blend the peanuts for a few minutes on high speed until the peanuts release their natural oils and you have a smooth butter. Add in some crushed peanuts for crunchy peanut butter.
This keto peanut butter cookies recipe is easily customisable. You could add sugar free chocolate chips, for example. Dip one half in melted chocolate. Or use smooth peanut butter instead of crunchy.
If you love peanut butter as much as I do, you should definitely also check out this chocolate peanut butter freezer fudge. Equally simple and equally delicious.
Here are some of my other Keto cookie recipes:
- Italian Walnut Kisses
- Low Carb Coconut Shortbread Cookies
- Keto Almond Butter Brownie Cookies
- Low Carb Sugar Free Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Fun fact – did you know a peanut is not a nut but a legume? True story, but really. In my book, peanuts are welcome to live alongside almonds, pecans and the like. Let a nut be a nut.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (Flourless)
These flourless Keto peanut butter cookies are ready in no time at all! All you need for this super simple low carb cookie recipe are 4 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (100% peanuts) (250g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener (100g)
- 1 egg large
- pinch of sea salt
- optional: 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork.
- Roll small balls of dough (ca 15g each) with your hands (or use a small cookie scoop) and flatten them on a baking sheet.
- Wet a fork and press on cookies to create a criss cross pattern.
- Bake 8 -10 minutes, until the edges are firm. (8 minutes = soft centre, 10 minutes = overall crunchy)
- Let cool completely before eating. They are very soft when just out of the oven, but will become crunchy once cooled.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Try getting hold of a peanut butter that contains 100% peanuts and nothing else. If you have a food processor, you can even make your own. I mixed a bit of sea salt into the dough and sprinkled a bit more on top. It's the salted caramel effect - sweet and salty together are just crazy good.
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Vivian says
April 10, 2019 at 2:31 pmWonderful recipe. Puzzled however, if we use sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey etc, the carb count goes up through the roof! Not Keto. I only have stevia drops -and I note you commented that perhaps they would not come crunchy. What if I add a little almond flour, just enough to make it crunchy?
Katrin says
April 10, 2019 at 4:11 pmHi Vivian, the recipes uses erythritol, which is a zero carb sweetener. It’s my favourite low carb sweetener and I prefer the taste over stevia. You could use stevia though, of course, and I think adding a little almond flour to make up for the missing bulk of the sweetener would be a good idea. How much would depend on how runny or firm your peanut butter is!
Riethmuller says
April 10, 2019 at 2:09 pmI love cookie
Just 0.4g net carbs per cookie?? Really? Hummy
Jacqui says
April 2, 2019 at 8:17 pmMade my 1st batch tonight, just on day 3 with the keto plan and I was going mad for something sweet. These are brilliant cookies and just right to curb a sweet craving. Just made the blueberry and raspberry jams and the rustic bread. Cravings sorted.
This is an amazing site, definately my go to place.
Katrin says
April 3, 2019 at 10:09 amWow, sounds like a cookathon!!! Glad you like the cookies 🙂
Deborah says
March 30, 2019 at 2:43 pmHave made 4 times now and they are my “go to” cookie. So fast, so easy. I also do mine with a few flakes of Maldon sea salt on top….so yummy. Thanks for all the great recipes. Also love your breads and cakes. You have the golden touch with baked goods.
Katrin says
April 1, 2019 at 7:05 amAaaaw thank you! I’m so glad you like the recipes 🙂
Louisa says
February 25, 2019 at 10:03 pmHi, is it really 100g of sweetener? If so these cookies work out to be 4.7g carbs each
Katrin says
February 26, 2019 at 9:06 amHi Louisa, I never count the erythritol in my recipes when calculating the nutrition because it passes through the body without being digested.
Mamonde says
January 20, 2019 at 11:42 amWow!! I just made them and they are delicious and super easy !!! I love your recipes Thank you thank you ❤️❤️❤️
Katrin says
January 21, 2019 at 10:10 amglad you like the cookies!!!!
Helen says
January 16, 2019 at 11:24 pmThis would be my second time making them. I had crunchy peanut butter last time but smooth this time. Preferred with the crunch, but still good. I also added a couple tbsps of Almond flour/meal and used 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract instead of cinnamon. Hard to stop eating them and go over my limit 😛
Katrin says
January 17, 2019 at 8:42 amThat’s always the issue with desserts that are good – I know what you mean!!!
