This is the only keto chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need. These tender low carb cookies are so good, no one will believe they are completely sugar-free. With only 2g net carbs per serving.
Rest assured, my friends, that I don’t dare call these the best keto chocolate chip cookies without good cause. I have been working behind the scenes for a long time to perfect this recipe.
And I am finally satisfied enough to share these amazing almond flour cookies with you. They have quickly become one of my favorite keto desserts and I think you will feel the same way.
Why you will love these keto cookies
It’s true that I have quite a few keto cookie recipes, including another for low carb chocolate chip cookies. And it’s a very good one, that has a wonderful crispy, chewy texture thanks to the inclusion of shredded coconut.
Why did I feel compelled to create a new recipe? Well, times have changed and so have keto sweeteners. And sugar-free chocolate chips have some a long way as well. We have much more choices for ingredients than we used to.
So I played around and experimented, and I hit upon the perfect ratio of butter, almond flour, and sweetener. These gluten-free cookies are so soft and tender, with a slight chewiness. They are sweet without being too sweet, and they use standard keto pantry ingredients.
And they take only 35 minutes total time, start to finish!
Ingredients
The base recipe for these keto chocolate chip cookies is quite similar to my keto snickerdoodles, with a few notable exceptions. It doesn’t take any collagen or gelatin, and yet still ends up soft and chewy. Here’s what you will need:
- Almond flour
- Swerve Brown
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar free chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
How to make perfect keto chocolate chip cookies
I worked hard on this recipe and tested it multiple times. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Start with good almond flour: This recipe won’t work with coconut flour, and you need a finely ground almond flour for the best consistency. You may be able to use other nut or seed meals but the texture won’t be as fine.
- Weigh the flour if possible: In testing this recipe, I found that right around 200g of almond flour was just right.
- Use Swerve Brown: This is hands down the best brown sugar replacement and critical to the cookies. I make note of alternatives in the Frequently Asked Questions but I can’t guarantee the same taste or texture with other sugar substitutes.
- Baking soda, not baking powder: This makes a big difference, as it allows the cookies to spread more during baking. They also brown more nicely and become softer and puffier.
- Add melted butter: Rather than creaming the butter with the erythritol, you stir melted butter into the dry ingredients. It’s easier but it also gives them a chewier texture.
- Make them a little bigger: You can make smaller cookies and get 24 (serving size is 2), but they aren’t quite as impressive looking. I found that making 18 larger cookies (serving size = 1) made them deliciously soft and satisfying. It also allowed me to add more sugar-free chocolate chips and some chopped nuts.
- Bake until just golden: The cookies will be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.
- Let them cool completely: Do not even THINK about picking them up until nice and cool, or they will be a hot mess. Delicious, but a mess nonetheless!
Frequently Asked Questions
As I mentioned above, you can’t use coconut flour, but other seed meals may work out alright. Sunflower seed flour is your best option, but you will need to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
You can but you need to understand that it will change the outcome. If you can’t get Swerve Brown, then I recommend using granulated erythritol with two teaspoons of molasses to get the right flavor. It will only add 0.5g of carbs to each cookie.
If you wish to use allulose or BochaSweet, your cookies will come out much softer and more like cake. And allulose has a tendency to brown very quickly.
Read more about keto sweeteners and how they differ.
These are big, thick keto chocolate chip cookies, so yes, a serving is only one. If you wish to make them smaller so you can enjoy two, please do so. But keep your eye on them as they will bake more quickly.
I really love the dark chocolate chips from ChocZero, but Lily’s are great too. You can also use mini keto chocolate chips to get better distribution, if you prefer.
Store your cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10.
You can also freeze them, both before and after baking, for up to 2 months. Make sure they are tightly wrapped up to avoid freezer burn.
More delicious chocolate chips recipes
- Keto Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Homemade Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
- Keto Cookie Dough Easter Eggs
- The Best Keto Blondies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Pecan Bars
- Easy Chocolate Chip Mug Cakes
Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour (200g)
- ¾ cup Swerve Brown
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup butter melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar free chocolate chips divided
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (Use 2 baking sheets if yours are small, don’t crowd the cookies).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, Brown Swerve, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the egg, butter, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Stir in half of the chocolate chips and the walnuts, if using. Roll into 1 ½ inch balls.
