These Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies are a delicious, healthy way to satisfy your cookie craving! They come together in 1 bowl with only 5 ingredients for a super easy treat.
Table of Contents
Why you should make this recipe
If you’re like me and have a weakness for cookies, you’ll love these low-carb peanut butter cookies! They’re perfectly chewy and delicious, and you can eat more than one without overloading on sugar.
In fact, these cookies are completely sugar-free and only have 4 grams of carbs (mostly fiber) per cookie! This makes them suitable for even a ketogenic diet.
If you’ve never made these before, you’re in for a treat! The batter comes together in just 1 bowl using 5 simple ingredients. No fancy kitchen equipment is needed, just mix it all up and bake!
I recommend making these cookies at the start of the week so you have a treat ready to enjoy or share with friends and family. They will be amazed at how easy and tasty low-carb baking can be.
Ingredients
These keto peanut butter cookies call for 5 simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen.
- peanut butter: make sure to use classic peanut butter with no added sugar. Smooth, creamy peanut butter is the best in this recipe.
- egg
- erythritol: powdered erythritol works best in this peanut butter cookie recipe (you can blend regular erythritol or use low-carb confectioner’s sweetener)
- baking soda
- vanilla extract
Step-by-step instructions
You can see how I make this keto cookie recipe in this short video or read the step-by-step instructions below.
It only takes about 5 minutes to mix up the batter, and then you’ll have a delicious treat ready to be enjoyed throughout the week!
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the erythritol to a Nutribullet or blender and blend until powdered. Set aside. If using a confectioner’s low-carb sweetener, you can skip this step.
Step 3: Add a cup of peanut butter, egg, powdered erythritol, baking soda, and vanilla extract into a medium mixing bowl. Mix until smooth, glossy dough forms.
Step 4: Roll about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough between your palms to form a ball, then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all dough has been used. You should end up with 12-14 cookies.
Step 5: Use a fork to flatten the cookies, creating a criss-cross pattern across the top.
Step 6: Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 25 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 15 minutes.
Now your cookies are ready to be enjoyed! How easy were these 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies?!
Expert tips
Even though your cookies are going to smell amazing when you take them out of the oven, resist the urge to sample one right away! Make sure you give them the full amount of time to cool on the baking tray and the cooling rack.
Because this recipe does not contain any flour, the cooling step is crucial to allow the cookies to firm up. The longer they are able to cool, the better the texture will be. You don’t want them to fall apart when you eat them!
Be patient with these. I promise it’s worth it 🙂
Variations
There are a few different variations for this recipe that you can try. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
- We all know that peanut butter and chocolate are a classic combination. For a little extra sweetness, add some sugar-free chocolate chips for peanut butter chocolate cookies.
- For a truly decadent treat, half-dip each cookie in melted sugar-free dark chocolate to make the best chocolate peanut butter cookies. This takes it to a WHOLE new level! Just be sure you allow the cookies to fully cool before dipping.
- To give the cookies a nutty texture, try using crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy peanut butter.
- You can also swap out the peanut butter altogether and use different nut butter. Cashew or almond butter would work well in this recipe!
Keep in mind that the natural peanut butter will add the most taste to the cookies, but if you prefer not to use it or have an allergy, any nut butter will do.
Storage
I recommend storing these keto peanut butter cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. They will stay fresh, soft, and delicious!
For longer storage, you can freeze them instead and enjoy for several months.
Nutrition
This peanut butter cookie recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy free. They are also free from any flours, making it all the more easy and practical to whip up a healthy low-carb cookie treat.
Each cookie has just 4 grams of carbs and only 2.8 grams of net carbs, making it a wonderful treat for those following a keto or low-carb diet.
Even though these are a healthier option because they are lower in carbs than traditional peanut butter cookies, it’s important to remember it is still very much a treat. Therefore, it should be enjoyed in moderation and never on an empty stomach.
Learn more: Is Peanut Butter Good for People Living with Diabetes?
Frequently asked questions
Plain peanut butter is keto compliant and suitable for those following a low-carb diet. But stick to good quality peanut butter that is free from added sugars and other additives. Flavored peanut butter is not ideal as it is usually higher in carbs from added sugars and flavorings.
Peanut butters that have only 1 or 2 ingredients are best for the keto diet. It should be plain and natural peanut butter with only peanuts and possibly salt. Chunky or creamy peanut butter are both suitable for keto and low-carb diets.
When making keto and low-carb cookies, use erythritol-based sweeteners for the best results. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that mimics sugar in its molecular structure. This makes it a great option because it browns nicely, yielding a very crispy texture. More importantly, erythritol does not impact blood sugar at all due it its zero carb count. It is an excellent sugar substitute for people with diabetes.
