Keto Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published June 20, 2019 • Updated July 20, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
I accidentally invented these while making butter bars, and they turned out to be the chewiest almond flour chocolate chip cookies I've ever baked. 3.2g net carbs for two cookies, 9 ingredients, zero grainy texture.
I came up with this recipe completely by accident. I was making my keto butter bars and added too much almond flour to the batch. Instead of tossing it, I mixed in an egg, baking powder, and a handful of sugar-free chips. The first batch came out soft, chewy, and sweet without that grainy texture most low carb cookies have. That was back in 2018, and I’ve been making these keto chocolate chip cookies weekly ever since.
These are the only cookies I’ve made that a brand wanted on their packaging. ChocZero put this exact recipe on the back of their bag. Not a sponsored deal. They baked them, liked them, and asked to feature the recipe. That’s still one of my proudest moments as a recipe creator.
The secret I figured out early on is heavy cream. Just two tablespoons dilutes the off-flavors from the nut flour and sweetener, and it gives these cookies a tenderness that mimics real butter cookies. I’ve tested them without the cream and the difference is obvious (grainier, drier, less forgiving).
The whole recipe uses just 9 simple ingredients and comes together in about an hour including chill time. If you want something even simpler, my 3-ingredient almond flour cookies are a good starting point. For a version with slightly different macros, I also have a 1.2g net carb version that uses both almond and coconut flour. And if you only need one cookie right now, there’s my single serve version that’s ready in 15 minutes.
I make these for Friday dessert night at our house. My kids don’t know they’re sugar-free (they don’t care about that), they just know the cookies are soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. If you’re looking for more keto baking projects, try my keto shortbread cookies or keto peanut butter cookies.
How to make these almond flour cookies
Mix dry ingredients first (almond flour, baking powder, salt), cream the butter and sweetener, then combine everything with egg, heavy cream, and vanilla before folding in the chips. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes before baking. I press each ball to about 3/4 inch thick on a parchment-lined sheet. If you want to try an air fryer method, I have a dedicated air fryer version with adjusted times.
Key ingredients
- Almond flour: The base of the whole cookie. If you need to use coconut flour, try 2/3 to 3/4 cup instead, but the texture will be different (drier, more crumbly).
- Baking powder: Gives these cookies their slight puff. I use baking powder, not baking soda. Baking soda makes them flatter and crispier, which isn’t what I’m going for.
- Butter: Real butter, softened. Margarine has more water and will make your cookies spread and flatten. I’ve tested both.
- Sweetener: Any sugar-free sweetener that measures 1:1 like sugar. I use an erythritol monkfruit blend. Brown sugar subs work too and add a slight molasses depth.
- Heavy cream: The secret weapon. Two tablespoons dilutes the graininess from almond flour and off-flavors from the sweetener. Most recipes skip this, and you can taste the difference.
- Sugar-free chips: I recommend ChocZero (monkfruit sweetened) or Lily’s. No access to keto chips? Use a 90% dark bar cut into chunks.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour -
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-
1/4 teaspoon salt
-
1/3 cup butter, softened
-
3/4 cup sugar-free sweetener
-
1 egg
-
2 tablespoons heavy cream
-
1 teaspoon vanilla
-
3.5 oz keto approved chocolate chips
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Mix dry ingredients
In a small bowl, whisk almond flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
Cream wet ingredients
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar substitute. Beat in egg and mix in heavy cream and vanilla.
Make cookie dough
Slowly sprinkle in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once combined mix in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate
Scoop into 1 inch balls, flatten and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake
Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. Bake until edges start to brown. Let rest on a baking tray for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Your Macros. Your Recipes. Calculated in 60 Seconds.
Get personalized keto macros and instantly see which recipes fit your targets. No more guessing what to eat.
Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Is a serving 1 cookie or 2?
A serving is 2 cookies, and the recipe makes 13 servings (26 cookies total). I know the nutrition card trips people up because it shows '13 servings' and readers think that means 13 cookies. Each serving of 2 cookies has 3.2g net carbs and 183 calories. If you're tracking per cookie, just cut those numbers in half.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I wouldn't. Almond flour is what gives these cookies their chewy texture. Coconut flour absorbs way more liquid, so you'd need to completely rework the ratios (about 2/3 cup coconut flour plus extra egg and cream). At that point you're making a different cookie. I've tested it and the result is drier and more crumbly. Stick with almond flour for this one.
Why did my cookies crumble?
You probably moved them too soon. These cookies are super soft when they first come out of the oven and they need to cool completely on the baking sheet before you touch them. I give mine a good 15 to 20 minutes. If they still crumble after cooling, double check that you didn't skip the egg.
Why did my cookies spread too thin?
