These flourless keto peanut butter cookies are incredibly delicious, easy to make, and totally sweet-tooth satisfying.

a stack of keto peanut butter cookies on a plate

Keto Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Living a keto lifestyle does NOT mean that you have to miss out on all of your favorite goodies! In fact, Brittany Angell, a really gifted baker, developed this keto peanut butter cookie recipe so that all the keto-ers of the world can indulge in really delicious sweets too. Hereโ€™s what makes these cookies special:

  • Theyโ€™re flourless: no finicky, hard-to-find flours here! This recipe is completely flourless, making the entire process so much simpler.
  • They utilize keto granulated sugar: grab your favorite keto granulated sugar (Brittany recommends Bochasweet or granulated allulose, and we really like King Arthurโ€™s keto sugar substitute) and use that in place of actual sugar. This adds a perfect sweetness to the cookies without a bunch of sugar.
  • They can handle mix-ins: while I do really love a good ole classic peanut butter cookie, Iโ€™m also really into mix-ins in my cookies. This recipe can handle anywhere from a ยฝ cup to 1 whole cup of mix-ins, so grab your favorite, keto-friendly additions and get creative!

Yes, peanut butter (as long as youโ€™re using a no-added-sugar version) is considered keto-friendly. Whether or not you choose to eat it or not will depend entirely on your specific dietary needs.

Peanut butter is pretty low in carbohydrates — each serving (2 tablespoons) has about 7 carbs total, and, in moderation, is usually considered totally fine on a keto diet. A lot of peanut butters include added sugar, so be sure to steer clear of those.  

These cookies are definitely keto-friendly, but youโ€™ll have to make the decision on whether or not snacking on them is the right choice for you. I donโ€™t typically snack on cookies (when Iโ€™m stressed, I do), but thatโ€™s more about the sugar content in regular cookies than anything. Because of the use of a keto sugar substitute here, the sugar shouldnโ€™t be an issue.

Do keep in mind that if youโ€™re new to baking with sugar replacements, they can sometimes cause your stomach to feel a little wonky, so I wouldnโ€™t dive into the whole plate of cookies until you know how you tolerate whichever keto sugar you used.

Keto Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Ingredients

This flourless keto peanut butter cookie recipe includes only 6 ingredients (plus 1 optional ingredient). Hereโ€™s everything youโ€™ll need:

ingredients for keto peanut butter cookies on a marble surface
  • Peanut Butter – to start, youโ€™ll need 2 cups (512 g) of creamy peanut butter. Make sure to look for a peanut butter with no added sugar. 
  • Keto Granulated Sugar – to sweeten your cookies (because keto or not, they are cookies, after all), youโ€™ll need โ…” of a cup (130 g) of keto granulated sugar.  
  • Eggs – 2 large eggs go into the mix bind everything together.
  • Vanilla Extract – to add some subtle, delicious flavor to the cookies, youโ€™ll need 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. 
  • Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon of double acting baking powder will help the cookies to rise and spread just a tad.
  • Himalayan Salt – a ยผ teaspoon of Himalayan salt counters the sweetness of the cookies perfectly and really helps to enhance the other flavors.
  • Chocolate Chips (optional) – this part is optional (and will add more carbohydrates to the finished cookie), but if youโ€™re craving a peanut butter chocolate combo, throw a ยฝ-1  cup of sugar-free or (low sugar) dark chocolate chips into the mix as well. We really love THIS brand of sugar-free chocolate chips.

Ingredient Modifications

Though this recipe is dynamite as written, youโ€™ll find a few ingredient swaps that are guaranteed to work below:

  • Make it dairy-free: for dairy-free keto peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, just use dairy-free chocolate chips.
  • Use a different mix-in: if youโ€™re looking to put a fun spin on your cookies that DOESNโ€™T involve chocolate, feel free to use a ยฝ cup of any other keto-friendly mix-in that you love. Nuts or seeds are a great option.

Supplies Needed to Make This Recipe

Hereโ€™s exactly what youโ€™ll need to make this cookie recipe:

While you may find a recipe on the website for almond flour keto peanut butter cookies, we definitely donโ€™t recommend adding any almond flour to this recipe. Baking is a science, and adding or omitting big-time ingredients like this will have a major impact on the final product.

