Keto Gingerbread Cookies are a classic low carb and sugar-free Christmas cookie. Crisp and delicious with a gingery bite, they’re perfect for decorating with your kids. A great make-ahead recipe too!
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 keto cookie recipes, like keto sugar cookies and keto biscotti. No one can tell that they have less than 3g net carbs per serving!
Tender-crisp low carb gingerbread men
I like my gingerbread cookies to have a little tenderness to them. I wanted these keto cookies to have just a little chewiness upon biting into them. With plenty of ginger and other spices, of course.
To that end, I decided to make them with coconut oil instead of butter. Coconut oil typically makes baked goods more tender, but you can easily make these with butter instead, if you prefer.
Gingerbread cookies need that classic brown sugar flavor, but at the time I created this recipe, there were no good brown sweeteners. 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 tender. If you are the sort who prefers crispy gingerbread cookies, simply bake these a little longer, and they will crisp up nicely.
Ingredients
- Almond flour
- Sweetener (preferably a brown sugar substitute)
- Coconut flour
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves)
- Baking powder
- Eggs
- Coconut oil or butter
- Molasses or Yacon syrup (if not using brown sweetener)
- Vanilla extract
How to make Keto Gingerbread Cookies
These delicious Christmas cookies are super easy to make. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Make sure to break up any clumps in the flour and sweeteners. If you are using Swerve Brown, be aware that it clumps like real brown sugar. I like to break it up with my fingers a bit before adding it to the bowl.
- Add plenty of ground ginger. If you like that gingery bite, don’t hold back! I used a full 2 tablespoons for this large batch of cookies.
- Roll the dough evenly. You can roll it out very thin for super crisp cookies, or a little thicker for chewy cookies. But the most important thing is to roll it evenly so that all the cookies bake at the same rate.
- Cut out with cookie cutters. I have various gingerbread men shaped cutters in several sizes. The 3 inch ones are perfect for getting lots of cookies to give away. My kids LOVE the big ones for decorating.
- Re-roll the dough. One of the best parts about gluten-free dough like this is the fact that you can re-roll it multiple times without ruining it. No waste!
- Bake until just firm to the touch. I find touch to be one of the best indicators of doneness in keto baking. They shouldn’t feel tacky or soft when you gently touch them.
- Decorate and have fun!
Keto Royal Icing
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.
I decided to make my my cookies look like classic gingerbread men. And some gingerbread trees, just to shake it up a little.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want a crisp cookie, only erythritol based sweeteners, such as Swerve or Lakanto, will work. The cookies come out much softer with any amount of allulose or BochaSweet. If you like softer, chewier gingerbread, then I recommend using allulose.
Yacon syrup is a liquid made from the roots of the Yacon plant. It is similar to molasses in taste and color. Supposedly, it has a lower glycemic index than molasses, but it’s also much more expensive. You use so little in this recipe, it only adds about 0.5g of carbs per serving.
Absolutely! You can easily cut this recipe in half if you need fewer cookies.
Yes, this dough is easy to make ahead and freeze. Let it thaw completely before rolling it out as directed in the recipe.
Storage Information
These cookies are a great make ahead holiday treat, since they can be frozen for several months. I recommend freezing the baked cookies undecorated, stacked carefully in airtight containers. The raw dough also freezes well.
Then simply thaw, decorate, and serve. You can keep them on the counter for 4 or 5 days.
Keto Gingerbread Men
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 4 cups almond flour
- 1 cup Swerve Brown (or 1 cup granular)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil (or butter) melted
- 2 teaspoon Yacon syrup or molasses (optional, for color and flavor)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing:
- 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon egg white powder
- ¼ cup water, room temperature (more to thin out as necessary)
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
- Preheat oven to 275F 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, xanthan gum, salt and cloves.
- Stir in the eggs, coconut oil, Yacon syrup (if using) and vanilla extract until 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 out about ¼ inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes and gently loosen and lift with an offset spatula. Place onto 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 water and stir until smooth. Add more water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- Pipe icing onto cooled cookies and let set 30 minutes or longer.
Notes
Patrick says
These are really good cookies.
However I had a heck of a time getting the frosting to work, as it was way too thin (more like a glaze). I ended up adding some cream cheese to get it to work, as it was way too liquidy to pipe.
Then I googled how to make royal icing this morning, and now I know why.
You need to WHIP the egg white powder and water into a meringue first, and THEN add the sweetener. You may want to change your instructions.
Carolyn says
Well, no, you don’t. Honestly, I’ve made these cookies many times and made this royal icing many times. I have never seen a royal icing recipe where you had to whip anything. So… not quite sure what happened to yours. I suspect maybe you were using a different sweetener?
Holli says
Carolyn, How many egg whites would you use to replace the 1 tbsp. of egg white powder in the icing? I don’t want to mess it up since ingredients are costly. Thank you I appreciate it.
Carolyn says
I’d add 1 tbsp egg white and then do less liquid.
