Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It Now- Why You’ll Love This Low Carb Keto Cookies Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Keto Cream Cheese Cookies
- Tips For The Best Keto Cookies
- Variations
- Storage Instructions
- More Keto Cookie Recipes
- Tools To Make Low Carb Cookies
- Low Carb Keto Cookies (1.7g Net Carbs!) Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
These keto cream cheese cookies are the keto cookies recipe that everyone at the table loves! With a few simple ingredients and kitchen tools, I’ll show you how to make the best delicate and buttery low carb cookies fit for any occasion — all with minutes of prep. Plus, get my top tips for helping your keto cookies bake perfectly every time!
Cream cheese makes great desserts (low carb cheesecake is my most popular!) and adds delicious tang to breakfasts, like cream cheese pancakes. To make a keto cookie recipe with cream cheese, though, I took inspiration from my keto shortbread cookies and made a few tweaks to give them more structure and complex flavor. These are perfect for holidays or anytime you need a little treat in your day.
Why You’ll Love This Low Carb Keto Cookies Recipe
- Subtle buttery and tangy flavor
- Soft centers with light, crisp edges
- Uses basic keto diet pantry staples
- 1 bowl and no special equipment needed
- Naturally gluten-free with no wheat flour
- 10 minutes prep
- 1.7 grams of net carbs per cookie
- Quick keto dessert that everyone loves with tea, coffee, or on a holiday cookie tray!
For a soft, chewy consistency and buttery flavor, these cream cheese keto cookies depend on two key ingredients: Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend and Wholesome Yum Almond Flour. Unlike other sugar substitutes that can make cookies brittle or give them an aftertaste, this one helps them bake up soft and taste just as sweet as regular cookies — all with 0 grams net carbs and no added sugar. Combine with this finely ground almond flour, and you get low carb sugar free cookies with perfect taste and texture!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for easy keto cream cheese cookies, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Butter – I prefer grass-fed butter in my low carb cookie recipes, but any unsalted variety will work. Make sure it is softened. Butter flavored coconut oil might work as a substitute to reduce dairy, but I haven’t tried it.
- Cream Cheese – A full-fat one adds the most flavor, but any plain kind should work. Soften it to room temperature, so it mixes easily. A dairy-free cream cheese should also work if needed.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The secret to making chewy, mouthwatering keto friendly cookies without any sugar! If you’re craving a subtle brown sugar flavor in these low carb cookies, you can substitute a few tablespoons of Besti with Besti Brown instead. Other keto sugar substitutes may work, but the cookies will be more dry and can have an aftertaste. (In fact, some older comments complain about dryness, because this recipe used to use erythritol — this issue is fixed if you use Besti.) If you still want to substitute, check this sweeteners conversion calculator to get the correct amounts.
- Egg – Use a whole, large egg. Warm it to room temperature to help it combine easily with the cream cheese. A flax egg would probably work as an egg substitute, but I haven’t tried it.
- Vanilla Extract – A classic flavor addition to conventional and keto friendly cookies.
- Sea Salt – Helps round out the sweet flavor in keto cookies recipes.
- Sour Cream – A not-so-secret ingredient that adds an extra pop of flavor and moisture to this keto cookie recipe. It’s optional, but makes a huge difference in the texture.
- Wholesome Yum Almond Flour – A fine grind compared to other almond flours helps make this keto cookies recipe bake up perfectly — never mushy or gritty.
How To Make Keto Cream Cheese Cookies
This section shows how to make low carb cookies, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Cream butter, cream cheese, and Besti. With a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and Besti together in a large mixing bowl until pale yellow and fluffy.
- Add other wet ingredients. Add vanilla, salt, egg, and sour cream (if using), adding gradually and beating in between ingredients.
- Add almond flour. Beat until a soft dough forms.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to spoon keto cream cheese cookie dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
- Bake. Cook in a 350 degree F oven until low carb cookies are golden.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool completely before moving them. Dust the finished keto cookies with powdered Besti, if desired.
Tips For The Best Keto Cookies
You can see that this keto cookies recipe is pretty straightforward, but here are a few tips for a great result:
- Bring ingredients to room temperature. Otherwise, they’ll be too hard to mix together and make a lumpy dough.
- Use a cookie scoop. The dough is very soft and fairly sticky, so a cookie scoop is easier than a spoon or using your hands. It also ensures that the cookies are uniform in size, so that they’ll cook evenly.
- Flatten the cookies. Keto cookies do not flatten or spread very much the way regular cookies with wheat flour would. So, make sure you flatten them to the right thickness before baking. Also, since they don’t spread a lot, having the cookies about 1 to 1.5 inches apart is sufficient.
