Published: Nov 23, 2018 · Modified: Oct 3, 2024 by Carolyn

Keto Gingerbread Cookies

Name: Keto Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 4 cups almond flour; 1 cup brown sugar substitute (See recipe notes for alternative ); 1/4 cup coconut flour; 2 tbsp ground ginger; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground cloves; 2 large eggs; 1/4 cup coconut oil ((or butter) melted); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener; 1 tbsp egg white powder; 2 to 4 tbsp water, room temperature ((more to thin out as necessary))

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Keto Gingerbread Cookies are a classic low carb and sugar-free holiday treat. Crisp and delicious with a gingery bite, they’re perfect for decorating and sharing with friends and family.

A keto gingerbread man leaning up against a glass of milk, with a plate of cookies in the background.

These keto gingerbread cookies have become a family favorite in my house, ever since I first created them back in 2013.

Like most children, my kids adore decorating cookies and we make these fun almond flour gingerbread men almost every year. They really get us into the holiday spirit.

And we love to give them as gifts, along with some of my other holiday treats, like keto sugar cookies and peppermint biscotti. No one can tell that they have less than 3g net carbs per serving.

Make sure you check out my full list of Keto Christmas Cookies for more holiday inspiration!

Three sugar-free keto gingerbread cookies on a white plate over a red plaid napkin.

Why this recipe is so awesome

Gingerbread cookies should be both crisp and tender, which isn’t an easy texture to achieve with keto ingredients. But these cookies live up to the promise! They have the tiniest bit of chewiness to them as well.

Gingerbread cookies need that classic brown sugar flavor, but when I first created this recipe there was no such thing as good brown sugar replacement. So I opted for adding a little molasses or Yacon syrup. These days, however, I make my keto gingerbread men with Swerve Brown sweetener.

I like to take them out just a bit on the early side, to keep them just a little chewier. If you prefer extra crispy gingerbread cookies, simply bake these a little longer and they will crisp up nicely.

Readers love these keto gingerbread cookies!

“Just made these and they turned out so well – even my fussy six year old loved them!” — Talya

“These are sooooo good! I’m a cookie monster on a low-carb WOE and this is the first cookie I’ve found that doesn’t have a weird sweetener taste. I use powdered erythritol with some powdered stevia mixed in. I didn’t even decorate them and they’re delicious. Thank you so much.” — Susan

“My grandddaughter and I just used these recipes for the keto gingerbread cookies and royal icing to make a gingerbread house. It was a success. We really enjoyed every step of the process. Thanks a million, Miss Carolyn!” — Shari

Ingredients you need

Top down image of ingredients for Keto Gingerbread Cookies.

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Almond flour: For keto gingerbread cookies that have good texture and aren’t grainy, make sure you use finely ground almond flour. If you need to be nut-free, try using sunflower seed flour.
Sweetener: I prefer to use Brown Swerve in this recipe but you can use any erythritol based sweetener. If you want that brown sugar flavor, make sure you add a little molasses or Yacon syrup. I do not recommend allulose or BochaSweet as they will come out much too soft.
Coconut flour: Since coconut flour is a little drier, it helps firm up the dough for rolling out and cutting. You could try using some oat fiber, if you can’t use coconut flour.
Butter or coconut oil: Both of these make delicious keto gingerbread cookies. If you need to be dairy-free, choose the coconut oil.
Molasses: If you can’t find Swerve Brown, add 2 teaspoons of molasses for color and flavor. It will only add about 0.5g of carbs per serving.
Spices: Gingerbread cookies should have plenty of ginger, along with a little bit of cinnamon and cloves.
Powdered Sweetener: You want a powdered erythritol, such as Swerve Confectioners, for keto royal icing to firm up properly. Allulose and BochaSweet tend to make it far to soft and watery, so it won’t harden on the cookies.
Egg white powder: This is just powdered egg whites, and it helps the icing harden into place. You can use egg white protein powder as well. If you purchase meringue powder, make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar. You can skip it if you really need to but it’s a helpful ingredient.
Kitchen staples: Baking powder, vanilla extract, and eggs.

Step-by-step directions

A collage of 6 images showing how to make Keto Gingerbread Cookies.

1. Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and cloves. Stir in the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.

2. Roll the dough evenly: Divide the dough in half and turn out first half onto a large piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment and roll out out about ¼ inch thick.