Alana says
Tastes great! But now i want to make a new batch for people with coconut allergies… so obviously swutch from coconut oil to butter… but what can i sub in for the coconut flour? If more almond flour, how kuch? As i know it doesn’t work 1:1… thanks for the help!
Carolyn says
Are you making the full batch that makes 4 dozen cookies? If so, use another 3/4 cup almond flour. Basically, take the coconut flour and triple it for additional almond flour.
Julie says
Made these today🤗 Oh so very good! I used coconut oil and molasses, too😋 Baked 16-17 minutes. Perfect for me😍
Thank you for another amazing recipe! Your site is my Keto go to!!
Kim Cooper says
Oh, My, Caroline, You have outdone yourself on these!! At first, when I had one somewhat fresh from the oven, I was not impressed, as they were somewhat chewy but not like ginger softies. However, after letting them sit for a day in a cool room, the flavor developed and they’ve become delightfully crunchy!! I added 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, and will add 1 tsp next time I bake these — and there WILL be another time! Thank you for persevering and translating your love for eating into foods that bless us all!!
Rose says
Hello there,
I love gingerbread cookies, so I can’t wait to try these, but I had a couple of questions. Could I leave out the egg yolk and use only egg whites for the cookies? Instead of molasses, could I use maple syrup?
Carolyn says
Yes to both but you will need a bit more egg white to help bind the cookies.
Holli says
Carolyn Merry Christmas!
What can I use in place of the egg white powder in the icing? Protein powder? Thanks for this recipe, I needed a new recipe for these, my kids though their older still want gingerbread cookies, I love the smell of them.
Kim Cooper says
I used meringue powder, but I looked it up, and you could use fresh egg whites, too. Do some googling to find the proportions.
Jeffrey mcaree says
Help, I’m making this recipe right now and the mixture is very crumbly not very much like a dough, is that how it’s supposed to come out before rolling it
Carolyn says
Sounds like too much flour and not enough liquid. What kind of almond flour are you using?
Sheila says
can the batter be frozen? so if I mixed up the batter, froze it, then later on, thawed it and rolled and baked them.
Carolyn says
Yes, absolutely!
Agnes Peter says
HI Carolyn, i wanted to write back to tell you, that i had tried your recipe a few times. I had to do a few modifications here around the temperature. What has worked here is (depending on the oven) is 155C and about 20 to 25 minutes.
The cookies come out just firm to touch and then when left to cool, they harden. Not soft and not so hard. It’s a great tasting cookie. Thank you for sharing it.
My first few attempts failed. I don’t know what the 275F mark just didn’t work. But the temperature adjustment at least for me, has worked.
A question on storage – how long can these last after baking and put to storage? In airtight container – they can last a week? Or after baking can i freeze these or put in he fridge? and how long can these last in the freezer or fridge? Another question is say can i freeze the dough and for how long? Do i keep them in freezer or fridge temperature.
I made some 2 weeks ago and put them in airtight container and sealed them, but i discovered some turned mouldy. Hence i have those questions about storing them.
Carolyn says
I never advise keeping cookies at room temperature for more than 5 days or so. You can freeze these easily, though.
Vicki Mills says
I have a silicone 24 cavity gingerbread man mold. Do you suppose I could push little balls of dough into the cavities and bake these that way?
Carolyn says
I am not sure since I don’t know what the mold looks like. I just worry that they wouldn’t crisp up properly if they are to thick.
Georgiana Aron says
Hi,
This recipe looks really amazing!
Will it be possible to get the ingredients in grams please? I have had many failures measuring in cups and I want to be on the safe side this time!
Thank you very much!
Warm regards,
Georgiana
Carolyn says
I just enabled the metric conversion button. Thanks!
Agnes Peter says
Hi I just tried your recipe. It seems to take much longer than 20 minutes to bake. Probably about 40 mins. Also, I used 2 Medium sized eggs instead of 2 large eggs. Any advice for me. The temperature is 135C for this bake. Should I increase the temperature?
Carolyn says
What sweetener did you use?
Jon S. says
Hello, Carolyn;
Since going keto I’ve been looking for replacement recipes.
I’ve used some of your’s & I thank you for them.
I’m not good enough to convert grain & sugar recipes to keto.
My Dad used to eat some crisp gingerbread cakes that he liked.
So I want a recipe for that.
Can you suggest changes to make this recipe more like the crisp style?
Thank you for all you do & for you kind assistance in advance.
have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
Carolyn says
Use this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/classic-gingerbread-men-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
mariam says
You can use either. I have.
mariam says
your video shows you adding optional arrowroot powder to the icing, but it is not in your classic recipe (which I’ve made for several years now! How much arrowroot powder did you use in the icing?
Hester says
Hi what is the molasses used in the recipe do? Do you think I could leave out. Just wondering as the carbs and sugars are high in it
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Colour and flavour… and it only adds about half a gram of carbs to each serving.