Pillowy soft Keto Ricotta Cookies are a sweet Italian-style treat. These classic cookies are just as tender and delicious as the original, and totally sugar-free.
I am over the moon about these fabulous Italian Keto Ricotta Cookies. They’re so mouthwateringly tender, I might start putting ricotta in all of my keto cookie recipes!
And they will most certainly be gracing my keto Christmas cookie platter for years to come. They’re easy to make and look so bright and festive.
I asked my followers on Facebook recently for their all time favorite holiday cookie. There were plenty of requests for keto snowball cookies and keto sugar cookies. And spritz cookies came up quite a few times as well.
Italian ricotta cookies got a few mentions and I knew they were perfect for a sugar-free, keto makeover.
Ingredients for keto ricotta cookies
This recipe calls for basic keto ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Just grab a tub of ricotta the next time you’re at the store! You will need:
- Butter
- Granulated sweetener – I recommend Swerve for the right consistency.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Ricotta – preferably full fat
- Lemon or orange zest
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Heavy cream
- Sugar free sprinkles (optional)
How to make keto ricotta cookies
The method is easy and straightforward. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the butter with the sweetener first, then beat in the egg, vanilla, ricotta, and zest. Because the texture of ricotta is curdled, it won’t be perfectly smooth and creamy at this point.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once. No need to whisk them together first, as they get well mixed into the wet ingredients.
- Roll the dough into balls. These cookies do spread as they bake so make sure you leave enough space between them on the pans.
- Flatten just slightly. I found that pressing the balls down just a bit helped keep the tops from cracking as they baked. You want the cookies to still be about ¾ inch high before going into the oven.
- Bake until golden. Look for that golden brown color just around the edges of the cookies. They will still be quite soft coming out of the oven. Let cool completely on the pans.
- Whisk the glaze. This is a very simply glaze of powdered sweetener, whipping cream, vanilla extract, and a little water to thin.
- Dip the cookies. I found that dipping the tops right into the glaze worked well. If you gently shake the cookie (right side up), the glaze spreads itself evenly over the top. You can also spread some on with a small spoon and then shake the cookie.
- Garnish as desired. I love the holiday sprinkles from The Sprinkle Company!
Flavor Variations
When I was researching ricotta cookies, I saw a number of possible flavor options. Most of the conventional recipes I consulted used lemon zest and vanilla extract.
I used orange zest and vanilla extract for a holiday feel and thought they were outstanding that way.
But feel free to use just vanilla extract, or use some almond extract instead. Or even try anise extract for a classic Italian flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keto ricotta cookies are a bit soft and cake-y as it is, so BochaSweet or allulose may work here. I just can’t guarantee it as I didn’t try it out myself. Allulose does tend to over-brown cookies on the outside, in my experience.
For the glaze, you need a powdered sweetener and I recommend Swerve. If you use powdered BochaSweet or allulose, it may not set up and harden properly.
Unfortunately, I don’t think so. Coconut flour is too absorbent and sunflower seed flour has a greyish color that won’t make for attractive ricotta cookies.
Absolutely! The baked cookies freeze well and can be stored for several months. I recommend glazing them after thawing so it’s fresh and bright.
Soft cookies like these are more moist and tender than most. They are fine on the counter for 3 or 4 days but should be refrigerated if they will be around longer than that.
Well, if you’re feeling very industrious, you can make your own sugar-free sprinkles. Or you can decorate the keto ricotta cookies with a little lemon or orange zest, or shaved sugar-free chocolate. You could also skip the glaze and simply dust them with powdered sweetener.
More delicious keto ricotta recipes
- Keto Spinach Stuffed Chicken
- Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
- Keto Almond Ricotta Cake
- Ricotta Fritters
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Chocolate Ricotta Pudding
Carolyn Recommends:
Silicone baking mats are the best way to protect the bottom of your keto cookies! I own several in different sizes.
Keto Italian Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup full fat ricotta room temperature
- 2 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoon water
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon keto sprinkles optional
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in the ricotta and the zest
- All at once, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. With the palm of your hand, press down to flatten slightly (they should still be rounded and about ¾ inch thick – this helps them crack less on the tops).
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, switching the pans partway through baking, until lightly browned. They will still be very soft. Remove and let cool completely on the pans.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetener, cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the water, a little at a time, to thin it out. The glaze should be thin enough to dip the cookies.
- Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze, turn right-side up, and shake the cookie slightly to even it out. (You can also spread the glaze on, and shake the cookie gently to even it out). Place on a cooling rack and add the sprinkles, if using. Let set 1 hour.
