These Sugar Free Pumpkin Cookies are soft and chewy, made with pumpkin spice, almond flour, and topped with cream cheese icing or frosting. This sweet and sugar-free dessert treat is perfect for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the holidays.
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Fall is in the air! Soon we will be planning for Halloween treats, and then Thanksgiving.....and oh yes Christmas! These cookies are pretty simple to make! The hardest part is waiting for them to cool, which is absolutely necessary!
Table of Contents
What Type of Sweetener to Use
I like to use Lakanto’s granular monkfruit sweetener Monkfruit is zero-calorie, zero-carb, and is made without the use of artificial sweeteners. The best thing about it, is it measures 1:1 to like table sugar. This makes it super easy to convert conventional recipes. No need to look into a conversion table, it’s an even swap, which is super convenient!
It also tastes like sugar. There’s no aftertaste or cooling effect like you find with some sweeteners. The perfect mix of monk fruit extract and erythritol with no fiber, no maltodextrin, and no artificial flavoring or sweeteners.
How to Make Sugar Free Pumpkin Cookies
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and sweeteners together in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer or standing mixer.
- Add in pureed pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat.
- Add almond flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a separate bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the mixture is combined.
- Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- Form balls with the cookie dough about 1 ½ tablespoons each. The dough will be wet and sticky. Using wet hands help.
- Place the balls on the baking mat. Flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes.
What Type of Pumpkin to Use
Is pumpkin keto and low carb? The type you buy is crucial. When purchasing canned pumpkin, be sure the label says 100% pure pumpkinand not pumpkin pie filling. You can grab it here from Amazon. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and loaded with sugar.
Baking Tips
Watch these closely while they are in the oven. You want it to appear as though you have under-baked the cookies at first. The cookies should never look fully baked while they are in the oven.
Once the bottom of the cookies begin to turn brown and the cookie has taken shape and appears somewhat firm, remove the cookies from the oven. Almond flour bakes fast. If you leave the cookies in too long you will end up with burnt cookies.
Every oven bakes differently. I notice that items toward the back of my oven brown faster than food toward the front. Sometimes I have to rotate the positioning of sheets and pans to take this into account, otherwise, some cookies would turn out done while others were way too soft. Become familiar with how your oven bakes.
Cooling is Important
The longer the cookies cool, the firmer they will be. Patience is crucial. Because this recipe uses pumpkin puree, the cookies will need a little bit more cooling time.
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Cookie Texture
These cookies are soft and tender with firm edges. The edges aren't crisp, like with other cookies, but they are firm enough for you to handle. Be careful if adding frosting or icing. A gentle touch works best.
Cream Cheese Icing
I like to serve these with a little icing, I usually only ice half of the batch because the cookies are so good on their own!
For the icing you will need softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sweetener.
Can You Add Chocolate Chips?
Absolutely! If want to add chocolate chips, fold those in after you have mixed the batter and before you form balls with the dough.
How to Store
Store these tightly sealed in the fridge. Since these are made with pumpkin, I don't recommend storing them at room temperature. They may start to get really moist.
Freezer Tips
To freeze, store them tightly sealed. They will freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Keto Low Carb Pumpkin Pie
Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Keto Pumpkin Mug Cake
Sugar Free Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Keto Low Carb Pumpkin Bread
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
Keto Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins
Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
More Sugar Free Cookie Recipes
Sugar Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Keto Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Free Edible Cookie Dough
Sugar Free Ginger Snaps
Keto Double Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Sugar Free Lemon Cookies
Sugar Free Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter Softened at room temperature.
- ⅓ cup sweetener
- ⅓ cup brown sweetener
- ½ cup 100% pureed pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice See Notes for how to make your own.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Icing
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon powdered sweetener Confectioner's
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter and sweeteners together in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer or standing mixer.
- Add in the pureed pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy.
- Add the almond flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a separate bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the mixture is combined. Do not overmix. This will result in dry cookies.
- Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat. This will prevent the cookies from over-browning.
- Form balls with the cookie dough about 1 ½ tablespoons each. The dough will be wet and sticky. Using wet hands will help.
- Place the balls on the baking mat. Flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes. When checking in on the cookies they should look really soft, but golden at the edges when ready. They will harden up as they cool. You don't want them to look firm in the oven. That will result in burnt cookies. Mine were ready right at 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies and cool on the silicone baking mat and cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. This is important. If you move the cookies too soon, they will crumble. Give them a chance to firm up.
