Keto Haystack Cookies + Gluten Free & Vegan

These keto haystack cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing you out of ketosis. Keto haystacks only use 5 ingredients and take only five minutes to make, using only 1 bowl! Low carb haystacks taste crunchy, chocolaty and almond buttery. They’re so good you won’t believe that they’re good for you too!

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Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love Keto Haystack Cookies
• Ingredients In Keto Haystack Cookies
• How to Make Keto Haystack Cookies
  • Instructions
• Equipment for Low Carb Chocolate Haystacks
• Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Store Keto Haystack Cookies
• Do Haystacks Need to Be Refrigerated?
• Can You Have Coconut On Keto?
• More Keto and Low Carb Friendly Desert
• Low Carb Haystack Cookie Recipe Variations
• Are Keto Haystacks Gluten Free?
• Are Keto Haystacks Vegan?
  • From the Store: My Recommended Keto Friendly Deserts To Purchase
  • From the Kitchen: Keto and Low Carb Friendly Desert Recipes

Why You’ll Love Keto Haystack Cookies

You’ll fall in love with these chocolatey keto haystack cookies because they’re delicious, keto friendly, low carb and easy to make! Even on my laziest days I can whip up these cookies for an afternoon pick me up.

• Vegan
• Gluten Free
• Alkaline Keto Friendly
• Low Carb
• No Bake
• Quick and Easy
• 5 Ingredients
• Kid Friendly
• Vegetarian Friendly
• Soy Free

Ingredients In Keto Haystack Cookies

• Dried Coconut Flakes
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Monk Fruit Crystals
• Coconut Oil melted
• Almond Butter

How to Make Keto Haystack Cookies

I included more step by step instructions on how to make these low carb haystacks in a google webstory. But you can see how to make them here!

Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl combine the coconut flakes, cocoa powder, monk fruit crystals, coconut oil and almond butter.
2. Stir together with a fork until the ingredients are combined together and the coconut mixture clumps together.
3. Scoop out 1 tbsp sized amounts of coconut batter and squeeze them to form a mound. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the fridge for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Equipment for Low Carb Chocolate Haystacks

• Mixing Bowl
• Parchment Paper
• Silicone Baking Mat
• Small Baking Sheet

Ingredient Substitutions

If you don’t have one of the five ingredients for this recipe don’t worry! There are plenty of substitutes you can use. I bet you can make these cookies without having to run to the grocery store.

Monk Fruit Crystals – Instead of monk fruit crystals you can use other dry sugars including: maple crystals, regular sugar, sugar in the raw, brown sugar, or even stevia. If you don’t have dry sugar you can use agave, honey or maple syrup in a 1:1 ratio.

Keep in mind that I chose to use monk fruit because it’s keto friendly and healthy. If you want to make these with regular sugar they won’t be keto friendly anymore. If you need a keto friendly sugar substitute use stevia.

Coconut Oil – I like coconut oil for this recipe because it helps hold the cookies together but you can also use butter. Butter is keto friendly and will hold the cookies together well but they won’t be vegan.

If you want a vegan substitute you can use organic palm oil. Palm oil has lots of health benefits including healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants. Many people choose not to consume palm oil because of the environmental and humanitarian issues around palm oil cultivation.

Almond Butter – Any kind of nut butter would work well for this recipe including cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, macadamia nut butter, etc.

Lots of chocolate haystack recipes call for peanut butter.

While peanut butter technically works as a substitute I don’t recommend it. Peanuts are a legume and not a nut. They’re usually riddled with mold and contain naturally occurring aflatoxins. Aflatoxins cause cancer.

How to Store Keto Haystack Cookies

The best way to store these chocolate haystack cookies is to put them in an airtight container lined with paper towel. A wide flat Tupperware container is best so that you can store the cookies in rows without stacking them on top of one another. Just like you would line them up on a baking sheet!

• Refrigerator: These cookies will last up to 10 days.

• Freezer: These cookies will last up to 6 months!

You can store these cookies on top of one another as well.

Do Haystacks Need to Be Refrigerated?

Traditional haystacks don’t need to be refrigerated but they keep best when kept in the fridge. Unless you live in a cold climate the haystack cookies will melt a bit at room temperature. The coconut oil used to make these no bake treats is only solid below 78 degrees.

So if your house is 70 degrees or below you don’t have to keep the haystacks in the fridge because they won’t melt. However I think you should keep them in the fridge because they will stay fresher longer.

Can You Have Coconut On Keto?

Yes! You can have coconut on a keto diet! In its natural state coconut is high in fat and yet moderately low in carbs and protein. This makes it the perfect food for those on a keto diet. You can use coconut flakes, coconut milk and coconut oil in lots of keto friendly recipes. These keto haystacks use coconut oil and coconut flakes!

More Keto and Low Carb Friendly Desert

For me the hardest part about sticking with an alkaline keto diet is giving up sweets. Luckily, there are satisfying deserts you can eat on a low carb lifestyle whether you buy them or make them!

Low Carb Haystack Cookie Recipe Variations

Variety is the spice of life! Here are some fun ways to change up this cookie recipe. I love these chocolate haystacks just the way they are but they make a great base for other types of keto haystacks!

• Add 2 tablespoons of carob chips or dark chocolate chips
• Or add 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chips

Are Keto Haystacks Gluten Free?

The good news is that keto haystack cookies are gluten free! All of the ingredients I use in this recipe are derived from plants and seeds and not from wheat! Wheat comes from gluten.

Since there is no wheat in these cookies they are gluten free. If you’re on a gluten free diet or have celiac disease you can go right ahead and whip up a batch of low carb haystacks.

If you are sensitive to trace amounts of gluten you should check the labels of your ingredients. But the ingredients in this recipe are considered to be naturally gluten free and low risk. Many companies don’t label these products as gluten free because it’s assumed.

If you don’t use pure almond butter there is a chance that the nut butter could have gluten in it. Sometimes almond butter has flavor additives in it that contain wheat. This is rare, but not impossible. Make sure to check the label on your almond butter!

Are Keto Haystacks Vegan?

Yes, these low carb friendly haystacks are vegan!

From the Store: My Recommended Keto Friendly Deserts To Purchase

• Evolved Keto Cups
• Dark Chocolate
• Hail Merry’s Treats

From the Kitchen: Keto and Low Carb Friendly Desert Recipes

• Vegan Tahini Cookies
• No Churn Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream