This Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe uses almonds and unsweetened coconut to make macaroons that are so tasty. And these small cookies only have 1 net carb per cookie and they’re also gluten-free! 

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Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe square image of cookies on plate.

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.)

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.

Sugar-Free Coconut Almond Macaroon Cookies collage of preparing the dough

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.)

  1. Preheat oven to 325F/170C.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. Mix in the egg whites, Greek yogurt and vanilla until all the ingredients are moistened.

collage of steps for baking Sugar-Free Coconut Almond Macaroon Cookies

Baking Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Cookies:

  1. I would use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the cookie sheet if you have it.
  2. 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. 
  3. The batter is a bit crumbly so I pushed the edges together with the fork too.
  4. Bake for 30-32 minutes (or slightly less if you don’t want the edges quite so golden brown.

Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe shown on serving plate

More Tasty Low-Sugar Cookies:

Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe
Yield: 16 small cookies

Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes

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

  1. Preheat oven to 325F/170C.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
  3. 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.
  4. Put the ground almonds, shredded coconut, sweetener, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix together with a spoon.
  5. Separate 2 eggs to get 2 egg whites.  (Save the yolks for something else or discard.)
  6. Add egg whites, Greek yogurt, and vanilla to the dry mixture and blend together with a spoon until the ingredients are well-combined.
  7. 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.)
  8. 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.
  9. 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:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

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Sugar-Free Coconut Macaroon Recipe shown on serving plate.

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.

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