These Sugar Free Pink Lemonade Cookies are perfectly tart and topped with a creamy, buttery, sugar free frosting that feels genuinely indulgent.
Made with fresh lemon zest and juice, these cookies deliver a nostalgic, bakery-style texture making it perfect for enjoying with a glass of Sugar Free Homemade Lemonade on the side.
What you will read about in this recipe.
Why this recipe works.
The soft, buttery, and lemony cookies are perfectly balanced by the buttery frosting for optimal flavor goodness in every bite.
Here is what else you will like about this recipe.
- The ingredients used to make this recipe are basic pantry ingredients that you may already have on hand.
- The frosting is made with just four simple ingredients.
- Pink lemonade cookies are especially perfect for spring and summer gatherings including Mother's days and birthdays.
- Pink lemonade cookies are a nice and simple alternative the usual chocolate chip cookie.
Have you tried my recipe for Sugar Free Strawberry Lemonade Bars
These mouth watering bars feature a layer of sweet strawberries and tart lemon on top of a buttery shortbread crust. Both this recipe for lemonade cookies and that recipe for lemonade bars are delicious lemon flavored bakery style treats that are made with no added sugar.
Sugar Free Powdered Sugar is used to make the creamy frosting for these cookies. You can find Sugar Free Powdered Sugar here .
What you need to Make Pink Lemonade Cookies.
Cookies
- Flour Regular all purpose flour.
- Baking Soda For a bit of leavening.
- Salt. You can omit the salt if you are using unsalted butter.
- Lemon Zest Freshly zested is preferred.
- Butter. Softened for optimal blending. Unsalted butter is preferred.
- Sugar Alternative. Use a granular sugar alternative that measures 1:1 with sugar and that can also be baked with.
- Egg At room temperature.
- Lemon Juice Freshly squeezed for both flavor and so that you know there has been no additional sugar added.
Frosting.
- Butter Softened to room temperature.
- Sugar Free Powdered Sugar. Granular sugar will not work in this frosting.
- Lemon Juice Freshly squeezed preferred.
- Vanilla Extract To balance out the flavors.
- Heavy Cream Added for a smoother texture.
- Pink a drop pink gel food coloring or ½ tsp beet juice
How to Make Lemonade Cookies
- Prep Time 15 minutes .
- Bake Time 12 minutes .
- Servings 12 .
- How to serve : Serve the cookies frosted with a favorite beverage. These cookies are perfect for gathering such as celebrations and holidays during the Spring and Summer months.
- Notes: You will need mixing bowls, a whisk, cookie scoop (medium or large depending on the size cookies you want, a #40 cookie scoop was used for my cookies. This is about 1 ½ tablespoons), and baking sheets.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Also, prep your baking sheets. Parchment paper or baking mats can work for this recipe.
- Dry Ingredients. In medium sized bowl, use a whisk to combine together the flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
- Wet ingredients Beat together the softened butter and sugar alternative on medium speed until creamy (about three minutes). Then mix in the egg, lemon juice, and pink coloring until combined.
- Combine. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and then slowly add the dry ingredients from the first bowl, and mix on low until just combined.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and place it onto the baking sheets about one and a half to two inches apart. You can gently press the cookies down for a less fluffy cookie.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges seem set and the center is mostly set. These cookies will most likely not turn a golden brown.
- Cool Let the cookies set on the baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Frosting. To make the frosting, beat or whisk together the ingredients, making adjustments as needed by adding additional powdered sugar alternative or butter, until you achieve your desired texture.
Tips for making the best lemonade cookies.
When selecting a sugar alternative to use for the cookie dough, it is important that you select one that measures 1:1 with actual sugar and that can also be baked with. Options can also include a "1:1" Blend ("Baking Blend") Allulose is believed to be the best for cookies because it actually browns and melts somewhat like real sugar.
More helpful tips for you.
- Refrigerating the dough before making the cookies is not required but, can be a good idea in this recipe. Chilling your cookie dough for 30 minutes (to overnight if you want to prepare this recipe in advance!) in your refrigerator can help the cookies hold their shape and develop a better texture when baked.
