Okay, you caught me. There is no oatmeal in these Keto Oatmeal Cookies. Not even a little bit. They are completely grain free, with nary an oat to be seen. Not even the tiniest oat flake. There weren’t even any oats in the vicinity when I made them!
But with a little low carb ingenuity, they look and taste like the real deal. I take flaked coconut and sliced almonds and process them until they resemble oats. It’s the very same trick I used in my Keto Oatmeal recipe.
Who doesn’t love oatmeal cookies? But those of us on low carb or keto diets, we can’t indulge any more. So what’s a cookie lover to do? Fake it ’til you make it, I always say.
I confess, I am not one for cutesie little names like “faux-tmeal” or “N’oatmeal”. Those just annoy me for some reason. If I want oatmeal cookies and I want to make them keto-friendly, I will call them what I please. You are free to do the same.
And now they are bigger and better than ever! I decided to adjust the recipe ever so slightly, and made them a little bigger and thicker, for that chewy cookie goodness. Now there’s more to love!
What Readers are Saying…
“I made these this morning. they are delicious. With the coconut, nuts and butter, you really do not even think about them not being true oatmeal cookies. They come together easily and I usually always have the ingredients on hand.” — Linda
Why You Will Love These Cookies
- Classic texture: They have the same chewy, tender texture of real oatmeal cookies.
- Buttery flavor: Butter, brown sweetener, and a hint of cinnamon gives these cookies the classic flavor.
- Easy to make: In less than 40 minutes, you can satisfy your cookie cravings.
- Customizable: Add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, other nuts, or leave them plain.
- Low carb: Each cookie has only 2.5 grams net carbs, so they fit the keto lifestyle perfectly.
Ingredient Notes
- Sliced almonds: I like the sliced almonds that have the skins on, as they resemble oats even more when processed.
- Flaked coconut: Use flaked coconut, rather than shredded, as it will help give the cookies the right texture.
- Almond flour: This gives the cookies a little more structure.
- Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon gives them the classic oatmeal cookie flavor.
- Sweetener: I like the flavor that a brown sugar replacement adds to these cookies.
- Dark chocolate chips (optional): You can use any variety of sugar-free chocolate chips.
- Unsweetened dried cranberries (optional): Instead of raisins, I use my homemade sugar free dried cranberries.
- Kitchen staples: Egg, butter, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Oatmeal Cookies
- Process the nuts: Add the flaked coconut and sliced almonds to your food processor and process until mixture resembles oatmeal.
- Add the other dry ingredients: Add the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the almond/coconut mixture: Pour in the dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries, if using.
- Form the cookies: Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Press cookies down to about 3/4 inch thickness.
- Bake: Bake until golden brown around the edges. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Tips for Success
It’s truly astonishing how sliced almonds and flaked coconut can resemble oat flakes. But you do need to grind them up a bit. I recommend using your food processor on the pulse setting so you don’t over-process them. Give a few pulses, see how they look, and pulse more if necessary.
Conventional oatmeal cookies typically take raisins, but raisins simply aren’t a keto-friendly option. You could, of course, add a tiny amount of them in, but it really wouldn’t be worth your while. There would be so few of them, the flavor wouldn’t come through. But sugar-free dried cranberries make a great replacement.
Sweetener Options: As with many keto cookie recipes, I recommend an erythritol-based sweetener for the best texture. Allulose can make the cookies overly soft, and they may brown too much, especially on the bottoms). That said, please feel free to experiment with your preferred sweeteners. Just know that it can affect the results.
More Keto “Oatmeal” Recipes
- Keto Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies)
- Keto Granola Bars
- Chewy Keto Butterscotch Bars
- Coconut Cacao Nib Granola
- Keto Pumpkin Breakfast Bars
Keto Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (92 g) sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup (63.75 g) flaked coconut
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar replacement, erythritol recommended
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup (45 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free, (optional)
- 1/4 cup (30.3 g) unsweetened dried cranberries, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sliced almonds and flaked coconut Process until mixture resembles oatmeal.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the almond/coconut mixture and beat until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries, if using.
- Roll into 16 balls and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. With the heel of your hand, press the cookies down to about 3/4-inch thickness.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, real oatmeal is not okay for keto diets. A a bowl of cooked oatmeal has 27g of carbs and only 4g of fiber. And most people with diabetes see a significant blood sugar spike from consuming it. So you want to avoid oatmeal when following a low carb diet.