- Account for wet dough if needed. If the dough is too wet and sticky to flatten easily, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. It can also help to wet your hands to flatten, which will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Variations
- Chocolate Chips – You can fold them right into the batter, dip half of each baked keto cookie in melted chocolate, or add a melted chocolate drizzle at the end. This is my favorite brand of keto dark chocolate chips.
- Flavor Extracts – I used classic vanilla, but you can also try other flavors.
- Citrus – Add a little lemon or orange zest to the dough.
- Frosting – Spread cooled cookies with keto cream cheese frosting (and top with sugar-free sprinkles if you like!).
- Caramel – Add a drizzle of sugar-free caramel syrup and set in the fridge to harden. (You’ll want to eat them cold to keep the caramel firm.)
Storage Instructions
- Store: Cover low carb cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or up to a week in the fridge.
- Meal prep: You can make the dough ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. If using frozen dough, thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before scooping.
- Freeze: Place the keto cookie recipe in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Keto Cookie Recipes
If you like a quick and easy keto cookies that fit your macros, you’ll love these other popular low carb cookie recipes:
Tools To Make Low Carb Cookies
- Hand Mixer – This one is really powerful and I love the convenient storage.
- Cookie Scoop – A cookie scoop ensures that the keto cookies bake evenly. This one is the perfect size for this recipe.
- Baking Sheet – This one is sturdy and will last a long time.
Low Carb Keto Cookies (1.7g Net Carbs!)
Sweet, buttery low carb cream cheese cookies are one of the best keto cookies recipes! They're fast, easy, and need just 6 ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sweetener, until it's fluffy and light in color.
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Beat in the vanilla extract, salt and egg. Beat in sour cream, if using (optional).
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Beat in the almond flour, 1/2 cup (64 g) at a time. The dough will be soft. If it sticks to your hands when you touch it, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp, 22 mL volume) to scoop balls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten with your palm.
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Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Allow to cool completely in the pan before handling (cookies will firm up as they cool, but are intended to be soft).
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.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cookie
Nutrition info does not include optional sour cream.
If you prefer to buy pre-made cookies, these are delicious!
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
706 Comments
Sam
0These were the first keto cookies I made. I have tried other recipes since, but haven’t found one yet that tastes as good as this one. They are good with peanut butter added as well.
Beth
0I was wondering if you can substitue stevia for the erythritol in this recipe? If so what would be the equivalent measurement for it? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beth, I wouldn’t recommend that because it would change the texture of the cookies. Check my sweetener conversion calculator for more info on why these two aren’t usually interchangeable.
Edie-Beth Collova
015 min without looking browned my first batch too much but on my 2nd, I did just 10 minutes and added sugar free chocolate chips and sprinkled stevia on top (I went with the lower sweetener amount and regretted it!) I’m not a sweetaholic by any means but I definitely recommend adding the full 3/4 cup. The 1/2 cup result was not sweet at all to me.
Anyway, the finished product the 2nd time around was nice and I’ll enjoying having on hand to pair with my MCT coffee.
Ts
0How many cookies does this recipe make? My batch turned out 14 cookies which, according to my carb manager recipe building app, turned out to be 9 net carbs per cookie!!! I followed the recipe exactly. I should have checked before I ate one since I only eat 13/day. Eek.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ts, this recipe yields 24 cookies.
Yaz
0Hello Dear
Is it okay to keep the cookies at room temperature ?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Yaz, you can store at room temperature for a day or two. Anything longer than that and they should go in the fridge.
Wendy
0I am looking for a cookie that is NOT hard and crunchy. Any ideas?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Wendy, you might like my chocolate chip peanut butter protein cookies. My classic chocolate chip cookies also have a nice balance of crispy and chewy textures.
Lindsay Horner
0I don’t know what everyone is raving about. I was excited to try these because of all the positive comments. I followed the recipe to a T, maybe didn’t flatten them out enough. They tasted very bland.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lindsay, I’m sorry to hear about that. Some people have had success adding cinnamon or cocoa powder to their cookie dough, so you may want to try that next time for more flavor.
Paula
0I followed the recipe to the letter and they were delicious and crispy. The best low carb desert I’ve tried so far. I will be making these over and over. I can’t understand the comments that said they weren’t crispy. Thanks.
Natasha
0I saw this on IG and I’m going to try them tonight. They look amazing, but my question is how many cookies in a serving?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Natasha, the serving size is one 2-inch cookie. You can see the full nutritional breakdown on the recipe card.
Patti
0I made this recipe and they were delicious. I let mine bake just a bit longer than recommended and had no problems with crumbling. I also find that many keto baking recipes don’t seem done with the time specified. That said…what is the nutritional value to almond keto cookies? Can’t find a breakdown anywhere. These cookies are so good they make it easy to stay on keto!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Patti, you can find complete nutritional facts for this recipe (and all my recipes) on the recipe card, right below the walkthrough video.