Two things: warm dough or margarine. Always refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking so the butter firms back up. And use real butter, not margarine. I've tested with margarine and the extra water content makes cookies flatten out every time.
How long do these cookies last?
About a week in an airtight container on the counter. They do dry out faster than regular cookies because sugar-free sweeteners don't hold moisture the same way sugar does. I've also frozen them for up to 3 months and they reheat well. Just layer parchment paper between them so they don't stick together.
What sweetener works best?
I use an erythritol monkfruit blend because it measures 1:1 like sugar and doesn't have that cooling aftertaste you get with straight erythritol. Allulose also works great and gives a slightly chewier texture. If your brand is super concentrated (like pure monk fruit powder), you'll need way less. Reader Richard asked about WHYZ Organic Monk Fruit powder, and at 1/8 teaspoon per teaspoon of sugar, you'd use about 4.5 teaspoons instead of 3/4 cup. Always check your brand's conversion ratio.
Can I make these dairy-free?
I haven't tested a fully dairy-free batch myself, but I've had readers swap coconut oil for butter and coconut cream for heavy cream with decent results. The texture is slightly different (less crispy on the edges, a bit more dense in the middle), but it works. Use refined coconut oil so you don't end up with a coconut flavor in the cookies.
Are these diabetic-friendly?
I can't give medical advice, but these are low carb and sugar-free, which is why a lot of my readers with diabetes bake them regularly. Each serving of 2 cookies has 3.2g net carbs and uses erythritol or monkfruit sweetener, which doesn't spike blood sugar the way regular sugar does. I'd still check with your doctor on how they fit your specific plan.
Are these the best keto cookies to start with?
If you're new to keto baking, this is the recipe I'd hand you first. I've baked dozens of keto cookies over the years and this almond flour version is the one I keep coming back to, mostly because the two tablespoons of heavy cream kill the grainy, sandy texture that ruins most low carb baking. Two cookies land at 3.2g net carbs, so they fit almost any day. Once you've got these down, I'd branch out to my almond flour cookies for something simpler, or my peanut butter cookies when you want a different flavor.
What if I don't have time to chill the dough?
I chill mine for the flavor and the thicker shape, but I've done the rushed version plenty of times. Press the dough balls flat and pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes instead of the fridge for 30, and they firm up enough to hold their shape. If I want to skip the oven wait entirely, I make them in my air fryer version, which needs less chill time. The one thing I won't do is bake straight from a warm bowl. That's when they spread into thin, lacy discs.
Can I make these nut-free?
Yes, and I get this question a lot from readers with tree nut allergies. Swap the almond flour for sunflower seed flour at a 1:1 ratio. I also add about a teaspoon of lemon juice to the wet ingredients, because sunflower seed flour can turn faintly green when it reacts with baking powder, and the acid keeps the color normal. The texture comes out close to the almond flour version, maybe a touch softer. It's the only nut-free swap I've had readers report real success with.
What other keto cookies can I make from this dough?
I treat this base as the jumping-off point for a bunch of my other keto cookie recipes. For a mint version I add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and use dark chips. For white chocolate macadamia, I swap in sugar-free white chips and a handful of chopped macadamias. Toasted pecans or walnuts folded in give you a loaded, bakery-style cookie. I keep the base dough exactly the same and just change the mix-ins, so any of these come together the same way the original does.
Gave up on keto cookies a while back, so expectations were low. Two bites in and I went back to check the carbs, 3.2 per two still doesn't feel real. More salt next time, but I'm not complaining.
Tom, that salt instinct is right. I press flaky salt on top right before they go in, the little crunch against the chocolate is worth it. Or just bump the dough by another 1/4 tsp.
I've been doing everything in the air fryer this summer because my kitchen turns into a sauna the second I run the oven (even 20 minutes at 350 and the whole house feels it). These cookies have been on my list for weeks. Finally doing it. Any idea if an air fryer works here, and would I still need to refrigerate the dough first or does that step matter less without the oven?
Paige, I haven't done these in the air fryer yet but I'd try 300 and check at 8 minutes. The circulating air runs hot and they overbrown fast, you don't get the same visual cues as a regular oven. Chilling still matters, maybe more so. The butter needs to be cold going in or they'll spread before they set. Full 30 in the fridge, longer if your dough warmed up while scooping.
Mine came out a little flat but the flavor was good. Will try chilling the dough next time.
Chilling is the fix. I do at least 30 minutes, longer if your kitchen is warm. The other thing that makes them spread is margarine, if you used that instead of real butter the extra water works against you even with cold dough.