- These cookies will not brown like other cookies. Your cookies are done baking when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly "underdone." The centers will set when the cookies are cooking on the baking sheets.
- Make sure your cookies are cooled before frosting them. You can use a piping bag or spread the frosting on with a spatula.
FAQ
- Does it really matter what kind of sugar alternative I use in this recipe?
Yes it does! Sugar alternatives are meant to mimic a 'sweet' flavor of sugar and nothing more. It is best to use a granular (not a liquid) sugar alternative that measures like sugar and that can also be baked with, for best results. - What if my dough is too sticky to form the cookies?
I would refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes or so and try again. - Why did my cookies turn out like little cakes/biscuits?
This can happen when the cookie dough has been over-mixed when we combined together the wet and dry ingredients. This is why it is important to mix the ingredients until 'just' combined and not 'over' combined. - Why can't I just use Sugar Free Pink Lemonade Mix to make the cookies.
I have found that most, if not all, Sugar Free Pink Lemonade Mixes are sweetened with sugar alternatives that are not suitable for baking. The result would be cookies that neither look or taste very good. - How will I know when my cookies are done baking if I do not see them turning brown?
We want the cookies to be mostly baked in the center, that is somewhat soft to touch, as they will set while they cool on the baking sheets. This will ensure that the cookies are perfectly soft in the center when we go to eat them.
Variations.
- Fold in ¼ cup of finely chopped freeze-dried strawberries into the cookie dough for even more flavor.
- Add ½ cup of sugar-free white chocolate baking chips for a burst of white chocolate.
- Top your cookies with sugar free sprinkles to make them look even better!
Subscribe to the SugarFreeDiva
I'll email this post to you as well as my new recipes weekly!
How to store lemonade cookies
Once your cookies have fully cooled they can be stored in an airtight container. When properly stored, they should keep for up to a few days at room temperature or up to a week refrigerated. Note that if you are using the buttery frosting in the recipe, it is probably a good idea to refrigerate the cookies rather than store tham at room temperature. If you need to stack the cookies in the air tight container, you can separate each layer with parchment or wax paper to keep the frosting from sticking.
You may also be interested in these cookie recipe ideas.
Print the recipe forSugar Free Pink Lemonade Cookies
Sugar Free Pink Lemonade Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt. --You can omit the salt if you are using unsalted butter.
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- ¾ cup Butter. --Softened
- ¾ cup Sugar Alternative . --Use a granular sugar alternative that measures 1:1 with sugar and that can also be baked with.
- 1 Egg
- 1½ tbsp Lemon Juice
Frosting.
- ½ cup Butter --Softened to room temperature.
- 3 cups Sugar Free Powdered Sugar.
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream -- or as needed for texture
- 1 drop Pink gel food coloring -- or ½ tsp beet juice and as needed for color
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Also, prep your baking sheets.
- Dry Ingredients. In medium sized bowl, use a whisk to combine together the flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
- Wet ingredients Beat together the softened butter and sugar alternative on medium speed until creamy (about three minutes). Then mix in the egg, lemon juice, and pink coloring until combined.
- Combine. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and then slowly add the dry ingredients from the first bowl, and mix on low until just combined.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and place it onto the baking sheets about one and a half to two inches apart. You can gently press the cookies down for a less fluffy cookie.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges seem set and the center is mostly set. These cookies will most likely not turn a golden brown.
- Cool Let the cookies set on the baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Frosting. To make the frosting, beat or whisk together the ingredients, making adjustments as needed by adding additional powdered sugar alternative or butter, until you achieve your desired texture.
Recipe Notes
Also, please see the actual recipe post for further details on this recipe. Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used. See thesugarfreediva.com for details on this recipe.
posted:
May 12, 2026*About Sugar Alternatives
Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results. This site does not endorse any specific ingredients,
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that the links on this website, and specifically on this post, that lead to other sites may be affiliate links.
Nutrition
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
Follow Me
Sugar Free Pink Lemonade Cookies, soft, tangy cookies bursting with lemon flavor and topped with a creamy buttery frosting.
Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.