Low Carb Pumpkin Cookies

These low carb pumpkin cookies are soft, cake-like little treats made with ricotta, pumpkin and almond flour, with plenty of warm pumpkin pie spice. They're sugar free, gluten free and only about 2 grams of net carbs each, so they're an easy fall sweet treat to keep around.

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Pumpkin shows up in just about everything once fall arrives, and I'm not complaining! It's already starred in my low carb pumpkin mousse and sausage and pumpkin bites, and I've even roasted the seeds. These ricotta pumpkin cookies are the ones I bake when I want something sweet with my coffee. They come out super soft, almost like little pumpkin cakes, and it's really hard to eat just one.

If you love these, you'll adore my Keto Pumpkin Muffins with cream cheese frosting too!

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Ricotta. This is the secret to the soft, tender texture. Use whole milk ricotta for the best flavor and drain it well before you start (more on that below). Part-skim works too, but the cookies will be a little less rich.
• Pumpkin puree. Use canned 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with sugar. Homemade pumpkin puree is fine as long as it's thick, so cook it down a little if it's watery.
• Almond flour and flaxseed meal. Blanched almond flour gives the cookies structure and a mild, buttery flavor. Ground flaxseed soaks up moisture and adds fiber, which keeps the net carbs really low. Golden flax gives a lighter color than brown flax, but either one works.
• Sweetener. I use a granulated monk fruit sweetener like Lakanto, which measures cup-for-cup like sugar. A stevia blend that measures like sugar also works. Taste the dough and add a little more if you like your cookies on the sweeter side.
• Butter and spice. Softened unsalted butter makes the dough easy to beat together. Pumpkin pie spice brings the cozy flavor. If you don't have any, use a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves.

Helpful Tips

Drain the ricotta first. Ricotta holds a surprising amount of liquid, and extra moisture makes the dough loose and the cookies gummy in the middle. Spoon it into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing gently with a spoon. You can also spread it on a double layer of paper towels. It's a small step that makes a big difference.

Expect cake-like cookies, not crispy ones. Between the ricotta, the pumpkin and the lack of flour and sugar, these cookies bake up soft and fluffy, a lot like the top of a muffin. That's exactly how they're meant to be! Don't keep baking them in the hope they'll crisp up, or they'll just dry out.

Scoop and flatten. A 2-tablespoon cookie scoop keeps the cookies the same size so they bake evenly, and the recipe makes about 16. The dough doesn't spread much in the oven, so press each mound down a little with the back of a spoon or damp fingers before baking.

Line the pan. A silicone baking mat or parchment paper stops the bottoms from sticking or browning too fast, which almond flour baking tends to do.

Let them rest on the pan. The cookies are very soft straight out of the oven. Leave them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to set up before moving them to a cooling rack, and they'll hold together much better.

Variations

• Cream cheese frosting. Pumpkin and cream cheese are a perfect match. Spread the cooled cookies with my low carb cream cheese frosting for a pumpkin cake treat. Keep frosted cookies in the fridge.
• Simple glaze. For a lighter finish, drizzle them with a sugar-free glaze made from powdered monk fruit sweetener and a splash of cream. There are more ideas in my post on low carb icing and glaze.
• Chocolate chips. Stir about ⅓ cup of Lily's sugar-free chocolate chips into the dough right before scooping. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are always a hit with kids.
• Nuts. Fold in a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch, which is nice with the soft texture.
• Extra spice. Add a pinch of extra cinnamon or ground ginger, or roll the dough balls in cinnamon and granulated sweetener before baking for a snickerdoodle-style top.

Serving Ideas

These cookies are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon, and they make a nice low carb lunchbox treat too. Because they're so soft, they're also a hit with kids and with anyone who misses cake.

For a fall dessert platter, serve them alongside Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs and a bowl of whipped cream. They're also a great make-ahead option for Halloween parties and Thanksgiving, when you want a low carb sweet on the table that everyone can enjoy.

Storing & Freezing

Because they're made with ricotta, keep these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they'll stay fresh for up to 5 days. Put a sheet of parchment paper between the layers so the soft cookies don't stick together. They're delicious cold, or you can let them sit out for 15 minutes to take the chill off.

These cookies freeze really well. Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about 30 minutes. If you plan to frost them, freeze them plain and add the frosting after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use almond flour only?

Yes. Replace the flaxseed meal with the same amount of extra almond flour (1 cup of almond flour in total). The cookies will be a little paler and more tender, and slightly higher in net carbs, since flaxseed is almost all fiber. Don't swap in coconut flour cup-for-cup, because it absorbs far more liquid and will make the cookies dry.

Are these cookies soft or crisp?

They're soft and cake-like. The ricotta and pumpkin add a lot of moisture, so they bake up fluffy rather than crunchy, and they stay soft for days in the fridge. If you like a firmer cookie, flatten the dough a little thinner and bake for the full 12 minutes.

How many net carbs are in each cookie?

Each cookie has about 2 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber), which makes them keto friendly. The full nutrition per cookie is in the recipe card below. The exact numbers will vary a little depending on the brands you use and whether you add frosting or chocolate chips.

More Low Carb Pumpkin Recipes

If you loved these cookies, here are a few more pumpkin treats you might enjoy:

• Keto Pumpkin Muffins
• Low Carb Pumpkin Mousse
• Keto Pumpkin Ice Cream (with Candied Bacon)
• 30+ Low Carb Cookies
• 30+ Low Carb Halloween Recipes

📖 Recipe

StepAwayFromTheCarbs.com

Low Carb Pumpkin Cookies

4.67 from 6 votes

Soft, cake-like low carb pumpkin cookies made with ricotta, almond flour, flaxseed meal and warm pumpkin pie spice. They're sugar free, gluten free and keto friendly, and they're ready in under 30 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Makes: 16 cookies

Net Carbs: 1

Calories: 82

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• ¼ cup low carb sweetener granulated monk fruit sweetener, such as Lakanto
• ¼ cup ricotta whole milk, drained
• ½ cup canned 100% pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• ½ cup almond flour blanched, finely ground
• ½ cup flaxseed meal ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Equipment

• AmazonBasics Silicone Baking Mat Sheet, Set of 2
• KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer or a hand mixer
• Baker's Secret Nonstick Cooling Rack, Set of 2

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Drain the ricotta: spoon it into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and let it drain for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing gently to remove excess liquid.
3. In a stand mixer bowl (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the softened butter and sweetener until creamy. Add the drained ricotta and pumpkin puree and beat until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. Add to the mixer bowl and beat until fully combined. The dough will be thick and soft.
5. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart (you should get about 16 cookies). Flatten each mound slightly with the back of a spoon or damp fingers, since the cookies won't spread much.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges start to darken. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes (they're very soft when hot), then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 6mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0gVitamin A: 1298IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mgNet Carbs: 1g

Notes

Drain the ricotta. Wet ricotta makes a loose dough and gummy cookies, so let it sit in a fine-mesh sieve for 10 to 15 minutes first.

Texture. These cookies are soft and cake-like rather than crisp, because the ricotta and pumpkin add a lot of moisture. They firm up as they cool.

Storage. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition is per cookie, with net carbs calculated as total carbs minus fiber.

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Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.