Keto Cinnamon Rolls (Sugar Free, Low carb)

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These keto cinnamon rolls are the ultimate comfort food. They taste so good it's hard to believe they are sugar free, grain free, gluten free and come in at only 1.3 net carbs per roll!

These sugar free cinnamon rolls are one of the most popular keto breakfast recipes on my website. Over the years, the recipe has been shared over 200 000 times and it has many 5-star reviews by readers, such as this one:

"These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tried! Thank you!" (Merja)

I have just updated the post with more tips, tricks and details to make sure the rolls turn out perfectly every single time. The recipe itself has not changed at all - it was perfect all along!

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Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestion
Storage
More Fathead Dough Recipes
More Keto Breakfast Recipes
Recipe

Why I Love This Recipe

First, the smell.

This beautiful warm smell of cinnamon and baked goodness that fills the house and wraps itself around you like a fluffy warm duvet.

Smelling cinnamon rolls releases my happy hormones, just like stroking kittens does, or sleeping in during the week.

Then, the swirl.

Can it be that the swirl in a cinnamon roll has hypnotic properties? Think about it. Remember how Kaa the snake from the Jungle Book did this swirly-eye-thing to Mowgli and he would be at her mercy? That's what a cinnamon roll does to me. Somehow, I feel magically drawn towards it!

Cinnamon rolls lure me in in, like a wonderful psychedelic maelstrom of promising pleasure. This swirl, it shuts off the logical thinking part of my brain. It has secret come-hither-powers that should never be underestimated.

Cinnamon rolls and one roll with cream cheese frosting.

And lastly, the taste.

The taste! Can you picture biting into a freshly baked cinnamon roll right now? Sinking your teeth into that fluffy, gooey goodness? I bite into a cinnamon roll and it's like I have arrived IN THE NOW.

There are people that meditate for years to achieve this state of enlightenment. I am telling you. There's absolutely no need to travel to India and checking into the silent Ashram. No need to grow a beard or stop cutting your nails.

Bake cinnamon rolls.

Eat them.

Experience their certain je ne sais quoi.

Feel complete. Hallelujah!

Hand holding a bitten cinnamon roll with frosting.

My dear sugar free and low carb friends, I have tried many versions of healthified (meaning: no-wheat, no-yeast, no-grains, no-sugar) cinnamon rolls using grain free flours such as almond or coconut flour. They all taste great, but their texture is either too cakey or crumbly to truly resemble the original, badass cinnamon rolls of my youth.

Then I tried this recipe.

Just looking at the close-up above is making me salivate again!

The Dough

This keto cinnamon rolls recipe is made using the "Holy Grail of Keto dough", which is a truly genius invention using mozzarella cheese.

It was conceived as a pizza base (I am talking about it in detail in my keto Pretzels post). With a few tweaks it makes a brilliant dough for sweet pastry as well.

I'd go as far as saying this: Holy Grail dough (which has become famous as Fat Head dough) is the cleverest brainwave since the conception of low carb eating.

I want to hug the person who thought of combining an Italian cheese with almond flour to create a dough that actually mimics the taste of wheat dough. How could you possibly come up with an idea like this? Was it a coincidence? Someone accidentally dropping flour into melted mozzarella? It's a bit like that person who banged two stones together and created fire. Boom, and the world is a better place.

The dough is a little tricky to handle - thanks to the inherent gooey-ness of mozzarella - but if you follow the instructions in the recipe section below, you should have no problems.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need for low-carb cinnamon rolls:

Shredded mozzarella - This recipe works best with low moisture pre-shredded mozzarella from the supermarket. Fresh mozzarella contains too much liquid and is too runny. You can also use a (firm) mozzarella block and grate it yourself.
Almond flour - I used extra fine almond flour. If you are using almond meal or ground almonds, add an additional 2 tablespoons. Or, add one additional tablespoon of coconut flour.
Cream cheese - should be full fat.
Egg - large and room temperature
Baking powder

For the filling:

Water (or butter) - I preferred the version with water, but both work well.
Granulated sweetener - I like a golden erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend here, such as Lakanto Gold. It has a taste very similar to brown sugar that works great with cinnamon. You can also use Swerve, xylitol, Bocha Sweet or allulose.
Cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting:

Cream cheese
Greek yogurt - or use more cream cheese or softened butter
Vanilla stevia - or powdered sweetener

Instructions

This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

Step 1: Melt the mozzarella and the cream cheese in a large bowl in the microwave. Or, melt it in a non-stick pot on the stovetop over low heat.

