Name: Keto Italian Lemon Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: For the cookies:; 2 cups almond flour; 1/2 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute; 1/2 cup butter (softened); 3 tbsp almond milk; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 tsp baking powder; 1 pinch salt; Juice from 1/2 lemon; For the glaze:; 1 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute; Juice and zest from 1/2 lemon; Almond milk (as needed)

This post contains affiliate ads and links. If you buy through them, Keto Recipe Ideas may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it simply helps keep the site ticking over.

These Keto Italian Lemon Cookies are soft, sweet and full of fresh lemon flavour, without using regular sugar or wheat flour. They are made with almond flour, Swerve confectioners sweetener, butter, lemon juice and a simple sugar-free lemon glaze.

Each cookie comes in at around 2g net carbs, making them a lovely low-carb dessert when you want something bright, sweet and a little bit fancy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10–12 minutes

Total Time Approx. 27 minutes

Servings 15 cookies

Net Carbs Approx. 2g each

Quick keto note: These keto Italian lemon cookies use almond flour and Swerve confectioners sweetener instead of regular flour and sugar, helping to keep them low carb while still giving you a soft cookie with a sweet lemon glaze.

Keto Italian lemon cookies with sugar-free lemon glaze served on a plate with fresh lemons.

Why You’ll Love These Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

They are soft, sweet and full of fresh lemon flavour.
They are made with almond flour instead of regular wheat flour.
The sugar-free lemon glaze makes them feel like a proper bakery-style treat.
They are perfect with tea, coffee or as a light low-carb dessert.
They come in at around 2g net carbs per cookie.

Keto Italian Lemon Cookies Ingredients

You only need a handful of keto baking staples for these low-carb lemon cookies. Almond flour gives the cookies structure, butter helps keep them soft, and fresh lemon juice adds that lovely citrus flavour.

Ingredients for keto Italian lemon cookies including almond flour, Swerve sweetener, butter, lemon, egg, almond milk and vanilla.

For the cookies

2 cups almond flour
½ cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute
½ cup softened butter
3 tbsp almond milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Juice from ½ lemon

For the lemon glaze

1 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute
Juice and zest from ½ lemon
Almond milk, as needed

Ingredient Notes And Easy Swaps

Almond flour: Use fine almond flour for the best texture. Almond meal can make the cookies feel heavier and more grainy.

Swerve confectioners sweetener: A powdered or confectioners-style keto sweetener works best here, especially for the glaze. Granular sweetener can make the glaze feel gritty.

Butter: Make sure the butter is softened before mixing. It will blend more easily with the sweetener and help create a smoother cookie dough.

Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest give the best flavour. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but fresh lemon gives a much brighter finish.

Almond milk: Add this slowly to the glaze. You only need enough to loosen it into a drizzle, not turn it into lemon soup. Nobody needs lemon soup on a cookie.

How To Make Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sweetener. Add the softened butter and ½ cup of Swerve confectioners sweetener to a mixing bowl and blend until creamy.
Add the remaining cookie ingredients. Mix in the almond flour, almond milk, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt and lemon juice.
Make the dough. Beat until everything is well combined and you have a soft cookie dough.
Shape the cookies. Form the mixture into 15 evenly sized cookies and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and cooked through.
Cool completely. Let the cookies cool to room temperature before adding the glaze.
Make the lemon glaze. Whisk together the juice and zest from ½ lemon with 1 cup of Swerve confectioners sweetener.
Adjust the glaze. Add almond milk a little at a time until the glaze reaches a drizzle-able consistency.
Decorate and serve. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies and allow it to set before serving.

Keto Italian lemon cookie dough shaped on a parchment-lined baking sheet before baking. — *Shape the keto lemon cookie dough into 15 cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet before baking.*

Equipment Needed

You do not need anything complicated for these keto lemon cookies, but a few basic baking tools will make the whole process much easier.

Baking tray

Use a flat baking tray so the cookies bake evenly.

Parchment paper

Helps stop the cookies sticking and makes cleanup much easier.

Mixing bowl

You’ll need a good-sized bowl for mixing the cookie dough.

Hand mixer

Useful for blending the butter and sweetener until creamy.

Lemon zester

Perfect for adding fresh lemon zest to the glaze without taking off too much bitter white pith.

Cooling rack

Lets the cookies cool properly before you add the glaze.

Tips For The Best Keto Lemon Cookies

Use softened butter. Cold butter will be harder to mix and may leave little lumps in the dough.
Do not overbake them. Keto cookies can firm up as they cool, so take them out when they are lightly browned rather than very dark.
Let them cool before glazing. If the cookies are still warm, the glaze will melt and run everywhere like it has absolutely no respect for your efforts.
Add almond milk slowly. The glaze can go from thick to too runny very quickly, so add just a little at a time.
Use fresh lemon zest. It gives the glaze a much stronger lemon flavour.

What To Serve With Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

These keto Italian lemon cookies are lovely with a cup of coffee, peppermint tea, lemon tea or a creamy iced coffee if you want something chilled. They also work nicely as a lighter low-carb dessert after a main meal because the lemon glaze keeps them fresh rather than too heavy.

