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.
B says
i was sooo excited to make these! i made the cookies exactly as instructed to but they never rose. i had to eat flat chocolate chip cookies. maybe consider adding some baking soda AND powder?
Carolyn says
No, you really don’t need it and it will make them less chewy. You can see from the comments here that this is not an issue for most people. So I suspect that your almond flour or sweetener may be at fault. Also possible that your baking soda was expired.
B says
carolyn, expired baking soda is something that i did not consider 😐 thank you for bringing this to my attention! i will try again with a new box of baking soda. For the record these still tasted very delicious!
Carolyn says
You may also need a tiny bit more flour so they don’t flatten. Did you weigh it out?
Bill Barrett says
Thanks for the Keto baking ideas. We are just getting into Keto for different reasons.
Lacey says
These are loved by my kids. I do find they are better than any choc chip cookie I have had store bought or made so far. It is so difficult sometimes to find a good balance for sweets not to taste low carb. I will make again. Thank you and great job on the recipe.
Dee says
what is the best way of storing these and how long will they last.
Carolyn says
Storage directions are in the post! 🙂
Kathy Trakas says
I made these cookies tonight. So quick and easy, and they are delicious!!
Sharon says
Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
Carolyn says
Depends on your tolerance for salt! 😉 It’s up to you…
Rose Angle says
Absolutely delicious!
Nancy Ann Smith says
I made these cookies, and my adult sons and friends ate them before I went to take a photo. I enjoyed them, as, obviously those in my circle.
Thanks for you wonderful recipes, which consistently turn out excellent!
Kristi Copeland says
So the negative remark made me try these!! Easy and super delicious!! This recipe will be on my go to list. If you read the whole post and pay attention to details that Caroline gives, there should be no problem. Thank you for another great recipe!!❤️
Christy A. says
I have made these cookies at least 20 times, and they always come out perfect. They are my favorite cookie, and they are soft and chewy.
Cheryl says
Once again another fantastic recipe. To those who say it isn’t most likely made a substitution of sweetener, or flour. I have made these several times and always get great results.
Aine B. says
honestly, I’m confused about why this is highly rated (srsly: are people bribing friends or paying for reviews lol? 2 stars feels generous)… I tried it last night, and while the flavor is fine, the result was very crumbly, ntm difficult to shape. fragile to the point of absurd. my mother choked on one so badly I was scared for her for a few minutes! with keto it seems there should be a way to easily get enough moisture via butter or a healthy oil etc to remedy this, so I’ll keep looking around.
Carolyn says
Hi Aine… I am going to be blunt on a few fronts. For one thing, I do not pay for reviews, all of these are organic from followers and readers. Secondly, you clearly did something wrong if they were crumbly and dry, and difficult to shape. This recipe calls for a stick of butter… did you leave that out? Since you say “with keto it seems there should be a way to easily get enough moisture via butter or a healthy oil etc to remedy this” so it sounds like maybe you didn’t add the butter.
The other possibilities that come to mind are that you used coconut flour instead of almond, and since coconut flour is powdery and dry, that’s the cause. OR you used the kind of almond flour that is defatted, rather than just blanched ground almonds. In which case, yes they would be too dry.
You clearly changed something and didn’t use the correct ingredients.
Cindy Jenson says
I think Carolyn means 1/2 c of butter which is a whole stick of butter.
Carolyn says
You are correct, and I will amend my comment now!
Tamara H. says
You obviously did not follow the recipe exactly as I have never had a problem with this recipe. If you reach out to Carolyn or members of her Facebook age, we can often help you troubleshoot. I find it odd that you immediately assume good reviews are paid for and not that you could have made an error in your baking. Did you bother to watch the video? Low carb baking is not the same as conventional baking and takes practice. Carolyn is probably one of the best if not the best Keto bakers anywhere.
PS Carolyn does not know me and didn’t pay me for this.
Cheryl says
Nope I have never been paid to leave a review. And I have made these several times with great success.
I am betting you substituted something in making these. If it says almond flour then you use it. Never think you can just change it to something else to get the same result.
Melinda Robb says
I’ve baked these twice following the directions. Unfortunately, my cookies seem very wet when I roll into a ball. They don’t look like the picture. Both times they fell apart after cooling. I just ate them crumbled. I’m not sure if I should cut back on the melted butter or not. Any advice?
Carolyn says
You need more flour. I don’t know what brand you are using for almond flour but just by your description, I can tell you don’t have enough. Try another 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Mamma Orsa says
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for working hard to create a cookie that’s low carb, and wonderful.
Lana says
I want to prep this to take camping and bake in pie irons. Does the dough hold up refrigerated for a couple days before baking?
Carolyn says
Probably but I honestly haven’t tried it.
Jas says
Hi, am I able to use a butter substitute? My friend can’t have dairy.
Carolyn says
Yes, but it does change the texture.
Megan says
My 7yo daughter and I made these, super easy to make and definitely tasty. My 12yo son even said, “These actually taste like ‘real’ cookies!” Woot woot!
Carolyn says
Fabulous to hear!
Kristi Wilson says
They are soooo good! The best keto cookie I have ever had. Is it ok to use less of the brown swerve? would it change the texture or anything? I would like to cut it in half.
Carolyn says
It may change the texture, yes… but do it and see what happens!
Alat says
Tasted great! Super soft! Not sure what I did wrong but they spread a lot further than I thought they would and cooked really fast. I put the dough in the fridge for over an hour, and thought that would work since I’m pretty sure my butter was to warm. I also used a teaspoon of molasses since I didn’t have brown swerve. I will try this again, but will make sure I have brown swerve.
lIZ says
Can you substitute buttermilk for butter?
Carolyn says
No that won’t work at all. Buttermilk is far too liquid for cookies.