These Keto Cinnamon Rolls were years in the making. It was one of the first recipes we attempted when we launched our food blog in 2016, but all the trial and error has finally paid off! This is a particularly special recipe because it doesn’t use fathead dough like just about all the other recipes on the internet. Say goodbye to fathead dough cinnamon rolls and hello to your new favorite keto dessert recipe.
It’s actually difficult to find a food these days that doesn’t have a day of the year dedicated to it and cinnamon rolls are no different. October 4th is national cinnamon roll day. Interestingly, this dessert was created in Sweden, where it was not originally as sweet as we make i today. Traditionally cinnamon rolls were a lightly sweetened pastry that was mostly known for it’s strong cinnamon flavor and not it’s overwhelming sweetness. The modern version that we’re used to is a combination of the original Swedish creation and a Philadelphia style cinnamon roll which dates back to the 18th century and contained honey, sugar cinnamon and raisins.
Better Than Fathead Dough!
If you’ve ever searched for a low carb keto cinnamon roll recipe then you know most, if not all, highly rated ones are made using fathead dough. If you’ve been on a low carb diet for any length of time then you are probably familiar with fathead dough…probably too familiar. It is a delicious combination of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and almond flour. However, if you’re using a ketogenic diet to lose weight then this is a recipe you might like to avoid. This is because it is very tasty and incredibly dense in calories. Pair that with keto friendly sweeteners and you have a recipe for disaster.
This cinnamon roll recipe is going to take on the impossible task of making soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls without using fathead dough. However, if you are a fan of it, we have some great recipes you should try:
Tips for Making Low Carb Cinnamon Rolls
Here we’ll share some tips with you for making this keto cinnamon rolls recipe come out perfectly each and every time. When making baked goods that are gluten free, sugar free and low carb keto, its important to follow a few basic rules. The art of making high carb recipes gluten free and keto friendly comes in replacing the wheat flours with keto alternatives. In this recipe we use a combination of keto flours and a secret ingredient… golden flaxseed meal.
Soft And Fluffy Dough
For a gluten free cinnamon roll the dough is really the tricky part. Getting a cinnamon roll to be fluffy while remaining gluten free is a challenge that can only be answered by the perfect combination of almond flour, coconut flour and golden flaxseed meal.
Golden flaxseed meal is important for this keto cinnamon rolls recipe because it adds a toasty flavor that isn’t there with regular old flaxseed.
Almond flour and coconut flour in the right proportions are what gives the cinnamon roll dough the perfect texture. A heavy hand with either flour could through the dough off.
Xanthan gum adds that last little bit of magic to pull the almond flour and coconut flour together into a cohesive keto dough. If you have not heard of xanthan gum before, don’t be intimidated. It is an ingredient that is used in small amount to help stabilize and add structure to mixtures. It’s hard to make keto cinnamon rolls without it.
Simplify Your Cinnamon Filling
We kept the filling super simple for this cinnamon roll recipe. The major components are cinnamon and erythritol. Erythritol is a sweetener we use in our sugar free baking and is a great replacement for sugar. If you want to use an alternative sweetener like swerve, bochasweet or lankanto monk fruit sweetener than reference our low carb sweetener conversion chart.
We combine this with butter to create a cinnamon sugar paste that we spread on the dough. We’ve had better results with this method than just sprinkling on the cinnamon sugar mixture because you get tasty chunks of the filling in certain bites when adding the butter first.
Roll the Dough Carefully
The best way to get this part right is to watch the technique we use in the recipe video.
- Flatten the dough using a rolling pin between two pieces of parchment paper. You can roll it out to your desired thickness, but about 1/2 inch is a good thickness.
- If your dough is on the stickier side and you can sense you may have issues with it, cover the parchment paper with a non stick spray.
- After covering the dough in your cinnamon filling, use the paper to roll the dough into a pinwheel. The technique is similar to making sushi.
Slice the Cinnamon Rolls Evenly
To slice the rolls you should use a standard chefs knife. I like to grease it with some non stick spray or rub it with coconut oil to ensure the dough does not stick to it. Make on decisive cut and do not use a back and forth motion.
