Are you ready, friends? I’m about to share a crispy AND soft, chewy keto chocolate chip cookies recipe with you (you get both options!). These are the best low carb chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. That’s a bold statement, but seriously, I’ve worked for years to perfect these. I’ve been working on making easy sugar-free chocolate chip cookies – that taste like regular flour ones! – for years, and I’m proud to say these are it. I promise you: these low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies with almond flour are so good, you won’t even miss the flour and sugar. And if for any reason you can’t have almond flour, these coconut flour chocolate chip cookies satisfy cravings just as well! These keto chocolate chip cookies were actually inspired by one of my most popular recipes: keto almond flour shortbread cookies… and, if I do say so myself, they’re going to be the best keto chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever made. This low carb chocolate chip cookie recipe was originally published on February 17, 2017, and was republished in December 2019 to add better photos and improve the recipe for better texture. If you’re curious, here’s one of the original photos: Now you have a pressing question to answer… Do you like your low carb chocolate chip cookies chewy or crispy? I’ve polled many readers and found that most prefer keto chewy chocolate chip cookies, but there’s an option to make these crispy, too. Read on below to see how to do both ways. Now, go grab a glass of unsweetened almond milk… or your favorite (keto friendly) milk of choice… or maybe even a cup of keto butter coffee? Either way, you’ll want to dunk these sugar-free chocolate chip cookies in there!

Ingredients For Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

The base for this keto chocolate chip cookie recipe with almond flour started from the same four ingredients as my keto shortbread cookies, but has a few additional extras that make these low carb chocolate chip cookies chewy… and melt in your mouth ah-mazing. For these keto chocolate chip cookies, you’ll add some blackstrap molasses for the depth and flavor that is commonly found in many chocolate chip cookies. (More on that in a second!) There’s also egg and xanthan gum to make them more moist and chewy. And of course, I tossed in my favorite sugar-free chocolate chips, which are made with stevia. So, what do you need for this keto chocolate chip cookies recipe?

Blanched almond flourButterAllulose or ErythritolVanilla extractEggBlackstrap molasses (optional – but use it for the best flavor!)Xanthan gum (optional – but use it for the best texture!)Sugar-free dark chocolate chips

For strict paleo chocolate chip cookies:

Swap the butter: You can swap out the grass-fed butter for ghee, or if you’re looking for a dairy-free gluten-free sugar-free chocolate chip cookies recipe, you can sub coconut oil. Grass-fed butter will give you the most familiar cookie texture, but you have options!Leave out the xantham gum: It’s not strictly paleo. However, if you can tolerate it, I highly recommend leaving it in to keep these chewy!Swap the sweetener: Low carb sweeteners are a gray area for the paleo diet, but you could use coconut sugar if you don’t need them to be sugar-free and are strict paleo.

For strict keto chocolate chip cookies:

Make a decision about molasses: Some may also prefer to avoid the molasses, because I’m sure your first instinct is that it equals sugar. But, keep in mind that it’s super dense and flavorful, and we’re only using a teeny-tiny amount in the entire recipe. And, the molasses really gives an awesome depth of flavor to these low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies.

The amount of molasses per cookie ends up being just a few drops, not significantly altering carb count. These keto chocolate chip cookies have only 4 grams net carbs each! But if you’re seriously averse to molasses or are following very strict keto, you could sub a bit of maple extract for a similar flavor. Even better, you can replace both the sweetener and molasses with Besti “keto brown sugar” instead!

How To Make Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip keto cookies can be ready in less than 25 minutes flat! Here’s how to make the best almond flour chocolate chip cookies:

Cream butter and sweetener together. It’s the first step to making truly delicious low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies, because it creates air pockets and better texture.

TIP: This is the main reason why butter is highly recommended for this recipe, if you can. You can try to replicate it with ghee or coconut oil if you need to, but the texture is still a bit different.

Make the chocolate chip keto cookie dough. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and blackstrap molasses, then almond flour, just a bit at a time, and finally xanthan gum.

TIP: There is a right way to add the almond flour and xanthan gum. Add the almond flour gradually, 1/2 cup at a time. If you dump it in all at once, it will be difficult to get it to incorporate and you might think the cookie dough is too dry. With the xanthan gum, sprinkle it on – don’t dump it in! – and then beat in. If you don’t sprinkle in a thin layer, it tends to clump and might not incorporate into the dough.

Fold in the chocolate chips. You can even change it up with other add-ins, like walnuts, if you like.Make your dough balls and flatten them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. They will spread a little, but not much, so you’ll want to flatten them to close to the thickness you want your cookies. About 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick is a good thickness. Still, leave some room between them for spreading.

TIP: For prettier cookies, feel free to press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops.

Bake. And wait patiently to take a bite of these low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies. Don’t worry, it only takes 10-12 minutes!

TIP: They are done when the edges are starting to brown. They will still be very soft, which is normal. And now you know how to make chocolate chip cookies keto! But if you want the best keto chocolate chip cookie recipe that truly tastes like the real thing, be sure to read over my tips below for perfecting it…

Tips For The Best Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

While it is incredibly easy to make these low carb almond flour cookies, there are a few things you want to pay careful attention as you go through the steps to get the most authentic sugar cookie texture.

Soften your butter naturally.