Other healthy dessert recipes
I believe a healthy diet should absolutely include dessert! If you’re looking for a few more treats that you can enjoy guilt-free, check out these recipes I know you’ll love:
You can also read this roundup of my favorite 10 diabetic cookie recipes for even more delicious inspiration!
When you’ve tried these cookies, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked them and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (no added salt and sugar)
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup erythritol (powdered)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Skip this step if using a confectioner's low-carb sweetener. Add the erythritol to a Nutribullet or blender and blend until powdered. Set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and mix until a smooth, glossy dough forms.1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, ⅔ cup erythritol, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Roll about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough between your palms to form a ball, then transfer to the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all dough has been used. You should end up with 12-14 cookies.
- Use a fork to flatten the cookies, creating a criss-cross pattern across the top.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 25 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- To add chocolate, you can mix sugar-free chocolate chips into the batter or dip the cookies (once cooled) into melted sugar-free chocolate.
- You can use crunchy peanut butter to add a nutty texture.
- The peanut butter can be substituted with any nut butter, but keep in mind that peanut butter will add the most taste.
I make this recipe ,I used eylitol there a little bland the peanut butter is good but no salt or sugar added. I’ll try it a little different next time . But I’m a borderline diabetic. And there healthy cookies
Can you use Stevia in the raw as the sweetner
Yes, that works but you might have to adjust the amount used slightly
Just made these for my dad who was just diagnosed with diabetes and all I can is wow I love them! I love the texture and the interesting feel of the eyrthritol. Will be making these for him again!
Hi! Can I use natural peanut butter for this recipe?
What do you mean by natural peanut butter?
It’s peanut butter made with only peanuts, without the added sugars, oils, etc. I ask because I made cookies with natural peanut butter before but they didn’t form properly so I wondered if I can use it with this recipe! https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/kraft-only-peanuts-all-natural-smooth-peanut-butter/6000145830562
The peanut butter we use only has salt added and that works fine. My only concern with using natural peanut butter would be if it’s too dry. I think I’d have a look at the dough at step 3, and if it doesn’t come together add a tiny bit of oil
I have a silly question–I am wanting to make these for my dad who is diabetic and I don’t really understand the difference between vanilla essence and vanilla extract. Can I use vanilla extract or will that be hard on a diabetic body?
You can use either. The main difference between the two is the strength of the vanilla flavor
Great quick easy cookie to make.
Made them and loved them!!! Thanks!
Hi there,
Sorry this may be a silly question. I had a question about this recipe. For the nutrition label, it says it’s 4g of carbs for “amount per serving”. Does this mean 1 cookie? Or the amount per serving (which is 12).
The nutrition info per serving is for one cookie, so yes you have it right, one cookie has 4 grams of carbs and 2.8 grams of net carbs
Hello, I wasn’t quite clear on how each cookie in this recipe comes out to only 4 g per carb as listed in your nutritional label.
I weighed out 1 cup of peanut butter (no added sugar) and it was 250 g total weight. Since for 32 g of peanut, the serving size, the ingredient label of the peanut butter says this corresponds to 7g of carbs – that gives us 55 g carbs for the 1 cup of peanut butter used in the recipe.
I then used even less sweetener than the recipe recommended – only 1/4 cup of sweetener. The sweetener nutritional label states that 7 g of sweetener corresponds to 7 g of carb.
Since the 1/4 cup of sweetener used for the cookies weighs 50 g – this would then imply 50 g of carbs for the sweetener.
That puts the total number of carbs at 105 (peanut butter plus sweetener). 105 g of carb divided by 12 cookies is 8.75 g of carb per cookie. And this is for even less sweetener than was recommended.
Can you clarify the calculations that are on the nutrition label provided with the recipe and how each cookie equals on 4g of carb?
Hi Theodora, it’s because we don’t count the carbs in erythritol or any other no-calorie sweeteners. Even though the sweeteners technically contain carbs, the carbs aren’t digested in your body so they don’t affect your blood sugar or calorie intake. It’s standard to exclude these sweeteners on recipe nutrition labels, even though they have to include the carb count in their own package labels.
140 Calories is not worth it for ONE smaller cookie…. plus they didn’t become hard like a regular cookie… I understand there’s no flour, but the texture is just too soft…. Flavor was good though♡
I used organic peanut butter & organic almond butter. ( that’s what i had in my cabinet) I used only 1/3 cup organic coconut sugar. They turned out great! They weren’t crumbly at all. Will definitely make again!