These Keto Ginger Molasses Cookies are a dream come true for cookie lovers. Thick, chewy, and with the perfect balance of sweet and spice, they always hit the spot. And they have only 2.3g net carbs per serving!
If you love gingery sweets, then these Keto Ginger Cookies are going to blow your mind. They blew my mind when I created them, and clearly others felt the same way. They continue to be a fan favorite, year after year.
They are everything you want in a ginger cookie. Soft and chewy, with a nice gingery kick and a hint of molasses. And when I say a hint, I really mean just a hint.
I put these on my platter of Keto Christmas Cookies every year and they are often the first to disappear!
Why you will love this recipe
This recipe was the first in which I added gelatin for a chewier consistency. And I was surprised and impressed at the difference it made. I use the same trick in other recipes, like keto brownies.
Keep in mind that these are not meant to be crisp like Keto Gingerbread Cookies. Gelatin works best in recipes that have a soft texture. It helps mimic the characteristics of a classic ginger molasses cookie.
One thing I love about this cookie recipe is how easy it is to make. I can whip up a big batch that serves 20 people in less than 40 minutes. They also store really well so you can make them ahead and freeze until needed.
Reader Testimonials
“Yay!! Ginger snaps/molasses cookies are my absolute favorite and I miss them being on Keto. These are amazing and hit all the notes perfectly!!” — SandyB
“I made a batch of these today for ROAD TRIP SNACKS. I’ve gotta say these are the BEST low carb/keto cookies I have EVER made, and I’ve made many. These are the closest to REAL cookies in taste and texture and I really, really thank you!” — Andrea
“I’m surprised as heck, but these cookies work! I’m so used to almond flour producing a product that crumbles very easily and these have a real chewiness.: — Becky
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: As always, finely ground almond flour will make the best cookies, without a grainy texture.
- Grassfed gelatin: The addition of gelatin is key to a chewy consistency, so I don’t recommend skipping it. You can use Knox gelatin, and about 2 envelopes is sufficient for this recipe. You can also try replacing the gelatin with 1/2 cup of collagen peptides.
- Spices: Ginger cookies always include ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and either nutmeg or cloves. You can increase the ginger as much as you like. Some people like to double it in this recipe!
- Almond butter: I use almond butter in this recipe to increase the moisture and create a good thick cookie dough. You can use other nut butters, but peanut butter has a strong flavor and may overpower the spices.
- Swerve Brown: A brown sugar replacement adds more flavor to the cookies than granular white sweetener. I recommend Swerve Brown.
- Molasses: I add 2 teaspoons of real molasses to my cookies, for added color and flavor. You can omit this if you feel strongly about it, but it only adds about 0.5g of carbs per serving.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, baking soda, vanilla extract.
Step by Step Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, gelatin, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the almond flour mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together.
3. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently press down a bit (to encourage them to spread). Return to the oven and bake another 7 minutes or so, until just barely golden brown. They will still be very soft. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Expert tips
Don’t press the cookies down from the start, when the dough is completely raw. This tends to make the edges crack. Allow the cookies to bake for 5 minutes first, to warm up the dough. Pressing down at this point helps them spread properly without making irregular, cracked edges.
Sweetener options: For best results, I recommend erythritol-based sweeteners. BochaSweet and allulose tend to make cookies more puffy and soft, rather than chewy. Allulose also browns very quickly during baking, which may make the cookies too dark.
Gelatin substitutes: You can omit the gelatin altogether, although the cookies will be less chewy. You can also add some collagen peptides, but you will need about half a cup to get the same chewiness. I am not sure that any vegetarian substitutes, like agar agar, will have the same effect. But you’re certainly welcome to experiment!
Frequently Asked Questions
These keto ginger cookies have 4.2g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber. That comes to 2.3g net carbs per serving of 2 cookies. And yes, that includes the molasses!
Adding gelatin goes along way to making keto cookies chewier. It is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts and holds onto moisture during baking. This characteristic helps offset the lack of gluten and sugar in keto baked goods so that they don’t dry out as much.
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 the cookies for up to 2 months. The raw dough freezes nicely as well. Thaw completely before rolling into balls and baking as directed.
More ginger recipes you will enjoy
- Keto Gingerbread Pound Cake
- Easy Gingerbread Waffles
- Sugar Free Gingerbread Latte
- Mini Keto Gingerbread Cheesecakes
- Keto Gingerbread Biscotti
Keto Ginger Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 2 tbsp grassfed gelatin
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (125 g) almond butter
- 1 cup (182 g) Swerve Brown
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp molasses, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, gelatin, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the almond flour mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 40 cookies.
