Rich and buttery shortbread, studded with sweet, nutty pistachios, these easy keto Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are coffee’s new BFF! Low carb and gluten free too – but nobody has to know these keto shortbread cookies aren’t loaded with sugar and carbs! Shhhh…
Is there anything more satisfying than a perfect low carb cookie? Probably, but these keto pistachio shortbread cookies rank right up there for me! Match them up with an afternoon espresso (my other current obsession) and I. JUST. CAN’T. EVEN. Truly.
If you and I have been hanging out here awhile, you know how much I love cookies. They have built in portion control (unless you eat all of them ? ?) and because they are small you can try several different kinds at once instead of deciding on just one flavor of cake, pie, etc.
Clearly a best case scenario if you’re a dessert commitment-phobe like me.
I’ve amassed quite a few low carb cookie recipes here on IBIH (those keto snickerdoodles tho, right?) and I even put together a list of my fave keto cookie recipes from other low carb bloggers too.
So I thought I pretty much had all my keto cookie recipe bases covered – aaaand then I made these easy keto pistachio shortbreads and all bets were off!
It’s hard to say what shot these keto pistachio shortbread cookies right to the top of my favorites list. They have the same buttery flavor and texture as my other low carb shortbread cookie recipes – which I love, so there’s that.
I think it’s the chopped pistachios that get me though – the insides of the nut pieces stay a little soft and slightly sweet, but the exposed parts get browned and toasty, which adds a phenomenal contrast to the overall experience.
It’s hard to describe, so I guess you’ll have to try these low carb cookies for yourself and maybe you can better articulate it in the comments when you do! Eat at least a few (hundred) of these keto pistachio shortbreads first – just to be sure you really know what you’re talking about when you tell us how they were.
It’s the responsible thing to do. ?
Oh and if for some reason you want them green – 2 drops of green food coloring should get you there just fine!
For the record, I personally prefer these keto shortbread cookies without the green coloring because I think they look much more appetizing. It won’t affect the flavor at all if you add it though, so feel free to go nuts.
Easy Keto Pistachio Shortbread Cookies Recipe Video ??
Easy Keto Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Description
Rich and buttery keto shortbread cookies, studded with sweet and toasty pistachios – coffee’s new BFF! Keto, Atkins, low carb, and gluten free too!
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 cups superfine almond flour **
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s style erythritol sweetener **
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all of the cookie ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Form into a long roll and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- Unwrap and slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 12 minutes or until golden brown at the edges.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for best results with my recipes, you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
- Category: Low carb cookie recipe
- Cuisine: Delicious
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 135
- Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 2g net
- Protein: 4g
Can’t get enough low carb recipes? Download all five of my e-cookbooks (over 150 delicious low carb recipes) for just $19.99 for a limited time!
Christine says
I just love the pistachio shortbread cookie recipe. So easy and so yummy!
★★★★★
Sandra Marlow says
I love pistachios and went searching for a recipe – I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted – and when I saw “easy“ in the title of this recipe, I went for it! And I’m glad I did. Fairly quick and definitely easy and it’s tasty as can be. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Lyssa says
Hi I love the pistachios and I just my first Keto Ube cookies pistachio cookies and followed every step of the way and it taste so good but I’m having a hard time forming the dough. When it was baked, it was so delicate that it crumbles to easily.
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you’re not using a very super fine grind of almond flour it will be harder to hold together. If that’s the case next time you can add an egg and that should help, but the end result of the baked cookies will be softer.
Sandra Marlow says
Made these when I visited a friend and everyone loved them! Tasty and easy, my favorite kind of recipe.
★★★★★
Tanya says
I made these delicious cookies today!
Soooo good!!
Yes, they crumbled a bit when I cut them, but thanks to knowing that butter is one of the key ingredients to this recipe, I just used the heat of my hands to reshape them, and they turned out amazing!!
I am a huge fan of vanilla and almond extract in my baked sweets, so I used a teaspoon of each and enjoyed the absolutely wonderful result!
