Keto Lemon Cookies: Thick and Soft
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Keto Lemon Cookies are exactly the thick and soft cookies you need if you’re looking for a delicious dessert that is bursting with lemon flavor! Drizzled with icing, these are perfectly sweet and tangy!
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Click HERE To Pin Keto Lemon Cookies
Keto Lemon Cookies
In the summer and spring months, there is nothing better than citrus! Maybe I’m just a stereotypical Floridian, but I love the refreshing sweet-tanginess of citrus!
If you’re anything like me and you love citrus too, you will adore these keto lemon cookies!
Some of our favorite citrusy recipes are our Low Carb Orange Creamsicle Cake, Creamy Keto Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, and Sugar-Free Keto Lemonade! If you are craving anything with citrus this summer, be sure to check out these great recipes.
Creating this recipe, I had really high hopes. Of course I always expect everything we make to be great, I was especially excited for this one (maybe because I love citrus… did I already mention that?).
When these finally came out of the oven and I first smelled them, I knew they would be delicious!
My tastebuds definitely confirmed what my nose already knew… these keto lemon cookies came out so great!
These sugar free lemon cookies turned out exactly how we hoped they would!
I modeled the thickness and softness of this cookie after our Thick and Soft Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies and I think they turned out with the same consistency and feel.
If you enjoyed our keto snickerdoodles, you will definitely love these keto lemon cookies!!
Making Thick and Soft Keto Cookies
Maybe the most important ingredient that we used for these keto lemon cookies is, well, lemon. We opted to use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled, though bottled lemon juice would work fine as well.
The benefits of fresh lemons are similar to the benefits of using any fresh ingredient while cooking. Usually, fresh lemons are more flavorful, have no preservatives or additives, and just taste better overall.
Another great benefit of using fresh lemons is lemon zest. We zested a little bit of lemon for these keto lemon cookies and I think it added to the delicious flavor of these cookies!
In addition, one more important ingredient in these cookies is cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is one of those things that I had never heard of until I started baking frequently.
Basically, cream of tartar is an ingredient that helps these cookies to rise while they bake, and it also prevents them from burning on the bottom while they bake.
Cream of tartar is not necessarily required to make these keto lemon cookies, but it will surely make your cookies turn out even better!
If you don’t have any in your pantry and really want to whip up a batch of these cookies, don’t fret!
You can read more benefits of using cream or tartar when baking cookies here.
One of the great things about these cookies, and most of our recipes for that matter, is that they are totally customizable and can be adapted to suit whatever you love.
If lemon isn’t your thing, or if you just want to try something new, you can swap out lemon for orange or lime.
Certain citrus fruits contain some sugar, but in small amounts, it should not affect your insulin levels or affect your state of ketosis (unless you eat the entire batch of cookies… then maybe).
No matter what citrus you decide to use, these keto lemon cookies will turn out looking great and tasting delicious!
How To Make Keto Lemon Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine together all wet ingredients, including lemon zest.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients into one bowl.
- Scoop out cookies into 1×1 inch balls.
- Slightly flatten on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Note: The cookies won’t rise very much while baking so form them into the desired shape before baking.
Keto Glaze And Other Ideas
The most important ingredient when making the keto friendly glaze is definitely Lakanto’s Powdered Monkfruit. It tastes, looks, and works just like powdered sugar, just… well, without the sugar!
If you want to give Lakanto’s Powdered Monkfruit a try, or if you want to check out any of their other great products, check out their website HERE.
Don’t forget to use our discount code “BUTTERTOGETHER” to receive 20% off of your ENTIRE purchase of any item on their site.
In addition to powerderd Monkfruit, we used almond milk to create the glaze. It worked fine and tasted great, but if you are worried about an almond flavored icing, you have other options!
You can create a glaze using any other keto friendly milk, or you could also make a lemon glaze using powdered sweetener and about a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of butter. This will obviously result in a more tangy flavor, but there is nothing wrong with that!
Finally, you could also choose to make lemon crinkle cookies! To do this, all you will need to do is roll your cookie dough in some powdered sweetener before you bake them!
The options are endless!
RECOMMENDED TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING THESE KETO LEMON COOKIES (SUGAR FREE, GRAIN FREE):
- Zester – It’s important to have a good lemon zester when you need it! This is a great one to have.