Tania says
November 27, 2018 at 9:55 pmI made these this evening but instead of making cookies I put the whole lot into a silicone cake mould and made one giant cookie (being lazy really) spread melted chocolate over the top once cooked then ate a piece once cooled. Tasted so good. Just what I needed to stop me eating non-keto biscuits so thank you. I got 12 pieces out of the mixture. The cinamon is just lovely.
Katrin says
November 28, 2018 at 7:06 pmWhat a great idea! I’m all for saving time 🙂 I bet the chocolate was delicious on it.
Yacoub Bseso says
September 9, 2018 at 4:25 pmIf I do not want to use any sweetner, can I proceed with the recipe less the granulated sweetener? Must I put an alternative or it would work as is? And if I were to sweeten them, and I do not mind adding a natural sugar source like honey, will that work? Thanks.
Katrin says
September 9, 2018 at 4:48 pmYou could replace with coconut sugar, that would be the easiest way to get the dry/wet ratio right. If you did not want to use any sweetener, make sure your peanut butter is on the firm side and not too runny. Then adding honey would work, too. You might have to scoop the cookies onto the baking tray instead of forming them with your hands, but they should firm up in the oven and end up just as yummy.
Pat says
July 13, 2018 at 10:05 pmJust wanted to let you know that I made your your low carb flourless peanut butter cookies. I used p. b. 2 peanut butter and 2 tbsp. Refrigerated egg whites and 1/4 tsp. Vanilla extract. + 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetner. They came out perfect. Thank you for your recipe. Pat
Katrin says
July 14, 2018 at 10:15 amHi Pat, thanks for your comment and letting us know how you made the recipe your own! Using just egg whites in cookies always works well. I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies 🙂
Alex says
June 20, 2018 at 5:36 pmCan I do this with almond butter instead?
Katrin says
June 21, 2018 at 7:34 amAbsolutely! Any nut butter would work.
Esther Zielke says
May 26, 2018 at 4:31 pmThanks for all the great recipes!
I was very excited to try these & made them today. Unfortunately, I found them to be WAY too sweet! Next time I will try with 1/2 the sweetener. Do you think it will work as well?
Katrin says
May 26, 2018 at 6:57 pmIt should still work 🙂 It’s so funny, I’ve had a couple of people saying they were not sweet enough! We all have such different ideas of what’s sweet & what’s just right. Always best to try the dough before baking. Can I ask you what sweetener you used?
Esther Zielke says
May 26, 2018 at 7:04 pmOops! My mistake! I realized I mistakenly used the wrong amounts of the sweetener (combination of Truvia & erythritol). Truvia baking blend is one of those you use less of than the recipe calls for… Next time I’ll check it twice! 🙂
Katrin says
May 26, 2018 at 7:39 pmNo worries, next time they’ll be perfect then! Thanks for getting back to me!
Heather says
May 26, 2018 at 4:00 pmHi Katrin, these cookies are just delicious. I thought they were just on the right side of sweet and couldn’t believe how easy this recipe is!
Katrin says
May 26, 2018 at 7:41 pmGlad you enjoyed them!!
Debbie says
May 24, 2018 at 6:21 pmMine tasted great but were so crumbly they were hard to eat. Is there a way to make them less crumbly?d
Katrin says
May 25, 2018 at 12:38 pmMaybe you could try reducing the baking time? If they retain more moisture they should be less crumbly.
Carmen Chan says
May 8, 2018 at 7:21 amHi, would this work with Lakanto monkfruit sweetener? It’s got monkfruit and erythritol
Katrin says
May 8, 2018 at 9:57 amHi Carmen, of course it would. It’s not that common in Europe, that’s why I have not tried it yet. I hear it tastes great though.
Stephanie says
April 25, 2018 at 3:30 amI am new to this low carb thing & with my sweet tooth it has been so hard to stay committed. I followed this cookie recipe using creamy peanut butter then added a touch more cinnamon. Not only did it satisfy my craving but I couldnt believe how filling it was! Love this & will recommend it to everyone I know!!
Katrin says
April 25, 2018 at 10:28 amHello Stephanie, glad you enjoyed the cookies. One of the best things about a low carb diet is that the foods are so filling and thereby rather satisfying.
Marijane says
April 24, 2018 at 8:24 pmI noticed that you have many positive comments on this recipe, and probably don’t need one more, But I just have to add my 2 cents worth. I have made these twice now, both with my own homemade peanut butter ( just peanuts and a bit of sea salt). The first batch I did with just the peanut butter as I made it, as in mostly smooth in texture. They were pretty impressive if you ask me. The second batch I added some chopped peanuts to it. The cookies were harder to get to hold together in the balls, but the peanut taste really pops. Making your own peanut butter is so easy, I don’t know why I never thought of doing it before. Of course, before Keto, buying a jar of Jif was just a given!
