Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies ( Keto, Sugar-Free)
PALEO II GLUTEN FREE II KETO II DAIRY FREE II SUGAR-FREE II FISH FREE II EGG FREE II VEGAN II SESAME FREE II SHELLFISH FREE II NIGHTSHADE FREE II SOY FREE
These gluten-free chocolate cookies are the best! Not only are they healthier, but they are also keto, paleo, and sugar-free, making them suitable for diabetics. Plus, they taste amazing. The texture is crumbly and crunchy on the outside, with just the right amount of softness on the inside—not gooey, but soft enough to sink your teeth into. It's easy to make with simple ingredients, and these chocolate chip cookies come out soft, chewy, and delicious every time.
These chocolate chip cookies are customizable, allowing you to add different flavourings and nuts—be sure to check the notes section for suggestions. I have struggled to find recipes accommodating all my dietary intolerances; I can't even eat gluten-free flour because it contains potato starch. That's why these chocolate chip cookies are perfect, as I used almond flour instead.
Additionally, the fact that these chocolate chip cookies are sugar-free is a significant benefit. They make for a great healthy snack, pair well with a cup of tea, or can serve as a treat for your kids' lunchboxes. I hope you enjoy these gorgeous chocolate chip cookies as much as all the people I’ve made these for do.
Notes on ingredients For Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate
I used vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free chocolate, specifically 100% cocoa chocolate. This type of chocolate is made solely from cocoa beans, with no added sugar, milk, flavourings, or vegetable fats—just pure quality chocolate. The brand I chose was Montezumas, which I purchased at Sainsbury’s. It can also be found at Waitrose or online. I purchased it as a chocolate bar and chopped it into small chunks, as finding high-quality sugar-free vegan chocolate chips is quite difficult unless you search online.
Dark chocolate is:
High in fibre and antioxidants
It may help with cellular protection, heart health, and reducing inflammation
A good choice for people following a keto or paleo diet, or those watching their sugar intake
100% dark chocolate is bitter, but its aroma and flavour are sublime. I have added keto-friendly sugar to this chocolate chip cookie recipe, so don’t worry; it’s not a savoury cookie. If you want sweeter chocolate, I recommend seeking out diabetic-friendly chocolate like gorge (also vegan). Other great brands of chocolate I highly recommend are:
Green & blacks - Click here to go to the website.
Ombar - Click here for more info - buy this online at well easy OR in Waitrose or health food shops.
Raw chocolate - Click here for more information.
Plamil chocolate - Click here for more info
I'm sure you will find suitable chocolate for these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that fit your dietary needs.
Sugar
I used xylitol as the sweetener for these chocolate chip cookies because I really like using it in baking it doesn’t have the strange aftertaste that stevia does. You can substitute xylitol 1:1 for cane sugar, and the recipes turn out wonderfully. Unfortunately, monk fruit sweetener isn’t available in the UK, but if you’re in the States and want to use it, you can try that. I’m not sure how the recipe will turn out with monk fruit since I can’t get it here.
If you use it, please let me know how the recipe turns out in the comments! There are also many keto-friendly sweeteners available, like erythritol and allulose. Read this article here by Healthline, which explains keto sugars in more detail. I recommend avoiding Canderel and Splenda, as both taste unpleasant and can make baked goods very hard. Please do not use these sweeteners as substitutes.
Almond flour
The base for these cookies is almond flour. I would not recommend swapping for gluten-free flour, as it has entirely different properties and is also higher in carbs. Almond flour is probably the most widely used keto flour substitute. It’s made simply from crushed almonds and is extremely low in carbs, containing only 3 grams of total carbs and 1 gram of net carbs per 2-tablespoon (14-gram) serving.
I bought almond flour from the grape tree here in the UK. It's so much cheaper shopping there, and I use a lot of almond flour, so I always buy a 1 kg bag for less than a tenner! You can blend almonds to make almond flour if you have a high-speed blender. Just ensure it is very fine.
Nuts
I used flaked almonds, but feel free to swap them for toasted hazelnuts, pecans, or peanuts.
Flax ‘eggs’
Instead of using regular eggs, I opted for flax eggs. These are made by mixing milled flaxseeds with double the amount of water and allowing the mixture to sit for 10 to 15 minutes until it thickens. The flaxseeds combined with water create a gel-like consistency similar to egg whites, making them an excellent choice for vegan cooking.
