Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe
This Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe produces macaroons that are so tasty and this recipe made with ground almonds is also gluten-free!
PIN Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Cookies to make them later!
I experimented with a couple of versions until I thought this Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe that’s made with coconut and ground almonds was just right, and I’m excited to share the recipe. Even though I’m not a big sweets person, I liked these cookies so much that I had to remind myself about portion control, so if you’re trying to lose weight, keep that in mind!
I see a lot of food blog posts about desserts, but although I indulge a bit when I’m traveling I don’t make desserts at home all that often. But when I mentioned on the Kalyn’s Kitchen Facebook Page that I was experimenting with a cookie recipe it generated a lot of excitement.
This cookie recipes uses a little unsweetened coconut but it’s sweetened with Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) and the coconut has so little sugar I think this can be considered a sugar-free cookie. Hope you enjoy trying these macaroon cookies if you’re into desserts without much sugar!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Slivered Almonds (affiliate link)
- Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (affiliate link)
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
- salt
- Greek Yogurt
- egg whites
- Vanilla (affiliate link)
Are they Macaroons or Macarons?
These Coconut Macaroon Cookies are a pretty classic macaroon recipe with some slivered almonds added for a delightful coconut-almond flavor. (They are not to be confused with macarons, which are a whole different baking experience!)
Can you make the Coconut Macaroon Recipe with almond flour?
This recipe for coconut macaroons uses slivered almonds that are ground in the food processor. The almonds are kept somewhat coarse, so I don’t know for sure if the more finely-ground almond flour would work for the recipe. (If anyone has success with that, I’d love to know in a comment.)
Which Monkfruit Sweetener did I use?
I made these cookies with Golden Monkfruit sweetener when first I updated the recipe. But now I would use Classic Monkfruit (which) which I think dissolves a bit better in recipes where there’s not much liquid. If you’re not familiar with Monkfruit, you can read about Lakanto Monkfruit and why I like it.
Preparing the dough for Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Cookies:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat oven to 325F/170C.
- Put a generous 2/3 cup slivered almonds into a small food processor or the bowl attachment of an immersion blender and process until just ground. I ground mine until it was just slightly more chunky than almond meal. Maybe you could use Almond Flour (affiliate link) in this recipe in a pinch, but I haven’t tried it.
- Put the ground almonds into a bowl and add the shredded unsweetened coconut, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, and a generous pinch of salt.
- I love using an egg separator (affiliate link) to separate the egg white from the yolk, but you can also do it by hand using the shell. You need two egg whites. (The original recipe used one, but I found the cookies were crisper and the dough was much easier to handle with two.)
- Mix in the egg whites, Greek yogurt and vanilla until all the ingredients are moistened.
Baking Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Cookies:
- I would use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the cookie sheet if you have it.
- The recipe called for macaroons made into balls, but I wanted a flatter cookie. I used a fork to smash mine down into cookies not quite 1/2 inch thick.
- The batter is a bit crumbly so I pushed the edges together with the fork too.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes (or slightly less if you don’t want the edges quite so golden brown.
More Tasty Low-Sugar Cookies:
- Flourless Sugar-Free Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Triple Almond Cookies
- Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe
These tasty Coconut Macaroon Cookies can be a treat when you want a cookie that's really low in sugar! And this Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe is also gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/3 cup + 3 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (see notes)
- 2 egg whites (see notes)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F/170C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
- Use a small food processor or the bowl attachment for an immersion blender to chop the almonds, just until they are ground but still a little chunky.
- Put the ground almonds, shredded coconut, sweetener, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix together with a spoon.
- Separate 2 eggs to get 2 egg whites. (Save the yolks for something else or discard.)
- Add egg whites, Greek yogurt, and vanilla to the dry mixture and blend together with a spoon until the ingredients are well-combined.
- Scoop out dough one tablespoon at a time and form into a round ball, then place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (I used a metal tablespoon, which worked well.)
- Use a fork to press each ball down into a cookie slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. (The cookies don’t spread out much, so don’t worry about that.) I also used the fork to press the edges together because the batter is rather crumbly.