Katrin says
April 25, 2018 at 10:32 amHi Marijane, thanks for your comment! I love hearing how well my recipes work for others and how people customise them. You’ve just inspired me to make a batch of nut butter…yum.
NOREEN says
April 21, 2018 at 1:13 pmYUM, THE SECOND TIME I MADE THEM I PUT SOME BAKING SODA MADE THEM LIGHTER VERY GOOD NEXT TIME A DOUBLE BATCH
Gladys Frank says
April 10, 2018 at 10:54 pmHow many cookies is a serving and how many calories in a serving?
Katrin says
April 11, 2018 at 9:34 amI calculated the nutrition for 1 cookie – it’s 78 calories. If you want to eat 1 or 2 or… up to you 🙂 They are quite filling!
Danni says
April 4, 2018 at 9:46 pmCan you substitute the sweetener for honey or dates?
Katrin says
April 5, 2018 at 6:43 amI’m sure you can! If you use honey, you might want to opt for a variety that’s not totally runny. You could also use coconut sugar.
Amy says
March 27, 2018 at 8:27 pmMaybe I moved them to the cooling rack too soon or cooked them too long. I was afraid they were not done because they were so mushy soft so I left them in a few more minutes. I ‘ll try another batch.
Thanks for responding.
Katrin says
March 28, 2018 at 9:49 amSure! Just leave them to cool completely and it should be fine!
Amy says
March 26, 2018 at 11:37 pmI made these with smooth all natural peanut butter because it’s what I had on hand. The cookies fell apart after baking. Has this ever happened when you bake them? Wondered if I needed some coconut oil or something. They just crumbled apart.
Katrin says
March 27, 2018 at 7:40 amHi Amy, the cookies are really crumbly and soft when they are hot. I always wait until they cool down. When cold, mine were nice and firm. Were yours still crumbly when they were cold? I don’t think your cookies need more fat – peanut butter is mainly fat on its own, and the egg helps to bind it.
Joyce says
February 25, 2018 at 8:08 pmI made these today. Didn’t have enough peanut butter, so I added almond butter. I used half the amount of sweetener too. I used Pyure stevia and erythritol blend and added the cinnamon. I only got 15 so I made mine a little too large, but they were awesome! I will definitely make these again!!
Katrin says
February 25, 2018 at 8:37 pmI’ve been meaning to try them with different types of nut butter. Mixing peanut and almond sounds great!
selina prager says
February 23, 2018 at 10:27 pmLove the video! Brilliant!
Vicki says
February 5, 2018 at 2:58 pmI do so love your recipes. Posted about the crepes, the seafood pancakes were great by the way. Made a couple of other recipes from your website which were also amazing. However, these biscuits are just so easy I had to comment. I only had peanut butter that also contained sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds, still only 4.6g net carbs per 100g. Still came out yummy. Thanks Katrin
Katrin says
February 5, 2018 at 8:37 pmOh, I’m glad you’re enjoying the cookies too then! I always love it when people adapt my recipes – it’s so interesting to hear how they can be changed 🙂 Thank you for your comment 🙂
Satwinder says
January 30, 2018 at 12:38 pmDear Katrin,
nice recipe, could you please advise for egg substitute
Katrin says
January 30, 2018 at 1:46 pmThat’s an interesting question. I think adding a spoonful of flaxseed (ground) could work, it is used as a binder in vegan cuisine. Or a tsp of xanthan gum. There is another way to make peanut butter cookies –
If you get yourself the Sukrin Fibre Syrup, you just use that as the sweetener. You just have to stir the syrup and the peanut butter for a while, it comes together as a dough after a couple of minutes!
Paula says
January 29, 2018 at 7:30 pmThese were super easy to make and are so good! I added a little vanilla and and a little sea salt on top
Katrin says
January 29, 2018 at 8:57 pmMMMMh, adding vanilla sounds like a great idea!
Cheri says
January 27, 2018 at 4:23 pmHave tou tried freezing these? How welldo they hold up?
Katrin says
January 29, 2018 at 11:47 amI have not tried freezing them, but peanut butter is freezable so you should have no problem 🙂
Rose says
January 26, 2018 at 5:46 pmCrunchy, nutty, delicious. Love how easy they were to make!
Katrin says
January 26, 2018 at 6:15 pmDon’t we all love easy (I do, for sure! :))
Gemma says
January 21, 2018 at 10:23 pmCould you use normal granulated sugar?