It’s paramount to let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet which rests on a cooling rack. They held up perfectly!
These cookies reminded both my husband and I of an awesome cookie we had in Rome, Italy!! A huge hit!! I can foresee these being in our “Keto cookie jar” regularly!!
Thank you fir the great recipe!!
I’m glad I found this one, and am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Blessings~
Tanya
★★★★★
Denise says
Can you freeze the dough and slice and cook from frozen? Made these a few times & they are awesome! I’ve also adjusted the recipe by adding chopped pecans, pumpkin & sunflower seeds and dark chocolate chips which turned out really nice! I was very bold and used white chocolate chips once as I couldnt get dark ones. Very versatile recipe thank you!😊
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, absolutely!
Rebecca says
Does it matter if the butter is salted or unsalted?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Not really, no.
Carol Lynne Luelo says
My favourite cookie recipe
★★★★★
Kasandra says
These were delicious! I made them today and also added an additional teaspoon of almond extract and they were incredible, thank you for this recipe :)
★★★★★
Tina says
I used powdered Swerve and super fine almond flour but mixture was too crumbly to form a roll. After a lot of kneading I managed to form a roll. While cutting into slices everything fell apart. I was astonished that not at least one egg yolk was used to bind mixture.
★
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have made these many times and they are always successful. Not sure why yours didn’t work, maybe your almond flour brand wasn’t blanched or wasn’t fine enough. I recommend Honeyville, Wellbees, and Kirkland for best results.
Susan says
So disappointing. I’ve seen this recipe go by on the internet for a while now. Finally bought the right ingredients and followed the recipe to a T. Alas, he product was so crumbly you couldn’t call it a cookie at all. More like a tasty almond and pistachio streusel topping. And my mixture and final product came out very brown–not light like the pic. Wish I’d added an egg. Thanks for your ideas, though. You make some amazing looking dishes.
★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
If your almond flour wasn’t super fine and your erythritol was granulated that could have been the problem. The only other reason could be if it wasn’t packed hard enough before you chilled it. Otherwise it should have held together just fine during baking and not have overbrowned.
Eliza says
Love this and now have to make them weekly for our coffee or for quick snack throughout the week!
Found that the more you let the dough chill the better & actually- after baking them, throwing them back in the fridge for another 30 min to harden up. Yum! Thanks for this and all your delicious recipes!
★★★★★
Bran says
I made these for a friend and am now his official baker. You really do have to pack the dough tightly before chilling, and cut when cold.
Valerie Kwek says
I have baked these babies this morning. Taste wonderful. Thanks for the recipes.
★★★★★
Jessica says
What kind of pistachios? Roasted? Salted?
Super excited to make these but I’ve never baked with pistachios.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Roasted and salted is fine!
Alyna Zain says
I used this recipe adapted to create a keto friendly version of an Indian cookie called “nankhatai” that I used to enjoy as a kid. I omitted the vanilla and instead added 1/2 tsp pandan essence and 1/2 tsp pistachio essence, and 1/2tsp cardamom powder (ground cardamon seeds with a few strands of saffron in the mix). Added an egg to make sure it holds together… Got my log in the fridge right now but the batter tastes on point. I think the cardamon even helps temper the cooling effect of the erythritol. Fingers and toes crossed!
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds amazing, will have to try!
Evie says
I’m so glad I read the comments before making these cookies. Several people had problems with the cookies crumbling during the cooking process. Some added an egg, which is what I did. I also used a sifter (which I’m starting to do when using the super fine almond flour) to make sure it was nice and light. I also learned recently that I don’t have to pay for the very expensive confectioners sugar, simply place the granulated erythritol in a nut/coffee grinder and in seconds it is light and fluffy.
They just came out of the over and they look perfect. Will allow to cool and harden for a few hours before trying.