You don’t want to overheat your butter by softening in the microwave or on the stove. Just cut it into slices and let it sit out for 10 to 15 minutes, and it’ll be perfect for creaming. Of course, if it’s summer or you’ve been cooking a lot, you’ll need less time. A kitchen that is much warmer than 70 degrees F will speed up this process. If you’re in a hurry, you can soften the butter by placing it in an airtight bag and letting it sit in some warm (not hot!) water.

Cream the butter and sweetener the right way

Use a hand mixer to beat your butter and sweetener together. This is called “creaming.” Start with lower speed to prevent splattering, then increase as it starts to incorporate. Your batter will make more cookies and they’ll have more of a sugar cookie texture. Please note: This method doesn’t work quite as well with ghee or coconut oil, which is why the texture is a little different if using that, but it does still work to some degree. Also, only do this for about 5 minutes. You don’t want to go too long, or you’ll lose the air pockets that you’re creating and the cookies will be too dense.

Use the right almond flour

Make sure to use blanched, finely ground almond flour. You’ll be disappointed in the end result if you try to use almond meal or coarse “natural” almond flour (a misnomer, really, because the blanched kind is natural too!). Get one of my favorite blanched almond flours here.

Take your time with almond flour

Go slowly as you add in your almond flour. Again, you don’t want to over beat the batter and end up with low carb chocolate chip cookies that are too dense. I promise, my friend, your low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies will be better for the patience you put into them!

Scrape the batter from the sides of the bowl

Take your spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl back into the batter while you’re creaming the butter, and again after adding the almond flour. This will keep your cookie batter uniform and give you an entire batch of perfectly baked sugar-free chocolate chip cookies.

Once you’ve got your dough ready to scoop onto the cookie sheet, you’re almost done. All you have to do is gently pat it into the scoop – this is important. If it’s too loose, it won’t stay together once you release it. One lightly packed tablespoon of dough, flattened to 1/3″ is going to give you the most delightful low carb chocolate chip cookies! Don’t forget to flatten, because these cookies won’t spread much on their own.

Adjust baking time as needed

Check on your keto chocolate chip cookies promptly after 10 minutes in the oven, and then every couple minutes after that. Don’t open the oven too far to check because that lets the heat out. It’s best to use a light if you have one and just a tiny crack of the door, if it’s a must.

A sprinkle of patience is the secret ingredient!

When they first come out of the oven, your low carb almond flour chocolate chip cookies will look irresistible… but don’t be fooled into trying one right away. They’ll be too soft and crumbly at first. Let them cool completely before handling them.

How To Make Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Soft or Crispy

You can use this recipe to make both soft or crispy keto cookies! Here is how…

How to make crispy keto chocolate chip cookies:

Bake them for longer. Crispy low carb chocolate chip cookies need to brown just a bit more. You’ll want them a darker golden color on the edges.Use erythritol for the sweetener. It crisps up more than allulose does.Omit the xanthan gum. This ingredient makes for a chewy texture, so skip it if you want crispy.Turn off the oven and prop it open with a wooden spoon. Keep an eye on them if you do this so that they don’t burn too much, but otherwise keep them in there as long as you can because that little bit of air flow crisps them up perfectly. This makes for extra crispy keto chocolate chip cookies!They’ll crisp up as they cool, so leave them out afterward!

How to make chewy keto chocolate chip cookies:

Bake them for a bit less time. Chewy cookies should be just barely starting to get golden on the edges, not too dark.Use xanthan gum. This is a key ingredient for chewy keto chocolate chip cookies!Use allulose (or brown monk fruit allulose blend) for the sweetener. It’s known for making soft baked goods.

Either way, just remember that even though they will come out of the oven very soft, they’ll firm and crisp up as they cool.

How To Store Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

On the counter or in the pantry: Your sugar-free chocolate chip cookies will store perfectly at room temperature for a few days.In the fridge: If you want them to last longer, they’ll keep in the fridge for 10 days.Freeze: Of course for the longest storage, you can freeze the cookies. Freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, then once solid, transfer to a freezer bag.

If you like these almond flour chocolate chip cookies, here are more easy low carb cookie recipes to try:

Keto Cream Cheese Cookies – A classic recipe you make round or in fun shapes.Keto Peanut Butter Cookies – Only 4 ingredients!Low Carb Cookie Dough – You can totally skip the baking part. 😉Gluten-free Pfeffernusse Cookies – Make ’em low carb by using just almond flour and swapping the brown sugar with Besti Brown Sweetener. I like to use powdered Besti in place of powdered sugar, too.

And if you love chocolate but cookies aren’t your thing, try keto fudge brownies instead!

Parchment Paper – Make sure you line your cooking sheet with parchment paper to prevent your cookies from sticking.Cookie Sheet – This cookie sheet is my favorite pan to use in the kitchen.Hand Mixer – This hand mixer would be perfect for mixing the cookie dough for these low carb cookies.

This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook! Inside this beautiful hard cover keto recipe book, you’ll find 100 delectable, EASY keto recipes to replace all your favorite carbs: bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, desserts, and more… each with 10 ingredients or less! Plus, a photo, macros, & tips for every recipe. ORDER NOW Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it! *Salted butter is recommended. If using unsalted, add couple pinches of sea salt to the dough in step 3. Recipe from The Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.