These pillowy soft keto snickerdoodles have the perfect chewy texture and a delicious cinnamon flavor. I worked hard to perfect a low carb snickerdoodle recipe that lives up to the iconic American treat.
I have quite a number of snickerdoodle-flavored recipes here on All Day I Dream About Food. But until now, I’ve never made classic keto snickerdoodles. Why is that?
Snickerdoodle just wasn’t part of my lexicon growing up in Canada. So while it was extremely important to me to come up with the perfect keto chocolate chip cookie recipe, these soft cinnamon cookies simply weren’t on my radar.
But they are hugely popular in the US and once you taste a good snickerdoodle, you will see why! They are both soft and pillowy, but also a little chewy. And they have a unique flavor that is more than the sum of its parts.
If you love that cinnamon-dusted cookie, be sure to try my snickerdoodle-inspired keto mug cake and delicious snickerdoodle blondies too!
Why you must try this recipe
If you follow me, you know how much I like to perfect my recipes and make them as close to the real deal as possible.
And when it comes to an iconic cookie recipe like snickerdoodles, it was extremely important to me to get them right. Exactly right, with that perfect chewy texture and funny cinnamon speckled appearance.
That isn’t always easy to do with keto ingredients. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I really feel like I nailed them. And readers agree that these keto snickerdoodles are the real deal!
Reader Testimonials
“Yum! Thank you for sharing this! You can’t even tell that it’s keto! Same great snickerdoodle flavor!” — Natalie
“These are the best Snickerdoodle cookies I’ve ever had! I cannot tell you how much your recipes are appreciated. Each recipe makes it so much easier to live a keto lifestyle without feeling like we are missing out! Thank you! ” — Laura
“You did it again! Knocked this one out of the park!! Great taste!” — Sandy
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: This is an almond flour cookie recipe and finely ground almond flour makes a big difference to the texture.
- Swerve Brown: Conventional snickerdoodle cookies take white sugar but I find that Swerve Brown gives many keto cookies a soft but chewy quality.
- Collagen powder: I bet you thought this recipe would have gelatin in it, didn’t you! But this time I tried collagen powder and the results were dreamy. If you can, I highly recommend using the Perfect Keto Cinnamon Toast Collagen, but plain works as well. If you need to omit it altogether, the cookies will be less chewy but they will still be delicious.
- Cream of tartar and baking soda: These ingredients give classic snickerdoodles their unique flavor and soft but chewy texture. So I included them in this recipe as well.
- Allulose: I like granulated allulose for the cinnamon “sugar” coating. But any granulated sweetener should work.
- Cinnamon: They wouldn’t be classic snickerdoodles without that cinnamon coating.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and make sure it’s melted but not overly hot when you add it to the dough.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs and vanilla.
Step-by-step directions
1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, Swerve, collagen, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Roll into 1 ½ inch balls.
3. Cinnamon sugar. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the allulose and cinnamon. Roll the balls in the cinnamon mixture and then place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
4. Flatten cookies. Press the balls down to about ¾ inch thick with the palm of your hand. Don’t press down too much as these cookies will spread a bit on their own.
5. Bake. Bake at 325ºF for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown around the edges. They will still be very soft.
6. Cool. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with any leftover cinnamon/sweetener mixture. Let cool completely on the pan.
Expert Tips
Collagen powder is the same thing as collagen protein and collagen peptides. They all refer to a hydrolyzed form of collagen that makes for better absorption. I like to add it to recipes for both texture and and nutrition. If you don’t have access to it, you can also add gelatin. Use 1 tablespoon of grassfed gelatin such as Great Lakes, or 1 envelope of Knox gelatin.
Dairy-Free Option: Coconut oil does change the texture of the cookies a bit, but it works. If you can tolerate ghee, I recommend that instead.
Nut-Free Option: These keto snickerdoodles don’t work well with coconut flour, but you can try sunflower seed flour. Do keep in mind that it reacts with baking soda to cause a funny green reaction (yes, your cookies will turn green!) if you don’t add some acid to the recipe. So use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the dry ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conventional snickerdoodle cookies have at least 18 to 20g of carbs per serving, so they are not keto friendly. However, these keto snickerdoodles have only 5.5g of carbohydrate and 2.7g of dietary fiber for two cookies. Thus they have 2.8g of NET CARBS.
If you used baking powder instead of baking soda, your cookies will come out softer and more cake-like, rather than thick and chewy. The combination of baking soda and cream of tartar gives these cookies their classic taste and texture.
You can easily make these cookies in advance and freeze them. Layer them between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More classic keto cookie recipes
Keto Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅔ cup Brown Swerve
- ¼ cup collagen powder (try cinnamon toast flavor!)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon allulose granular
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (Use 2 baking sheets if yours are small, don't crowd the cookies).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, Swerve, collagen, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Roll into 1 ½ inch balls.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk toghether the allulose and cinnamon. Roll the balls in the cinnamon mixture and then place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Press the balls down to about ¾ inch thick with the palm of your hand. Don't press down too much as these cookies will spread a bit on their own.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown around the edges. They will still be very soft.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with any leftover cinnamon/sweetener mixture. Let cool completely on the pan.
PAM SYKES says
I’m getting ready to make these in the morning, and I already have mixed the dry ingredients together. I didn’t have enough brown swerve, so I put what I had and used brown Monk fruit w/Erythritol….is that an acceptable substitute? I make regular snickerdoodles every year for the family that isn’t low carb. Thanks Carolyn for all the pointers.
