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.
Rachel says
These were amazing!! Besides the slight chunkier texture of the almond flour, I wouldn’t be able to tell they were low carb! They were crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside, nice and sweet too. I didn’t make any substitutions and didn’t use walnuts. I did buy swerve for this recipe, which was pretty expensive ($7.99/bag at Kroger) otherwise I would make this recipe all the time. I’ll be bringing them to my sister’s show as a surprise, as she and my mom do low carb. Definitely a winner!
Carolyn says
Keep you eye out for sales on Swerve and grab several bags! That’s what I do. I’ve seen it as low as 5.49 at whole foods.
Tree says
This is true about the sales! Occasionally, at Fry’s (owned by Kroger) I’ve gotten bags of Swerve for around $5.99, maybe slightly less. Doesn’t happen often but I always look when I’m at the store.
Carolyn says
I usually grab as many bags as I am allowed to purchase with the sale price.
Carol in Colorado says
Please share high altitude tips for these. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I don’t live at altitude so I can’t possibly do so. But my understanding is that you make the same adjustments as you would for regular baking.
BC says
I baked 18 perfect looking cookies that my family thought were awful . We didn’t care for the taste of the Swerve or the Lily’s chocolate bits. What a waste of ingredients.I would prefer to take an extra unit of insulin and eat a ‘real cookie’.
Carolyn says
Hello and thanks for your feedback. Please understand that the recipe is not the issue. You and your family clearly experience an aftertaste from erythritol (both Swerve and Lily’s contain it). These are real cookies and for most of us, taste delicious. But I understand your frustration. You might want to read this guide to keto sweeteners to understand your other options: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-keto-sweeteners/
Diane says
Wonderfully perfect!!! Just threw away all other chocolate chip cookie recipes in my recipe binder except for yours! Thanks for doing all the hard work for us!!!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
Jessica says
Do you think truvia brown would be okay? I just prefer he taste of truvia brown over swerve brown.
Carolyn says
The issue here is that Truvia Brown is 2x as sweet as sugar so you only need half of it (in this case 6 tablespoons). That could affect the texture of the cookies.
Christine Haynes says
These are amazing and so easy. I used Lilly’s salted caramel chocolate chips. I will be making these again. Thanks for sharing all your great recipes!
Judy A Fitzsimonds says
Carolyn, these are the best keto chocolate chip cookies I have ever made and I have made a lot! Thank you so much! I do have that ‘cooling effect’ from the sweeteners and adding a smidgeon of stevia takes care of that. I am going to use these cookies to make keto ice cream sandwiches. Thanks again.
Carolyn says
Glad the sweetener mix helps!
Karen Leah says
We made these tonight and used three different types of Lilly‘s baking chips. They are truly excellent! I would like to know if you could help me figure out how to add cocoa powder to make a chocolate cookie dough that I could then add chocolate mint chips to to have a double chocolate mint chip cookie. Any thoughts?
Carolyn says
Cocoa powder really changes the consistency. I have tried to get them to be as soft and chewy but they aren’t. This is my recipe here and it’s probably close to what you’re looking for: https://asweetlife.org/low-carb-chocolate-peppermint-cookies/
Pam says
Best keto cookies I’ve ever made. This is my go to! Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
I am so delighted to hear that!
Cathy Forehand says
Carolyn, these are indeed the best Choc Chip cookies in the Keto Universe! Made them this a.m……i used a 1 1/2″ cookie baller and got 24 on two sheets. Baked 15 min—perfection. i can’t wait for my 5 yr old grandson to try them—- i do think these are an improvement over the zucchini cookies–much more firm and so tasty with the chips on top!
Susannah says
Hello.. I’m going to try these today. Just wondering if you have ever froze them to store?
Carolyn says
Please read the Frequently Asked Questions.
Susannah says
Ok thanks, I don’t see any “frequently asked questions”.
Susannah says
Found them!
tammy says
Thank you for all your hard work perfecting these recipes so we don’t have to!!! love your recipes
Yasmín Castro says
Love it , they are easy to make .
Victoria says
Amazing! Forgot I didn’t have vanilla and they were still delicious. So soft and definitely the best keto cookies I’ve ever made! I used the Lily’s milk chocolate chips and they were fabulous. I used a dark baking pan with parchment, and made the cookies a tiny bit smaller using a Tb to scoop. They took 8 min in my oven. Absolute perfection.
Carolyn says
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Susan Yakus says
OMG! I can’t wait to try these. I have tried chocolate chip cookies before and they always seemed not crisp and so crumbly. My favorite cookie. Thank you SO much!! I will check in after I try these.
Carolyn says
FYI… these are definitely NOT crisp. And they are not supposed to be.
Candice Sauerbrunn says
I’ve been waiting for you to do this recipe forever! Made it today and all I can say is OMG!! I am in love, love, love!!! Thank you for always having the highest quality recipes. I don’t look anywhere else! Carolyn always means quality!!
Carolyn says
That’s so great to hear!
Lynn Ellis says
Hi: I made these cookies today and they are YUMMY! Mine seem to be a little wetter than yours, so I was wondering what could have been wrong. I follwed the recipe as stated. Mind you, they turned out well and tasted good. I just wondered if I could have added maybe a tbsp more of almond flour or cut back a tiny bit on the butter. And, just so you know, these may save me a whole lot of $$$. I have been purchasing chocolate chip cookies made by a Keto girl that are sold in a Farmer’s Market. Since she lives in another province, we don’t always get them, due to weather conditions. It’s hit or miss. They are quite expensive and I understand that. These just might fill the bill. Thanks for any help you can give me so I can get them just right.
Carolyn says
Did you weigh out your flour at all? It makes a difference. Also… what brand of almond flour are you using?
Victoria says
Mine seemed “wet” at first as well…… but omg the final result was amazing!
Carolyn says
YAY!
Debbie says
Your recipes are always a delight! And this does not disappoint.
Carolyn says
Yay!
Tina L says
This is one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes we have tried! Well done ????
Carolyn says
Yay, I am so glad to hear it!
Diane says
Wondering, since you bake and prefect recipes, what brand of almond flour do you like the best? The ones I have tried are so grainy although they state superfine. Thank you.
Carolyn says
Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour are both very good.