3. Cut out: Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes and gently loosen and lift with an offset spatula. Place onto the prepared baking sheets. Gather up scraps and re-roll until too little is left to roll out. Repeat with the second half of dough.

4. Bake: Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also keep them in longer if you want very crisp cookies.

5. Prepare the royal icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener and egg white powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir until smooth. Add more water a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

6. Decorate: Pipe the icing onto the cooled cookies and let set 30 minutes or longer.

Decorating your cookies

A hand piping sugar-free royal icing over keto gingerbread cookies.

Sugar-free royal icing is easy to make and so perfect for decorating any kind keto cookies.

I followed traditional recipes quite closely, and used egg white powder to produce a soft icing for piping that dries very firm and hard. How much water you need varies depending on the consistency you want to achieve.

You could also have some fun with sugar-free sprinkles, as several brands like Good Dee’s and The Sprinkle Company make them now. You can also easily make your own homemade sugar free sprinkles, in any shape or color you want.

Keto gingerbread men in a red bowl with a sprig of holly.

Expert tips

How many cookies you get depends on the size of your cookie cutters. I like 3 inch cutters and find that I can get about fifty. It is meant for sharing around the holidays, but you can easily cut this recipe in half if you need fewer cookies.

The great part about keto dough is that you can re-roll the scraps as much as you need without worrying about over-working the gluten. So go ahead and get as many cookies as you possibly can out of this!

If you prefer crispy keto gingerbread cookies, simply bake them a little longer. They should be quite firm to the touch when you remove them from the oven. But keep your eye on them so that they don’t over-brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many carbs are in keto gingerbread cookies?

This keto gingerbread cookie recipe has 5.3g of carbs and 2.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.7g net carbs per serving of 2 cookies.

Can you freeze keto gingerbread cookies?

This is a great recipe for making ahead and freezing. I recommend freezing the baked cookies undecorated, stacked carefully in airtight containers. Then simply thaw, decorate, and serve. Because they are baked hard and dry, they can last on the counter for up to a week.

Can you have molasses on keto?

Molasses is a byproduct of sugar production and naturally contains a lot of sugar. It has 15g of carbohydrates per 1 tablespoon serving, so it’s not truly keto friendly. However, you can use a little molasses to mimic brown sugar flavors in keto recipes. If you can’t get Swerve Brown, try adding 2 teaspoons of molasses to these keto gingerbread cookies. It will add less than 0.5g per of carbs per serving.

Two keto gingerbread cookies leaning up against a glass bottle of milk, with more cookies and Christmas decorations in the background.

More delicious keto gingerbread recipes

Keto Gingerbread Cookies on a white plate over a red plaid napkin.

Keto Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Keto Gingerbread Cookies are a classic low carb and sugar-free holiday treat. Crisp and delicious with a gingery bite, they're perfect for decorating and sharing with friends and family.

4.57 from 44 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto gingerbread cookies

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings (approximately 50 cookies)

Calories: 139kcal

Equipment

1 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter

Ingredients

Cookies:

4 cups almond flour
1 cup brown sugar substitute See recipe notes for alternative
¼ cup coconut flour
2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
¼ cup coconut oil (or butter) melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Royal Icing:

1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
1 tablespoon egg white powder
2 to 4 tablespoon water, room temperature (more to thin out as necessary)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

Preheat the oven to 275ºF and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and cloves. Stir in the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
Divide the dough in half and turn out first half onto a large piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment and roll out about ¼ inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes and gently loosen and lift with an offset spatula. Place onto the prepared baking sheets. Gather up scraps and reroll until too little is left to roll out. Repeat with the second half of dough.
Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar-Free Royal Icing

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener and egg white powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir until smooth. Add more water a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
Pipe icing onto cooled cookies and let set 30 minutes or longer.

Notes

Yield: Makes about 50 cookies when the cookie cutters are about 3 inches tall.

Brown sugar replacement: The new Swerve Brown contains allulose so I no longer recommend it for these cookies. However, my homemade brown sugar substitute is perfect for these.

Storage Information: Because these cookies are baked hard and dry, they are good on the counter in a covered container for up to a week. I recommend freezing the baked cookies undecorated, stacked carefully in airtight containers. Then simply thaw, decorate, and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)

Calories 139 Calories from Fat 105

% Daily Value*

Fat 11.7g18%

Carbohydrates 5.4g2%

Fiber 2.6g10%

Protein 4.6g9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

4.57 from 44 votes (20 ratings without comment)