3 Words: Buttery. Sugar. Cookies. And yes, they’re low carb. And no, you’re not dreaming. See for yourself and make these keto sugar cookies today — guaranteed to fill your belly, soul, and home with holiday happiness.
Love all the cookies and keto desserts? Check out my keto shortbread cookies, keto peanut butter cookies, or my keto chocolate chip cookies.
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You know that one recipe that makes you feel like a kid again? These almond flour sugar cookies are that, for me.
Not just because they’re great for decorating. Not just because sugar cookie dough is the best dough. But because we made a (not-low-carb) version of this every year, every holiday, and around Christmas, every weekend.
So as you can imagine, when it comes to Christmas cookies, childhood me has extremely high standards. And this keto sugar cookie recipe nailed it. Here’s what you can expect: Sugary crunch in every bite. Silky smooth and buttery texture. Pillowy center with crisp edges. Sweet, decorative, addictive.
Hope this recipe fills your home with holiday cheer, enjoy! 🎄❤️ – Linds x
Keto Sugar Cookies Video Tutorial
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See how to make these Keto Sugar Cookies on TikTok.
@littlepinekitchen Keto Sugar Cookies ✨ #ketocookies #ketodesserts #ketodessert #ketochristmascookies #ketochristmas
Ingredient FAQs
If you’ve made any of my other keto cookie recipes, you know the drill, just a few staples:
- Sweetener – I use Swerve or Lakanto to sweeten these sugar free sugar cookies. Any brand of erythritol will do, just know most product are 70% as sweet as these.
- Almond flour – The trick to making keto sugar cookies almond flour with a texture like traditional sugar cookies is to use a fine grained product, such as Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s.
- Butter – Once the dough has chilled, keeping the butter cold is key — room temperature butter makes the dough hard to work with. If you struggle to transfer the cookies to the baking sheet, simply place the dough in the fridge so the butter can harden again.
How to Decorate Low Carb Sugar Cookies
See recipe card for my royal icing recipe — It’s an easy combo of powdered erythritol and water. BUT, if you’re looking for something a little more flavor packed, consider making my keto cream cheese frosting. It works well here, as these are keto sugar cookies no cream cheese.
As for the sprinkles, here are some ideas for you:
- Keto sprinkles
- Crushed freeze-dried berries (raspberry or blueberry)
- Keto chocolate shavings
- Lemon or lime zest
🤔 Common Questions
- Can I substitute almond flour for coconut flour? These gluten-free flours have very different baking characteristics, and can’t be swapped. If you’re looking for keto sugar cookies with coconut flour, follow a recipe that uses this keto flour instead, or check out my coconut flour cookies.
- Can you substitute monk fruit for sugar in cookies? Pure monk fruit sweetener is actually 200x sweeter than sugar, and can’t be substituted using a 1:1 ratio. That said, you can use a product that contains monk fruit, such as Lakanto. This is primarily erythritol with a bit of monkfruit, making it an easy 1:1 sugar substitute.
- Which is better for baking erythritol or monk fruit? Erythritol is better for baking, as it’s 70% as sweet as sugar, whereas monk fruit is 200% as sweet. Read product labels carefully, as you’ll find most monk fruit products actually contain erythtritol!
- How many carbs are in a sugar cookie with frosting? Traditional sugar cookies contain 10g net carbs. Whereas is keto sugar cookie recipe has 1g net carbs!
More Keto Dessert Recipes
Keto Sugar Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)
- 1 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted + cooled
- 1 Large Egg whisked
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Icing (Optional):
- 1/4 Cup Powdered Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)
- Water as needed
Instructions
- Combine. Place erythritol (1/2 cup), almond flour (1 1/2 cups), baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon) in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Add melted butter (5 tablespoons), egg (1), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Chill. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 6 hours - overnight.
- Shape. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, until it's 1/4” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Form excess dough into a disk and place in the fridge for 20 minutes before attempting to roll/cut again. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheet - if the cookies are too fragile to move, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes, then try again.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Bake on the center rack in the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes, or until the edges become lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring.
- Icing. Place powdered erythritol (1/4 cup) in a small bowl. Add water using ¼ teaspoon increments until a paste has formed. Place into a resealable bag and cut a small hole in the tip. Decorate your cooled cookies and enjoy!