- Cream of tartar – I love using cream of tartar in certain cookie recipes as it helps the cookies to rise more and helps gives a more lighter texture.
- Fresh lemon – Be sure to use fresh lemon juice instead of the fake stuff you find at the grocery store! It truly makes a difference when you use the real stuff when it comes to making these cookies.
- Lemon Zest – lemon zest is essential for increasing maximal flavor that you’ll want!
- Lemon Extract – Using lemon extract rather than vanilla extract is a smart move! It’s an extra flavor addition that you don’t want to miss!
Nutrition (per cookie) Makes 2 Dozen Cookies
Calories: 84.6 | Fat: 7.9g | Carbs: 3.08g | Fiber: 1.83g | Protein: 2.4g | Net Carbs: 1.25g
Click HERE To Pin Keto Lemon Cookies
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Enjoy!
Some Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Thick and Soft Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies
Thick and Soft Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick and Soft Keto Lemon Cookies
Print
Sweets
Ingredients
| 1 1/2 cup Almond Flour | |
| 1/2 cup Coconut Flour | |
| 2 tsp Cream of tartar | |
| 1 tsp Baking Soda | |
| 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum | |
| Pinch of salt | |
| 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick) | |
| 3/4 cup Lakanto Monkfruit (or choice of sweetener) | |
| 2 Eggs | |
| 1 tbsp Lemon Zest | |
| 1 tsp Lemon Extract | |
| 1 tbsp Lemon Juice |
Glaze
| 1/3 cup Lakanto Powdered Sweetener | |
| 1 tbsp Almond Milk (or milk of choice), or lemon juice | |
| Finely grated lemon zest for garnish, optional |
Nutritional Information
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together almond and coconut flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.
In a separate bowl, using a mixer, cream together the butter, sweetener, eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract, and lemon juice.
Slowly mix in dry ingrediants and combine to form dough.
Roll the individual cookies into 1-1 1/4" balls. Flatten balls slightly for desired shape and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Spread the glaze on the cooled cookies. Let stand until the glaze is set, about 10 minutes.
122 Comments
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Deb
For the cookie mixture, did you use powdered sweetener or grainy sweetener like erythritol?
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Brenda Jackson
These lemon cookies are awesome and easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. The only thing I noticed is that the glaze didn’t seem as abundant as yours. I had to make a double batch to get the cookies covered.
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Brenda Dukes
I’m in love with this lemon cookie ! They came out beautiful , lite and fluffy. Absolutely deliciou!
Thank You so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. It reminds me of a cookie we bought as kids , called Lemon Jubilee. Next batch I make I will post a picture to your link on Pinterest. Thanks again. -
Elizabeth
These are DELISH!! The ONLY change I made was for the glaze; instead of milk, I used lemon juice!! They were FANTABULOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS‼️🤗
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Chris Pearson
Oh my god. These are the best low carb/keto cookies I have ever eaten. These taste just like the original lemon cookies. I made them exactly as written except I didn’t use the glaze. They don’t need it. These are amazing. Do you have a sugar cookie recipe? I highly recommend trying this recipe. You will not be disappointed.
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Tara
Has anyone tried coconut oil instead of butter?
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Lorraine Luciano
Yes, I used coconut oil and they turned out great
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Miriam Gordon
For the glaze do we just combine and melt over low heat in a sauce pan?
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Sherry
These were very good. I subbed Bocha Sweet as a sweetener plus a little lemon stevia to taste, and because I really love lemon, I added a teaspoon more of lemon extract to batter. I also added lemon extract to the icing I made with powdered Boca Sweet and lemon juice. Fantastic! 😋
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Allie
10/10!!! So good, I used cream cheese as an ingredient for the frosting.
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Sarah
Do you think using coconut flour and no almond flour would work? I’d like to try these but they would need to be nut free! Thanks!!
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Tammy Bowers
How do I follow your blog?
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Teasa
Made these yesterday, using Pyure sugar. They are so good! I had been craving lemon pound cake, but hadn’t found a recipe that I’d like to try. I saw this and knew I had to try it. It definitely did not disappoint. I made them plain and with an icing I made with cream cheese. Yummy! Thank you for this recipe!
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Patricia
Love these cookies I will make them over and over again
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Teri
Lemon cookies are out of this world good!
