These keto peanut butter cookies are a dream come true for anyone following a low-carb or ketogenic diet. Ultra-soft, chewy, and incredibly easy to make, this recipe requires just a few basic ingredients and no flour or sugar! You might just find yourself with a new favorite cookie recipe.
Since this recipe is egg-free, you can safely sample the raw cookie dough. For those who prefer a no-bake option, simply skip the baking step altogether!
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe offers a fantastic alternative to traditional peanut butter cookies, allowing you to indulge in a sweet treat without derailing your keto goals.
Here's what makes these cookies so great:
- Quick and Easy: Ready in minutes with minimal effort.
- Flourless and Sugar-Free: Perfect for keto, gluten-free, and grain-free diets.
- Customizable: Easily adaptable with different nut butter and mix-ins.
- Delicious Texture: Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's a breakdown of the key ingredients:
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- Peanut Butter: Smooth, drippy, and sugar-free peanut butter is essential. Always check the label for hidden sugars, even in "all-natural" varieties. If you don't want to or cannot eat peanut butter, you can use almond butter in this recipe. Just make sure you choose a low carb variety (check for hidden honey, etc) and make sure it is a thick almond butter. You do not want to use a runny nut butter in this recipe as it will result in flatter cookies. Simply look for another nut butter you want to use that resembles the thickness and texture of traditional peanut butter and you will be just fine.
- Keto Sweetener: Powdered erythritol or a monk fruit erythritol blend work best for sugar-free cookies. Regular powdered sugar can be used if you're not concerned about the carb content. I like using allulose, but monk fruit sweetener or any granulated sugar substitute can be used. I don’t recommend using erythritol as it is super grainy and has a strange aftertaste. Swerves erythritol is ground much finer than most erythritols which makes baking a lot simpler because erythritol is a bit more difficult to dissolve in water than regular table sugar. The finer grind of the sweetener makes it blend into the keto peanut butter cookie batter well.
- Almond Flour: While technically optional, almond flour adds texture and depth of flavor to the cookies. If you don’t have it on hand, the cookies will do without it.
- Egg: The recipe has not been tested with egg alternatives, but a flax egg should work.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor and adds a fluffier texture (optional). Be sure to read the label and make sure the vanilla extract you are using is sugar-free.
- Optional Add-ins: Sugar-free chocolate chips, sea salt flakes, or chopped nuts can be added for extra flavor and texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to create your own batch of keto peanut butter cookies:
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Or Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.Line a large baking tray with parchment paper or prepare a Silpat cookie sheet.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl, stir dry ingredients very well to ensure that the salt, sweetener, and baking soda are evenly incorporated.
- Add wet ingredients: If not already easily stir-able, gently heat nut butter until runny. Stir in the nut butter and milk of choice to form a dough. Or Add the peanut butter, softened butter, sweetener and egg to a mixing bowl. Mix together until incorporated.Sprinkle the almond flour on top. Use a rubber spatula to fold it in.
- Shape the cookies: Roll into cookie dough balls, place on the prepared baking sheet, and press down with a spoon or fork. Next, use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop out portions of the dough and place them on a lined baking sheet or silicone baking mat. Cross each ball of dough with a fork to form a criss-cross shape. Form 12 balls with the dough. Add them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a fork to press down on the balls and form the criss-cross pattern
- Bake: Bake on the oven’s center rack for 10 minutes. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until just firm around the edges.The cookies should still be underbaked and delicate when you remove the tray from the oven. Take out when still undercooked. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before eating them. They need time to set up properly.
- Cool and Enjoy: Remove from the oven and let cool completely. If desired, drizzle in chocolate and peanuts.
Tips for the Perfect Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
- Don't Overbake: The cookies should be slightly underbaked when removed from the oven, as they will continue to set as they cool.
- Use a Silicone Baking Mat: A silicone baking mat ensures that the cookies don't stick and bake evenly.
- Add a Pinch of Salt: Top with sea salt to really bring the cookies to life!
- Chill the Dough: For firmer cookies, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Chocolate Chip: Add sugar-free dark chocolate chips to the dough for a chocolatey twist.
- Nut Butter Variety: Experiment with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
- Cinnamon Spice: Add a dash of cinnamon to the dough for a warm, comforting flavor.
Storing Your Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
- Room Temperature: Store peanut butter cookies in a sealed container at room temperature. They will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks. Leftover cookies can be stored in a plastic container for soft and chewy cookies or in a glass container for crispy cookies. Store these cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days, making these cookies great for low carb meal prep! Or *To store: cover in an air-tight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Place cookies in parchment paper and place them in a ziplock bag or shallow container. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Place cookies in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in an air tight freezer safe container.
Nutritional Information
Each cookie is about 3 net carbs each. If you eat a single cookie, you will take in 147 calories and 2 grams of net carbs. There are just 3 grams net carbs in keto peanut butter cookies.
We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people.
Are Peanuts Keto-Friendly?
This is considered somewhat of a controversial ingredient. Some people consider peanuts and peanut butter off limits on keto, some don’t. Carbs and sugar are the two big culprits in a keto diet. Natural and sugar-free peanut butter is suitable for a low-carb diet. Per two-tablespoon serving, there are just 3 grams of net carbs. Any peanut butter with no added sugar, or flavorings in them is suitable for a keto diet. Peanut butter is keto-friendly. It has a large amount of protein and fat with limited net carbs.
Other Keto Peanut Butter Dessert Ideas
If you love peanut butter desserts, you are in luck. This recipe for keto peanut butter chocolate ice cream lets you easily make keto ice cream at home. I use Frappaketo Peanut Butter & Cacao Cream ketogenic blend and just a few ingredients. I include tips to make this dairy-free. Churned in under 30 minutes.
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