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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowOf all my low carb cookie recipes, these keto peanut butter cookies taste the closest to the regular version. That’s because, unlike my other popular ones (such as keto chocolate chip cookies and almond flour cookies), these don’t need any kind of flour at all — not even a low carb one. I simply swap out the sugar! You can enjoy them plain with just 3 ingredients, or jazz them up with a few optional extras. Make this recipe with me for a quick and easy treat you can feel good about!
Why You Need My Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sweet, chewy, and crunchy – Not to mention major peanut butter flavor. My favorite thing about these cookies is the perfect balance of textures. They’re soft and chewy, and taste like the regular kind. But unlike most recipes, I add chopped peanuts for extra crunch.
- Quick and easy – With so few ingredients, my keto peanut butter cookies come together really fast. They’re the perfect keto dessert!
- Sugar free and keto friendly – With no flour at all, these cookies are a keto dream: sugar-free, gluten-free, and just 1.8g net carbs each! They’re wonderful dipped a cold glass of almond milk, but with their balance of protein and fat, I’ve even enjoyed them as a sweet keto breakfast with my bulletproof coffee.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto peanut butter cookie recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
3-Ingredient Keto Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Peanut Butter – I recommend a thick, creamy peanut butter without added sugar. I use and recommend this brand. Many brands of natural peanut butter are too oily or runny. If you want to substitute almond butter, follow my recipe for almond butter cookies.
- Eggs – You’ll need whole, large eggs. Flax eggs would work as an egg substitute if you need one.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This is my go-to sugar substitute for chewy, soft keto cookies without any aftertaste! My notes on alternatives:
- Plain Allulose – This works great, but you’ll need more (increase to 1/2 cup).
- Besti Brown – Replace half of the Besti with this if you like a brown sugar flavor.
- Erythritol & Other Blends – I used to make these with erythritol, but don’t recommend it anymore. It makes the cookies more dry and hard, and gives a cooling effect. The same goes for Lakanto, Swerve, and most brands of stevia and monk fruit sweetener — they are typically over 99% erythritol.
- Concentrated Or Liquid – These won’t work at all, sorry. Pure monk fruit or stevia (drops or powder) don’t add the bulk that a regular granulated sweetener does, while liquid sweeteners will make the cookie dough too runny. I do have a recipe for healthy peanut butter cookies using maple syrup (and you can use my sugar-free one)!
Optional Add-Ins:
- Vanilla Extract – I like this brand for flavor.
- Sea Salt – If you’re using salted peanut butter or peanuts, you don’t really need it, but I still add 1/4 teaspoon to balance out the sweetness.
- Peanuts – I love adding these for extra crunch, but skip them if you want a smoother texture.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips – They’re not in my keto peanut butter cookies here, but I like this brand when I add them. Sprinkle them on top instead of mixing them in (like I do for my protein cookies), because they stay intact better that way.
How To Make Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the peanut butter, eggs, and Besti in a food processor. If you’re adding the optional vanilla and salt, add them at the same time. Blend well until uniform.
- Optional: pulse in the peanuts. If you’re adding them, pulse a few times until they’re mixed in but still chunky. Scrape down the sides every few pulses.
- Scoop and flatten. Grab a cookie scoop (I use this one that’s the perfect size) to portion the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the cookie dough balls down with the back of a fork in a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake until golden. Pop your keto peanut butter cookies in the oven. When they’re done, let them cool completely on the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t have a food processor? You can stir the ingredients by hand or with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl instead. I just find the food processor easier (I have and love this food processor). If you use a bowl and want to add the peanuts, just chop them by hand before stirring in.
- Pulse when processing the peanuts. This lets you control the texture, so you can more easily stop when they are chopped. I use this same trick for my keto energy balls, too.
- Press the dough firmly into the scoop. This makes it release cleanly onto the pan and keeps the cookies from falling apart.
- Flatten with a fork, and to the final thickness you want. My keto peanut butter cookies won’t spread on their own, so you want them the right thickness before baking. And why a fork instead of just flattening with your hands? It’s not just for looks — it helps the cookies bake more evenly.