- Cool the cookies on the cooling rack for another 15 minutes. Wait until cooled to apply icing. Be gentle while icing.
Icing
- Combine the ingredients and spread on the cookies. If this doesn't produce enough icing for you, add more cream cheese and confectioners sweetener as needed.
Video
Notes
- If you don't want keto cookies, you can substitute almond flour for 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour. You can also use the same measurements noted above for regular table sugar.
- 1 ½ tablespoons of dough with result in medium-sized cookies. 2 tablespoons are on the low end of large and 2 ½ tablespoons will make large cookies. The bake time for the larger cookies was closer to 13-16 minutes.
- Watch these closely while they are in the oven. You want it to appear as though you have under-baked the cookies at first. The cookies should never look fully baked while they are in the oven.
- Once the bottom of the cookies begin to turn brown and the cookie has taken shape and appears somewhat firm, remove the cookies from the oven. Almond flour bakes fast. If you leave the cookies in too long you will end up with burnt cookies.
- Every oven bakes differently. I notice that items toward the back of my oven brown faster than food toward the front. Sometimes I have to rotate the positioning of sheets and pans (halfway through) to take this into account, otherwise, some cookies would turn out done while others were way too soft. Become familiar with how your oven bakes.
- The longer the cookies cool, the firmer they will be. Patience is crucial. Because this recipe uses pumpkin puree, the cookies will need a little bit more cooling time.
- Macros do not include icing. Input the ingredients into your preferred calculator.
- If want to add chocolate chips, fold those in after you have mixed the batter and before you form balls with the dough.
- Ground Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
- Ground Ginger (½ teaspoon)
- Ground Nutmeg (½ teaspoon)
Dona says
Can you add chopped pecans?
staysnatched says
Sure, if you want.
Laura C says
So. Freaking. Good! Do yourself a favor and try these. I couldn’t not believe they were keto low carb by the taste! ??
staysnatched says
I love to hear that! Glad you enjoyed them!
Gina says
Super easy to make and tastes so good! Perfect low sugar/ low carb treat. I added vegan chocolate chips to half of the batch as well and they tasted amazing! Great recipe. I will be making these a lot this fall/winter!
staysnatched says
Yes perfect for fall for sure!
Jayde says
I don't like pumpkin anything and only made these cookies because my mom loves pumpkin and pumpkin spice. But let me tell you. I'm now a believer!!!! These cookies were delicious and soooo easy to make. I was eating them as soon as I iced them, and had to make another whole batch to take to my mom's house. Seriously, these cookies are really good. I am now a pumpkin convert and will be making these again and again.
staysnatched says
Wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed them recipe!
Sarah says
I just made these and oh my god, SO good. I added in some pecans and I think it took them over the top! I didn’t try the icing yet because I didn’t have any cream cheese, but next time!
staysnatched says
I love the pecans idea!
Lisa says
Perfect treat! Not too sweet and so tasty! Great for Gf option!
staysnatched says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jamie says
These are easy and absolutely phenomenal!
staysnatched says
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jess says
I just made these and oh my god, so good!! I can’t wait to try them with chocolate chips next time!!
staysnatched says
That sounds like a great addition!
Sharon says
Super moist and all the flavors of fall! First time for me baking with Monkfruit, and these cookies were delicious! Thanks, Brandi!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Ana says
THANK YOU for this recipe!! So good, I have made over and over again. They have never lasted more than a day or two between myself and my 3 roommates! And grain free!! My new go to pumpkin recipe FOR SURE
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad it's your go-to!
Elizabeth M says
Easy, quick to make and bake and delicious. Perfect recipe directions cause i can see how easy it would be to let them go in the oven. Loved these
staysnatched says
I'm glad you found the directions useful!
Suzanne says
These came out SO amazingly soft jwith a springy texture and tasted soooo good. Family doesn’t like pumpkin or low sugar anything, and they ate the whole plate!!! A wonderful recipe to kick off pumpkin season!
staysnatched says
Yay! The texture is what I love most about these!
Marsha Lumpkin says
These are amazing- taste and texture! I made without the frosting and these cookies will definitely be in my rotation for sure!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Stevi Tracas says
I would love it if you included nutritional information with your recipes (cals, fat, protein & carb). If not, I can’t include them in my Keto diet
staysnatched says
This is included in the recipe card for every recipe. I’m not sure how you missed it.