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Lindsey's Tips
- Almond Flour. Using fine-grained almond flour will yield the most "flour-like" results. My favorite brands are Bob's Red Mill, Trader Joe's, or Costco brands.
- Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. I stick to Lakanto and Swerve which are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using a different brand of Erythritol, keep in mind it's 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste.
OMG! These are perfect!
In the ingredients it is baking powder but in the instructions it says soda, which should I use :)?
Hi Rose! Yikes, thanks for catching that! Use baking powder, hope you enjoy!
In the ingredients it says baking powder but in directions it says baking soda. Was that meant to be powder? Or is the ingredient suppose to be baking soda
Hi Jen! Thanks for catching that. I used baking powder for this recipe. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Did anyone else think the dough was super too sweet? And if so after baking did that calm down?
Hi Sabrina! Did you find the cookies were less sweet after you baked them? Sorry to hear you found the dough too sweet, I suggest cutting back on the amount of erythritol next time 🙂
Very yummy. I made them second night in a row. Added coconut to the ingredients to give it a flare. Very easy to make recipie. Have you frozen any dough for future use?
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them as much as I do Nicole! I haven’t frozen the dough, but don’t think this would be a problem. Just defrost before baking again without letting the butter come to room temp — I’d place the dough in the fridge overnight.
I froze the cookies after baking them (to try to not eat the whole batch in 1 sitting, hehe) and they taste delicious! We were able to take them out of the freezer and decorate them on a later day which was fun.
Did you add flaked coconut or coconut flour? Love the idea of flaked coconut!
This is the only keto cookie recipe I’ve found that keeps me from resorting to a non-keto cookie with my morning coffee.
I rolled the dough into a log and cut into 1/4 slices because I am too lazy for cookie cutters. I sprinkle with cinammon and swerve powder after they are baked (a few at a time, then return log to refrigerator or freezer). Thanks!
Awesome Patty! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
I like my sugar cookies crunchy. I am planning to roll the dough and cut slices.Do I cut thinner and do I lower the temperature?
Hi Julia! No need to lower the temp — just roll them thinner and bake until they’re golden brown. Hope you enjoy ?!
Hello! I want to make these for a gluten free friend, but I want to use granulated sugar. How much should I use?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Shara! Simply sub the erythritol for granular sugar (using a 1:1 swap). Hope you enjoy! ?
I’ve made these a couple times now for my coworkers on Keto, and I’ve had 3 people ask me for the recipe! I am making them again for a small holiday party at work so my keto coworkers don’t feel left out. As a non-keto consumer of cookies, these are delicious. I haven’t eaten many things made out of almond flour, and the texture is a bit different, but they’re delicious and don’t taste at all like you’re lacking any sugar, especially when you get a bit of the icing on them. Five stars from myself and my coworkers!
Right?! I love almond flour ? Thanks for trying these out EC..so glad you guys enjoyed! 🙂
Could I use peanut flour instead of almond flour in this recipe?
Thanks.
Hi Shirley! Ohhh that sounds awesome! I haven’t tried that variation but would love to hear how it goes for you if you give it a try!
Swap peanut flour for almond flour using a 1:1 swap, however, if you get a high protein peanut flour (such as protein plus), it will make these cookies a bit more “fluffy” that almond flour. Hope you enjoy! Come back and share your results! ?
Made these and love them as a low carb desert! Put the dough in the frig overnight. This was the second recipe I tried and this was much better. Need to find a topping and they will be perfect.
Hi Denise! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
These look so good! I can’t wait to give them a try. I have to say, I never think of cookies when I think of keto.
Yay! Hope you enjoy, Beth!
The best keto cookie I’ve tried. Can’t wait to make more of your recipes.
Yay! SO glad you liked it, Krystle!
Saving this for the holidays! Thank you so much!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Allyson!
wow! What a great idea to use almond flour for keto cookies! My friend will love this recipe!
Yay! SO glad to hear that, Catalina!
So fun. Can’t believe they’re keto!
Can’t agree with you more, Erik!
Looks really good! I’m excited to make this!
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Erin!
These are the best keto cookies I’ve ever made! So delicious!
Yay! SO glad you liked them, Amanda!
I’m allergic to nuts. Is there another type of keto friendly flour I can use? I really want to make these? I’m new to keto but all the baked goods called for almond flour!
Hi Beryl! Unfortunately there isn’t a great substitute for almond flour when it comes to keto baking. So sorry!