Marcia Whorrall says
I used my food processor to make my Antony’s almond flour super fine. And it worked just fine! No crumbly or falling apart. I used pecans not pistachios so the net carb would be the same ?!
Thanks Melissa for all you delicious recipes!! Loving my ‘pecans’ shortbread cookies :)
★★★★★
Amecha says
These are so good. I used Monk Fruit as the sweetener. Also added an egg and it resolved the crumbling issue. I added a few pecans as well as the pistachios.
★★★★★
Linda says
Smells wonderful. But, dough did not come together to refrigerate. Not sure after 30 min if it will mold. Thoughts? I’m certain I followed the recipe.
Mellissa Sevigny says
If it won’t hold then you are probably not using a fine enough almond flour – also you have to very firmly pack it before chilling for them to hold together, even with a blanched superfine almond flour.
Donny Mason says
The almond flour I used was called super fine. It still crumbled terribly.
Kate Koger says
Just put our’s in the fridge to firm up…..looking forward to having these with our Xmas lunch (which is mostly keto). Have a wonderful Christmas and a brilliant 2019!!
Kera says
This is my favorite site for finding keto recipes of all kinds!
Anu says
Oh my goodness, these are incredible! I ran out of almond flour so I had to halve the recipe, but they still turned out beautifully – crispy and delicious! My dough was slightly crumbly but I used brute force and determination to keep them together, although to be honest I probably should have chilled the log for longer :) I honestly wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe, the pistachio is just absolutely perfect on its own. Thank you so much for this recipe, you made my Sunday :)
★★★★★
Felicia says
I came across your pistachios shortbread recipe today and salivated. Of course, I was out of pistachios!!! But I pushed through and used pecans and some dark chocolate chips. Delicious! But I still want to make the pistachio cookie as soon as I can get to Costco.
I have a question for you, why no egg in the recipe. I added an egg because I had so much crumbling. Seemed to work.
★★★★★
Connie M Pierson says
Mine was really crumbly . I will try an egg next time. Thank you for the comment.
Susan says
Tried these last night. Didn’t have vanilla bud did have some vanilla bean so scraped that in with teaspoon of cream. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. Once they really cooled off, the texture was great! I cooked the second batch for 15+ minutes and pregered the result. On my next batch. I will dial back the sweetener a bit and plan to add lime zest.Great recipe, thank you!!!!!
★★★★★
Renee says
Love your recipes! I added an egg to the recipe hoping for a softer cookie without compromising the keto factor. It was a hit! Even my kids – who “hate” nuts thought they were good! I’m new to sugar substitutes and used granulated stevia. Next time I’ll reduce sugar because they were way too sweet! Thanks!
★★★★★
Lorlortx says
I love these cookies and have made them several times. I’ve been craving on/chocolate lately, and would love those flavors with the texture of this cookie. Any suggestions on how I could make that work? Thinking if I add peanut butter I’d need to compensate somewhere else. Thanks in advance for any tips!
Claudine Eskonen says
I have these chilling in the fridge right now. Tasted the dough….I know they are going to be perfect! Thanks for the recipe. :)
★★★★★
Emily says
My husband and I LOVED these cookies! He’s a diabetic and doesn’t get to have desserts. Well this is one he can eat and he absolutely loves them. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Sue says
Mine have crumbled to virtual dust out of the oven what have I do e wrong?
Leslie says
Me too! I’m putting them back in for another few minutes…
Morghan Weber says
Can I swap out coconut oil for butter? I can’t do dairy.
Anu says
I’ve made these with both butter only and coconut oil only, and each batch was great! So you should definitely be alright replacing butter with coconut oil :)
★★★★★
Zelle says
Xcited to try another of your great recipes! Question: are the pistachios salted or unsalted? Thanx!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I used unsalted I’m pretty sure!
Jessica says
Looking forward to trying these. Just a quick question though, do you use salted butter and salted pistachios?
Thanks !