- Press the balls down to about ¾ inch thick with the palm of your hand. Don't press down too much as these cookies will spread a bit on their own. Press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown around the edges. They will still be very soft. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan.
Marlene says
I’m adding my “WOW” to this list for these cookies! Normally I’m not a huge fan of cookies made with almond flour, but these? Holy moly – they taste exactly like “real” chocolate chip cookies! And I love the chewy-ness of them. The only thing I would do differently next time is add more chocolate chips. Thank you for giving me chocolate chip cookies again!
Dawn Sprouse says
We love these, my fqmily and anyone we give to. My oldest daughter loves pumpkin anything; do you think we could use choc zero pumpkin chips in this recipe as well?
Deborah Lorraine says
Wow!! These were the best cookies we’ve had in a loooong time. I substituted 1/4 C shredded coconut for 1/4 of the flour, and used pecans. This recipe came together so quickly and baked beautifully. This is a keeper!
Carol says
I made these a few days ago and they taste really good! Mine turned out really flat and not thick and chewy. My cookie dough was more wet and not as firm. I think I’m going to use a food scale next time to measure the almond flour. No weird after taste with the Swerve brown sugar or the sugar-free chocolate chips. Very easy recipe to follow and quick!!
Carolyn says
You definitely did not have enough flour! 🙂
Sara says
Not too bad! I made these for my diabetic MIL. And because she’s also vegetarian and won’t eat eggs, I replaced the 1 egg with 2 TBS. of Just Egg brand of plant-based egg AND 1 TBS. of flax egg. Let the cookies cool completely before removing from pan. It turned out well!
Bub (NZ) says
Tried this today, I used brown monk fruit sugar. They were bomb as. Especially for someone new to keto. Next batch I think I’ll put in to into a dish and make cookie bars
David Sepulveda says
great recipe but second time i made them they came out too sodt like cake instead of cookies. does this mean i should have added more flour? the dough was quite wet and not very firm. I also made a third and fourth batch with peanut butter and cashew milk to make peanut butter cookies and then a batch wit melted chocolate chips thinned with cashew mi. k. the batter was also wet on these and they came out cake li. e. could i just add more flour to the dough to make it firmer and therfore crunchier and more cookie like?
Carolyn says
Well, how you changed them to make peanut butter isn’t really going to help. I do have a good recipe for peanut butter cookies: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-peanut-butter-cookies/
From your description of the second batch being soft and cake-like, I suspect you changed sweeteners and used something that has allulose. That would be a problem too.
Nancy says
perfect and easy. makes a great pan cookie– just added a few more minutes cook time. cooled 15 min (hardest part was waiting!!) very happy. great recipe!!!!
Sasha says
Carolyn! These are brilliant! Thank you. How long will they stay good in the fridge?
Katie says
Would these freeze well? I would like to make them ahead of time for a camping trip.
Carolyn says
They do!
Genevieve says
These are so delicious! Thank you so much for creating an exceptional version of this well loved cookie! I modified it using 1 teaspoon of molasses and 1/2 cup of xylitol instead of the brown swerve, also twice as much salt, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
I also made a ginger cookie using the same dough and simply omitting the chocolate chips and adding 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 3 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger. Exceptional! I really appreciate your recipes!
Charlene says
I’ve made these cookies twice. Delicious both times. The only chocolate chip cookie recipe one needs. However the batches turned out completely different…one was moist and chewy, the other crunchy. I enjoyed both textures. What happened?
Carolyn says
Did you switch sweeteners at all?
Charlene says
No, both times I used Splenda brown sugar
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I don’t use that sweetener. I suspect it’s part of the issue if you didn’t change any of the ingredients. Did you use a different oven or a different baking pan?
Low says
hello. can i use oat flour instead of almond flour ? thanks
Carolyn says
No, oat flour is very different. It’s also not low carb.