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Coby Burns
Hi! These look delicious but can I use all almond flour? I really don’t like the coconut flavor of most keto recipes so try not to use coconut flour (or coconut sugar) if it’s exchangeable. Thanks!
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Kelly
I made These tonight and followed the instructions I did use Stevia powder for the sweetener. Consistency of the cookies was excellent but they just did not have the sweetness that I crave. would using another kind of sweetener help?
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Sandra
These turned out great. How do you store them? If you put them into a plastic container, does the glaze get wet and sticky? I want to stack the cookies. Thanks for the recipe.
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Julena
I love these cookies…. I was wondering can I make the recipe in advanced and freeze the dough or freeze the cookies?
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Stacy
I followed the recipe exactly and they are the best Keto cookies I’ve made/had yet. I would just double the glaze recipe next time. I didn’t have enough for all the cookies but excellent !!!
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Hayley Gardner
Do you mix up xanthen gum or just use it just as powder? Thanks
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Ada
These look amazing! Are they quite tart? I usually like my lemon treats quite tart, should I do 1.5 tbsp?
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Linds
These keto lemon cookies are fantastic!! I followed the recipe exactly as stated but didn’t make glaze and they were perfect. Nobody would even know that these were keto. Just the right amount of lemon flavor and they even look pretty. Kudos!!
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Melisa
Very tasty! We all are enjoying them. Thank you
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Anna
Can’t wait to try these! Would tapioca flour instead of coconut flour work you think?
Only because I have that in my cupboard haha Otherwise I’ll go shopping again -
Ann
I must have the wrong almond flour. My batter looked JUST like the brown, grainy almond flour from the bag. The batter was very wet, making it hard to form balls and came out looking exactly like the wet dough, brown and grainy! haha Didn’t look at all like lemon cookies, and were rather dense or rubbery, but had the taste of lemon cookies! I’d love to perfect this, as it looks so yummy… what could I be doing wrong besides maybe a different “type” of almond flour?
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Sweet Pea
Ann,
There are different almond flours: finely ground blanched almond flour. It’s a light cream color & is what I use for this recipe. And almond meal which has the skins left on and is more coarsely ground and is a barker brown color.
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Evelynn
Yummy!!! Need extra icing but other than that, it is absolutely delicious. Thank you
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I ve
These cookies are delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
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Diana
These cookies were excellent. I followed the recipe and came out like a bakery cookie. Thick , moist and scrumptious. I liked it so much I used the base ingredients (minus the lemon) to make a chocolate brownie cookie using melted squares of unsweetened chocolate and 2 tsp vanilla. Turned out great. Thank you for posting.
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Matthew massoni
Could I substitute the butter for olive oil? Don’t want all the cholesterol that comes with butter, and was wondering if the taste or texture may change from this? Thank you!
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Keistina
THESE ARE SO GOOD!!! Sorry, don’t mean to yell, this is just the best thing that has happened to me all year. I know- it’s 2020, so maybe that’s not a fair comparison since this year blows so far, but OMG- these are my new favorite- THANK YOU!
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Lisa
Hi – any chance the almond flour can be replaced? I cannot eat nuts. Thanks!
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Joanna March
I have made these cookies 4 times now. I am having trouble with the monk fruit and butter creaming. I have tried melting the softened butter, mixing the monk fruit and butter only and just using softened butter. Please, someone tell me the trick because they taste awesome, even when I used lime, but the butter doesn’t cream well. I love the cookies but sometimes they don’t bake up very pretty because the butter didn’t mix in.
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T Fuller
Hi – Ok, so I am a Lemonhead and will eat lemons by themselves any time!
These cookies were unbelievably delicious!
I am so excited that I have a go to treat during Keto that will keep me honest!
Although I couldn’t find my zester, I used lemon juice and lemon extract and they were wonderfully tangy!
Thanks so much!
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Sue Couch
HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP THEM IN THE FRIDGE? i WANT TO DONATE SOME TO A BAKES SALE.
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Tandie
All these delicious keto recipes with coconut oil, sugar, and flour are killing me! I get sores in my mouth.
I try to sub grass fed butter or avocado oil for coconut oil.
Can you recommend a substitute for the coconut flour? It seems like it’s not a 1:1 ratio. Thanks!
