The Softest Protein Pumpkin Cookies (Keto-Friendly & Gluten-Free)

If your cookies aren’t soft and gooey, you’re not doing cookies right.

Crunchy cookies have their place, but there’s nothing quite like a soft, gooey cookie center.

These soft pumpkin protein cookies have only 60 calories each, pack in 4g of protein, and have only 1g of carbs.

They’re keto-friendly, high-protein, gluten-free, and safe to under-bake! In other words: they check all the boxes.

How to make pumpkin protein cookies

Much like my regular keto-friendly cookies, these cookies are very simple to make.

The only “difficult” thing about these cookies is the wait time. Since these are virtually carb-free, the dough is going to be rather sticky, so it requires an hour in the fridge to thicken up.

But trust me: it’s worth the wait.

If you skip this step, the sticky dough is going to be very difficult to work with, and your cookies will also end up being a bit cakier.

After one hour in the fridge, the dough will be thick enough that you can use a cookie scoop to form your cookies.

If you don’t have a small cookie scoop, a spoon works just fine!

I chose to make 12 small cookies here, but you can use larger scoops to make 6 cookies instead. If you go that route, each cookie will still only have 120 calories, so they’re still low calorie (and keto-friendly).

Roll the cookies in circles using your palms, then space them out in a baking sheet.

Bake them for 8 minutes. They’re going to be very soft at this stage, but the beauty of this recipe is that these cookies are safe to eat raw, so you can underbake them if you’d like to.

But, fear not. While these cookies seem under-done right out of the oven, they will continue to firm up inside as they cool.

Right when these pumpkin protein cookies come out of the oven, I like to sprinkle them with a little cinnamon for an extra hit of flavor.

Just 10-15 minutes is all these cookies need to firm up inside and be ready to eat.

The insides of these protein pumpkin cookies are still going to be very soft, but that’s exactly what we’re after.

If you want to add another layer of flavor to these cookies, be sure to check out my Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies. We’re taking this same recipe but stuffing the inside with cheesecake filling for an extra high-protein dessert!

More healthy pumpkin recipes to enjoy this Fall

While I prefer apple to pumpkin when it comes to Fall recipes, I can’t fight the popularity of pumpkin this time of year! If you’re a pumpkin spice fan, I’ve got plenty of healthy recipes for ya…

• Pumpkin Shaped Bagels (No Yeast Required)
• Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
• No Bake Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bites
• Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Donuts

Continue to Content

Protein Pumpkin Cookies (Keto-Friendly & Gluten-Free)

Yield: 12 Small Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes

Incredibly soft and gooey as all cookies should be- these pumpkin protein cookies have only 60 calories and 4g of protein each!

Print

Ingredients

• 45g (1.5 scoops) Vanilla Protein Powder (Can also use a pumpkin spice or cinnamon protein powder if you have it)
• 56g Almond Flour
• 28g Brown Sugar Substitute
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon or Pumpkin Spice (can use up to 1 tsp for stronger flavor)
• Dash of Salt
• 75g Canned Pumpkin (or pumpkin purèe)
• 28g (2 Tbsp) Softened Butter (or Coconut Oil)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.
2. Microwave the butter (or coconut oil) for 20-30 seconds to soften it enough to mix- it doesn't need to be hot, just soft. Mix it into your dry ingredients along with the pumpkin.
3. Mix until a sticky cookie dough forms, then add to the fridge for one hour to allow the dough to thicken.
4. After one hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the dough from the fridge.
5. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop out 12 cookies. Note that you can make 6 larger cookies instead if you prefer.
6. Roll the scoops into balls in your palms, then space them out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven, then sprinkle cinnamon or pumpkin spice on top. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!

Notes

• I use PEScience protein, which is a blend of whey & casein protein powder. When I first developed this recipe I used 100% whey protein and can confirm it works well! The only difference is that you'll likely want to use slightly less pumpkin, as whey protein requires less liquid. Start with 40g of pumpkin and only add more if needed.

To see how different types of protein powder affect cookie recipes, check out my Ultimate Protein Powder Substitution Guide.

• I typically use "light butter" in my recipes to save calories, but these cookies require full-fat butter or coconut oil. Since they are virtually carb-free, the extra fat gets us the texture we want.
• I do not count sugar substitutes in my carb totals. If you are very strict about carbs, be sure to count those.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Silicone Spatula
• 
  PEScience Whey/Casein Blend Vanilla Protein (Code "Matt" will save you 10%)

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1 Cookie
Amount Per Serving Calories 60Total Fat 4.5gCarbohydrates 1gProtein 4g

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