Shirley
0Hi! I just give it a try and it was almost perfect! My cookies weren’t moist enough, just not sure why.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shirley, did you use finely ground blanched almond flour? Sometimes the coarseness can affect the moisture. Glad to hear you liked them!
Tonya
0Hey, can I save the mix in refrigerator to make the next day?
Wholesome Yum
0That should work, Tonya. Make sure it’s tightly covered when you chill it.
Hafizah
0Hi if I convert erythritol to 1/3 cup Lakanto, do i have to make adjustments for other ingredients? And how long do I leave the cookies to cool off?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hafizah, check my sweetener conversion chart. You’ll still want to let the cookies cool completely before handling them.
Erika
0I love the cookies, Made them a few times, I just use coconut oil and monk fruit mix. The only question I have is can I freeze them and for how long? Thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Erika, Yes, you can freeze them! They’ll last 4 to 6 months frozen.
Danilo Alvarez
0I follow the recipe all the way and when the cookies where 12 minutes on the oven and I checked they where already burn, what seems to be the problem?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Danilo, Each oven is a bit different so I recommend checking earlier just in case. It will also vary depending on how thin you flatten the cookies.
Mary R
0Very good. I added some lemon juice, since I had a lemon, and that was a very good add. With the additional liquid they did not turn out very crispy, still very good. I want to try these again, but with lemon zest instead of juice, and flatten a little more before baking. Thanks for the recipe!
Rosalyn Hall
0Okay, I did not read the comments down far enough, so I used all coconut flour and the does is too crumbled it will not hold shape. What can I add to make thicker to hold together
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rosalyn, Sorry, I don’t recommend this recipe with coconut flour. You might like my coconut flour cookies instead.
Norma Norman
0Can I substitute eryrithrtol with stevia?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Norma, this sweetener guide and conversion chart might help.
Brandi
0I love these cookies! Can I freeze them?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Brandi, I haven’t tried that. Let me know if you do and how they held up.
Pooja
0The cookies turned out yum but were not crisp. Wondering where I went wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Pooja, They were either too thick or didn’t bake for long enough. I’m glad you liked the taste.
Rita N Shatley
0Do you have a hard copy book with these recipes in it?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rita, check out my upcoming hardcover cookbook!
Tai
0How would using a whole egg instead of and egg white impact the recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tai, It would change the ratio so they might be too egg-y.
Chris Sholl
0Can I use Swerve?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chris, Yes, you can. Check the low carb sweetener conversion calculator.
Tiffany
0I just wanted to try this recipe so I cut it in half and I added a 1/2 cup of Swerve instead of 1/4 cup. In my brief experience more Swerve makes Keto desserts sweet enough for my taste. The batter was on point! I prefer chewy over crispy sometimes, but I see now that I can adjust the thickness according to my mood and watch the amount of time I bake them to achieve the desired texture. Thank you! Awesome cookie. I will bake them again!
Sheila
0These cookies have become to be one of my favorite to make out other than chocolate chip. The first time I made them I couldn’t stop eating them. I did add 4 oz. of cream cheese instead of 2 oz. to have more of a cream cheese taste; it didn’t affect the baking quality of the cookies. Next time when I make them I will try it with chopped pecans on top or drizzle some melted Lilly’s chocolate on top. If you are on the fence don’t be; make these cookies, they will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Holly
0Hi, do these have the “cooling effect”/cold taste from the erythriol?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Holly, I don’t really detect it, but you could use a sweetener blend if you’re sensitive to pure erythritol.
Cindy Rivera
0Can you use coconut flour instead of almond flour
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cindy, No, sorry, this recipe is for almond flour only.
Eileen
0Hi! So I baked this recipe on point. It’s just lack taste and cheese flavor. If I would adjust on the Splenda I used how many per recipe and the cream cheese it was 2oz per recipe. Thank you!
Joe
0Very good. Your net carbs however are incorrect. I plugged your recipe into Carb Manager and they are actually 4 net each serving not 2. All your other nutritional values were pretty close.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Joe, The nutrition info comes from the USDA and is correct. Most likely there was some difference in the ingredient referenced in the app you used. I’m glad you like the cookies.
Eileen
0Hi! I followed the recipe it was great. My question is can I add something to make it a little sweeter? Can I adjust the Splenda I used? I was afraid to add because I wanted to follow the recipe on point. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Eileen, I’m glad you liked them. You can add a little more sweetener, but not too much more so that it doesn’t change the consistency of the cookies. You could also try drizzling or dipping them in (sweet) sugar-free chocolate if you want more sweetness.
Greg C
0Great recipe. I used a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil rather than butter and baked them for 20 minutes at 350. To squish them down, I used the bottom of a jar covered in plastic so they separate quickly.