Amy says
Brandi comes through again! These are Sooooo amazing! Easy to make, clear directions and helpful notes. Can't wait to make them again!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Theresa says
Omg these are so good! They are still on the cooling rack and I have had too many. They do not even taste GF and they are the perfect fall treat even without the frosting! Thank you!!!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Suzanne says
Can you substitute coconut flour for the almond flour. My son cannot eat any nut flour? He can eat coconut.
staysnatched says
No, they aren’t interchangeable.
Stacey says
THESE ARE AMAZING!!!!!!! They were so easy to make and the flavor is outstanding! I haven’t even tried with with the cream cheese frosting yet. Will be making these multiple times this fall. Thank you!!!!!!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Chari says
These cookies were delicious. The recipe was easy to follow and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I ran out of almond flour and subbed the remaining cup or so with oat flour. Also didn't have cream cheese, so I made a simple glaze.
They baked quickly, as you cautioned they would, and were ready in about 12 minutes. They were soft and had the perfect pumpkin-cinnamony flavoring.
If fall had a flavor, it would be these cookies. My daughter, who doesn't like pumpkin, ate 2.
Thank you for a great recipe.
staysnatched says
You're welcome. So glad to hear it worked out.
Keto wanna be says
I’ve been very selective on what pumpkin dessert I wanted to make. I’m not very savvy when it comes to baking, so the fewer ingredients and simple steps are just what I need. This recipe was exactly that! I did exactly what Brandi Including the recommended cooling part too. I can get antsy, but I wanted perfection! I did ad a bit of cinnamon to my icing, but these would be just as delightful without it!
staysnatched says
I love that you waited it out.
Sophia says
Just tried these tonight and they were a hit even for the non keto people. Would definitely recommend this recipe!!
staysnatched says
Yay! I love to hear that.
Carrie says
Delicious! The directions make it so easy to make a dessert that is delicious enough for everyone to want to eat without sacrificing goals.
staysnatched says
Yes. I feel the same way!
Adriana says
These cookies are amazing! The recipe is super easy to follow and just delicious! The only problem... I can't just eat one. Thanks for another hit Brandi!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Cat says
Bomb bomb bomb! Truly taste like pumpkin pie without all of the guilt!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Brandi B says
I just made these and ate 3 as I was icing them! They are sooo good! Thanks for another fantastic recipe Brandi!!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Deb says
Probably my favorite keto cookie recipe to date. I added a little more spice, but otherwise followed recipe and notes on when to remove from oven and cookie sheet. (except I used a spoon to scoop instead of my hands) Turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful recipe.
staysnatched says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Deb says
@staysnatched, Forgot to mention I added xanthan gum with the spices (maybe 1/2 teaspoon or so) which helped thicken and stabilize the dough. It is gluten-free and keto-friendly. Since I won't be traveling to see family this holiday, I'm trying to figure out how to send these... they will LOVE them!
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Qubilah says
These are SOOO good. I added Lily's dark chocolate chips to them and bayybeee. I live by myself so I get to enjoy them all. They have the perfect amount of sweetness and the cream cheese icing is a nice touch!
staysnatched says
I love that idea! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Antoiniece Robinson says
I was the person in line ordering pumpkin bread at Starbucks. I did not have a loaf pan so i made these and OMG!!!!!!! They are AMAZING and my new favorite snack without all the guilt!
staysnatched says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Theresa says
Amazing even without the frosting! Easy to make and great tips, thanks!
staysnatched says
Yes! Love to hear it.
Emily R. says
Keep coming back to your recipes because you make baking for non-bakers doable! Thanks for another great one!
staysnatched says
I'm so glad you enjoyed these!
Andrea Baker says
What is golden sweetener?
staysnatched says
Click on the link. All the information is there.
Erica says
These look amazing and the recipe so simple! Thank you for sharing! I am excited to try the recipe! As I am new to Keto, does the nutritional info include the icing, if not, what would the carb info be then?
staysnatched says
You should be calculating your own macros based on the brand of the ingredients you use in the recipe.
Melissa says
I just made these and me and my husband and two teenage boys loved! I could eat them all! Definitely doing a double batch next time. I used regular swerve for the sweetener and didn’t use a brown sugar alternative. Also didn’t ice and they turned out great
staysnatched says
Glad to hear it!
Kate Wollin says
Your notes don’t include how to make the pumpkin pie spice
staysnatched says
They are dry spices. You just combine them. The notes do include the measurements and ingredients.