Carolyn says
Sounds like a good replacement!
Lisa says
Totally baffled: I first made this roughly 4 months ago and it turned out splendidly. But when I made it again just now, it was nothing like the first time.
The main reason being that the dough just would *not* come together. I know for sure I measured out all the ingredients exactly as listed, especially the 2 cups of flour. I didn’t forget anything.
When the dough refused to come together, I kept adding eggs and butter until the dough finally, sorta acted the way it should, but only when I forced it. The recipe calls for 1 large egg and I went up to 4, and 1/2 cup of butter, and I wound up at a full cup.
Did you perhaps change the recipe in the last few months?
Carolyn says
I haven’t touched the recipe. But… were you using a different sweetener? Remember, Swerve has changed their formula!
Lisa says
I just now made another batch, because dangit, this was an excellent recipe the first time and I didn’t want to give up on it. And it’s back to being excellent!
I think what happened last time is that I grabbed the wrong flour: the almond and coconut flours I have are in near-identical packaging and right by each other. Instead of using almond, I must’ve used the coconut by mistake.
Delighted to again enjoy these cookies! ❤️
Tracy says
Baked these with my daughter today and they are came out perfect. Thank you!!
Sheryl C says
Can you use Bochasweet brown instead of Swerve?
Carolyn says
I really don’t know, I think they will be too soft but you are free to experiment.
Linda says
Hi Carolyn! I made your Perfect Keto Snickerdoodles and they turned out well, except I don’t like the taste that the cream of tarter gives them. Can I leave it out and maybe put in some xanthan gum instead for a chewy texture?
Carolyn says
Sure. I dont’ think you will need to add anything at all. I don’t taste the cream of tartar… makes me wonder if yours is okay?
Alex says
Hey Carolyn!
All of your recipes I’ve made so far have been amazing, and I can’t wait to bake a lot of your Christmas cookies this year, with these snickerdoodles being one of them!
Question though…do you think this would work/be even better if I browned the butter? I can’t imagine it would alter the texture at all since the butter is melted anyways, right? Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
I think these are perfect they way they are but you are certainly welcome to try it.
Deanna Wendt says
Awesome recipe! Thank you. Mine came out perfect! On my favorite list for sure
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Pam B. says
I love cinnamon . However I love crunchy cookies . I know these are soft. Can you tell me which of your cookie recipes are crunchy? They do not need to be cinnamon .Thank you fpr your recipes.
Vincent says
I want to make these this weekend. How do you accurately measure brown sugar? Does it need to be packed? Or scooped and leveled off?
Carolyn says
Lightly pack it… it sort of packs itself anyway.
Carolyn says
How do these compare to the snickerdoodles recipe in UGTKB?
Paulette says
This is my favourite cookie. So quick and easy to make. I took them to a knitting group Christmas pot luck today. I was a bit worried because they were the only dessert. Not to worry. So many of my pals have quit sugar and these were such a satisfying treat for everyone. I may make it a habit to pack a batch with my knitting at all our gatherings.
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Dave says
Would it be possible to use Xanthan Gum instead of collagen powder? I don’t have any available. Thanks!
Carolyn says
No, that’s not a good sub. You can just leave it out, although they won’t be quite the same.
Tom Hogan says
Just made these. My three favorite recipes of your are PB Fudge, Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip cookies, and my new favorite…Keto Snickerdoodles!! Amazing!!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Denise says
Can I make these without collagen ? I don’t use this type of product.
Carolyn says
Please read the blog post.
Pat Dueck says
This recipe was quick and easy and tasted delicious, however mine went completely flat allowing the edges to get burnt. I did trim them up with kitchen scissors and they were presentable lol. I am wondering if they would have puffed if I baked them from a refrigerated or frozen state?
Carolyn says
They shouldn’t need that. Sounds like you didn’t have enough flour.
Ryan James says
I caught your video making these yesterday. Honestly, Snickerdoodles were not my number 1 cookie before Keto, but I decided to try them. You are the BOMB. These are so delicious and easy to make. I will be making batches to take to friends when we are invited over. Other batches will be for me.
Thanks
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Lee Barnett says
Thank you Carolyn for another great Keto cookie recipe. As I’m in Australia I didn’t know what snickerdoodle cookies were… but very glad I tried this recipe out. The cinnamon & sugar ( replacement of course) topping is delicious. Light crunch on the base & around the edges but a little puffy in the middle.
Noel says
This recipe was a big win in the cookie department. The texture was perfect!
Karen says
I love all things cinnamon so when I saw this recipe I was anxious to try it. The cookies are an excellent keto version and I’ll definitely make these again. Mine needed longer to bake but most things do in my oven. I also added a bit more almond flour because the dough seemed a bit too wet and it improved the consistency, very easy to roll. I inadvertently forgot to add the baking soda and I’m wondering how the baking soda affects the recipe? All in all another excellent recipe, thanks Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Well for one thing, baking soda is part of what gives snickerdoodles their distinctive flavor. But it also makes for a softer, slightly puffier cookie.
Grace Stanphill says
I made these a few months ago and they were delicious. My oven is on the fritz and I wondered if I could roll the dough into a log and freeze it and use for slice ‘n bake cookies a few at a time in my air fryer. What do you think?