Vanilla powder
I have been using vanilla powder for baking instead of vanilla extract because it is sugar-free, which fits my sugar-free diet. Vanilla powder is made by grinding and drying vanilla pods without any added ingredients.
My favourite brand of vanilla extract by far is is Neil Massey, which also offers sugar-free versions; however, these are only available for purchase online. Currently, I'm using a vanilla powder that I found on Amazon to experiment with and I love it. If you are following a strict sugar-free diet, please note that you should avoid the typical vanilla extracts available in supermarkets, as they all contain sugar.
This is the Vanilla powder I used: click here
This is Neil Massey sugar-free vanilla extract. Click here
Ingredients
Tips on how to make the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
Once all the ingredients are combined, this mixture will not form a dough that can be rolled like traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. Instead, it has a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. When packed together, it will form a solid cookie so don’t worry if you think it looks dry or you did something wrong.
I used a round 1-inch cookie cutter to add a few teaspoons of cookie mixture into the centre. With a spoon, I levelled it out and patted it down to create a circular cookie disk.
Please taste a little of the cookie mixture first to ensure it has enough sweetener to your taste. Don’t worry—this chocolate chip cookie recipe has no eggs, so you won't feel icky about eating raw eggs.
In fact, the chocolate chip cookie dough is super yummy you could roll it into balls and refrigerate it to make cookie dough balls.
Variations to this gluten-free chocolate cookie recipe:
Add 1 tsp of orange extract and the zest of an orange to this chocolate chip cookie recipe for a citrusy twist. You can find a sugar-free orange extract here.
For a chocolate and mint variation, add a few drops of mint extract instead of orange. You can find sugar-free mint extract here.
You could add chopped pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts or pecans to this recipe instead of flaked almonds.
Try dipping or drizzling the baked chocolate chip cookies in more chocolate and sprinkling over freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries. I buy my freeze-dried berries from Waitrose or Sainsbury in the cake-baking section.
Sandwich these chocolate chip cookies with my chocolate ganache recipe here. Just ensure the chocolate you use is 100% dark chocolate that you sweeten with keto, and diabetic-friendly sugar.
Sandwich these chocolate cookies with banana ice cream instead. Find the recipe for banana ice cream here. It's essentially blended frozen bananas. Be sure to use really ripe bananas. That way, you won’t need to add sweetener, as the bananas will be sweet enough.
Faq’s
Should I chill the dough before baking?
There is no need to chill the dough for this recipe, as it is not a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Absolutely. Roll the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking tray. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container for storage. Defrost fully before baking and bake as instructed in this recipe.
How long do these chocolate chip cookies last?
These chocolate chip cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about five days. Once baked, they freeze really well and only need 5 minutes to defrost before eating.
How do I tell when the cookies are done?
Cookies are done when the edges are golden, but the centres still look soft. They’ll continue to firm up on the tray as they cool.
Can I make these cookies without eggs?
These cookies are, in fact, made without eggs; I used flax eggs instead. See notes on ingredients for more info.
Why do my cookies turn out dry?
Overbaking is the usual culprit. Remove cookies when they’re just set around the edges and golden brown. This takes approx 10-12 minutes.
Makes 12 cookies - 45 mins prep/cooking time
Step by Step
Recipe
Flax ‘eggs
4 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp milled flaxseeds
Cookie ingredients
200g almond flour
50g chopped nuts ( see notes on ingredients)
80g dark chocolate chopped
3 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
3 tbsp sweetener of choice ( see notes on ingredients for more info)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, 350 F or gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof or parchment paper.
Make your flax ‘eggs’ by mixing the flaxseeds and water and set aside for 15 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until it resembles a wet, coarse sandy texture, which is different from regular cookie dough. Taste for sweetness and add more sweetener if needed.
Then, I divided them into 12 equal balls; I measured each one at approximately 40g.
Press the cookie mixture into the cookie cutter evenly with the back of a spoon. Make sure it’s really packed down so the cookies don’t fall apart when cooking.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes in the middle of the oven.
Enjoy! See the tips section on ways to pimp up these chocolate chip cookies.
Other recipes you might like
Try my other delicious recipes
Chocolate Hob Nobs - To make them sugar-free swap the sugar for your preferred sweetener, swap the honey for keto syrup
Jammie Dodgers - To make them sugar-free swap the regular cane sugar for your preferred alternative.
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