Katrin says
January 22, 2018 at 9:11 amSure, you can use normal sugar in all recipes where I use the granulated erythritol or xylitol
Sheila says
January 15, 2018 at 9:59 pmMade these tonight. Added a teaspoon of dark chocolate and they were fabulous! Thank you.
Katrin says
January 16, 2018 at 10:05 amYou’re welcome! Nice idea to use some dark chocolate in it. Peanuts and chocolate go so well together 🙂
gjeanieg says
January 15, 2018 at 6:11 pmFabulous recipe! Thank you! 🙂
Katrin says
January 16, 2018 at 10:08 amYou’re welcome! Glad you like it!
Jim Cos says
January 13, 2018 at 6:47 pmI’m kinda new to this whole carb counting thing so please forgive my ignorance. I am neither a chef nor a mathematician so could somebody explain to me where my carb calculations are off?
1 cup P.B. = 8 (2 TBSP) servings. then (6-2) = 4 carbs / servings, so the P.B comes to 32 carbs / BATCH.
1/2 cup sweetener = 8 TBSP = 24 TSP. with 4 carbs / TSP.(*) so I count 96 carbs there.
So with the PB and sugar, I count 128 carbs in the batch, split to 20 servings I get 6.4 carbs/cookie.
What am I doing wrong?
(*From the labels of all three erythritol granulated sweeteners I found. Stevia, Truvia and even the Sukrin linked above)
Katrin says
January 14, 2018 at 7:05 pmI do not count the carbs from the polyols in erythritol. We cannot digest erythritol, as we do not have an enzyme for it, so it passes through the body without sugar’s harmful effects. Most of it is passed out virtually unchanged through our urine, making it effectively 0 net carbs.
Jim Cos says
January 14, 2018 at 8:16 pmWell this newbie appreciates your feedback. I knew to subtract fiber, but hadn’t indoctrinated myself as to the sugar alcohols. That makes about 100 carbs/batch difference in your recipe. Back to the kitchen with me then!
Again, sincere thanks.
Casey says
January 13, 2018 at 3:12 amWould Splenda be a good sugar substitute?
Katrin says
January 14, 2018 at 7:07 pmSplenda would be absolutely fine 🙂
Jaime says
January 12, 2018 at 4:46 amCan I use coconut sugar for this recipe
Katrin says
January 12, 2018 at 8:35 amYes, that would work too 🙂
Sandy says
January 11, 2018 at 5:50 pmCame out great. Only used half the he sugar still tasted great
Katrin says
January 11, 2018 at 8:40 pmThat’s good to know! Thanks for sharing
Jian mercant8 i says
February 17, 2018 at 4:58 pmI am going. To reduce the sweetener to a couple of tbsp. Then taste the raw dough. I cut sweetener to the bone.
Susan says
January 11, 2018 at 2:02 pmAny idea what the carb count would be if you used Kraft peanut butter?
Katrin says
January 11, 2018 at 8:43 pmI use this website to calculate nutrition info: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp – it’s free and you can input any ingredient you like. I don’t know what’s in Kraft peanut butter. If it’s only peanuts, it should be the same as my calculation. If it has other ingredients, just add the relevant percentage to get a ballpark figure
Amanda S says
January 10, 2018 at 11:55 amDo you think I can make this with stevia too?
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 12:00 pmI think it could work with stevia powder. I’m not sure how crunchy you would get these if you used stevia drops.
Beth says
January 10, 2018 at 11:52 amI’ve got all ingredients at home. Making them now!
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 11:58 amAwesome! Enjoy!
Rose says
January 10, 2018 at 8:24 amLove the huge cookie stack! I wish I could eat it right off my screen….
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 11:58 amI know the feeling…. the good thing is these cookies are so simple they basically make themselves 🙂
Lara says
January 10, 2018 at 8:24 amI don’t like peanuts. Do you think I can try this recipe using almond butter instead?
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 11:57 amI thank almond butter would work just as well as peanut butter.
Nanabella says
January 15, 2018 at 6:22 pmAny nut or seed butter works…
Magda says
January 10, 2018 at 8:23 amCan’t wait to try these. I’m the biggest peanut butter fan ever 🙂
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 11:57 amHaha, I thought that was me 🙂 Let me know how you get on!
Catherine J says
January 10, 2018 at 8:22 amI made a batch yesterday using smooth peanut butter. So good.
Katrin says
January 10, 2018 at 11:56 amSo glad you liked the cookies Catherine!