Use a uniform size for each cinnamon roll otherwise they will not bake evenly. A trick you can use is to make small indentations in the dough prior to cutting through to ensure you make even cuts.
How to Make a Smooth Glaze
It’s really the only type of icing you would ever want on a keto low carb cinnamon roll. When making this frosting there are two common mistakes people make:
- They forget to use room temperature ingredients. If everything is too cold it won’t blend together in a smooth fashion. This can result in lumps in the icing and it will be noticeable when the cinnamon rolls are finished.
- They use granular erythritol instead of a powdered sweetener. Using a granular sweetener in an uncooked recipe will always result in a sandy texture. No one wants to feel like they are chewing on sand when they are eating cinnamon rolls.
Tip: Don’t have
Use the Right Size Pan
To make the best keto cinnamon rolls make sure you use the right size pan to bake them in. You want a pan that gives a little bit of extra room for the cinnamon rolls to expand to, but you want to make sure there isn’t too much room. The best size for this recipe is an 8 inch round cake pan. This will allow the cinnamon rolls to expand into one another creating more doughy sections and less hard crusty parts.
Wait for the Right Time to Add the Icing
This might be the most important step of all. Adding the low carb icing to these rolls at just the right time is absolutely crucial. You want the frosting to be just a little bit melted, without being completely melted and not staying on top of the cinnamon rolls. To find this perfect middle ground you will want to wait 10 minutes exactly! There is nothing like eating one of these rolls at just the right temperature on a Sunday morning.
Save Some Icing for Leftovers
While it can be tempting to just spread the icing on the whole batch of cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, you might want to save some icing for leftovers. I usually save 1/3 of the icing for the next day. That way I can reheat the remaining cinnamon rolls and add the icing to them when they are warm as if it were a fresh batch!
Store in the Fridge
The biggest benefit to these cinnamon rolls compare to most of the other keto recipes you see online is that these can be stored in the fridge for later. You can’t really do that if you’re using the cheese based recipe you see other places. This recipe is just as good the next day as an easy keto snack.
The Best Keto Cinnamon Rolls
When I’m making a low carb recipe to share with my non-keto friends and family or that I will soon be making for our son, Theo, I don’t want it to be jammed full of cheese and erythritol.
Try some of our other favorite sweet breakfast recipes like keto crepes, keto waffles and keto chia pudding.
Cutting out all the cheese and cutting down on the use of erythritol by subbing it with liquid stevia makes this recipe more friendly for people not used to eating a keto diet. What makes this the best low carb cinnamon roll recipe is not only the ingredients and taste, but the minimal impact on your gut. If you don’t believe us give this recipe a try and comment below or tag us on Instagram to let us know what you really think!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Keto Cinnamon Rolls”
Keto Cinnamon Rolls
What You Need:
- 8-inch round cake pan
Ingredients:
Dough
- 18 tbsp almond flour (1 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour)
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup Low Carb Sugar Substitute
- 3 tbsp golden flax seed meal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp warm water
Filling
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3 tbsp Low Carb Sugar Substitute
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 10 drops liquid stevia
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp Low Carb Sugar Substitute
- 10 drops liquid stevia
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, flaxseed, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
- Add in the eggs, cream, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and water into the dry ingredients and whisk well until combined using a hand mixer. Rest for 5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky.
- While the dough rests, mix Cinnamon Filling ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- With oiled hands, shape the dough into a ball. Place the ball between 2 large pieces of parchment paper and roll it into a rectangle to desired thinness. Spread the cinnamon filling onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin at the top empty.
- Using the parchment as an aid, roll the dough (towards the empty inch) up into a tight log. Seal the edge with wet fingertips.
- Cut the log crosswise into 9 equal pieces and transfer rolls to the prepared round cake pan.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting by combining cream cheese, butter and erythritol in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and stevia; add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until a thick, spreadable icing comes together.
- Cool rolls before spreading frosting on them. Alternatively, you can spread frosting on immediately from the oven if you like more of a glaze.
- Best stored in an air tight container in the fridge up to 7 days or on the counter up to 2 days.