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Margie
I made these according to the recipe and they are DELICIOUS! I’ve shared them with my sister and her husband and my daughter and son-in-law and they LOVE them! They’re soft and sweet and LEMONY! Of all the plant based sweetners, Monkfruit is my favorite. For all the lemon lovers on Keto, you need to make these. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
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Marilza
Today I made these Lemon Cookies
And I was surprised with the delicious taste, softness !!Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!!!!!
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Christine
I have one big mess with the butter .. It has been softened… but it is not liquid for mixing… shall I melt it?
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Linda
Where do you find Xanthan Gum or is there a substitute for it? Is the Lakanto Monkfruit a sweetener? Is it better then other sweeteners?
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Laura
@Kasey, should I buy the classic monk fruit sweetener or the powdered version for these cookies?
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Darlene
@Kasey,
I actually used powdered in both the cookie and the glaze. Turned out great. However, I am not a fan of Monk Fruit. To me it has a bite to it. So, I used Swervé confectioners style and like it better!
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Sherry Lonsford
Anything lemon is my husband’s favorite. Made these…super easy…super delicious. Looked great at Thanksgiving Family dinner 💝💝
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Jessica Alfonsi
Hello! These are fantastic! Any advice on how to make the monkfruit icing less sweet? Could I add some other powder of some sort or something? It is CRAZY sweet! 🙂
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Tarah Whatmough
Is the butter cold or softened?
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Brenda
Love these cookies! Just what I needed to cure my sweet tooth 🙂 The only thing was my cookie looks a little darker than the picture, I even sifted the flour. I also used lemon juice for the glaze, it was pretty tart so I just toned it down with a little heavy whipping cream. I will probably make these again
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Lisa Familo
These are AHH-Mazing! Could not believe how soft, fluffy, and flavorful they were. So glad I tried these but now I have to figure out how to not eat them all tonight!
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Kay H
These are soooooo good. Kicked my lemon cookie craving to the moon!! Will be making these again. Thank you!!
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Nicky
It’s a winner! Love this recipe and the cookies turned out soft and pillowy.
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Debi Burzynski
Delicious! My first keto dessert. For the glaze, I just mixed fresh lemon juice and powdered swerve. I store these in the freezer and eat straight from there, they do not freeze solid.
Next time I make them, I will flatten them a bit more.
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Pat O’Connor
Just made these cookies OMG excellent!!! I made half a batch and not sure it will last 24 hours. Definitely I will make again. Thank you!!
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Mara
I have been making these, love them, but, my last batch turned out a bit too dry. I think I may have over mixed the butter, monk fruit portion. Does it matter if the butter is softened or melted?
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DebC
These were fabulous! Made as directed except I added about a 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese (after my favorite Food Network lemon ricotta cookie). Moist and light and a perfect ending to a low carb meal. I did have to make extra glaze as there wasn’t enough to cover all the cookies. Will keep this one on my menu!
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Eileen Cifelli
These cookies are delicious and the glaze adds just right amount of tartness…..thanks for great recipe!
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Leslee
These cookies were delicious. I did make a slight tweak and added 2 tbsp of sour cream into the dough. That really made them super moist and you had no idea they were made with almond or coconut flour. Definitely a keeper and I will use this a base for other cookies just sub out the lemon flavoring with something else. Thank you for sharing this ☺️
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Deanna
If tree nut allergy what can I substitute for the almond flour?
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Deanna
@Kasey, Thank you we will give it a try!
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Christina
When you make the glaze with almond milk and add it to the cookies, do the cookies then have to be refrigerated?
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Cheri
OMG, these were beyond delicious. They remained soft, even after freezing them. The combination of lemon flavoring was just right. I’m the only one in my household that loves anything lemon. That means I don’t have to share (ha ha). I would, however, double up on the glaze. This recipe didn’t make enough to really coat them. These were sooooooo delicious that when I make them again, I will double up on the ingredients. They really taste good with a bowl of keto vanilla ice cream. A sinfully delicious treat. Thank you for this great recipe,
Cheri -
Debra
This is the best cookie recipe, ever! Thank you so much!
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Mayda
Very good! Can I freeze them without glaze
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Susan
These are so good, and so easy to make. Bought some gluten-free lemon cookies at the grocery store, and ate half the bag. Decided to find a keto version, and this is the one. Thank you!
Joann Buchholz
I really like these cookies, they are soft, not grainy ,good even without any glaze
. I will make them again.