- Wet your fork if it sticks. Sometimes I need to do this and sometimes I don’t. If yours is sticking, you can dip the fork tines in water or just wipe with a damp paper towel between presses.
- Baking time depends on thickness. The thinner you flatten your cookies, the faster they will bake. I recommend checking on them after 8 minutes, and every couple minutes after that.
- Don’t overbake. Low carb peanut butter cookies taste best when they are slightly underbaked. This keeps them from tasting dry.
- Cool completely. The texture of these cookies is very soft right out of the oven and they can fall apart. I’m obsessed with this thin cookie spatula for transferring them easily. Don’t worry, they’ll firm up as they cool!
More Keto Cookie Recipes
If you like my low carb peanut butter cookies, try some of my others:
Keto Peanut Butter Cookies (Chewy & Crunchy)
My keto peanut butter cookies are perfectly chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Just 3 basic ingredients and 1.8g net carbs each!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
3-Ingredient Keto Peanut Butter Cookies:
Optional Ingredients:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Combine the peanut butter, eggs, Besti, vanilla (if using), and salt (if using) in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed.
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Pulse in the peanut pieces, if using, until just combined. (Don't overmix – you want some pieces left for crunch.)
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Use a medium cookie scoop to place balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Press the cookie dough into the scoop tightly before releasing onto the sheet. Flatten using a fork in a criss-cross pattern. If it sticks, dip the fork in a glass of water or wipe with a damp paper towel between presses.
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Bake your keto peanut butter cookies for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly golden but a little underbaked in the center. Cool completely before handling. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 2-inch cookie
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the perfect texture in your keto peanut butter cookies and prevent them from falling apart. I’ve also got an alternative if you don’t have a food processor.
- Store: Keep your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: You can freeze the raw cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap, or the baked cookies with layers of parchment paper between them (to prevent sticking). They’re best within 3 months in the freezer.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
235 Comments
Jo
0This is going to be my go-to dessert! Perfect sweetness and nutty flavor, Love it!
Regi Hofferth
0I followed the recipe to the letter. I didn’t care for the flavor or texture at all. A cookie with almond flour would probably more appealing to me. I threw the entire batch away, sadly.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Regi, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. This recipe is similar to traditional flourless peanut butter cookies, so you may prefer a different type of cookie. While I don’t have a peanut butter cookie recipe with flour, I do have a keto chocolate chip cookie recipe that you may like better.
Karen
0This is the third recipe I have used your allulose Monk fruit blend in and each time the bottom of the cookies gets so incredibly dark they are inedible, And the taste is just not good. I guess I just don’t like the Allulose. But why are the bottom of my cookies burning I never have that problem when I use erythritol Monk fruit blend. I ordered your sugar because I don’t like the cooling effect the erythritol has but I don’t like everything to burn and have to go in the trash . Wonder if anyone else find this happening?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Allulose does tend to brown more than erythritol-based baked goods, but these shouldn’t burn on the bottom at all. It sounds like you’re overbaking them, or maybe your oven rack is too close to the heating element. I always make this recipe with Besti and have never had issues with the cookies burning.
Kelly Blake
0Maybe I used the wrong brand of peanut butter? My cookies came out very dry & brittle & sandy in texture.
The dough looked nice & moist while I was scooping them onto the baking pan.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kelly, Did you have a lot of oil runoff on your baking sheet? If your peanut butter is too oily or runny, or if you overbake your cookies, this can happen. I use and recommend this brand, and make sure you don’t bake too long. Hope this helps for next time!
Fran Sharp
0Looking forward to making these cookies , I like monkfruit for a sweetener.
I’ll let you know how they turn out
Sharon
0Hi Maya, I am going to make your peanut butter cookies today and just finished watching the video – can you tell me the name/brand of the food processor in the video? Mine is old and bulky so I am looking for a new one. Thanks, Sharon
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sharon, This is the one I use.