If you are putting together a small keto dessert plate, pair them with something chocolatey too. A citrus cookie and a rich chocolate bake together? That is basically balance. Very official. Probably.

Keto Italian lemon cookies drizzled with sugar-free lemon glaze on parchment paper. — *Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle over the sugar-free lemon glaze and let it set before serving.*

How To Store Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

Store these keto Italian lemon cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is warm, you may prefer to keep them in the fridge so the glaze stays firmer.

You can refrigerate them for up to 5 days, but let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving for the best texture.

These cookies can also be frozen before glazing. Freeze the baked, cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container, then thaw and glaze them when you are ready to serve.

Keto Italian lemon cookies with sugar-free glaze served on a plate with fresh lemons. — *Finished keto Italian lemon cookies with a fresh sugar-free lemon glaze. A simple low-carb dessert with approx. 2g net carbs per cookie.*

More Keto Desserts To Try

If these lemon cookies hit the spot, you might want a little chocolate something for next time too. These Keto Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes are rich, chocolatey and have a sugar-free peanut butter cup hidden in the middle, basically the indulgent counterpart to these bright, citrusy cookies.

Between the two, you’ve got your sweet tooth covered whether you’re in a fruity lemon mood or a full-on chocolate one.

Printable Recipe Card

Use the recipe card below for the full ingredients, method, timings and recipe notes for these keto Italian lemon cookies.

Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

Simone

Soft keto Italian lemon cookies made with almond flour, fresh lemon juice and a sugar-free lemon glaze. An easy low-carb dessert with approx. 2g net carbs per cookie.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Total Time 27

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Italian-inspired, Keto, Low-carb

Servings cookies

Equipment

1 Baking sheet For baking the cookies evenly
1 Parchment paper Helps stop the cookies sticking
1 Mixing bowl For making the cookie dough
1 Hand mixer Useful for blending the butter and sweetener
1 Lemon zester For fresh lemon zest in the glaze
1 Cooling rack For cooling before glazing

Ingredients

For the cookies:
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute
1/2 cup butter softened
3 tbsp almond milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
For the glaze:
1 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute
Juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
Almond milk as needed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the softened butter and 1/2 cup Swerve confectioners sweetener to a mixing bowl, and blend until creamy.
Mix in the almond flour, almond milk, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt and lemon juice. Beat until well combined.
Form the mixture into 15 evenly sized cookies and place them onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Let the cookies cool to room temperature.
Whisk together the juice and zest from 1/2 lemon with 1 cup Swerve confectioners sweetener.
Add almond milk a little at a time until the desired glaze consistency is reached.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and allow it to set before serving.

Notes

Nutrition note: Net carbs are approximate and based on 15 cookies. The final carb count can vary depending on the brands of almond flour, sweetener and almond milk used, so check your own labels if you track macros closely.

Keto baking tip: Let the cookies cool fully before glazing. Keto cookies made with almond flour can be delicate while warm, but they firm up nicely as they cool.

Glaze tip: Add almond milk to the glaze a tiny splash at a time. It can go from thick drizzle to lemon puddle very quickly, and nobody needs lemon soup on a cookie.

Nutrition

Serving: 15cookies

Keyword almond flour lemon cookies, keto Italian lemon cookies, keto lemon cookies, low carb lemon cookies, sugar free lemon cookies

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Italian lemon cookies keto friendly?

Traditional Italian lemon cookies are usually made with regular flour and sugar, so they are not typically keto friendly. This version uses almond flour and a sugar substitute to keep the recipe low carb.

Can I make keto lemon cookies with almond flour?

Yes, almond flour works really well in keto lemon cookies because it gives a soft texture and mild flavour. Use fine almond flour for the best result.

Why are my keto cookies crumbly?

Keto cookies can become crumbly if they are overbaked, if too much almond flour is used, or if they are moved before cooling. Let them cool fully before handling, as keto cookies often firm up as they cool.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

You can use bottled lemon juice, but fresh lemon juice and zest will give these cookies a much brighter flavour, especially in the glaze.

Can I make the glaze thicker?

Yes. Use less almond milk for a thicker glaze, or add a little more confectioners-style sweetener if the glaze becomes too thin.

Can I make these cookies ahead of time?

Yes, these keto lemon cookies can be made ahead of time. For the best finish, bake and cool the cookies first, then glaze them closer to serving.

Can I freeze keto Italian lemon cookies?

Yes, you can freeze the baked cookies before adding the glaze. Let them cool completely, freeze them in a suitable container, then thaw and glaze them before serving.

How many net carbs are in these keto Italian lemon cookies?

These cookies work out at around 2g net carbs each, based on 15 cookies. Net carbs can vary depending on the brands of almond flour, sweetener and almond milk you use.

Save These Keto Italian Lemon Cookies

If you love easy low-carb desserts, save this recipe for later. These soft keto Italian lemon cookies are perfect when you want something sweet, citrusy and a little bit special without using regular sugar.

Keto Italian Lemon Cookies Recipe

Why You’ll Love These Keto Italian Lemon Cookies