6 Delicious Low-Carb Cookies for a GD-Friendly Pregnancy Treat

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Pregnancy is hard enough on its own, and managing gestational diabetes can feel like a lot to handle—especially when you thought it would be a time to indulge! But don’t worry—it’s all about making simple swaps and finding GD-friendly alternatives. We’ve rounded up 6 delicious low-carb, high-protein cookie recipes, so you can still enjoy a little sweetness while keeping things in balance. Treat yourself, because pregnancy can still be sweet!

1. Blended Low-Carb Cottage Cheese Cookies

  • ½ cup butter

  • ½ cup low-carb sweetener (for example Lakanto monk fruit sweetener with allulose)

  • 1 large egg: 6g protein

  • ⅔ cup cottage cheese (blended): 4g carbs, 18g protein

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp almond extract

  • 2 cups almond flour: 24g carbs, 48g protein

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend the cottage cheese until smooth and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sweetener until fluffy. Add the egg, blended cottage cheese, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk almond flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. If too thick, add almond milk to soften. Scoop the dough into small balls and flatten slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool before transferring them to a wire rack.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: 28g carbs, 72g protein
Per cookie: ~2.5g carbs, ~6g protein

2. Lemon Cottage Cheese Protein Cookies

  • ¾ cup cottage cheese (blended): 4.5g carbs, 21g protein

  • 1 cup almond flour: 12g carbs, 24g protein

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (for example Truvani vanilla protein powder): 5g carbs, 20g protein

  • ⅓ cup low-carb sweetener (for example Lakanto monk fruit sweetener with allulose)

  • 1 tbsp lemon zest: 1g carbs

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice: 1g carbs

  • 1 egg: 6g protein

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend the cottage cheese until smooth. In a bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking soda, and salt. Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet until a thick dough forms. Scoop the dough into small balls, flatten, and bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool before transferring them to a wire rack.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: ~23.5g carbs, ~71g protein
Per cookie: ~2g carbs, ~6g protein

3. Chocolate Cottage Cheese Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Whisk together egg white, cottage cheese, vanilla, and melted coconut oil. In a separate bowl, whisk protein powder, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet mixture until a thick dough forms. Stir in sugar-free chocolate chips. Scoop dough into balls, flatten, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before transferring to a wire rack.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: ~21g carbs, ~41g protein
Per cookie: ~2g carbs, ~3.5g protein

4. Cinnamon Roll Protein Cookies with Greek Yogurt

For the cookie dough:

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt: 12g carbs, 24g protein

  • 1 egg: 6g protein

  • ⅓ cup low-carb sweetener (for example Lakanto monk fruit sweetener with allulose)

  • 1 cup almond flour: 12g carbs, 24g protein

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon swirl:

For the glaze (optional):

  • 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened: 2g carbs, 2g protein

  • 1-2 tbsp almond milk or heavy cream

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tbsp low-carb sweetener

Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla, sweetener, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk almond flour and baking powder, then mix into the wet ingredients. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a thin rectangle, add a cinnamon swirl (brush the cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough), and starting at one end, gently roll the dough into a log shape, like a cinnamon roll. Slice the dough into 1-inch rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Press down lightly on each slice to flatten them into a cookie shape. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden and set. Allow to cool completely before adding the glaze. To prepare the glaze whisk together the cream cheese, almond milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sweetener until smooth.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: ~26g carbs, ~56g protein
Per cookie: ~2.5g carbs, ~5g protein

5. Peanut Butter Almond Flour Protein Cookies

Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together peanut butter, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. In another bowl, combine almond flour, sweetener, and baking powder. Stir in sugar-free chocolate chips if using. Scoop dough, flatten, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before enjoying.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: ~34g carbs, ~48g protein
Per cookie: ~3g carbs, ~4g protein

6. Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the oatmeal, almond flour, protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the almond butter, low-carb sweetener, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. If using, fold in the Lily's sugar-free chocolate chips. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flattening each cookie slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool before enjoying.

Nutritional info (per cookie, assuming 12 cookies):
Total for entire batch: ~99g carbs, ~68g protein
Per cookie: ~8.5g carbs, ~6g protein

Did you try one of these cookie recipes, or do you have a low-carb favorite of your own? We’d love to hear about it! Share your baking adventures with other mamas on the HIgedi app. Join the community to inspire and support each other on this journey.