DaisyQ
0I love your posts but did not like these cookies. It may have been my almond flour but I just did not find them too be to my liking. Next time I am going to use a blend of flour a including coconut. I did add my own touch to them that my husband liked…brushing the tops with all natural unsweetened peanut butter gave them a nice top.
Nicole
0Great recipe! I swapped out 3c of almond flour (I doubled the recipe) for 3/4-1c of coconut flour…. just to give the cookies a hint of coconut flavor. Turned out great! I used Swerve and there’s not weird aftertaste!
Kim Stepney
0Delicious, golden cookies with great flavour, easy to make.
Jonas
0Maya, I have to thank you for your great recipes and thorough tips. I baked these in two batches, left the second in the convection oven a little longer, and was very pleased with the taste (and texture) with those deep amber cookies. No surprise with the science there, but the intensity of flavor far surpassed the “light golden” batch (all caveats about crossing the burn line apply, of course).
Thanks again!
Marissa
0There cookies are AMAZING!!! So moist and delicious. I followed the recipe as is. I used granulated swerve and powdered. They tasted amazing. Perfect Keto Cookies.
Maria Ferrell
0I cant find the amount of each ingredient to use for these cookies. Cream cheese cookies.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Maria, The ingredient amounts are on the recipe card above. They don’t work in Safari reading mode, so you’d need to turn that off if you have it on your device.
Sheila
0I did not have almond flour on hand. I did have, though, plenty of flaxseed. I put it in my coffee grinder to get a finer consistency. I also added 1/4 tsp almond extract. I have to say that I was very pleased with the outcome. I will buy almond flour for my next batch to see what the difference will be.
Jamie
0Have been craving sweets and this fulfilled the crave! I accidentally added the entire block of cream cheese (I shouldn’t multitask when baking, lol) I added half almond and half vanilla of the extract. I also substituted a tiny bit of the sugar for brown sugar and used slightly less than 1/2 cup for both sugars combined. The comment of sugar-free jelly on top was the best advice. My cookies did have an almond taste and not overly sweet (just how I wanted them) I had trouble flattening them until I plopped a ball of batter down put saran wrap on top and flattened w my spatula; worked perfectly! Thank you for an amazing recipe that cures that sweet tooth. My new go-to recipe 🙂
Patricia
0I made these with non-blanched flour and an extra oz of cream cheese (just because I did not want it to go to waste). They were perfect! I could taste a hint of cream cheese, not too soft or hard.
Thank you
Matthew Murray
0These were just ok. I would do much less sweetener next time and add some cocoa nibs for texture. They did not spread at all, so make them the shape you want the final cookie. My flour said super fine, but I think it was not blanched because the cookies looked like peanut butter cookies.
Sylvie Carey
0Great recipe. Next time will add unsweetened coconut or walnuts or chocolate chips
Robyn
0Can you use stevia instead of the erythritol?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Robyn, I don’t recommend pure stevia for this recipe (too concentrated), but a stevia blend would be okay. Check the low carb sweetener conversion calculator here for the amount.
Ashley
0Great recipe! I only had a cup of almond flour and added substituted a half cup of coconut flour for the remainder. My cookies came out a little more cakey. This is due to me not flattening my cookie. Other than that, I think the recipe is great. It’s definitely one to use for what’s in your house as opposed to going to the store buy each ingredient.
Mya
0I am allergic to almond. Can I coconut flour instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mya, You can try sunflower seed meal or sesame flour instead of almond flour. I don’t recommend all coconut flour, it’s very drying and you’d need a totally different recipe for it to work.
Cheryl Hatletvedt
0Can I use coconut flour instead of Amond flour?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cheryl, No, sorry, they work completely differently.
Lisa Lobdell
0I’m baking these now. Instead of vanilla, I used 2.5 teaspoons of almond extract and topped them with slivered almonds. The second batch is an experiment. I made thumbprints and filled them with a cherry almond preserve I bought last fall in Michigan. Not quite keto, but a welcome change on the coldest day of the year.
Amber
0I really liked this recipe. Simple, and I had all of the ingredients. The batter did taste kind of almondy, so I added some cherry flavoring for a contrast. I also made a topping of cinnamon “sugar”.
Kathleen
0Can I take any cookie recipe and just use almond flour and eryithrol changes?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathleen, No, not any recipe. Unless you develop recipes with these all the time, I recommend sticking to recipes that are developed with them specifically. If you have a recipe request, you can use the link at the bottom of this page to request it!
Raquel Gallant
0I love these cookies! I made them for myself, but my husband who is not on a Keto diet loves them too!
This is my first Keto dessert and I am so glad I picked this recipe. So easy !!!
Shana Heise
0Oh my god! Been on the keto for a week and came across this recipe today so went out and bought all the ingredients (after I researched what erythritol was :P) and just baked them! So good! I made mine a bit too large so the inside is soft but that’s not such a bad thing! Next time I will just make them smaller 🙂 thanks!