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These keto lemon cookies are soft and chewy cookies full of a sweet lemon flavor! Made in just one bowl, these lemon crinkle cookies take just 15 minutes to make! 2 grams net carbs per cookie.
Keto Lemon Cookies
When it comes to keto lemon recipes, my favorite treats to make are lemon bars, lemon cheesecake, and these easy lemon crinkle cookies.
It genuinely baffles me when people say they aren’t fans of lemon desserts. As someone who loves hitting my palettes with all senses, it’s no surprise that I am (probably) lemon’s biggest fan. With that said, it’s not as though whatever cake or dessert bar you make will be sour. It’s quite the contrary- The tang from the lemon balances out the sweetness of whatever it is you are making or pairing with it.
If you are one of these skeptics, you will LOVE this keto lemon cookies recipe. I’ve been meaning to share it for quite some time, but in the midst of all my holiday baking, it kind of fell by the wayside. It’s a citrus twist on my chocolate crinkle cookies, but in my opinion, even better!
No sugar or dairy is needed for these cookies, but you’d never tell. Texture wise, they have tender edges, soft centers, and melts in your mouth! They are sweet and slightly tangy, without being overpowering!
With lemons being one of a handful of keto friendly fruit, I can’t wait to experiment with it more. In the meantime, I’ll be whipping up a third batch of these cookies to easily convert more people onto the citrus dessert train!
How do you make keto lemon cookies?
The Ingredients
- Almond flour– Superfine or blanched almond flour. Avoid using almond meal, as it leads to a gritty and thick cookie.
- Granulated sweetener of choice– Either monk fruit sweetener or erythritol can be used. I prefer the monk fruit sweetener as it has the closest texture and flavor to white sugar.
- Salt– Brings out the sweetness of all the other ingredients.
- Lemon zest– Adds some extra lemon flavor.
- Egg whites– Room temperature egg whites. These will be whipped before being folded into the cookies.
- Lemon extract– Gives the cookies an even more intense lemon flavor.
- Yellow food coloring– Optional, but gives the cookies a gorgeous color.
- Sugar free powdered sugar– To cover the cookies with. I used keto powdered sugar.
The Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in the lemon extract and yellow food coloring, if using it. Using a rubber spatula, fold through the dry ingredients until a thick and sticky dough remains.
Now, place your powdered sweetener in a shallow bowl. Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop, form heaping scoops of cookie dough and roll them in the sweetener. Place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for around 15 minutes, until the tops have cracked and the edges are slightly golden.
Let the cookies cool completely, before sprinkling with extra powdered sugar.
Tips to make the best low carb lemon cookies
- Unlike traditional lemon cookies, these will not spread too much. As such, lightly press down on the cookies when placing them on the baking dish.
- Avoid touching the balls of dough while covering them in the powdered sweetener. Doing so can cause the sweetener to bake into the cookies as they cook. If that happens, just sift more on top once they are baked.
- Do not overbake your cookies. They continue to cook as they are cooling down.
- Your egg whites MUST be at room temperature. If they are chilled, there is a risk that they may dry out.
Storing and freezing almond flour lemon cookies
- To store: Lemon cookies will keep fresh at room temperature, covered, for up to 1 week. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: Place cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More keto cookie recipes to try
Keto Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour blanched or superfine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sweetener of choice erythritol or monk fruit sweetener
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1-2 drops yellow food coloring optional
- 1/4 cup sugar free powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all your dry ingredients and mix well. In another mixing bowl, beat together your egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in the lemon extract and yellow food coloring. Gently fold through the dry mixture until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the sugar free powdered sugar. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and roll them in the powdered sugar until combined. Repeat until all the cookie dough balls have been covered.
- Bake the cookies until 15 minutes, or until the edges are done and the tops begin to crackle.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. If the powdered sugar has seeped into the cookies while baking, sprinkle more on top.
The cookies are very good but was wondering about pushing the ball down before baking or just bake the ball of dough. I did a little of both. Waiting for them to cool. Thanks
Hi Arman! I just made these, and need to do some troubleshooting. I used lemon juice instead of extract, and wonder if that’s why the cookies failed. After 15 minutes in the oven, they are yellow mounds that didn’t crinkle at all, and look like they’re liquifying on the bottom. Or did I beat the meringue too long? On the positive side, these are DELICIOUS!!! I couldn’t stop eating the batter! (I know I probably shouldn’t eat it, but I couldn’t help it.)
Amazing! Do you bake them in a ball shape or do you flatten them?
You should flatten them slightly, into a large, disk shape.
Hi! Maybe I’m missing it, but is there an option to convert the ingredients into metrics?
Working on it for future recipes!
I’m sorry but I replaced the sweetener with Caster Sugar & rolled them in Icing sugar. They were delicious. I’ll definitely be doing them again.
No worries at all, Scott- So glad to hear that! 🙂
Total carbs, please. My doctor restricts total carbs.
All information is in the recipe card.
I didn’t see the lemon extract listed in the ingredients. How much?
Hi! It’s been updated- 1 teaspoon 🙂
You don’t list how much lemon extract, and the ingredient isn’t on your recipe at all.
Hi! It is 1 teaspoon 🙂
Very excited to make these cookies but how much lemon extract. I don’t see it listed with ingredients.
Thanks for this recipe. Looks amazing. I made your chocolate krinkles the other day and they were fabulous!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Sorry for that- It is 1 teaspoon!