Keto Coconut Macaroons
These Keto Macaroons can be your new go-to easy baked good. Six ingredients. Five minutes to mix and scoop. Thirty minutes to bake. Done. These low carb Keto Coconut Macaroons are also Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, and a THM S with only 1.9 net carbs per serving.
These low carb coconut macaroons are one of the easiest cookie recipes I have ever made. We went away with another family for the weekend and I brought some very basic baking supplies because I knew I would want something sweet and suitable for a keto diet before the weekend was over. This is what I came up with while staying in a very limited kitchen with very limited supplies. And they were absolutely delicious.
I’ve been working hard on cutting back dairy in my diet. My easiest switch was beginning to use cashew or almond milk in my coffee in the morning. Harder is giving up creamy desserts and cheesy dinners. I’m trying to do one or two dairy-free meals a day in the hope that it will help me break my weight loss plateau.
Having dairy-free treats like these Keto Coconut Macaroons on hand is a must in my book. One that mixes up in just 5 minutes is even better.
Just a few minutes and you will have this gluten free coconut macaroons recipe in the oven! I hope it becomes one of your favorite easy low carb keto desserts.
Ingredients
Finely Shredded Coconut – This is very fine unsweetened shredded coconut. Make sure the bag says ‘finely shredded’ and the texture of the individual flakes is like sawdust.
Coconut Milk – I use full-fat canned coconut milk in this recipe.
Sweetener – I use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. It tastes like sugar but is twice as sweet so you need less. I do offer substitutions in the recipe card.
Eggs – Eggs are the binding agent that hold the cookies together. You can use just egg whites if you prefer.
Coconut Flour – I add a bit of coconut flour to thicken up the cookie batter.
Sugar Free Chocolate Chips – Any variety of keto chocolate chips are fine: semisweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate.
How to make Keto Coconut Macaroons
This is just about the easiest recipe ever. One dirty bowl and two dirty cookie sheets. And a measuring spoon or two. That’s it. I even simplify further and line my cookie sheets with parchment paper but that’s optional. Simply mix together six ingredients, scoop cookies, and bake. My kids can make these all on their own. Which is fine with me.
Step One: Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. I mix everything besides the chocolate chips in the large mixing bowl first and then fold those in.
Expert Tip: If you use FINELY shredded coconut your mixture should look like my photos and not be overly wet.
Step Two: Form the mixture into two dozen cookies using a large cookie scoop. Press them down lightly with your fingers. Place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step Three: Bake until they are firm to the touch with golden edges.
Variations
You can leave the chocolate chips out for plain macaroons, add some nuts, add your favorite extract, and easily adapt this recipe for your own family. Last time I made these easy gluten free keto coconut macaroons I made half with sugar free chocolate chips mixed in and made the other half into Triple Chocolate Macaroons with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and a melted sugar-free chocolate drizzle.
White Chocolate Cranberry – My new favorite variation is adding a dash of vanilla extract, chewy unsweetened dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips!
Bars – Want bars instead of keto cookies? Try my keto coconut bars or these healthy coconut bars from my friend Sarah at My Montana Kitchen.
Extracts – To really boost the coconut flavor add some coconut extract. Love almonds? Add almond extract. Pure vanilla extract also gives the cookies a nice flavor.
Common Questions
What are Coconut Macaroons?
Macaroons are a chewy cookie made primarily from coconut. These differ from the French Macaron which is an almond flour based sandwich cookie. Both are delicious but macarons are very delicate and tricky to make. I’ve tried to make a keto version a few times and could never get it right. They seem to be one of the few recipes that really do need cane sugar to succeed.
Why Should I Use Parchment Paper for Cookies?
I always use parchment when baking cookies just for the ease of clean up. I buy one huge pack at Costco and it lasts me years even with all the baking I do for this blog. I highly recommend it!
What is Finely Shredded Coconut?
Finely shredded coconut is unsweetened coconut in very very thin pieces. It looks almost like sawdust. If you use coconut with bigger flakes this recipe will not work.
When I first published this keto coconut macaroons recipe I just put 8 oz of finely shredded coconut flakes because that is a standard measurement and then you can just dump in the whole bag. A lot of people translated that to 1 cup of finely shredded coconut. Not the same thing. Coconut is light and fluffy so 8 oz of unsweetened coconut flakes is actually 2 1/2 cups.
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Joy Filled Eats
Keto Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 8 oz finely shredded coconut this is equal to 2 1/2 cups
- 13.5 oz coconut milk full fat canned
- 1 cup sugar free chocolate chips
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Drop 24 heaping tablespoons onto 2 cookie sheets.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden and the cookies are slightly firm to the touch.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published November 11, 2016. Revised and Republished April 25, 2022.
