Soft in the center, crisp around the edges, a hint of molasses, and loads of spice — these keto gingerbread cookies are the perfect way to celebrate the holidays!
Love the idea of cookies for keto desserts? Check out my keto peanut butter cookies, keto chocolate chip cookies, or my keto sugar cookies.
We’re Christmas people. Like SERIOUS Christmas people. The kind of Christmas people who decorate their house the day after Halloween, start holiday baking in September and wear ugly sweaters in a non-ironic sort of way.
So it should come as no surprise that I take my keto gingerbread cookies. Very. Seriously. You just can’t screw up a holiday classic like this.
Yes, I felt a lot of pressure in recipe testing. Yes, I tested dozens of variations until just right. Yes, I nailed it.
I know, I know, I say it all the time, but these are dang good. Like “these are low carb?!” kinda good. Make your home smell like Christmas kinda good. Perfectly sweet and spiced kinda good.
So whether you’re looking for something sweet to make in July or a festive way to celebrate the season, I hope you enjoy these low carb gingerbread cookies! 🎄❤️ – Linds x
Keto Gingerbread Cookies Video Tutorial
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Ingredient Notes
Just a few low carb baking staples are all you need for these keto gingerbread cookies:
- Almond Flour – You’ll want to grab a fine-grained almond flour for the best texture results. My favorite products are Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s brand.
- Xanthan Gum – Since almond flour doesn’t contain gluten (which acts as a glue in baking), we’ll use xanthan gum, a natural binder, to keep our cookies in one piece. Very little is needed, but it makes all the difference!
- Swerve/Lakanto – My keto sweeteners of choice! If using erythritol or allulose, you’ll want to add more, as they’re 70% as sweet.
- Spices – These low carb gingerbread cookies wouldn’t be what it is without ginger, allspice, and cinnamon.
- Dark Molasses – Makes cookies softer, and gives these cookies their distinct texture and flavor. “Dark” molasses just means it’s the 2nd time this ingredient has been filtered, so it’s thicker and less sweet than “light” molasses. Now, molasses is not a low carb ingredient (it’s a by-product of the sugar-making process), 1 Tablespoon has 15g of sugar! We’ll only be using 2 teaspoons in this recipe, which adds a nominal amount of sugar per cookie, especially considering traditional recipes use molasses by the cup full.
Decorating Your Cookies
Go with the classic gingerbread man and royal icing decoration, or do your own thing. Here are some ideas for you:
- Use different cookie cutter shapes – I love these gingerbread men and these Christmas trees and snowflakes.
- Dip in chocolate – try melted keto chocolate or keto white chocolate.
- Make a frosting – my keto cream cheese frosting would be great here
More Keto Cookies
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Keto Oatmeal Cookies
- Keto Breakfast Cookies
- Keto Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Keto Cream Cheese Cookies
Keto Gingerbread Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cookies:
- 2 1/2 Cups Almond Flour (note 1)
- 1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum (note 2)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter melted. unsalted
- 3/4 Cup Granular Swerve or Lakanto (note 3)
- 2 Teaspoons Dark Molasses
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
- 1 Egg
Icing:
- 1 Cup Confectioners Swerve or Lakanto (note 3)
- 1 Egg White
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour (2 1/2 cups), xanthan gum (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon ), baking powder (1 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon). Set aside.
- Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (3/4 cup), granular erythritol (3/4 cup), dark molasses (2 teaspoons ), cinnamon (2 teaspoons), ginger (2 teaspoons), and allspice (1/4 teaspoon) using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg (1). Slowly, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fully combine.
- Chill. Wrap in saran wrap, and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll + shape. Divide the chilled dough in half. Keep one in the fridge, and roll the other between 2 sheets of parchment until 1/4" thick. Press cookie cutters (note 4) into the dough. Move cookies to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet, leaving 1" in between -- if the cookies are hard to move, place them in the fridge for 10 minutes, then try again using a thin spatula (this will help to harden the butter, and make them easier to move).
- Chill + bake. Preheat oven to 350 F. Once on the baking sheet, place cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. You'll know they're done once the edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cookie rack. Meanwhile, roll scrap dough, and repeat the steps above.
- Frosting. In a medium bowl, combine the egg white (1), vanilla (1/4 teaspoon), and confectioners erythritol (1 cup). Transfer frosting to a pastry bag, or a resealable bag with a small hole cut in the tip.
- Decorate + EAT! Decorate cookies once cooled completely, and enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- Almond Flour - Using fine-grained almond flour will give your gingerbread cookies the most "flour-like" results. Bob's Red Mill, Trader Joe's, or Costco brands are perfect.
- Xanthan Gum binds this gluten free flour together. Don't skip or sub (guar gum won't work here).
- Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. Erythritol is 70% as sweet as Lakanto and Swerve, so if using a different brand, adjust your cookie's sweetness accordingly.
- Cookie cutters. I used these gingerbread cookie cutters.
