These keto cream cheese cookies are the keto cookies recipe that everyone at the table loves! With a few simple ingredients and kitchen tools, I’ll show you how to make the best delicate and buttery low carb cookies recipe fit for any occasion — all with minutes of prep. Plus, get my top tips for helping your keto cookies bake perfectly every time! Cream cheese makes great desserts (low carb cheesecake is my most popular!) and adds delicious tang to breakfasts, like cream cheese pancakes. To make a keto cookie with cream cheese, though, I took inspiration from my keto shortbread cookies and made a few tweaks to give them more structure and complex flavor. This keto cookie recipe is perfect for holidays or anytime you need a little treat in your day.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for easy keto cream cheese cookies, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Butter – I prefer grass-fed butter in my low carb cookie recipes, but any unsalted variety will work. Make sure it is softened. Butter flavored coconut oil might work as a substitute to reduce dairy, but I haven’t tried it.Cream Cheese – A full-fat one adds the most flavor, but any plain kind should work. Soften it to room temperature, so it mixes easily. A dairy-free cream cheese should also work if needed.Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The secret to making chewy, mouthwatering keto friendly cookies without any sugar! If you’re craving a subtle brown sugar flavor in these low carb cookies, you can substitute a few tablespoons of Besti with Besti Brown instead. Other keto sugar substitutes may work, but the cookies will be more dry and can have an aftertaste. (In fact, some older comments complain about dryness, because this recipe used to use erythritol — this issue is fixed if you use Besti.) If you still want to substitute, check this sweeteners conversion calculator to get the correct amounts.Egg – Use a whole, large egg. Warm it to room temperature to help it combine easily with the cream cheese. A flax egg would probably work as a substitute, but I haven’t tried it.Vanilla Extract – A classic flavor addition to conventional and keto friendly cookies.Sea Salt – Helps round out the sweet flavor in keto cookies recipes.Sour Cream – A not-so-secret ingredient that adds an extra pop of flavor and moisture to this keto cookie recipe. It’s optional, but makes a huge difference in the texture.Wholesome Yum Almond Flour – A fine grind compared to other almond flours helps make this keto cookies recipe bake up perfectly — never mushy or gritty.

How To Make Keto Cream Cheese Cookies

This section shows how to make low carb cookies, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Variations

Chocolate Chips – You can fold them right into the batter, dip half of each baked keto cookie in melted chocolate, or add a melted chocolate drizzle at the end. This is my favorite brand of keto dark chocolate chips.Flavor Extracts – I used classic vanilla, but you can also try other flavors.Citrus – Add a little lemon or orange zest to the dough.Frosting – Spread cooled cookies with keto cream cheese frosting (and top with sugar-free sprinkles if you like!).Caramel – Add a drizzle of sugar-free caramel syrup and set in the fridge to harden. (You’ll want to eat them cold to keep the caramel firm.)

Storage Instructions

Store: Cover low carb cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or up to a week in the fridge.Meal prep: You can make the dough ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. If using frozen dough, thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before scooping.Freeze: Place the keto cookie recipe in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you like a quick and easy keto cookies that fit your macros, you’ll love these other popular low carb cookie recipes: You can see that this keto cookies recipe is pretty straightforward, but here are a few tips for a great result:

Bring ingredients to room temperature. Otherwise, they’ll be too hard to mix together and make a lumpy dough. Use a cookie scoop. The dough is very soft and fairly sticky, so a cookie scoop is easier than a spoon or using your hands. It also ensures that the cookies are uniform in size, so that they’ll cook evenly. Flatten the cookies. Keto cookies do not flatten or spread very much the way regular cookies with wheat flour would. So, make sure you flatten them to the right thickness before baking. Also, since they don’t spread a lot, having the cookies about 1 to 1.5 inches apart is sufficient. Account for wet dough if needed. If the dough is too wet and sticky to flatten easily, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. It can also help to wet your hands to flatten, which will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

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! Nutrition info does not include optional sour cream. If you prefer to buy pre-made cookies, these are delicious!