Keto “Oatmeal” Cranberry Cookies

Oatmeal cookies on keto? Well, not quite. These keto oatmeal cranberry cookies look and taste like traditional oatmeal cookies, except they have zero oatmeal.

How is that possible?

I will share my clever way of bringing all the flavor of oatmeal without any worry of carbs with my delicious, easy faux oatmeal cookie recipe.

Tart cranberries come together for what I consider the perfect diabetic oatmeal cookies.

Coming in at only 1.5 grams of net carbs, it’s a great way to enjoy the flavor of regular oatmeal cookies without the high sugar content.

Plus, you can enjoy dried cranberries on keto. See what I’ve done? I will fool your tastebuds into thinking you are cheating on keto without the worry of being kicked out of ketosis.

I have lots of keto cookies for you to try here, but it’s the first time I share with you a recipe that would otherwise be prohibited on keto by swapping out a few key ingredients.

Keto Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

If you are wondering if oatmeal is allowed on keto, the answer is no. You see, oatmeal, a pseudo-grain, will spike your blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis real quick.

I was on a quest to make a low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free, healthy version without sacrificing the taste or texture.

I’m thrilled to report that that’s exactly what I could create by using a combination of almond flour and flax meal, and unsweetened dried cranberries.

Do you know what else is great about these keto faux oatmeal cookies? Is that they are also naturally high in fiber. Something I am a big fan of adding to the keto diet. Since it’s something not easily found. 

If you are a fan of adding more fiber to your keto diet, you should also check out our collection of keto high-fiber recipes.

How To Make Keto Faux Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

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This girl was determined to bring the flavor of steel-cut oats back into her life because, honestly, who doesn’t love a good ole’ oatmeal cookie?

Oatmeal cookies were among my favorite cookies, and I wanted a recipe that would fit well into my low-carb diet.

And I refused to cut any corners by using oat flour or oat fiber to achieve this.

A while ago, I learned that a golden flax meal has a similar flavor and texture profile to oatmeal, especially when you add the spices we commonly use with it, like cinnamon powder.

Something to keep in mind is that it really needs to be a golden flax meal since regular flax will create a gummy texture, which is not what we are going for.

Now that I had the oatmeal flavor and great texture, I needed something to give these cookies the chewy texture of dried cranberries.

Traditional dried cranberries are a no-no on keto because they are pretty high in carbs. However, I tried dried, unsweetened cranberries not too long ago and wondered how I could somehow use them in a recipe.

The only issue I found was that they were quite sour, so to remedy this, I decided to reconstitute them by letting them soak in a bit of water that had been sweetened with sugar-free sweetener.

All I can say about that is that it worked like a charm!

The next time you crave oatmeal raisin cookies, I hope you will give this low-carb cookie recipe a try instead.

Steps To Make Keto-Friendly Oatmeal Cookies

To make these keto cranberry “oatmeal” cookies, you’ll need to start by rehydrating the dried sugar-free cranberries.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of hot water with two tablespoons of granulated sugar substitute.

To the sweetened water, add the dried, unsweetened cranberries and allow the cranberries to plump for about 10–15 minutes. Drain the cranberries and set them aside.

Then, in a large bowl, proceed to measure and sift the almond flour and golden flax and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the softened butter, brown sugar substitute, and vanilla extract. Mix the batter until light and fluffy.

To this mixture, add the two eggs one at a time, along with the sour cream. Combine until well incorporated.

Next, add the dry ingredients: sifted almond flour, golden flax meal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, and ground nutmeg. Add them to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Then, fold in reconstituted dried cranberries.

Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for 30 minutes before baking. This will prevent the cookie from spreading.

Using a small cookie scoop, place the cookie dough balls on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Then, slightly flatten the cookies with your fingers or the back of a spoon.

Bake the keto oatmeal cookies in a preheated 350-degree oven until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 12–15 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack before storing them.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.

Ingredients Needed For This Keto Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

The following are all the ingredients needed: Note that the full printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.

• Finely milled almond flour
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
• Granulated brown sugar substitute
• Eggs, room temperature
• Golden flax meal
• Sour cream
• Vanilla extract
• Baking powder
• Sea salt
• Cinnamon powder
• Ground nutmeg
• Granulated sugar substitute 
• Dried sugar-free cranberries

Best Low-Carb Sweetener Options

As far as which sugar substitute to use for these sugar-free “oatmeal” cranberry cookies, I have a few recommendations. If you are a regular on our site, you know I’m a huge fan of Lakanto Monk Fruit.

This is because the texture of Lakanto is spot on since there is barely any aftertaste. It is a monk fruit and erythritol blend.

If you have not given this all-natural sweetener a try, you have no idea what you are missing.

I love that Lakanto Monk Fruit is all-natural, and it gets its sweetness from antioxidants called mogrosides instead of fructose or sucrose. And it has zero calories and zero glycemic impact.

Their brown sugar substitute works beautifully for this recipe, although you can also use their white sugar and get a nice cookie.

That being said, I’m also partial to Swerve, another erythritol blend.

It works well in this keto-friendly faux oatmeal cookie recipe and is a great choice if you are looking for a sugar substitute that has no bitter aftertaste and measures just like sugar.

Swerve is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables and contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives, or flavors. Like Lankanto, Swerve has a 0% impact on blood sugar.

Swerve has a brown sugar option that is quite nice and that I recommend for these cookies, too.

Surkin gold is also a great brown sugar substitute, one I also turn to. What’s nice about this brand is that the texture and flavor mimic its high-carb counterpart quite well.

I know some of you are stevia fans; if that’s you, you can use the stevia and erythritol-based brand Pyure in this recipe.

However, it’s important to note that if you are using Pyure, you will want to use half the amount called for in this recipe since it’s a much sweeter option.

As far as I know, Pyure has not yet come out with a brown sugar substitute.

For more information on the best sugar substitutes to use on the keto diet, be sure to check out our guide.

Tag Us

When I first went keto, my failed attempts caused me to be very intentional with my Keto Baking recipes.

I threw away so many ingredients initially, and I never want anyone to be so frustrated that they give up on the diet before they can see long-lasting results.

Even though those early days were not fun, I stayed the course, which has made this journey very rewarding.

I really hope you will give these healthy, low-carb oatmeal cookies a try. If you do, make sure you remember to tag us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. 

It’s what keeps us encouraged to keep sharing and perfecting our recipes.

Also, check out our Amazon Store for our recommendations. You might be surprised by how many great keto options are at your disposal.

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In case you don’t know, we have authored two books for you, Essential Keto Bread and Essential Keto Desserts, both inspired by your requests over the years. It’s my prayer these keto cookbooks will help make keto a delicious breeze for you.

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Our family came to the keto diet looking at it from a Christian perspective. As believers, we live our entire lives supported by God’s grace.

So when the Holy Spirit led us to combine our Christian faith and the keto diet, we did so in hopes of finding lasting transformation.

To say we needed God’s intervention is to put it mildly. When we followed the Holy Spirit’s prompting, we got on the path to real transformation.

Knowing firsthand the benefits of this decision, we have created a closed Christian group that is using the keto diet to transform their lives.

I love how supportive and encouraging this group of believers is. It’s exciting to see how people are transforming their lives by combining this lifestyle with the Christian faith. 

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The app is loaded with hundreds of yummy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even desserts!

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