Pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and coconut, oh my! These protein packed breakfast cookies are a fabulous way to start your day. I’ve been enjoying my latest batch all week and they help fuel me through some tough workouts and runs.
Trying to get more protein into my diet can take some effort, especially when I also eat low carb. It’s not like i can reach for a box of protein cereal or some high protein oatmeal. So recipes like Cinnamon Roll Protein Muffins and Pancake In a Mug help me meet my nutrition goals.
And this new recipe for keto breakfast cookies is my current fave. I love to munch one in the morning as I sip my coffee, before I head out the door to workout. Sometimes I have them for an afternoon snack when I need a little pick-me-up.
It took me a few tries to get this one right, my friends. The first batch puffed up like dinner rolls and ended up a bit too dry. The second batch was almost there. And just like Goldilocks says, the third batch was just right!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make: These protein breakfast cookies take only 30 minutes to make, start to finish.
- Not too sweet: I don’t like overly sweet things in the morning, so these have a hint of sweetness but not too much.
- Multiple protein sources: They have a well rounded amino acid profile from whey, collagen, and pumpkin seeds!
- Great texture: These cookies are nice and chewy, and they hold together really well. Great for travel.
- Macronutrients: With almost 17 grams of protein and only 4.4 grams of net carbs, they are a perfect low carb, high protein treat.
Ingredients you need
- Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are a great high protein ingredient for keto bake goods.
- Coconut: Unsweetened flaked coconut helps give these cookies a chewy texture.
- Almond butter: You can use any nut or seed butter. Try using pumpkin seed butter for a nut-free version.
- Avocado oil: You can use any neutral oil or butter.
- Sweetener: I used a combination of allulose and erythritol, but either can work. These are not overly sweet cookies.
- Protein powder: A combination of whey protein and collagen works best for a chewy protein cookie.
- Dried cranberries: You can make a batch of my sugar-free dried cranberries if you want to add this optional ingredient.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: This is also optional, but everything tastes better with a few chocolate chips!
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Chop the coconut and seeds: In a food processor or chopper, process the pumpkin seeds and coconut until they resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the almond butter and avocado oil until well combined, then beat in the sweetener. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the pumpkin seed mixture and the protein powders and beat until a stiff dough forms. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips by hand until well distributed.
- Form the cookies: Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Lightly grease the mat. Using wet hands, form nine large balls of even size and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press each one down to a 1-inch thick circle.
- Bake. Bake at 325ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned, and the top is just barely set. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Tips for Success
If you choose to use peanut butter for this recipe, be forewarned that it may make the dough more stiff and dry. You may need a bit of water to make the it easier to work with. But don’t add too much or it may become too soft and sticky.
Don’t have any of my keto dried cranberries handy? You can use fresh cranberries too! You will want about half a cup, and you should chop them up for better distribution.
Protein options: This recipe requires both whey and collagen for the best consistency. Whey on its own makes the cookies puff up a lot and they can become more dry. Collagen alone makes them too soft and doesn’t offer a full amino acid profile.
You can try replacing one or both with plant-based proteins, but I haven’t tried that variation myself. If you do choose to make them with different protein powders, make sure you keep a close eye on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Protein cookies can be part of a healthy breakfast, particularly if you are in a rush or on the go. These keto breakfast cookies have almost 17 grams of protein per serving. They also have no added sugar, plenty of healthy fats, and they keep you full for longer!
Store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
This keto breakfast cookie recipe has 8.7g of carbs and 4.3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.4g net carbs per cookie
More high protein low carb recipes
Protein Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (64 g) shelled raw pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 cup (63.75 g) flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup (125 g) almond butter, (or pumpkin seed butter for nut-free)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) avocado oil, or butter
- 1/3 cup (63.33 g) granular sweetener, (erythritol, allulose, or a mix)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (54 g) unflavored whey protein powder
- 1/4 cup (27 g) collagen protein powder
- 1/4 cup (30.3 g) sugar-free dried cranberries , (optional)
- 1/4 cup (45 g) mini sugar-free chocolate chips , (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Lightly grease the mat.
- In a food processor or chopper, process the pumpkin seeds and coconut until they resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the almond butter and avocado oil until well combined, then beat in the sweetener. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt, and beat until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin seed mixture and the protein powders and beat until a stiff dough forms. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips by hand until well distributed.
- Using wet hands, form nine large balls of even size and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press each one down to a 1-inch thick circle.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned, and the top is just barely set. 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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I don’t like diet food, but these are so healthy and taste amazing. they are my new favorite go to breakfast to go with my protein coffee in the morning.
Great to hear!
love these. I could eat one everyday. will definitely make again.
Thanks so much!
Second time trying these cookies. My first time wasn’t that great, but this time around I got them perfect.