- Bake 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently press down a bit (to encourage them to spread). Return to the oven and bake another 7 minutes or so, until just barely golden brown. They will still be very soft.
- Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
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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Can I use regular gelatin in these cookies (ginger)? I don’t have the beef gelatin as you mentioned. Thanks
Please read the post as I addressed that already!
I just made this and they turned out fantastic albeit flat and crispy which is actually how I prefer them! the dough/batter was a bit soft, it helped to put in the fridge for 1/2 hr nad I moistened my hands with cold water to roll the 1inch balls of dough then rolled in granulated erythritol onto baking sheet and just flattened with fingers. they spread out nicely and once cooled were lovely and crispy. I made half the rcipe which made 19 3inch thin cookies. Will def make again, have never baked with gelatin before and pehaps that helps with the texture? Used a tsp of fancy molasses as all I had and more of the spicers esp ginger. another winne! Love your recipes!
what molasses brand do u recommend? I have never used it before.
I just get blackstrap molasses by Bragg.
I cannot wait to try these, but the only swerve brown in my area is the new version with allulose. Is there any way I can improve the chew with other ingredients in the recipe? I’m ok with soft cookies, but ginger snaps is not what I am looking for. I love your recipes!
The one with allulose will actually be perfect in these cookies. Allulose makes cookies softer, not crispier.
Everyone LOVED these cookies. I made my first batch of them this past Sunday and had them sitting in a covered dish on the counter. Today, Tuesday, most of them had turned green, so I threw them away. What could have caused that?
Did you use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter? If so, that’s why and you didn’t need to throw them away. It’s simply a reaction between the baking powder and the chlorophyll in the seeds.
Yummy, this cookie is my favorite amongst the cookies on here in terms of texture, flavor etc. Simple, fast recipe. What’s not to like about this cookie! This will be the cookie so far on my Christmas cookie list.
I loved these ginger cookies but am concerned about the carb content. When adding all the ingredients into a calculator it comes out at 10g of carbs per cookie! The main culprit being the brown sugar – I used Truvia soft brown as only one available – which is very high in carbs!!! I don’t understand and hope someone can explain so I CAN make again and continue to enjoy great flavour! Thank you
I can explain, yes. And I have a nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of every post that explains it as well. Your online calculator is counting the erythritol, which has zero carb impact. I don’t know about the Truvia version but Swerve does not raise my blood sugar at all.
I LOVE these cookies! Sadly, I only made 1/2 recipe because I wasn’t sure I’d like them. What a mistake because I gobbled them up!
I made these again today. I experimented by replacing the almond flour with THM’s baking blend. It still tasted good, but they are a little bit drier.
great recipe. the cookies taste delicious. love them so much. I think they could be made into carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, yum yum. thank you so much for sharing the recipe. can’t attach a photo but they are amazing!
Do you know if there’s an alternative flour I could use instead of almond? Having to stay away from almonds and I really don’t like coconut in baked goods.
In this, you can try sunflower seed flour. But you need to add a tablespoon of acid so it doesn’t turn green (a reaction between the chlorophyll in the seeds and the baking powder). https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-flour/
Can I use reg sugar in this recipe instead if the Swerve?
Sorry, I don’t use sugar so I really can’t advise.
Hi Carolyn, thanks so much for making all out favorites fit this WOL!!! Do you have suggestions on how to make this like a ginger snap, cripsy & crunchy lnstead of soft & chewy?
This is not the recipe for crisp cookies, but I do have a gingerbread men recipe. You can use the search box.
The flavour was great but for some reason my dough came out very thin, more like a thick muffin batter. There was no way the dough could be rolled into balls and it didn’t need any flattening part way through baking to encourage spreading. They came out as fairly thin soft cookies, not chewy at all. I think I should have just poured the ‘dough’ into muffin tins!
No idea what went wrong since I followed the recipe to the letter but, since the flavour was excellent, I think I’ll try again in hopes of better results.
You did not have enough flour. I can’t identify why without being in your kitchen but it is a dough, not a batter.
Haven’t baked them yet, same problem for me, added a little more flour and put the dough in the fridge to see if it’ll firm up a bit…. definitely more like a muffin batter
What kind of almond flour and butter are you using?
Hi! could you use sugar tree syrup instead of molasses? if not is there a particular brand of molasses you use. I know I switched my almond flour and now only use Bob’s red mill. So much better!! thank you so much!
I think you will need to experiment.
Is there a substitute for the almond butter?
Please read the blog post as I already address this question. 🙂
absolutely the best! I roll top of cookie in sugar too.. 😋