The mixture must be melted but not bubbling hot. We don't want to cook the egg! Add the egg and stir with a spatula until combined.

Mixing almond flour into the mozzarella mixture.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients - almond flour and baking powder - to the mixture. Continue mixing with the spatula. Then knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms.

Step 3: Form 6 dough balls.

Step 4: Roll each dough ball into a log...

Rolling up the dough with cinnamon filling.

Step 5: ...flatten the log with your hands. Then, spread the cinnamon filling on top and roll up.

Step 6: Cut each roll in half with a sharp knife.

Step 7: Place the cinnamon rolls in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure you leave space between the rolls so they can expand during baking.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden.

Step 8: While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, yoghurt and vanilla stevia with a fork until smooth. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls end enjoy.

Expert Tips

I have made this recipe for many years. Here are a few tips that to help you get perfect results.

#1 The cinnamon roll dough can be sticky. I find that lightly oiling my hands prevents the dough from sticking to them. I used walnut oil, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil.

#2 As the dough cools down, it becomes firmer. Warming it back up makes it easier to work with. This makes it soft again. I put it in the microwave for around 10 seconds. Or, gently heat it on the stovetop.

#3 The log method I use to create the cinnamon rolls makes them look pretty, like rosettes. I also think it helps them rise better. But it does take a little longer.

If you are short of time, you can also use the traditional way of making cinnamon rolls. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling on top. Then, roll the dough into one large log and cut it into slices.

Variations

DOUGH

If you don't have extra fine almond flour and are using almond meal or ground almonds, add an additional 2 tablespoons of almond meal/ground almonds or 1 tablespoon of coconut flour so the cinnamon rolls keep their shape.

FILLING

You can use salted or unsalted butter instead of the water in the cinnamon filling. This gives the rolls a nice buttery taste. I made a few using butter, then decided to just dissolve the sweetener in water as the rolls are very high in fat already. The choice is yours!

FROSTING

If you do not have vanilla-flavoured stevia for the frosting, use powdered sweetener instead and add a few drops of vanilla extract.

I liked the fresh flavor of the Greek yogurt in the frosting. However, you can use all cream cheese.

Instead of frosting, why not make a simple sugar-free icing to top the cinnamon rolls? Mix three tablespoons of powdered sweetener with two teaspoons of water until smooth. Then, pipe or drizzle the icing over the cooled rolls.

Recipe FAQs

Can I prep these ahead?

Yes. You can prepare the dough a day or 2 ahead and store it in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before baking.

How do I make them nut free?

Use ¼ cup or 30 grams of coconut flour in place of the almond flour. Or, use a blend of sesame seed and sunflower seed flour.

Any other fillings?

Try keto caramel! You can also add crushed pecans to the cinnamon filling for keto cinnamon buns.

Can I make keto cinnamon rolls with yeast?

This is a yeast-free recipe. But you can add a sprinkle of instant active yeast to the dough. This will add yeast flavor to the cinnamon rolls.

Serving Suggestion

We love these low-carb cinnamon rolls with a steamy cup of coffee or an almond matcha latte.

Whether you eat them for breakfast, brunch or in the afternoon, the rolls are best enjoyed warm. Then, they are soft inside and have the most tender crunch on the outside.

Storage

Refrigerator: Should you have any leftovers, keep the rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. You can store them for up to 1 week.

Freezer: It is possible to freeze these cinnamon rolls for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight, then reheat them in the microwave.

Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds. To reheat multiple rolls, warm them in the oven or in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes. I recommend a temperature of 180C or 350F.