These Keto Peanut Butter Cookies have all the taste and texture of the classic, without the sugar. Thanks to a secret ingredient, they are tender, chewy, and packed with peanut butter goodness. And ready in under 30 minutes!
The wonderful thing about keto peanut butter cookies is that there are about a million different ways to make them. You can turn them into thumbprints and fill them with chocolate, like my Keto Peanut Butter Blossoms, or turn them into sandwich cookies like Keto Do-si-dos. You can even bake them in an air fryer!
There really is no wrong answer here. Each of these recipes is delicious in its own special way. But if you’re looking for a classic cookie that rivals the ones your mom used to make, then this right here is your recipe!
★★★★★
Oreta says: “This recipe is the best peanut butter cookie I have ever tasted! My husband and I prefer this cookie over a regular non-keto cookie. He’s a baker and said the texture is prefect!“
Why You Need My Keto Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Secret ingredient: This recipe calls for cream cheese rather than butter, and it does wonders for the taste and texture. These cookies are softer, puffier, and slightly chewier than their butter-based counterparts. They also have just a hint of tanginess that other cookies lack.
Quick and easy: With a handful of basic ingredients, you can whip them up in less than half an hour. Perfect for any time you need an easy keto dessert.
Customizable: Add chocolate chips or chopped peanuts, or dip the finished cookies in chocolate. You can make these cookies to suit your tastes!
Low carb and gluten-free: With no sugars or grains, and only 2.2 grams net carbs per cookie, they are the ideal treat for low carb and keto diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Creamy natural peanut butter: I recommend a brand that is thick and rich, without too much oil at the top. I am a huge fan of Santa Cruz organic peanut butter.
- Softened cream cheese: For dairy-free, you can try a cream cheese alternative. I can’t guarantee how well they will work.
- Sweetener: I like to use my homemade brown sugar replacement for deeper flavor. Other granular sweeteners will work but allulose may affect your results. See the Sweetener Options for more information.
- Almond flour: Finely ground almond flour will give you the best results. You can try replacing it with sunflower seed flour, for a nut-free version. You will need to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
- Kitchen staples: Vanilla extract, egg, baking soda, and salt.
How to Make Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
- Combine the wet ingredients: Beat the peanut butter and cream cheese together until smooth, then beat in the sweetener, then add the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the almond flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until the dough comes together.
- Form the cookies: Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Flatten with the palm of your hand and use a fork to make a cross hatch pattern.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate (optional): Melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together until smooth.
- Dip (optional): Dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate. prinkle with flaked sea salt, if desired. Refrigerate until set.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Make sure to soften the cream cheese properly so that it creams well into the peanut butter. You should be able to gently stick a finger into it and leave an indent.
Always let cookies cool fully before trying to lift them from the pan, as they can be fragile when warm. These keto peanut butter cookies will be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, but will firm up as they cool.
Dipping the cookies in chocolate adds to the carb and calorie count. So while the serving size for the plain version is 2 cookies, the chocolate dipped version is 1 cookie.
If you can’t find cocoa butter for the chocolate dip, try using a teaspoon of coconut oil. They will be slightly more melty at room temperature.
Sweetener Options
You can use any sweetener you like best, including pure stevia or monk fruit. How much you need of these concentrated sweeteners depends on the brand, so check the label or the website.
However, allulose will likely cause the cookies to darken quite a bit more during baking, so keep your eye on them in the oven. They will also be a lot softer and more fragile after cooling.
More Keto Cookie Recipes to Love
Keto Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (193.5 g) peanut butter
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Optional Chocolate Dip
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 ounce (7.09 g) cocoa butter
- Flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener, then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- All at once, add the almond flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until the dough is cohesive.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and press down with the palm of your hand to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a fork to make a cross hatch pattern across the top.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely on the pan. They will still be very soft when they come out of the oven.
Optional Chocolate Dip
- In a heatproof bowl set over a bowl of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together until smooth.
- Dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate. Make sure the cookies have cooled completely before you do this or they may crumble!
- Set the dipped cookies on a waxed paper lined tray. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if desired. Refrigerate until set.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Try to choose an all-natural peanut butter without any added sugars. As long as it’s made with just peanuts and salt, and possibly oil, it’s a decent choice. My favorites include Santa Cruz Peanut Butter and Wild Friends Peanut Butter.
This keto peanut butter cookie recipe has 6.1g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.3g net carbs for 2 cookies.
I typically store cookies on the counter in a covered container, as I prefer them room temperature. They will last up to 5 days like this. In the refrigerator, they should last at least a week. They can also be frozen for for two to three months. I recommend freezing them before you dip them in chocolate, if you plan to go that route.
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 normally add 1/4 cup of coconut flour at the end as it makes it easier to handle, and they turn out perfect! ????
These were ok, not very sweet. I used granular monkfruit. If I made them again I would definitely add the dipping chocolate
Can you make ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator? How long will they keep in int refrigerator or freezer?
They should be fine in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for sevearl months.
Yum!! Of course, my kids love the dipped version! Any way to get some chocolate. Peanut butter cookies are one of my favorites & I love that they are keto-friendly!
These were fantastic! Loved the flavor and texture of these keto cookies. Thanks for the recipe!
These were DELICIOUS! So tender with an amazing peanut butter flavor. Will definitely make again and double the batch to have extras!
I just made these cookies and they are cooling. I can’t wait to try them. You’re right though, it’s hard to wait on them to cool. I’m getting very impatient!
I made these using almond butter to reduce omega-6 FAs. They are hands down the best tasting, best textured nut cookie I have EVER made! Carolyn, thank you yet again for providing us the fruits of your hard labour. It is very much appreciated. They freeze exceptionally well too.
Hi Carolyn,
I love all things peanut butter and love your recipes….
What would you say is the crispiest peanut butter cookie you’ve created?
Nope… these aren’t crispy at all, nor are they meant to be.
I’ve searched to find this answer, but when using brown sugar Swerve, do you pack it in the up like you do measuring real brown sugar? It says “measure for measure”, and I’m not sure if I should pack it or not. Thanks
It packs itself! It’s not an easy scoop and measure kind of sweetener. So I always say “lightly pack”. Don’t press it in there but just let it pack itself.
I will definitely make these cookies again! They are firm enough on the surface to handle easily, yet soft and moist on the inside. I chose to dip them halfway in Lily’s milk chocolate, as suggested, and the result was so beautiful and scrumptious! I ran out of the dipping chocolate leaving a few cookies naked, but they were delicious without the dip. My husband was worried that these cookies were not keto because they tasted so good.
thanks!
I will be making these often. They are awesome and the taste is awesome. I used pure erythritol and crunchy peanut butter. Oh My? Just like the “real” thing, but with a liitle different flavor, not too sweet, and just right. I didn’t get the chocolate coating on them. That would have been awesome. I am thinking about adding choc chips to the remaining dough, but they really don’t need anything extra. Thank you Carolyn. Another A+ for you,.
Hi…I have Splenda brown sugar which says you use 1/2 of regular brown sugar called for. So for this recipe would I use 3/4 of a cup of the Splenda or half of this. Sorry I’m new to this…thanks…
Okay so for one thing, I can’t say how good they will be with that sweetener, as it bakes differently than Swerve. But it’s worth a shot! But as Swerve measures cup for cup like sugar, it sounds to me like you’d use half of that with yours? I think that’s what your saying?
Great texture and will make again.
Oh my word! I haven’t even put them in the oven yet, and the dough already tastes amazing!!!
Could I use coconut sugar in place of Swerve Brown? How did you get the pretty pattern on top of the peanut butter cookies in the picture? Looking forward to trying this recipe.
I don’t bake with coconut sugar so I can’t really advise. I used a meat tenderizer to get some patterns, and a fork to get the others.