Daniel Franco
0I had good success making these. I used Chunky peanut butter. After 1 hour I tried one and it was crispy and had good flavor, so i had 2 more. I got 24 cookies out of this batch. Very satisfied with this recipe, will use it again. Fast and easy. I put the rest in the freezer. Now for some chocolate chip!
LEILANI DOW
0Wonderful cookies!! I’m diabetic and keto was the only way for me to naturally control my blood sugar. Just a suggestion to many of your followers: I live in a very rural area and it’s hard to find keto ingredients. Then I discovered Iherb. They have just about everything you could want. If they don’t I have had very good luck ordering flours and sweeteners from both Amazon and Ebay.
G. Stelma
0Just made these cookies….they’re delicious. Made for my diabetic husband and he loves them. Asked twice “are you sure these are ok for diabetics?” No bitter, artificial flavor. I’ve never used monk fruit before – love it.
Sarah
0Hi! These cookies were delicious! I’m going to make them very often!
Dottie Witting
0Do these freeze well?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dottie, Yes, these freeze very nicely!
Brad
0These are absolutely delicious. One issue . . . I haven’t been able to get them to be crunchy. Sure there is the crunch from the peanuts but the cookie itself is not crunchy. I let them cool but they’re still soft, which I actually like but some others in my family don’t. so I’d like to appeal to them too. I’ve even put them in the fridge and they still aren’t crunchy when I take them out. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong? Did I not bake them long enough??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brad, These won’t crisp up in the fridge. They need to be left out at room temperature to crisp up. Most of the crispness comes from the peanuts, though.
Kathy
0I used a organic peanut butter and mixed it well before measuring. The dough was a very crumbly. What can I do to avoid this in the future?
Melissa
0Hi Kathy, You can add up to 1 Tbs of oil (melted coconut works great here) to the dough if it is too dry and crumbly. I wouldn’t start with the full tablespoon, just drizzle in tiny amounts at a time and work the dough until it forms a cohesive ball.
Terrilynn
0do you have to put the additional nuts in?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Terrilynn, You can omit the chopped nuts if you like.
Steffanie Kyle
0There is no oil in the recipe?
Making these now!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Steffanie, No need to add extra oil! There is plenty from the peanut butter itself. Enjoy!
Valerie No 3 Fallows
0Hi
Does this use eggs? In the list of ingredients, eggs arnt listed. But in the method and video, they are.
If so, how many do I use please. Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Valerie, The recipe calls for 2 whole eggs. It’s the second ingredient in the recipe card. Enjoy!
Dana
0Absolutely my favorite low carb cookie to date. I love crunchy cookies and most keto recipes produce soft mushy cake like consistency. Not this recipe! I never go more than day without having a bagful of these in the freezer. I use chopped almonds instead of peanuts. I also dip the fork in golden sweetener while crisscrossing so the fork does not stick to the dough. Do not attempt to eat these until they are completely cooled. Personally I wait until they are frozen. Thanks for creating this and sharing. Love it!!!!
Gail
0Can you use almonds instead?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Gail, Sure. That should work out fine.
carol
0Concept was great. My cousin’s boy is in the Army and especially enjoys treats of keto type cookies. These cookies need either to cook at a lower temp or for a shorter time. The bottoms at even 13 minutes still too dark. I’m not a sciency cook so I don’t know how to fix it.
Thanks for the recipe though.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carol, Thanks for your feedback! Ovens can vary with temperatures and hot spots. Feel free to adjust the bake time as needed. (Update in 2024 – I’ve actually reduced the baking time in this recipe after additional testing. I now recommend 10-12 minutes.)
Nancy
0Mine are sitting in oil while cooking ?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nancy, Make sure you use the right kind of peanut butter – it has to be very thick, like this brand. If you’re using that peanut butter and still getting a lot of oil, this is a sign they are baked too long. Hope this helps!
Barbara Dorn
0I love these cookies.. I sprinkle salt on top before baking for extra salt.. I also like them out of the freezer and an evening treat.