Dough balls freeze better than I expected from an almond flour recipe. I've been keeping a bag since early spring, pulling four or five at a time and baking straight from frozen at 350 with four extra minutes. The texture holds because the heavy cream and butter lock in the fat structure through the freeze, which most grain-free doughs can't do. I do one session every few weeks now, roll the whole batch, press flat on a sheet, then bag once they're frozen solid. Four stars because I learned the hard way that the press before freezing matters more than it looks. Skipped it once and they domed badly. Still chewable, not the same spread. The original recipe calls for chilling the dough, which already tells you these can handle cold, so the freezer step isn't much of a stretch.
Heavy cream is what most keto cookie recipes skip, and it's why the texture here actually works. Most just go egg and butter, and you end up with something that spreads flat or crumbles apart. Two tablespoons. Sounds like nothing, but it completely changes how the dough holds. I'd probably dial the sweetener back a bit, but the chew is better than anything I've made with almond flour.
Lakshmi, depends on the brand. I use an erythritol monkfruit blend that measures 1:1, and 3/4 cup is right for that. Something more concentrated and backing off to 1/2 cup makes sense.
Baked a batch of these on Saturday after we got back from the pool (last thing I wanted was to heat up the kitchen, and yet). My daughter has this thing where she picks the chocolate chips out of regular cookies. Ate two of these without removing a single one, then told me the cookie part 'actually tastes like something.' Coming from a nine-year-old who usually treats cookies as a chocolate chip delivery system, that was the real review. Four stars instead of five because I overbaked my first batch, but that's on me.
'The cookie part actually tastes like something' from a nine-year-old who uses cookies as a chip delivery system is a better review than any five stars. Overbaking batch one is basically everyone's batch one.
I kept skipping this one because I've been burned by almond flour cookies before, that sandy, crumbly texture that falls apart the second you pick one up. Made them finally out of curiosity and the chew on these is completely different from anything I've had in that category. The heavy cream, I think, is doing something. I'm going back to these all summer.
Right about the cream. Most almond flour cookies go butter only, and that's where they lose the chew. Moisture's gotta be there or it won't stick together. I actually found this combo by accident while testing butter bars, wrote it down before I forgot, and built the cookie recipe from there. Makes sense you keep going back.
Batch seven for me and I finally cracked the chilling step. I used to pull them after 30 minutes but letting the dough sit closer to a full hour makes them hold their shape way better out of the oven, less spreading. I also swapped in Lily's dark chocolate chips for the last few batches and the slight bitterness balances the sweetness in a way I prefer. Still can't get over 3.2g net carbs for two cookies.
Yep, the hour is the real number. 30 minutes gets you close but the dough needs to be actually cold going into the oven. Lily's dark is my go-to on this one too.
Batch five and I still pull them out two minutes early. That chewy center straight from the oven is the whole point.
Two minutes early is probably right. They keep cooking on the sheet after you pull them, so if you wait for the top to look fully set the center's already past that window.
Browned the butter instead of creaming it and these got a nutty depth I wasn't expecting. Might be my default now.
Yeah that nutty depth surprises people every time. Once the butter hits that golden stage the whole dough smells different. Hard to go back.
Noticed the dough gets way easier to flatten after a longer chill (I did about 40 minutes instead of the minimum). Didn't crack when I pressed them down, and the edges set up much cleaner. Used Lily's dark chocolate chips and two cookies at 3.2g net carbs felt like actual dessert.
Yeah 30 minutes is the floor, not the goal. At 40 the dough actually behaves. Lily's dark is what I keep for these.
My mom made Toll House cookies every Sunday. Been keto two years now, so figured those days were done. Made these last night. First bite stopped me. The chewiness got me.
That chewiness took me forever to nail with almond flour. Most of them crumble. Toll House is hard to beat.
Used brown butter instead of softened and the dough smelled insane before it even hit the oven. Cookies came out with this almost toffee-like edge, still chewy in the center. Not going back to regular butter.
The toffee edge thing is real. Brown butter pushes the sweetener into almost caramel territory. Been making them that way for a few batches now.
Browned the butter instead of softening it, and the flavor jumped. Used Lily's dark chocolate chips, chilled the dough a full hour. Edges got this caramelized crunch, center stayed soft and chewy. Not going back.
Lily's dark with browned butter is a different cookie. The bitterness from both cuts through the sweetener in a way the milk chocolate version just doesn't.
These are genuinely good but I wish the recipe was clearer on the chill time. Mine only sat for about 20 minutes and they spread way more than I expected (thin and almost lacy at the edges, which wasn't bad, just not what I pictured from the photos). Going to try chilling overnight next time and see if I get a thicker cookie.
Overnight makes a real difference. 20 minutes isn't quite enough for the butter to firm back up, 30 is the minimum but the longer the better. Way thicker cookies.