Try using more sliced almonds to replace the coconut, in the same amount. They may be a little more crumbly when baked.
Store the cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze them for several months. Bring the cookies to room temperature before serving.
This keto oatmeal cookie recipe has 5.7g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.5 grams net carbs per cookie.
Nutritional Disclaimer
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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I have been searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe..just to have on hand for my sweet cravings…you have made my day…these are the best!!! The Carmelita’s are next on my recipes,,,I have made your caramel sauce and it is the best..Thank you so much for the recipes..
Glad you like them!
Best Keto chocolate chip cookies ever!!!!!!!!!! I just reduced the cinnamon to 1/4 teaspoon.
Dear Carolyn,
Please help me turn this recipe into a bar cookie recipe to save time.
Thanks so much!
Cynthia Hadley,
Baltimore
Glad you like them. For a bar, I think you could just press them into an 8×8 pan and bake.
Love the sound of this recipe! I am going to make these, but I have a question. Do you think you could put some oat fibre in here to “bulk” it up, and maybe get more “oatmeal” flavour? I am still learning about all these alternative ingredients.
Thank you for all you do for us.
Carol
You could but I will say…oat fiber doesn’t taste the least bit like oats to me. So I am not sure that will help the flavour profile!
It really doesn’t need anything else. The look, texture, and hint of cinnamon do everything you need for these cookies to shout “oatmeal!” I find that with low carb baking, that’s really all you need to be satisfied: tastes great, looks the part. And these cookies really, really do taste great! I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve made these. Kids love ’em.
Oh, and the person above who suggested adding toasted pecans? HEAVEN.
How about bananas natural sweetener?
Bananas are very high carb and would spike my blood sugar, but you’re welcome to try it.
I am in HEAVEN!! Just yesterday I told my husband how much I miss oatmeal. Last night, I stumbled upon this recipe. I whipped them up this morning and it is all I can do to not eat the whole batch! What a treat! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
I just want to thank you for your amazing recipes. I have made many of your recipes and these cookies came out delicious. They are so tasty, you’d never know they weren’t oatmeal. Keep up the great job. I’m waiting for your cookbook!
Thanks, Pam!
My husband totally thought these were made with oatmeal! Definitely a keeper.
Carolyn, does swerve have an after-taste?
For me it does not. That’s why I use it, because all other sweeteners have an aftertaste for me. But every palate is different.
Just went to store and bought it, while my husband was driving I opened the bag and stuck my finger in and tasted it – It is more like sugar than anything I have tasted – love it!
That’s how I feel too!
I start my hflc diet (hopefully lifestyle) tomorrow. I made a half batch of these tonight with salted roasted pecans instead of the chocolate chips. They were delicious. I wanted to make them with your “Craisins” recipe but after 4 stores I couldn’t find fresh cranberries. I used to make my mom what we called Breakfast Cookies. I’d use packaged snickerdoodle cookies but add roasted pecans and chopped dehydrated berries. She would eat them with her coffee in the morning. Your cookies are spot on for those! Thank you for all of your hard work!
would this recipe work with swerve confectioners sweetener? or must it be granulated?
thanks!
I think it’s best with granulated but powdered will be okay if it’s all you have.
LOL!!! I love that you call these oatmeal cookies without the oats! And thanks for linking to my Playdate cookies 🙂
Made these tonight for the 3rd time. So good. Thanks so much for all your work and sharing heart with your recipes Carolyn♥
Made these tonight!! Amazingly easy and so delish!!!
First batch of these weeks ago, second batch today made to the letter of the recipe. They are simply GREAT. Thanks for a great recipe.
I made these for my work and everyone loved them! The only change I made was, I used walnuts instead of sliced almonds and I added a little extra sugar substitute. Although, They didn’t stick well together so once they cooled I drizzled a little bit of sugar free dark chocolate on them! Delicious!
Had this pinned forever and FINALLY made them. Few minor changes in that I used only 1/3 cup of Swerve and I added some chopped pecans. Whoa. This cookie rocked! The only tiny issue I had is that I think I may have processed my coconut & almonds too much. I’ll pulse less next batch. Thanks for helping me satisfy my sweet tooth w/out sacrificing my LCHF lifestyle. 🙂
Fabulous, really!!
Thanks!