I would love to try this! I can’t have eggs. Is there something I can substitute? Flax eggs? Thank you!
Hi Rebecca, I don’t have much experience with flax eggs so I’m not sure if they would work in this recipe, sorry! You may want to cut back on the coconut milk if you try them. The worst thing that would happen is the cookies would fall apart and you’d be left with a yummy granola 😉
Can you use coconut sugar
Hi Gloria, I think coconut sugar would work but you may need to add more to get the same level of sweetness.
Would it work if I used regular sugar (organic, turbonado, etc)? I don’t have the other stuff but would love to try these out.
Hi Chelsea, regular sugar should work in these but you will need more than the amount called for. 1.5 to 2 times as much.
AMAZING! I love this recipe. It is truly easy to make and they taste delicious, soft with just the right amount of sweetness. The results were picture perfect. I posted a picture on Pinterest (cookies on a plate) to show you how perfect your recipe really is. My 15 year old THM teen loves these as well. They go great in a school sack lunch.
Do these need to be refrigerated?And how long will they keep?
I think they would be ok at room temp for a day or two but will keep longer in the fridge. Up to a week. I’ve frozen them for months too. So you have a lot of options!
I’ve left them out for up to a week…they don’t last any longer than that, lol…in a sealed plastic container and they were fine.
Hi, how many cookies is ‘one serving’? And am I correct from the nutritional info that 1 serving is 2 net carbs? Thanks
The nutrition info is calculated for 1 cookie. It’s up to you how many cookies you’d like to eat. I’m a 2 or 3 cookie girl myself 😉
Could you use stevia for the sweetener?
Maybe. You would have to cut back on the liquid since the cookies would have less bulk.
Did you try with stevia? If so what did you change up and how much stevia did you use?
Should the water in the canned coconut milk be added?
Yes, dump in the whole can. It is just the thinner part of the coconut milk that has separated.
8 oz is 1 cup. So how much coconut does this recipe call for?
8 oz is not always 1 cup. Coconut is light and fluffy so 8 oz of coconut is actually 2 1/2 cups. This recipe calls for 8 oz of finely shredded coconut.
These are so moist and delicious. Thank you!
Having a huge family gathering at my house for Fathers Day, and didn’t want to be tempted by the traditional desserts. Plus my brother in law is diabetic. So I made these tonight, and I already can’t stay out of them. They’re yummy! And husband-approved!
Could I replace the coconut milk with anything? I don’t have the coconut milk on hand, but am eager to try these! We can have dairy so any dairy product suggestion would be fine!
Hmm.. maybe half the amount listed in heavy cream.
So I just made this.. it was baked in 15 min at 350.. the only reason I can think it didn’t take 30 min is I used parchment paper?
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure why yours baked so fast. I’m going to put a note in the recipe to start checking at 15 min. A few other readers have given me great feedback on these and didn’t mention needing to reduce the baking time.
I’m glad I read this before I baked mine. I used parchment paper & mine were also done in 15 minutes! They are so simple & taste great!
Did you use unsweetened or sweetened coconut? Thanks!
Unsweetened. I used an 8 oz bag of finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
Perfect. I was hoping it was unsweetened. Thanks!
Just whipped up the batter and I love how delicious and easy it is! Only thing is that my batter is very liqidy and is definitely not scoopable. I converted the 8oz of shredded coconut to one cup. Is that right? And I know coconut products can really vary. I used trader Joe’s coconut milk and natural grocers coconut flour. Already added another tablespoon of coconut flour and 2/3 cup more shredded coconut but it’s still runny and definitely not scoopable or as “dough like” as your picture. Any ideas?
Hi Emma, 8 oz of coconut is closer to 3 cups. I think my 8 oz bag said it was about 2 3/4 cups.
I use 3 & 3/4 cups coconut which is perfect…I may try a bit less next time and see how that works seeing you said 2 1/c ups in the recipe. Also, are these a THM S? I tried cutting back on the Gentle sweet but will use the amount that is said in the recipe…just not sweet enough for me! This recipe is so easy and deelish! Thank you!
I use 3 & 3/4 cups coconut which is perfect…I may try a bit less next time and see how that works seeing you said 2 1/2 cups in the recipe. Also, are these a THM S? I tried cutting back on the Gentle sweet but will use the amount that is said in the recipe…just not sweet enough for me! This recipe is so easy and deelish! Thank you!
Hi Marie, I’m glad you liked them! Yes, these are an S.
You have the BEST recipes!! They are simple to make, delicious, gluten free, often dairy free and mostly low carb. THANK YOU so much ☺️