- Bake cookies until they are well set and starting to get nicely brown on the edges, about 30-32 minutes. (This was quite a bit longer than the cooking time in the original recipe, but I liked the brown edges. If you want a lighter cookie, take them out sooner.)
Notes
I'd make these cookies with Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener. If you don't have that, make them with any type of sweetener you prefer.
Use low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, whichever you prefer. I used extra-large eggs.
I loved the crisp cookies when they were fresh from the oven and barely cooled. After they had been stored overnight in a plastic container they were much less crisp. I might consider only baking a few at a time (or even putting leftover cookies back into a hot toaster oven for a few minutes to crisp them.)
This recipe adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook (affiliate link)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 75Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe is good for low-carb or Keto eating plans and it’s also gluten-free. The coconut macaroons would also be approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet (with portion control.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Desserts and Baking to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This macaroon cookie recipe was posted in 2011. It was updated in 2018 with a recommendation to use Monkfruit Sweetener and was last updated with more information in 2023.
62 Comments on “Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe”
Excellent! This recipe is unbelievable! It was great. My husband and friends loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it; thanks for taking time to let me know!
This was a great recipe, but when I used egg whites from eggbeaters, the cookies were too wet. I'd recommend only using 3 Tablespoons of egg whites from eggbeaters if you're going with this recipe. Still great cookies! Nice treat for phase 1.
Just made these and now my kitchen smells amazing! Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi, fun to hear from you Chocolate Lady! Hope you enjoy!
Will try these for Passover. Actually, I am always ending up with two extra whites. Maybe I will try them sooner.
I think the sweetener is necessary to give bulk to the dough, so I would check a health foods store for the unsweetened coconut next time.
I must have done something wrong. I wasn't able to find unsweetened coconut, so I used sweetened, but reduced my "sugar" to 1/2 cup.
However, my "dough" was runny, not crumbly, as you indicated.
They still tasted YUMMY!
Any suggestions?
made these this afternoon while my bebes took a nap.
they were delish!!
thank you for the recipe. i love them. 🙂
In the newest book up to 2 cups a day of non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt per day is allowed. Highly recommend newer book, lists are much more inclusive.
This recipe sounds awesome but I thought yogurt wasn't permitted in Phase 1…did this change? I have an old version of the book.
These cookies are one of may favorite things!!! When on Phase One it breaks me away from the typical Jell-O type desserts. I have been using half the Splenda (I'm not a fan of the flavor or sweetness) and adding cinnamon. I'm curious if anyone's tried it with unsweetened baking cocco?
Yes, you would need the granulated Splenda for this, or granulated Stevia in the Raw would also work.
Hi Kalyn! I just happened to land on your blog while searching for phase one recipes (your Moroccan spiced garbanzo beans are currently in the oven). I was wondering if you recommend the granulated splenda for these? Thanks a lot! 🙂
Delicious! I used this cookie base, and made them into "Samoas" by dipping the bases in SF chocolate, and drizzling them with SF chocolate and SF caramel syrup. I'm thinking there endless possibilities…raisins to make a mock oatmeal raisin cookie, mix some carrot in and ice them with a cream cheese frosting..something with peanut butter…the possibilities are endless! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is from The South Beach Diet SuperQuick, which is different than the Quick and Easy cookbook. The book does say it is phase one, but be sure to limit portion size as indicated.
Thank you!!
Hi there – love your website! I have the quick and easy cookbook however and I can't find this recipe – the closest I can find is a flourless fig and almond bite that uses ground almonds and figs, vanilla extract and orange zest and it's a phase 3 recipe. I live in uk so maybe recipes are slightly different? I just want to check as really want to diet right, but am desperate for a cookie! Thanks for any info you might have 🙂 Joanne
1/2 cup of splenda seems like a lot, i think if you use agave probably 1 egg white is enough. i'll let you know! trying tomorrow!
Velika, glad you liked it, and good to know it will work with Truvia too; I haven't used that much.