Bernice Humphrey
0I tried with pecans as that is what I had on hand. Oil is a problem for me and baking for even just 12 minutes resulted in burned edges. Next time, I’ll try to reduce the baking time. My question is: What is the measure for shelled peanuts after you’ve shelled a 3/4 cupful? I can find shelled peanuts more easily than shelled nuts.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Bernice, Measure 3/4 cup of shelled, whole peanuts. Coarsely chop, then incorporate into the recipe.
Jen Rox
0I’ve a comfort connection with peanut butter which has led me to try a variety of nut free cookie recipes (low carb). None compare to these lovely morsels, plus I hand mixed & still great. I swapped out the oil with coconut oil (butter flavored) and used cacoa nibs 1/2 and half with chocolate bar chunks in place of peanuts. So grateful for your shared inspiration.
Kim
0Love them! Read the recipe and ran to the kitchen! After reading so many comments about the fat cooking out issue, I decided to add a tablespoon of almond flour. Perfect! no mess, no fatty blob. And a single tablespoon really makes such a teeny tiny difference in the carbs over the whole recipe. YUM
Tracy
0I made these this afternoon and they are amazing! So tasty and satisfying! Word of caution to anyone who buys pre-chopped peanuts though, best to use whole ones and pulse them as Maya says to. I used pre chopped and they made the batter a bit too thick so my cookie size was a bit too big, more fat/carbs/calories for each one. Next time i will follow the instructions 100%.
Bob
0Hi – I made these and they fell apart. I wonder if adding another egg or more oil might have helped. Used an all natural peanut butter, but also I hand mixed, as no mixer. I guess that matters? Any tips open.. better chef than baker.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bob, It might be the peanut butter you used (I use and recommend this brand), but falling apart is more likely a sign of not mixing well enough, baking too long, or not letting them cool to set before moving them.
Keely
0How do I print the recipes
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Keely, There’s a print button on the recipe card above.
Dianne Adams
0These didn’t work. 1 – it made 18 2″ cookies, not 27. 2 – When I baked them, the fat cooked out, and I was left with greasy cookies in a puddle of peanut oil and whatever fat they add to commercial peanut butter. 3 – Bake until golden? What does that mean when the dough starts out the color of peanut butter?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dianne, Sorry to hear that — this recipe works if you follow it precisely. You have to use thick peanut butter like this, and avoid overbaking. If you use runny peanut butter or bake too long, the oil will leak out like you experienced. Hope this helps if you want to try again!
Ja'Melia PUgh
0What kind of food processor are you using?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ja’Melia, I use this one.
ed
0Interesting. Anxious to try.
Rhonda
0I made these tonight but did not have peanuts so used pecans and they were so yummy!
Susie Williams
0I don’t have a Food processor can I use a hand mixer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susie, Yes that will work fine. I have tips in the post above for how to do it with a hand mixer.
Beatrice Spencer
0Have made these cookies and the result was very nice and such a relief to have a cookie with my coffee. But the mixture was very wet had a job to make mound of dough and was very difficult to flatten couldn’t use fork at all. Why was my dough so wet.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beatrice, Did you use natural peanut butter? Sometimes natural peanut butter can be very oily. Be sure to mix in all the oils before measuring any natural nut butter.
Beatrice Spencer
0My mixture/dough was very wet. Too wet to shape/flatten and couldn’t use the form fork cross cross effect as mixture broke up and stuck to fork.
I wish I knew how much your new book is as I can’t order without a price my budget is very limiting but I do use your free recipes all the time just waiting for cookies to come out of oven. Wait over reduction very nice but mine not crisp when cold they were hard.
Judy Cocke
0Delicious cookie!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beatrice,
This can happen if your peanut butter is too thin/runny. A “creamy peanut butter” will set better in the cookies, but they tend to have a small amount of sugar in them. If you use a natural peanut butter, make sure to stir very well. You can chill the cookie dough if it’s still not firm enough.
Thank you so much for your interest in my book! The retailers set the prices and they vary. You can see all of them here – just tap through on each retailer to see the current price.
Sharon Strickland
0I loved these cookies. I tried your brownie recipe and was a little apprehensive about trying this recipe. But I am so glad I did.
Anita B.
