Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons
These Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons are made with slivered almonds, unsweetened coconut, and Monkfruit Sweetener for a tasty sugar-free cookie. And these cookies will be a hit with everyone who likes coconut!
PIN Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons to make them later!
I’m sure it’s obvious I’m more of a savory cook than a baker, and cookies and sweets are not my specialty! But I do have a few cookies I like to make for the holidays, and recently Kara and I decided to work on an updated version of these Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons after we decided the original version seemed a bit too sweet. (I moved the original recipe back into the archives for anyone who might have been a fan.)
And we also took new photos of this favorite cookie that’s made with slivered almonds, unsweetened coconut, and Monkfruit Sweetener, and I’m excited to share the recipe for anyone who’s making cookies during the holidays. I hope you enjoy trying the 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 with ingredient amounts.)
- Slivered Almonds (affiliate link)
- Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (affiliate link)
- Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
- salt
- plain Greek yogurt
- egg whites
- Vanilla (affiliate link)
How low in carbs are the Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons?
This cookie recipes uses 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. And these tasty cookies only have 2 net carbs per cookie!
Are these cookies Macaroons or Macarons?
These cookies are a pretty classic coconut macaroon recipe with some slivered almonds added for a delightful coconut-almond flavor. They’re not to be confused with the French cookie called macarons, which are a whole different baking experience!
Which Monkfruit Sweetener did I use?
I made these Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons with Golden Monkfruit sweetener. But you can definitely use Classic Monkfruit which I sometimes 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.
How to make Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons:
(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. I would use parchment paper sheets (affiliate link) or a silicone baking mat (affiliate link) on the cookie sheet.
- Process slivered almonds in a Food Processor (affiliate link) until partly ground.
- Put ground almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut, and Monkfruit Sweetener into a bowl with generous pinch of salt.
- I love using an egg separator (affiliate link) to separate the egg whites from the yolks, but you can also do it by hand using the shell.
- Mix in egg whites, plain Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
- Scoop out mixture with a tablespoon and roll into small balls, then use a fork to smash down. The batter is a bit crumbly so I also pushed the edges together with the fork.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cookies are starting to get firm and lightly browned.
- Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
More Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Cookies:
Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons
These tastyย Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons can be a treat when you want a cookie that's really low in sugar! And this fun cookie recipe is also gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 5 T Monkfruit Sweetenerย (see notes)
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt (see notes)
- 2 egg whites
- 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 starting to get ground but are 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, plain 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 18-20 minutes.
- Let cool at least 20 minutes.
- These cookies freeze well and I love to pull one out of the freezer when I need a treat.
Notes
You can make these cookies with Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener or Golden Monkfruit Sweetener.
I used full-fat Greek yogurt, but use whichever you prefer.
This recipe adapted fromย The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook (affiliate link)
Nutrition Information
Yield
15Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 103Total Fat 8.9gSaturated Fat 4.4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol .2mgSodium 20mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 2gSugar 1.5gProtein 3.1g
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:
The Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons recipe is good for low-carb or Keto eating plans and it’s also gluten-free. The coconut macaroons could be a once-in-a-while-treat for phase two or three of the original South Beach Diet, although this recipe is a bit high in fat for South Beach.
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 Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This macaroon cookie recipe was first posted in 2011. It was updated in 2018 with a recommendation to use Monkfruit Sweetener and was last updated with an improved recipe and better photos in 2024.
63 Comments on “Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroons”
Comments after this one are for the slightly-sweeter original version of the recipe which is linked at the top of this post.
Excellent! ย This recipe is unbelievable! ย It was great. ย My husband and friends loved it. ย 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. ๐
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! ๐
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 ๐ 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.
I found this recipe on Pinterest last night, and was so happy I had all of the ingredients on hand. I used Truvia, MUCH less than called for…3T I think. While they didn't come out as crispy as I'd hoped, the are as delicious as I'd hoped they would be. Thanks for the great recipe!! I'll be back ๐
Kalyn,
Wanted you to know I tried these this week. I used the smallest cookie scoop you can buy from Pampered Chef and then just squashed the balls between my palms and got 23 cookies from the batch. I figured out the calories, too, for anyone interested and at my size of cookies, they are only 40 calories per.
They're good-I think I would have liked a bit more vanilla flavor, but I have a really strong sweet tooth. Also, I know lots of SBDers say they have a hard time finding unsweetened coconut. I looked and looked in all the suggested places in my local grocery and actually found it in the bulk section, which was perfect, because I basically just bought enough for the recipe. (Although, I have a feeling I'll be buying more in the future, once I finally jump into SBD for real. (I'm in the "trying out all the recipes" phase. (A Pre-P1 stage I made up so I would have more recipes under my belt and hopefully not get bored.)
Susan, I agree that using the powder Stevia probably makes the dough more sticky. You might like the granulated Stevia in the Raw for baking; I like it a lot.
I tried these with ground hazelnut flour (I am allergic to almonds), 1/2 tsp pure stevia powder for sweetener, and baked on aluminum foil. There was some sticking to foil. Stevia comments: the sweetness was the right amount with some aftertaste. I think that the decreased bulk made the dough stick together better. Thank you Kalyn for making phase 1 better!
