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
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup erythritol sweetener
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk 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 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.
Ana Koodray says
Hi. I didn’t make this yet but I can’t use almond flour. what can I use instead?
Carolyn says
Sorry but almond flour is the best ingredient for this recipe. You can try sunflower seed flour but they will have a grayish appearance and you will need to add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
Mari says
caroline thanks for the great support for someone new to keto lifestyle (new diagnose of diabetes and keto diet seems to be giving me the best control over my sugars despite dietians recommendations for diet including carbs limit of 80-100 per day- gotta love living down under)
Anyway to my question can i sub almond flour ( in this and other baked goods recipes) with hazelnut or cashew flour ?
Carolyn says
Cashew flour would probably work.
Carmella Goodman says
I made these cookies last week and my whole family loved them. There are just 2 things I will do different next time. Make sure I have blanched almond flour and bake them for about 3 addtl min. My mom bought almond flour that used the whole almond including the skin and they just don’t look as pretty. Takes great though. I’m making these and you ginger molasses cookies for my cookie exchange. 🥰
Grace says
I was craving a cookie and saw your recipe that was simple and quick to whip up. I made them using the ingredients listed except instead of swerve granular I used a mixture of swerve icing sugar and allulose hoping for a chewier cookie (and I like experimenting as well). Well my dough was wet so I am thinking the ricotta must have had too much liquid. I was only able to scoop them with a spoon instead of forming balls, but still I went for it. I baked them for 15 minutes. They flattened somewhat but still kept their shape. I make a glaze using swerve icing sugar, lemon extract and water ( didn’t have whipping cream-no matter). Of course they did not look as pretty as yours but I must tell you they actually tasted like soft, moist cake! Delicious! Your recipe was great and I will definitely try it your way once I buy the ingredients. I love all your recipes! Thank you!
Kristen Anne says
Wow. Are everything that And more. I didn’t do any kind of icing on them and they are absolutely delicious without it. I didn’t have lemon or orange zest so I used a little bit of lemon extract. I think I might actually add almond extract for next time. They came out incredibly tender and delicious pillowy and not dance at all.
April says
Hi, can you freeze these in balls and bake a few at a time as needed?
Carolyn says
Sounds like you need to do some experimenting!
Deb says
The cookie flavor was great. They seem to fall apart and the bottom of the cookie did not get firm. Does anyone know what I would have done wrong?
Carolyn says
What kind of sweetener did you use?
Andrea says
I just made these for church tonight. Of course I had to taste test one.
Awesome!!!!!!!
GirlFridayA2 says
Delish! I love how soft they are. I used a small cookie scooper and the size was perfect. I did think the frosting was way too sweet. I only had Lakanto brand Powdered Sweetener on hand, but didn’t think that would make a difference. I’ve never used Swerve but maybe next time I’ll try it or just reduce the amount of the Lakanto sweetener by half. But they also taste great plain (I used lemon zest so it has a nice light lemon flavor), so I might just forgo the frosting altogether. Regardless, nice recipe, definitely putting it into the rotation. Thanks!
Melvin says
Quite delish & really fun for the holidays. Freeze them if you can’t leave them out. (I cannot . . .)
Dawn says
Absolutely delicious. Soft cookie with a hint of citrus. Made them many times.
Angella says
I’m getting ready to make this recipe but when I calculated the nutritional information I got five carbs per cookie without glaze?
Carolyn says
Your calculator is adding in the erythritol. Since it doesn’t impact blood sugar, it should not be counted. Please read the nutritional disclaimer I add to every post. Thanks!
Dawn Vreeland I'm says
absolutely love them…made with lemon zest and orange zest. delicious both ways. thank you for my new favorite cookie. my husband agrees!!
Linda says
Wow!! so easy to make and so delectable! next time I think I will add a touch of cardamom.
Thank you 😊
Andrea Morse says
That sounds good!
Linda says
Hi- Can you respond to your comments, Please.
Carolyn says
I am not sure which comment you are referring to. When people ask a question, I try to give them a response. Sometimes it’s not a question and doesn’t need a response…
Becky says
I made these and they’re delicious, but my icing didn’t set. Did I add too much water, maybe? I used Swerve.
Thank you, Carolyn, for making such amazing recipes!
Carolyn says
Hmmm, maybe? Swerve has also changed their formula since I wrote this recipe so it may be that it’s not as thick and you need to reduce the added liquid.
Jana benedict says
amazing cookies! doesn’t even feel like keto!!! great job!!
Nancy says
Carolyn,
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!
Your site looks amazing and I know I will be trying other recipes soon.
Many thanks!
Carolyn says
I am so glad!
Veronique says
Made these in memory of my Sicilian grandma last Christmas. Needed to have a holiday cheer me up recipe after my son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and they were excellent! Would definitely make them again next Christmas holiday…
Claire McGuire says
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. I over baked a bit because I think my oven runs a bit hot. I will adjust next time. I’ll definitely make these again.
Brandy says
made these with my mom and they were excellent! we added a bit of almond extract to the cookies and icing and it turned out great! would definitely make them again