0Can you post in the recipe how many cookies this batch will make? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Anita, you can see in the recipe card — it makes 27 two-inch cookies.
Rashaunda
0Came out oily with burnt edges at 15 minutes.
Eileen
0Could you add lilys chocolate chips to this? Would it affect how it comes out
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Eileen, Yes, you can!
Marie Gattas
0LOVE THESE COOKIES!!! THE WHOLE FAMILY LOVED THEM
THANKS FOR THE RECIPE…DEFINITELY A KEEPER 😉
Lynard Burt
0What if I used Smucker’s Natural “Chunky” Peanut Butter and with extra nuts?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Lynard, I have not tried the recipe this way. If you try it, be sure to let me know how it turns out.
Julie
0Ok, so I used a non-separating, natural pb. The dough was quite oily. In my experience, using pb or freshly ground nut butter is best. If I wanted to make this recipe without nuts, I would definitely add PB2 to firm it up and give it something to soak up the oil. I already knew that’s why you added the nuts 🙂 Mine came out fabulous, no pools of oil….. Usually, when I use recipes for keto, etc, the stuff I make comes out pretty good but, I am usually the one with the flop 🙂 I also made the nice cream….I love that stuff!
Laurie
0Hi, I only have powdered sweetener. Will that work? Would it be the same amount as granulated?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Laurie, it depends on the sweetener. Powdered erythritol should still work, but the amount will be less. Powdered stevia or monk fruit would change the consistency too much. Use my sweetener conversion calculator to get a more exact measurement for the sweetener you’re using.
Janice
0The natural peanut butter I used let off a lot of oil and I think it affected the recipe. It was dripping from my hands when I rolled the cookies and pooled on my cookie sheets when I baked them. I’ll try again with a different brand of peanut butter.
Karen Leonard
0Question can you make it with out the peanuts and just use creamy peanut butter?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Yes, you can, but they are more crunchy with the peanut pieces.
Patricia Gallant
0l do not have a food processor. Can I make the cookie recipes with a hand held mixer instead? I have several attachments.
Susie Williams
0I seen you asked the same question last year that I asked this year ,did you make the cookies with your hand mixer and how did you like them?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Patricia, Yes, you should be able to use a hand mixer instead.
Anna
0Do any Long Island ,NY stores carry erythritol? Maybe Costco or Samsclub?
Kelly A Finkelstein
0You can use Stevia, it’s another natural sweetener. I get the Navy brand of Stevia sweetener and it actually HAS Erythritol in it!! In some recipes, it calls for confectioners Erythritol and I made my own pulverizing the granulated Truvia. I made some Choco Chip cookies and they came out fine.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Anna, I have not seen it at warehouse clubs. I have a link to where I buy it online on the recipe card above.
Robyn Cerone
0Can I use egg whites only to cut the fat a bit too?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Robyn, I haven’t tried that, but they might be dry or rubbery.
Amber
0So for the sweetener I had Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener Classic – blend of erythritol and monk fruit extract. The raw dough tasted okay but not very sweet. After baking, the cookies were not even edible. I’m just mad i wasted a cup and one fourth of peanut butter!!!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amber, that happened because Lakanto has a higher sweetness level than plain erythritol. Check my sweetener conversion calculator for more guidance.
Stephanie
0I love this sweetener. Only thing to ever get me away from sugar.
Jessica
0I used almond butter. Excellent recipe!
Laurie
0Hi. Just tried your recipe. Followed it to the letter. Used a good name-brand peanut butter that is very firm. All went well with mixing. While they baked, I could smell the peanut butter. Opened the over after 15 minutes and there was oil all around the cookies. I tried one and the pb flavor is almost gone. I think the oil seeped out. I’ll try again using oatmeal, see how that does.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Laurie, sorry to hear it didn’t work out. Since these are flourless cookies, extra oil is more likely. Make sure your batter is cool and you use a cookie scoop instead of your hands to keep the oil under control.
Shashi
0These would be perfect for the afternoon slump!
Kim
0I love this healthy treat idea! So nutritious and tasty too!