Sugar Free Cookies
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These sugar free cookies are soft, chewy, and need just 3 ingredients to make! I love how they bake in just 10 minutes.
Having a father with diabetes means I am regularly making dessert for him without sugar. He has a few favorites up his sleeve, but when he requests a diabetic-friendly cookie, I make him my famous sugar free cookies!
Now, not all sugar substitutes are equal, so I did extensive recipe testing using every popular kind on the market. In culinary school, we learned that sugar isn’t just about sweetness- it impacts texture, browning, and even how soft a cookie stays. After all that testing, the clear winner as allulose, which mimics real sugar almost perfectly, and is the sweetener I use here.
The result? Cookies that taste like they came straight from a bakery: crisp edges, soft middles, and nearly impossible to stop at just one.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- 3 Ingredients. No flour and no grains are needed, just pantry staples!
- Quick and easy. With less than two minutes of prep and ten minutes of cooking time, these could not be any easier.
- Low in carbs. Not only are these completely sugar-free, but they are also keto-friendly.
- No bitter aftertaste. Sugar substitutes are known for leaving desserts with a slightly bitter taste, but not these ones!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“These cookies are so good. I use baking soda and sugar free maple syrup for my sweetener. I bake for 10 minutes. I love having something that is gluten free and tastes delicious!!” – Susan
“These were so easy and very nostalgic!” – Renee
“No one could tell these were sugar free cookies! SO GOOD!” – Ceriuna
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- Almond butter or peanut butter. Smooth and creamy with no added sugar (just look for one with a touch of salt).
- Sugar substitute. I like to use allulose, but you can try a brown sugar substitute or powdered sugar substitute. In testing, I found monk fruit to be too gritty (although pleasantly sweet) and stevia to be a bit bitter and artificial tasting.
- Egg. Always use room-temperature eggs. It prevents the cookies from crumbling once cooled.
Substitutions I’ve tried
- Use a liquid sweetener. Instead of a granulated sugar substitute, use half a cup of sugar free maple syrup. The cookies will be a little softer in the middle.
- Add chocolate. For sugar free chocolate chip cookies, add 1/2 cup of sugar free chocolate chips to the batter. You could also just make my favorite sugar free chocolate chip cookies.
- Make it eggless. Follow a vegan diet or don’t have eggs on hand? I’ve had success with using a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tablespoons water).
How to make sugar free cookies
Step 1- Make the dough. Start by creaming together the almond butter, allulose, and egg until a thick and sticky dough remains. Be sure to mix everything very well, to ensure the peanut butter is completely immersed.
Step 2– Shape the cookies. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out portions of the dough and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Step 3- Assemble. Press down on the balls of dough into a thick cookie shape.
Step 4- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to firm up.
Pro recipe tips
- Do not over-bake the cookies as they continue to firm up as they are cooling down. Once they begin to brown around the edges they are ready to be removed from the oven.
- If you’d prefer thicker cookies, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and refrigerate the dough for 40 minutes. This will also help them from over-spreading.
- Make ahead. You can make the dough up to 48 hours in advance. When ready to bake the cookies, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
These cookies are made without added sugar and use allulose, which has little to no impact on blood sugar. That said, everyone’s tolerance to sweeteners can vary, so it’s best to check with your healthcare provider if you’re baking specifically for diabetes management (like I do for my dad).
Yes, you can. I have to make nut-free desserts for my niece who has allergies. For these cookies, I swapped out the nut butter for sunflower seed butter. Other readera have had success with tahini.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers can keep at room temperature, covered, for up to one week. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.
To freeze: Place the cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to six months.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition facts for this recipe have been reviewed by Registered Dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Sugar Free Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond butter * See notes
- 3/4 cup allulose * See notes
- 1 large egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a cookie sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form small balls on the cookie sheet, spread 3-4 inches apart. Press each ball into a cookie shape and press down with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are 'just' golden brown but still soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Notes
- Almond butter sub: Peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini works.
- Sugar substitute: Allulose bakes like sugar and is best. I’ve also had success with keto brown sugar or a powdered sugar substitute. I don’t really like monk fruit sweetener (it’s too gritty) or stevia (it’s too bitter).
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature, covered, for up to one week or in the fridge for four weeks. Freeze them, too, for up to 6 months.
Thanks. Was craving these but wondering if Swerve would work for the sugar. Suggestion: list servings per batch. I sometimes use a recipe app to calculate nutrition and if I make changes or substitutions it’s easier to compare if I know how many servings you used in your calculations (without having to calculate backwards from your Calorie information).
Hi! Swerve should be fine 🙂
Hi, can we substitute the sweetener with nut flour 1:1? I’m making this as a gift to someone who doesn’t like sweet. Thank you 🙂
That won’t work at all 🙂
My experience wasn’t what I’d hope for. I used PB2 powered peanut butter (reconstituted) monk fruit golden & an egg. Exceptional (sickening sweet). Also, when removed from the cookie sheet, they had a dense & rubbery texture. Suggestions?>
Glenda, I never use PB2, it just doesn’t yield the texture that only peanut butter or another nut butter provides. Your results don’t surprise me. I would make it as stated.
No sugar doesn’t mean monk fruit, it means no sugar. Just like no stevia means no stevia
For me and my readers, this is the case. So yes, no sugar. enjoy.
How many carbs are in these cookies
It’s included in the recipe card 🙂
hi, can we use honey as substitute for the sweetener?
Hi Miki! It needs to be granulated, I haven’t tried with anything else 🙂
Can you use Xylitol for the sweetener? How much do I use for this recipe?
you can use coconut sugar as a sugar substitute and you substitute it for equal amounts of regular sugar so if a recipe calls for a cup of granulated sugar you would just substitute it for a cup of coconut sugar taste is pretty spot-on
Can you make the 3-ingredient PB cookies using a flax egg (ground flax seed) instead of ground chia seeds?
I haven’t tried- You could experiment and see!
Is the 3/4 cup for zero calorie sweetener? If I used cane sugar, would it still be 3/4 cup?
Yes, it would be 🙂
May I use coconut sugar if I can’t get monk fruit sweetener?
Yes!
hi! can we add protein powder in this?
Working on a version of this!