Cheryl Thacker says
These taste almost like a biscotti! I have been trying to come up with a sub for Christmas and I think I can use Anise instead of vanilla and get pretty close. This recipe is delish just like it is though! One of my top 2 low carb cookies!
JM says
Can you freeze the sliced and unbaked dough or will that cause the dough to break down somehow?
I feel like these are going to be really good and I won’t have as much control as I should. If I am able to freeze the unbaked dough slices it will mean I need to bake 1-2 at a time and that extra time investment might put the breaks on me (hopefully!) :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Theoretically you could pre slice and freeze them but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for absolutely sure. Worth a try though and please let us know how it goes!
LT says
I would like to try this recipe. I only have Swerve not the confectioners one. Do you think I could use in place? I have made several of your other recipes and they are always winners! Thanks for sharing!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes in these cookies the granular swerve should work fine!
Diane says
I used the granular swerve and they came out fin! Firs an added holiday treat, I brushed half of each cookie with melted Lily’s chocolate chips! Delish!
Danielle Palmsiano says
How do I store these?? refrigerate or will they be okay in a tin out on the counter??
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Fine on the counter for a couple days but any longer and it wouldn’t hurt to refrigerate or even freeze them!
sylvia king says
THESE WERE THE BEST LOW CARB COOKIES I HAVE EVER MADE. VERY EASY. I USED WALNUTS INSTEAD AS THAT IS WHAT I HAD. THANK YOU FOR SHARING RECIPE. NEXT TIME I MAY USE ALMOND EXTRACT FOR VARIETY.
Danielle Palmsiano says
Hi!
This looks delic!!!
So Im wondering would it work if I used LIQUID STEVIA??
Please let me know =)
Cara says
I can’t find erythitol but I have stevia in the raw… can I sub? If so how much? I have never baked with sugar substitutes before but these look amazing.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I really don’t know how the Stevia would work as these cookies bind together partially because of the way erythritol behaves like sugar when baked and stevia does not.
Katherine Grant-Suttie says
Loved the recipe. Hard to keep myself from over eating.
Question about these & other keto baked goods (scones, cookies, crackers mostly) Do they need to be refrigerated? Can they be frozen for storage? How long should one expected them to keep, either in the cupboard/cookie jar or cooler?
Many thanks for all the delicious keto options!
★★★★
Donna says
Picky hi sband approved! Wil be making these again. ?
Cynthia says
These are really good. I’ve made them twice and find they get better tasting after a day or two. They take care of an after dinner dessert craving without going off the deep end!
Shoshana Jarman says
A bit more explanation would be much more helpful. Could you explain maybe why not coconut flour or if there’s anything to remedy the lack of liquid situation.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I never use coconut flour in shortbreads for a lot of reasons I don’t have time to post here. If you are determined to use coconut flour, then I suggest googling recipes that use it because it will already have the right amounts of everything else. Otherwise get almond flour and give these another go.
Shoshana C Jarman says
I only had fine Coconut flour on hand so I thought, what the heck, I will try it! It seems like it needs liquid of some or any sort. Very dry (flour like) consistency. suggestions?
#iamnotabaker
Mellissa Sevigny says
Don’t use coconut flour? ?
Janet says
<3
Tony says
@Melissa. I am using superfine almond flour. I guess the measurement is imperfect. Two Cups is a liquid measurement that is being used for a dry ingredient. Depending on humidity, this does lead to a variance in measurement each time. Perhaps 2 cups is 8 ounces and we are using a weighted measurement. Using grams is even better!! Let me know what you think!!
Margo says
Measuring cups made for dry ingredients are different than ones made for liquids.
Tony says
Thanks for posting this!! I have made is several times now. It really helps be curb my appetite!!
After 30 minutes (sometimes longer) in the fridge, I try to cut into 16 pieces. Many times it will crumble or just fall apart. It seems to be pretty inconsistent and wondered if there were any tips. I tried to pack tightly and use a sharp knife but I keep running into the same problem.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Not sure Tony – are you using a superfine almond flour? If you’re using a meal it would be more crumbly and might fall apart easier – otherwise I don’t know what might be causing them to fall apart!