How to Make Easy Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are super easy and donโ€™t even require an electric mixer of any sort! Hereโ€™s what youโ€™ll do:

  1. Prep – preheat the oven to 350ยฐF, and set 2 of the oven racks to be as close to the center of the oven as possible.  Line 2 standard baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Make the dough – in a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and, if using, the chocolate chips. Stir until a smooth dough forms.
  3. Scoop and crisscross the cookies – scoop 20 cookies (10 per sheet) spacing them at least 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Using a fork, press them down in a crisscross pattern until they are a ยฝ- to -ยพ-inch thick.
  4. Bake – bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes, swapping the trays placements after the first 5 minutes (move the top tray to the bottom and the bottom tray to the top). Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the tray to avoid crumbling.
  5. Enjoy – once cooled, enjoy your cookies! Store any leftovers in a sealed container at either room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. 
ingredients for keto peanut butter cookies unmixed in a mixing bowl
keto peanut butter cookie dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
keto peanut butter cookie dough in a bowl
keto peanut butter cookie dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

Tips and Tricks for the Best Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

Here are Brittanyโ€™s best tips and tricks for the yummiest keto PB cookies:

  • If using table salt (as opposed to Himalayan salt), only an โ…› teaspoon is needed.
  • Any keto granulated sweetener can be used. Brittanyโ€™s preference is Bochasweet or granulated allulose as they do not have a cooling taste as most sugar alcohols such as Erythritol and Xylitol do. 
  • Use a cookie scoop that holds roughly 1 ยฝ tablespoons of cookie dough.
  • Use the gram measurements for perfect results.
  • These cookies do not look fully baked when they are removed from the oven. You will know they are done when the edges are golden brown. They will finish cooking through as they cool.
  • For a lower-carb cookie, the chocolate chips can be omitted. If you have more wiggle room with carb intake, up to 1 cup of chocolate chips can be used. 
  • To make the recipe dairy-free, use allergen free dark chocolate chips.

You can refrigerate your dough if youโ€™d like, but you donโ€™t need to. Either way will work great!

There are a few reasons for this, actually! First, as silly as it may sound, is purely because this is the way peanut butter cookies have been treated since the 1930s — itโ€™s become a tradition of sorts to put hash marks (the classic criss cross pattern) on peanut butter cookies. Secondly, because peanut butter cookie dough tends to be denser than other cookie doughs, the hash marks help to flatten the dough, ensuring that the cookies bake more evenly. 

Youโ€™ll know that the cookies are done and ready to come out of the oven when the edges are golden brown. The rest of the cookie will NOT look fully baked, but itโ€™s important to take them out of the oven anyway — this results in the softest cookies possible!

a keto peanut butter cookie with a bite taken out in front of a plate of keto peanut butter cookies

They are! Store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter (at room temperature) or in the fridge. For longer storage, store them in a container in the freezer!

Stored in the fridge, the cookies will last for about 5 days, and stored in the freezer, theyโ€™ll last for about a month.

More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes

Peanut Butter Keto Cookies

5 from 1 vote
By Brittany Angell
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Total: 23 minutes
Servings: 18 – 20 cookies
These flourless keto peanut butter cookies are incredibly delicious, easy to make, and totally sweet-tooth satisfying.

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups 512 g creamy peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup 130 g keto granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar-free or low sugar dark chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF, and set 2 of the oven racks to be as close to the center of the oven as possible.ย  Line 2 standard baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and, if using, the chocolate chips. Stir until a smooth dough forms.
  • Scoop 20 cookies (10 per sheet) spacing them at least 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Using a fork, press them down in a crisscross pattern until they are a ยฝ- to -ยพ-inch thick.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes, swapping the trays placements after the first 5 minutes (move the top tray to the bottom and the bottom tray to the top). Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the tray to avoid crumbling.
  • Once cooled, enjoy your cookies! Store any leftovers in a sealed container at either room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Recipe Notes

  • If using table salt (as opposed to Himalayan salt), only an โ…› teaspoon is needed.
  • Any keto granulated sweetener can be used. Brittanyโ€™s preference is Bochasweet or granulated allulose as they do not have a cooling taste as most sugar alcohols such as Erythritol and Xylitol do.
  • Use a cookie scoop that holds roughly 1 ยฝ tablespoons of cookie dough.
  • Use the gram measurements for perfect results.
  • These cookies do not look fully baked when they are removed from the oven. You will know they are done when the edges are golden brown. They will finish cooking through as they cool.
  • For a lower-carb cookie, the chocolate chips can be omitted. If you have more wiggle room with carb intake, up to 1 cup of chocolate chips can be used.
  • To make the recipe dairy-free, use allergen free dark chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.3g | Protein: 6.3g | Fat: 13.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Cholesterol: 18.6mg | Sodium: 145.7mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 2.8g

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 – 20 cookies
Calories: 162
Keyword: keto peanut butter cookies

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Brandi Schilhab


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