For those using Agave Nectar and Stevia (I have Truvia, but it seems those are interchangeable) – did you use the same amount of each as indicated for Spenda? Kalyn – I love your blog and recipes. Thank you so much for all your efforts!
Audra, thanks; glad you are enjoying the recipes. I don't know how Agave would work in this recipe because of the wetness, but I think you could use granulated Stevia in the same amount as Splenda. (Stevia in the Raw Granulated is good.)
I chose South Beach to manage my weight because I didn't want to count calories, carbs, etc., but if you want that information you can calculate it here:
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Do you know the approximate carb count at the 16 cookie count? I made these over the weekend and the whole family loved them. I used the Pampered Chef "Magic Chopper" to crush the almonds. So I had a thought… Girl Scout Samoas. I'd like to add some sugar-free caramel & chocolate to these as well!
Carol, I bought it at Williams-Sonoma, but it was more than ten years ago.
I would love to know where to get that cute little egg separator. Carol
Bellows, thanks for sharing that. Good to know that they will work with agave nectar!
Just made these and they are fantastic! Instead of sugar/splenda, I ended up using Agave nectar. The batter was a little runnier than yours, but it still turned out awesome, with the same amount of time! Thanks for a good one!
Did you use the same amount of Avage Nectar as the amount of Splenda?
Melissa, so glad you liked them!
I just made these and they're delicious! Like macaroons!
Laura, I just started experimenting with the new Stevia In the Raw Granular sweetener. I've baked several things with it and am very happy with the results. You could use it in any of my recipes that specify Splenda.
Hey Kalyn! New South-Beacher and new reader here. Any thoughts or experience baking with Stevia?
I have no idea how you would make these without yogurt; let us know if you come up with something.
look great! would love to know how to do it without the yogurt as a dairy free cookie though; maybe the tofu idea? and definitely not messing with Splenda, with the research I've done on that….
Anna, my pleasure. I loved seeing how they turned out for you when you made them as balls!
Oh, Kalyn, these look yummy! And thanks a bunch for mentioning me & my blog.
Cheri, so glad the blog is helping you with phase one. I found the unsweetened coconut at Whole Foods, in the section where they had Bob's Red Mill products. (You could also order it online from Bob's Red Mill if you can't find it where you live.)
i am dying to try these! hubby and i are in phase one for the first time, and i'm missing cookies!!! i can't seem to find unsweetened coconut at my local grocery store. i was going to try Trader Joes, but where do you get yours?
thanks so much for the fantastic blog and all the amazing recipes! i love that you give a side dish suggestion and the printer friendly version. i print out the recipe on one side and then the side dish on the other and my meals are set! you made phase one doable <3
These cookies sound delicious! I've been off sugar completely, but I would love to try these in the future. Almond flour and coconut are a killer combo.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for these cookies!!! I made them last night and they were so good- even my 10 year old nephew loved them! Such a happy girl right now!
Kelley I think I am in the minority in my indifference to sweets. I thought the Greek yogurt really was perfect in this.
I on the other hand am a TOTAL sweets person. These still look delicious. I love the addition of greek yogurt!
Paula, hope you enjoy!
Kadhyaa, these are diet friendly if you don't eat too many!
Terri, I didn't try it with beaten egg whites but I'd guess it would make the cookies a bit lighter (and increase the volume so you can eat a few more.) Love to hear how that works if you try it.
Is there any reason not to beat the egg whites before adding them?
the cookies look delicious and i will just keep aside my diet till i taste this
This has my name on it. Coconut, almonds and Greek yogurt. Three of my favorites.
Becky, look forward to seeing your new healthy cookie!
Donna, you're sweet! I did really enjoy these (and I am not that much of a coconut fan, but I loved the coconut in this.)
One of the things I love the most about your blog is that I love the recipe FIRST and then the HEALTHINESS second. I am not even doing South Beach, but I absolutely love every KK recipe I have ever made. These look amazing to me, and will try them soon!
Donna
I JUST made a healthy cookie last night that I'm really excited about. I am really enjoying exploring more healthy and vegan baking. Its quite the challenge. I look forward to trying this recipe out! I love anything with almond and coconut so I'm sure it will be a winner.
CJ, I think you might be able to find the nuts in a blender if you're careful not to get too fine.
Would love to hear how it works if you come up with a vegan version of this!
I, too, am not much of a sweets person – however these look interesting.
I believe these could easily be made vegan with some flax meal and…. hmm. Something for the yogurt. Maybe silken tofu.
Thanks!
I've got to get a food processor….
Almonds and coconut are two of my favorite cookie flavors.
I love macaroons and yours look great!
I am definitely making these and the ricotta one. I'm with you. I tend to make a lot of veggie and lean meat dishes but almost no desserts.
These look good, and I'm not even doing phase one!
I looovvee macaroons and anything that makes them a little bit figure friendly sounds fantastic to me! These look great! And are definitely a great way to keep you on track during phase one!
Whether dieting or not these cookies look delicious!