These keto gingerbread cookies are the highlight of our holiday cookie baking sessions! They are gluten free and sugar free gingerbread cookies with only 1.1g net carbs each.
Table of contents
What would December be like without gingerbread, right? I love the spicy ginger kick in both cakes and cookies. It gets me in the Christmas mood instantly!
I've had these low carb keto ginger cookies on my website for quite some time. They are super crispy and have a lot of fans. But for the holiday season it's fun to go that extra mile...and make Keto Gingerbread Men!
My healthy gingerbread cookies recipe is gluten free, sugar free and grain free. But you know what? They taste just like the "real thing". Yes, my kids were not able to taste the difference! They are soft and chewy, and just so good.
I've kept the icing on mine to a minimum (time constraints, haha), but you can totally go crazy with different colours and make them look all professional.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients! You only need a few ingredients to make these yummy festive treats:
Hazelnut flour and almond flour - It's the hazelnuts that give low carb gingerbread cookies their classic deep and nutty taste. There's no need to buy it and spend a fortune. Simply grind shelled hazelnuts in a food processor!
Butter - I always use unsalted butter in my baking.
Spices - I'm using ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Egg white - This helps to bind the dough and makes the cookies sturdier.
Bicarbonate of Soda - For a bit of rise and lightness.
Golden Sweetener - I used a brown erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend, which is a 1:1 brown sugar substitute. It has a mellow caramel flavour which works perfectly for sugar free gingerbread cookies.
How to make keto gingerbread cookies
Cookies
Time to bake! First, stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (hazelnut and almond flour, sweetener, spices, bicarbonate of soda).
Add the soft butter and whisk with an electric whisk until it resembles a crumb.
In another bowl, beat the egg white until stiff, then fold through the dough with a spatula until just combined.
Split the dough into 2 and roll between two sheets of greaseproof paper. Then chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. This is an essential step!
The dough needs to be very cold so it does not stick to the cookie cutter and the cookies are firm enough to be transferred onto a baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
Remove the top sheet of greaseproof paper and cut out cookies using a gingerbread man cutter (or any other cookie cutter).
Use a knife or spatula to carefully lift the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Re-roll any remaining dough until all the dough is used up.
Bake the keto gingerbread cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are golden. Allow to fully cool before decorating! Keto Cookies are always very fragile while hot. They firm up as they cool down.
Sugar free icing
To make the icing, mix the powdered sweetener and water in a small bowl with a spoon until smooth and a good consistency for icing.
Place the mix into a piping bag with a fine nozzle or use a ziploc / disposable piping bag and finely snip off the end. Ice and allow to set for 30 minutes.
Recipe tips for sugar free gingerbread cookies
Crispy cookies versus chewy cookies: I made chewy, thicker cookies. If you prefer crispy cookies, roll out the dough thinner and bake the cookies for longer.
Watch cookies closely: Nut flour cookies brown faster than cookies made with wheat. Always watch them closely. Sometimes the cookies at the back brown quicker than the ones in the front. Rotate the baking sheet if you notice this is happening.
Taste the dough: We all have a different idea of what's perfectly sweet and spicy. That's why you should definitely taste the cookie dough before baking and adjust the sweetener and/or spices if need be.
Avoid sticky dough: My number one trick for perfect low carb gingerbread cookies is to freeze the dough before using your cookie cutters. Since it's not possible to dust the cookie dough with flour to make it easy to work with, cooling it is the perfect alternative. If the dough gets sticky while you're working with it, simply pop it back into the freezer again.
Not entirely traditional, but I HAVE turned these into chocolate chip cookies once by adding sugar free chocolate chips... totally delicious. Low carb gingerbread chocolate chip cookies - think about it!!
Can I use a different sweetener?
The answer is yes - but it depends on what you want to achieve. If you are after a crispy cookie, definitely use an erythritol based sweetener. (Thicker cookies with erythritol will still be chewy if not over-baked).
For a soft cookie, allulose is a great option. Xylitol also bakes up softer than erythritol.
Can you prepare keto gingerbread ahead?
Yes! You can prepare the dough for keto gingerbread cookies ahead. It freezes well for up to 3 months. And once you're ready to bake, simply defrost is and proceed with the recipe.
Storage
Baked cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. They stay fresh for about 2 weeks.
More keto holiday sweet recipes
First of all, don't miss my Keto Christmas cookies roundup - all the best festive cookie recipes in one place! And here are some more keto recipes to try during the holiday season:
Gluten Free Keto Chocolate Chip Panettone
Low Carb Christmas Stollen - Keto Fruit Cake
Keto Snowball Cookies - Chocolate Amaretti
And last but not least, don't miss my Keto Gingerbread Cake!
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Keto Sugar Free Gingerbread Cookies
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: 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
- 2 cups / 200g ground hazelnuts (from circa 2 cups of whole shelled hazelnuts without skins)
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour
- ⅓ cup / 60g Lakanto Golden or sweetener of your choice, use ½ cup for a sweeter dough
- 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
- 2.5 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- â…“ cup / 75g softened butter
- 1 egg white beaten
Optional Icing
- ½ cup powdered erythritol
- 1 ½ tablespoon water
Instructions
- Stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (hazelnut and almond flour, golden Lakanto, spices, bicarbonate of soda).
- Add the soft butter and whisk with an electric whisk until it resembles a crumb. In another bowl, beat the egg white until stiff, then fold through the dough with a spatula until just combined.
- Split the dough into 2 and roll between two sheets of greaseproof paper. Then chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. This is an essential step! The dough needs to be very cold so it does not stick to the cookie cutter and the cookies are firm enough to be transferred onto a baking tray.
- Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / 160C fan.
- Remove the top sheet of greaseproof paper and cut out using a gingerbread man cutter. Use a knife or spatula to carefully lift onto a greaseproof lined baking tray. Re-roll any remaining dough until all the dough is used up.
- If you find the dough warms up too much to cut neatly again just pop back in the freezer.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden. Allow to fully cool before lifting from the tray and decorating.
- To make the icing, mix the sweetener and water in a small bowl with a spoon until smooth. Place into a piping bag with a fine nozzle or use a ziploc / disposable piping bag and finely snip off the end. Ice and allow to set for 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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