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
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.
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!
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.
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...
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
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.
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.
Try keto caramel! You can also add crushed pecans to the cinnamon filling for keto cinnamon buns.
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.
More Fathead Dough Recipes
Try my other fathead dough recipes:
More Keto Breakfast Recipes
Here are more sugar free breakfast recipes with cinnamon:
- Keto Cinnamon Bread1 Hours
- Keto Cinnamon Muffins35 Minutes
- Keto Cinnamon Roll Pancakes16 Minutes
- Keto Low Carb Cinnamon Crunch Cereal Recipe22 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Cinnamon Rolls
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 175 g shredded mozzarella (see notes!) (1 ½ cups)
- 80 g almond flour (extra fine) (¾ cup)
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon granulated sweetener
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the frosting:
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon greek/full fat yoghurt
- 2 drops vanilla stevia
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit.
- Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in a non-stick pot over a low heat or in a microwave (1 ½ minutes, stirring half way through). Take off the stove and/or make sure the cheese is melted, but not bubbling.
- Stir in the egg.
- Now add the almond flour and baking powder. Start to combine using a fork, then use your hands to make a ball of smooth dough. This can be easier if you lightly oil your hands first.
- Divide the dough into 6 balls of 50g each.
- Form long rolls (40cm), then flatten out with your hands. Make the dough as thin as you can.
- Prepare your cinnamon filling: boil water, then stir in the sweetener and cinnamon. Spread the cinnamon paste over the flattened dough rolls.
- Roll each into a bun and cut sideways in half. Now you have 12 buns which you place on a non-stick baking sheet or in a pie dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the rolls are in the oven, prepare the frosting: Mix cream cheese, yoghurt and stevia. Spread over the warm rolls and serve.
Cynthia
This recipe looks great! In the icing ingredients it lists “2 drops liquid stevia = 1/2 tsp”. Should this be 2 dropperfulls instead of 2 drops?
Katrin
I have a simple little stevia bottle that does not have a dropper. All you can do is press out drops. 4 drops have the same sweetness as 1 tsp of sugar. I hope this helps?
Sommer
Is there a substitution for the yogurt in the icing?
Katrin
Sure, you don't have to use it if you don't want to. Just take the cream cheese. 🙂
Patti
Did you try to do it like they do cinnabon.. roll out all the dough in a rectangle, put the filling on and roll it up and THEN cut it? I think it would be easier and less figity - but thought I'd ask if you tried that way and perhaps it didn't work.
Katrin
I did consider that, but decided against it because the dough can be a little sticky. I did not want to risk it sticking to the surface half way through rolling it up. That is not to say it's not possible!
David
I did it the way Patti suggested. I you put the dough on parchment paper and put another piece on top and roll it out, it won't stick. It was easier and less messy. they turned out great!
Katrin
Brilliant! I must try this next time. Thanks for commenting
Laura
Can the almond flour be substituted with coconut flour? What would the amount be if so?
Katrin
You can, but, like you said you'd have to adjust the amount as coconut flour is more absorbent. Use around 1/3 cup coconut flour. I'd also probably use 2 (small to medium) eggs - coconut flour always needs more binder than almond flour. Let me know how you get on!
Terrie Babiuk
I am just new to this way of eating and allergic to nuts except peanuts that I now hear are not nuts. So I find out. I find it hard to know what kind of flour to use where like coconut is fine with baking I think but it does not really go with other receipes so what would be good instead. Even baking can I use one of the other flours I see are on the shelves?,
Katrin
I think coconut flour is a great low carb alternative to grain flours. There are many savoury recipes out there that use coconut flour -
breaded chicken, for example. You could also try sesame flour - in recipes where its distinctive flavour would be an asset.
Jemma M
Hey Katrin, I love all your recipes. I started eating low carb and sugar free last month and it's made such a huge change in how I feel. Keep on posting!
Katrin
Thank you for your kind words Jemma. I wish you all the best for your low carb journey. Keep on checking in for new recipes 🙂
Geraldine Smith
What a great idea! They look amazing. I'll make them this weekend!
Katrin
Great news! Let me know how you get on.
Janine
So they are in the oven now... looking and smelling good! Good tip to oil the hands. This dough is not the easiest to work with.
Katrin
Oiling your hands really does make all the difference. And keeping the dough warm - not too hot, not too cold, but just right!
Bella
Just made them and they are AMAZING! I recently bought some Sukrin Gold and it works so well in the recipe.Thanks!!
Sonia Mehrotra
Hi...are these cheesy in taste? Have tried with less cheese? Thanks
Katrin
Surprisingly, it does not taste cheesy at all. It's the sweetness and the cinnamon you can taste. Mozzarella does not have much of a taste on its own, and that taste gets masked by the other ingredients in the recipe.
Joanna Mucklow
Can you buy shredded mozzarello cheese? Of can I use a normal grater? Do they taste quite cheesy with the mozzarella and cream cheese or more like a cinnamon roll? Thanks!
Katrin
Yes, here in the UK you can buy shredded mozzarella cheese. This is what I used. It does not have much of a taste on its own. We're used to eating it with savoury flavours such as tomato and herbs, as you would use it when making a pizza. It's amazing how it is transformed when you pair it with the brown sugar alternative, cinnamon and almond flour. Whatever little cheese taste mozzarella has completely disappears when combining it with those ingredients. Hope you'll try it!
Grace
In the US the shredded cheeses have cellulose added. That's why I grate my own, even though there is quite a lot of moisture. So much more healthier.
Kathy
Almost any store will have shredded moz! I buy mine at Sam's Club. But all the big box stores have it.