All ingredients were use as listed. But this time I measured the whey protein but added it last and not all at once. I add just enough so it would integrate well, and the dough have a sticky consistency. It ended up being about half of the amount
Last time I wanted to save on carbs, so omitted the cranberries and chocolate, but that those are really needed to elevate this cookie.
Lastly, I did not overbake them. I set the timer for the minimum amount, checked them, and then let them bake for another 3-4 minutes.
They came out perfect. Chewy and really tasty with the cranberries that makes great pops of flavor.
I’ll remember that next time if I want to be stingy with the carbs, I’ll just make the Keto Breakfast Oatmeal cookies, which are also excellent and one of my go-tos
Can the crumbled pumpkin seeds and coconut (base) be replaced with almond flour?
It won’t have the right texture.
Absolutely love these cookies. My sister in law is addicted to them, she buys my ingredients to make her some. Really has been helping us stick to keto diet.
Have you ever used chocolate whey protein in these?
I am going to try will let you know how they turn out. If you have let me know how you did them. You are the best I have found online that everything comes out beautifully..
I love these and I make them often. This last time I used the cranberries I dried myself using Carolyn’s method!!!
Just made these today – a total hit! This will most certainly be another staple in my rotation . . . I did add a bit of Fairlife Milk at the end as they were super thick and my mixer could barely mix it up. In the end – turned out great! I did use Pumpkin Seed Butter . . . not sure if that made the difference in the thickness. But like I said – definitely being added to my regular rotation! And – I had a batch of Carolyn’s Dried Cranberries I’d made up a couple of years ago . . . and used Choc Zero Dark Choc Chips.
These were delicious. I made them for a quick on the go breakfast. They were like scones without the guilt, lol! Thank you.
Oops! Just realized I left out the collagen powder. I’ll get it right next time–and there will DEFINITELY be a next time. I opted to leave out the cranberries and chocolate chips to cut back on carbs. I used the large flake coconut, so even when I pulsed the pepitas and coconut in my food processor, the coconut still had good texture. That texture is a HUGE part of what I love about these cookies! I used a baking scoop that holds just less than 1/4 cup (vs hand-shaping), and I got 10 cookies. This is day four, and (by some miracle) I’ve managed to only eat one cookie a day. They are VERY satisfying.
P.S. I’ve passed this recipe along to several others with my highest reccomendation!
could I use monk fruit sweetener for these?
Yes.
I’ll be trying these breakfast cookies. Due to beginning chemo next month, I’m having to adapt from 1-2 meals a day and Intermittent Fasting to 6 small meals a day. The recipes in this post and the sheet pan one are absolutely heaven sent, as they mean I won’t have to cook often but can have lots of small meal choices on hand. Many thanks, indeed! Yours in Gratitude
First time I made them I overcooked them and they were dry. This time I followed the directions and they were AMAZING!!
I skipped the cranberries, used 70% choc chips (all I had) and did 1/2 plain protein powder and 1/2 vanilla. My husband loved them too (and he’s not keto)
Another stellar recipe. This will definitely be a regular in our house.
Thanks Carolyn!
Great to hear!
I have never had any of your recipes go wrong before and I don’t know what I did wrong with this one but it was terrible. When I added the eggs the mixture bound up and became almost rock hard. I tried adding a little more oil but it didn’t help. I kept pressing on. I tried to warm it up in the microwave but it was still like solid rock. By the time they were baked, I could have used them to pave my driveway. I threw them all away. Totally inedible. So disappointed.
I think it’s the whey protein. That stuff acts like cement in a recipe. And different kinds/brands act differently so it’s hard to judge quantity. I had a similar result the first time. What I did is add the whey protein last, and only a little at a time until the consistency seems right. Stiff and sticky but not unworkable. Mine turned out great.
All of your recipes look so delicious. I’ve been following your posts for over a year, but have not been able to make more than one or two of your marvelous recipes at most. Old age has taken over. One day, I hope to stand long enough to accomplish what I’d like to make. Many of your recipes call for coconut. Can I toast it? It’s the only way I like coconut. Blessings
Hi Carolyn, greetings from Ottawa, Canada.
Thanks for this recipe, as always with your recipes, it turned out perfectly. I made them just with chocolate chips, and they tasted great – not too sweet and with a nice chewy texture with a hint of crispness on the edges. The beater had a tough time near the end so I ended up having to stir the batter, gives you a good upper-body workout in addition to the serving of protein. 🙂
Keep the great recipes coming!
These cookies are fabulous! Using the food processor to blend the coconut with pepitas was a great idea. My daughter who doesn’t like coconut enjoyed these. I’m grateful they weren’t too sweet! Just perfect!