Susan Matthews says
@ Carolyn Ketchum, I just want to tell you I gave this five stars because they are so great! They are my favorite cookie I’ve ever made keto. I’ve been keto for six years. They’re so good that at Christmas half of them I left the icing off! But one thing I wanted to tell you and other people reading my review is that they are excellent in a cookie press!! My first batch I did exactly as you had explained bravo to you they were brilliant! But I got a new cookie press and thought I would try it out. Instead of icing them I took granular erythritol with one drop of food coloring which normally is a no-no for me but One Drop isn’t gonna kill me at Christmas time lol I made green and red sweetener. When they came out of the oven shaped like Christmas trees I sprinkle them with my colored erythritol. We’ve been keto for so long that we no longer really crave things that are too sweet so we actually like them more without the icing. But both ways are great! I decided to play around with it a little bit now that I have ricotta cheese left over from Christmas. This time I swapped out the baking powder and subbed in all baking soda. I also added one extra tablespoon of almond flour.( Not coconut but almond.)I used my heart shaped disc from my Wilton success cookie press and they’re beautiful! I will say some of the other discs didn’t work as well, obviously we all know keto foods especially when baking don’t work as well as the standard American diet cookies full of flour. But nonetheless these are amazing cookies! With and without the icing . When using the cookie press I baked the timeframe two minutes less instead of 15 to 20 minutes 13 to 18. In my oven they do very well with these size cookies at 13 minutes. I just want to let you know how much I enjoy all of your recipes and always have! I own your cookbooks and my husband says your food is one of his absolute keto favorites! Also thank you for your recipe several years back for the chocolate cake! His first birthday on keto and he was beside himself. I made him a giant birthday cake! It’s a staple now 🙂 next week I’ll be making your lemon cheesecake to bring in the new year! Thanks again Susan from Michigan♥️
Susan says
Also forgot to add it made over 60 cookies!
Mrs.Peña says
Just delish! Like eating a cookie cake and the flavor is just so fresh. Loved it. Def made 17 medium size cookies. Should have gotten the smaller scoop but that’s on me lol
Emily says
These were so good! I baked mine just at about 10 minutes and they were more soft set and delicious! I made them the first time with orange zest and they had a yummy dreamsicle flavor. The 2nd time I made them, I left out the orange/lemon zest and made chocolate thumbprint cookies with fudge ganache- Devine! (1 part heavy cream to 2 parts lily’s chocolate chips)
Kath says
Just finishing up the second batch in the oven – I’m in an RV and the oven is small🙂
They came out nice and light. Not as pretty as yours. I added the lemon juice to the icing rather than water which added a nice flavor. Husband is loving them. I also added some low sugar cranberries to the top.
Allison says
Very good! Made a double batch for a cookie swap.
Joanne says
Do you have any idea on the calories in these cookies. That is something I wish you would post for all your recipes. All of your recipes I have made have been delicious!!!! Thanx so much for sharing them!
Carolyn says
I really don’t know why you are saying that when every single one of my recipes has the calorie count right in the nutritional box! 🙂
Gayle says
I am in the process of making them and my batter is super wet. I can spoon out the batter, but it is very wet, so I can’t roll it. I did use the correct measuring cups. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Gayle
Carolyn says
YOu need more flour. It’s likely that you either mismeasured or your ricotta was very watery.
Teresa says
Mine too. Just took them out of the oven. they flattened a bit. I did measure 2 cups of almond flour and 1 Tblsp. Coconut flour. The Ricotta was not very watery. hmmm… idk.
Nicki says
Love these delicate pillows of goodness!! Flavored the glaze with lemon and it was spot on for this lemon loving girl.
Flora Diederich says
Made these today, they’re awesome. Hubby likes them without frosting. What’s the best way to store these?
Carolyn says
Storage info is in the FAQ!
Lana McQuown says
I made these a couple days ago and they are delicious. The orange zest gives it the perfect touch. I’ve never heard of these type of cookies, but just happen to have a little extra ricotta left over that I had to use up. They were light and buttery, I will be sure to have left over ricotta much more often 😉 Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe.
Diana says
Ok, Figured out why my cookies were wet I Used my 3/4 measuring cup to measure flour instead of 1 cup, ????. Also I think if I used cheesecloth to get most of the liquid out of the ricotta cheese that would help as well I had to add extra baking powder to get a rise in my cookie . The cookie is delicious and I am so happy that I found an alternative, as I am Italian and was missing my family recipe. Is there an alternative to swerve sweetener for a icing for these cookies, I just don’t like the cold taste it gives off. Thanks for the recipe.????
Carolyn says
Oh no! I’ve done things like that before. Now that I need readers, I have a hard time discerning the little numbers. You could try the confectioners BochaSweet… I just find that it clumps so badly in the bag that it’s hard to work with.
Diana says
After following instructions my dough was wet, I wasn’t even able to roll them into bowls what do you think went wrong?
Carolyn says
I saw your other comment! 🙂
Kimberly says
You have done it again Carolyn! The mild orange flavor of these cookies is supreme! ???? my texture is a little course. Next time I will spin up my almond flour a bit. But I love them!!! Your recipes never disappoint! Thank you for providing such dependable recipes!
Nikki says
I replace the zest with 1 t. lemon extract, so yummy!
I bet replacing it with peppermint extract and topping with crushed peppermint candies would make a great Christmas cookie!
Carolyn says
Yum! Love that idea.
Rebecca p. says
Your recipes never disappoint. I just love this one, like you said they’re just light and fluffy. I didn’t add any zest and it didn’t seem to matter. It made it nice vanilla flavored cookie; just lovely thank you .
Maria says
My favorite cookie. It is soft and delicate in texture and flavor. I add orange zest in the dough and glaze, or lemon sometimes.
Carolyn says
I am so glad you like them!
Darcie says
So tender with amazing flavor! I made a bunch for the holidays and froze about half. I pulled them out of the freezer and they were just as spectacular as I remembered the first time.
You are so talented and amazing. Thanks for sharing your gift of making healthy and delicious food! I truly cannot imagine keto without all of your recipes!
Daisy says
what can i replace ricotta with
Carolyn says
Nothing. These are ricotta cookies.
Juliann Russo says
Yummy! I made them with almond extract instead of the zest.