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- and gluten-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.
Why you will love these cookies
Ricotta cookies are rather unassuming little treats, but don’t be fooled. That plain exterior belies some serious deliciousness. And the most wonderful pillowy soft texture! I was surprised by how much I love them.
They’re also very easy to make. You simply beat the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients, and form into flattened balls. The glaze is quite simple as well.
You can make the cookies in advance and freeze them for later. Which always helps if you are planning ahead for the holidays!
And a serving of two cookies has less than 3g net carbs per serving. So it’s a perfect low carb sweet treat when you need one.
Reader Reviews
“Absolutely love them…made with lemon zest and orange zest. delicious both ways. thank you for my new favorite cookie. my husband agrees!!” — Dawn
“I am three weeks into Keto and these Ricotta Cookies give me reason to live! I did not have keto sprinkles but sprinkled some crushed almonds on top. Delicious!” — Nancy
“These were delicious. I love almonds so I added a little almond flavor as well as the vanilla. I tried without the icing with a bit of chocolate chips on top and the icing was better.” — Clair
Ingredient Notes
- Ricotta: I used full fat ricotta for this recipe. There is no need to drain it in advance.
- Butter: You also need a little butter for the base of these cookies. I often use salted but unsalted is just fine too.
- Sweetener: You need a granulated sweetener for the cookies and a powdered sweetener for the glaze. Please see the Tips for Success for more information.
- Keto flours: I find that mostly almond flour, with just a little coconut flour, gives these keto cookies the best consistency.
- Lemon or orange zest: A little citrus zest is classic in ricotta cookies. But some readers add a little almond extract instead.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream plus powdered sweetener creates a lovely white glaze.
- Sugar free sprinkles (optional): You can also do chopped nuts or citrus zest.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Combine the wet ingredients: 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.
2. Add the dry ingredients: All at once, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in until the dough comes together.
3. Form the cookies: Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the 2 baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats. 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).
4. Bake the cookies: Bake at 325ºF for 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.
5. Prepare the 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.
6. Glaze the cookies: Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze, turn right-side up, and shake the cookie slightly to even it out. Place on a cooling rack and add the sprinkles, if using. Let set 1 hour.
Tips for Success
Most of the conventional recipes for ricotta cookies call for lemon zest and vanilla extract. I used orange zest for a holiday variation. But you can use just vanilla extract or some almond extract instead. Or try anise extract for a classic Italian flavor.
I sincerely feel that the coconut flour helps the consistency of this recipe. But if you absolutely feel it’s necessary, you can replace it with another 3 to 4 tablespoons of almond flour.
Sweetener Options
These keto ricotta cookies work best with erythritol based sweeteners in both the cookies and the glaze. Allulose may work in the cookies but it can cause them to darken more quickly so please keep your eye on them.
For the glaze, powdered allulose tends to make it so soft that it almost disappears when used to coat things. It also never quite firms up properly. If you need to use something like allulose, I recommend adding a little softened cream cheese to give it structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ricotta cheese is an excellent choice for the keto diet. Whole milk ricotta has only 7g of carbs per cup, as well as 28g of protein. And it’s wonderful in both sweet and savory recipes.
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.
These tender keto cookies have only 5.1g per serving. They also have 2.2g of fiber. That means that they have 2.9g net carbs per two cookies.
More delicious keto ricotta recipes
Keto Italian Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (91 g) erythritol sweetener
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (183 g) whole milk ricotta, room temperature
- 2 tsp orange or lemon zest
- 2 cups (210 g) almond flour
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
Glaze
- 1/2 cup (91 g) powdered sweetener
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp water
Garnish
- 2 tbsp 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 3/4 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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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After following instructions my dough was wet, I wasn’t even able to roll them into bowls what do you think went wrong?
I saw your other comment! 🙂
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!
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!
Yum! Love that idea.
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 .
My favorite cookie. It is soft and delicate in texture and flavor. I add orange zest in the dough and glaze, or lemon sometimes.
I am so glad you like them!
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!
what can i replace ricotta with
Nothing. These are ricotta cookies.
Yummy! I made them with almond extract instead of the zest.
HOLY MOLY! Soft, sweet, pretty, and fun to make! These cookies are SO refreshing! Like they actually scratch that itch for something fresh while being a sweet treat. It’s like drinking a sprite if that makes sense? Haha Not the taste, just that refreshing citrus feeling – ooooh no like drinking a FRESCA! Yeah that’s it… I sound insane. I know. It’s okay.
Anyhoo – This is the first one of your dessert recipes I made for my celiac mom – she said “I NEED HER COOKBOOK!” So I proceeded to buy her a copy of every single one. She’s living the high life now! She said anybody who could use alternative flours and make them actually good was a winner in her book!
These were absolutely delicious!
I put a little cannoli spin on them by adding a few Lily’s dark chocolate chips in the dough and rolling the balls in crushed pistachios before baking. The texture of these cookies is pillowy soft and I like that they are not super sweet.
Made these several times over Christmas because they are so good. They taste just like the regular flour/sugar version. Super easy recipe that turns out every time. Yum! Thank you for yet another keeper recipe!
Absolutely delicious!
I left these on thy counter at night…. Are they still okay to eat because of r icotta in them? I didn’t even think of that!
They should be fine for 3 or 4 days.
I’ll be honest…
I don’t leave comments on recipes for various reasons.
But I’ll make an exception for this one.
My husband and I desperately needed to get our health in control, and after consulting our dr, he recommended a low carb diet.
For the most part, this hasn’t really been in issue. Except when it comes to desserts.
We love them
All of them.
Imagine our displeasure when realizing we couldn’t enjoy them anymore (we might have over indulged a time or two).
This all changed when I stumbled on this specific recipe (which THANK GODS led me to your website)
These cookies are the best I’ve ever had, pre diet change included.
I’ve made them twice now, the first time with lemon zest (and lemon glaze-but I didn’t realize until I made them again today that I forgot to add the hwc the first time around) and the second time with orange zest. When I made the glaze, I omitted the vanilla extract, and replaced the water with the orange that I zested, plus a little orange zest. Don’t forget the hwc in the glaze like I did, what a huge difference it makes!
I have one small not really worth mentioning problem. The dough is not rollable at all, more like a drop cookie. This doesn’t bother us at all. I noticed in another comment someone else had the same issue and you had recommended straining the ricotta. Now, I’ve only ever seen ricotta as a very very thick yogurt, does ricotta come any other way? How else can I reduce the liquid in the recipe without sacrificing flavor?
Thank you thank you thank you for this and many other recipes, it’s been a game changer for us !
Ricotta is usually not like a thick yogurt… Instead, it’s more like a thicker cottage cheese with smaller curds. So it is your ricotta causing the stickiness and you can simply add a little more flour.
These are so good! I did lemon zest with mine and they were just the perfect treat. Tender, just the right amount of sweetness and that hint of lemon just makes them perfect! Going to try the orange zest next! Thank you for these amazing cookies!
Love these!! Personally, my preference is to eat them without the glaze. Delicious either way.
These ricotta cookies just earned me first place in my family’s Christmas cookie contest, so thank you! Nobody even knew that they were keto.