Pam says
I had the same problem. I didn’t have super fine almond flour so I used almond meal instead which I am guessing is the problem. I did also add a little more butter than stated – a mistake rather than intention. I managed to get about 10 slices that didn’t crumble. In hindsight I probably should have let it chill for a lot longer than 30 mins as it seems the part that held together was more chilled (my log was asymmetrical, it crumbled slightly when I rolled it) . I’ll have to try and source some super fine almond flour, hard to come by here in Melbourne Australia. Might have to order a batch from amazon. Smell really nice though (in the oven as I type) but crumbly and very unstable when I checked up on them. Will have to regroup and try this one again!
Christine Pajonas says
Can I substitute raw honey for the sweetener?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Perhaps, I’m not sure if they will crisp up though, you may need to compensate for the liquid with a couple more tablespoons of almond flour?
Kathleen says
A favorite shortbread from my pre-keto days was a pecan and cocoa nib recipe. Having no pistachios in the house, I subbed in a 1/4 cup of chopped, toasted pecans and a 1/4 cup of cocoa nibs. Yum! Next time I think I’ll brown the butter for even more flavor. Recipes using Swerve confectioners tend to leave that cooling effect on my tongue so next time I make these I will try replacing some of the Swerve confectioners with another acceptable sweetener. Thank you for this and all your delicious recipes.
Paul Lofland says
I mix all the ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag roll it into a log. No bowl needed.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
THAT. Is a genius idea. ? ? ?
Tabitha says
I didn’t have any nuts on hand so I just followed the recipe without them. I had to bake an additional 4 minutes but they came out great. Thanks you Melissa!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad you liked them Tabitha! Try it with the nuts when you can, it really adds a lot to them!
Marsha says
Thanks for posting this recipe. Do you know if the almond flour can be substituted for coconut flour?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry but it won’t work the same as a 1 to 1 substitution!
Michelle says
Fiund this out the hard way. My ingredients kept crumbling. If not 1:1, how many cups coconut to almond?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You won’t get the same results with coconut flour no matter what ratio – the texture will never be the same as a real shortbread cookie in my opinion.
Amy says
Love your website! Just wondering if these can be frozen after being baked? How about the unbaked dough? Not sure I want 16 cookies calling my name :)
Paul Lofland says
Unbelievable cookies !!! I made one batch and really liked them. Have two more batchs in oven now. Ran out of pistachios so I used a almond,pecan,pistachio mix. Thanks for the great recipes.
Cathy says
How can I get your books in print, I still love to hold a good book.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t have any printed copies available Cathy but one of these days I’ll publish a “real” one!
Teya says
Just curious now that you live in Belize where are you buying your specality flours and sweeteners. We are considering a move there or at least an extended stay of 2 months to see if we like it.
Betsy says
How many cookies does this make?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for catching that Betsy – it makes about 16 cookies and I added that number to the recipe yield section!
Betsy says
Thanks! Now I just need to find a source for exactly 1/2 cup pistachios, because if I have more, I’ll eat them ALL!. :)
Joy Winston says
Hi Melissa, All these cookies look good but I have found that almond flour cookies are soft and dod not store well. I really miss those crispy cookies…any chance yo have a recipe for one?:
Mellissa Sevigny says
All of my shortbreads come out crispy – they don’t contain egg, which is what I feel makes a lot of low carb cookies soft, not the almond flour. You can cook them 2 minutes longer than called for and they will be really crunchy if that’s what you like!
Denise Siri says
I am allergic to almonds do you think I could use hazelnut or cashew meal for this recipe? Sounds yummy!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can try it, as long as it’s finely ground – otherwise it may be too crumbly and fall apart. An egg would help it stay together in that case but they will be a little softer, not necessarily a bad thing! Please let us know how they turn out for others who might also be allergic to almond flour – thanks!