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!
How much do I love cinnamon rolls?
Where to begin.
Jump to:
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 Genius Grain Free 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 in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking powder) and cream cheese to the mixture. Mix with a spatula, then knead until smooth.
Step 3: Form 6 dough balls.
Step 4: Roll into logs...
Step 5: ...flatten, add cinnamon filling and roll up.
Step 6: Cut each roll in half with a sharp knife...
Step 7: ...and place in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden!
Recipe tips
The dough is a bit tricky to work with. Do oil your hands if you find it too sticky (I used walnut oil). If it cools down too much, just warm it back up to make it easier to handle.
You can use salted or unsalted butter instead of the water in the cinnamon filling, which 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!
If you do not have vanilla-flavoured stevia, add a bit of vanilla extract to your frosting.
If you don't have extra fine almond flour and are using almond meal or ground almonds, add an additional 2 tablespoon of almond meal/ground almonds or 1 tablespoon of coconut flour so the cinnamon rolls keep their shape.
Another option to make the rolls is to roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling on top, roll into a log and cut into slices.
FAQ
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 and crushed pecans.
This is a yeast free recipe. But you can add a sprinkle of instant active yeast for yeast flavor.
Serving suggestion
Keto cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed warm, when they are soft on the inside and with the most tender crunch on the outside.
Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds.
Storage
Refrigerator: Should you have any leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. Store for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight, then reheat in the microwave. Or, warm in the oven or air fryer (180C / 350F for 3-5 minutes).
Related recipes
Try my other fathead dough recipes:
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.
- While the rolls are in the oven, prepare the frosting: Mix cream cheese, yoghurt and stevia. Spread over the warm rolls and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Claudia
Made these yesterday. I used my food processor to mix the dough. Worked well. I sprayed my granite counter with oil before I patted out the dough. No sticking and they rolled up well. Sprayed my knife with oil too so it didn't stick to the dough. Make sure you pay attention to the proper conversions if you're going to make 2 or 3 batches at once! I almost screwed the recipe up!
They are fantastic. Will be hard not to eat too many at once!
Bryan Lucas
We just love these cinnamon rolls they are really good
Claudia
Omg it’s so delicious. I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Nancy
Great recipe thank you
Evan Hall
Hi Katrin
Is there anything else you can use instead of the cheese in this recipe?
Thanks
Evan
Katrin Nürnberger
You can make keto cinnamon rolls without mozzarella dough, but it would be a completely different recipe.
Mia
Just wondering if you can prep these a day ahead of time, store in the fridge, and then cook them the next day, i.e., after the dinner party ;-)?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that would work. Bring them to room temperature before baking.
meg
Greetings from across the pond. I look forward to trying this; I love your recipes and your notes are especially helpful. Cheers.
Fiona
Hi
Just wondered if you can tell me if the cut rolls need to be right next to each other before cooking to prevent them unrolling during the cooking phase?
I’m looking forward to giving these a go as all your other recipes I’ve tried so far have been amazing. Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Fiona, you can see in the images and in the video that the rolls were not touching when I put them in the baking pan. They stick together well and don't unroll, and then they spread and expand during the baking process.
Judy
Wonder what would happen if u only used 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 regular flour for a recipe. I know that would cause carbs but I wonder how many and if it would have better taste and able to handle it better
Katrin Nürnberger
I use the keto diet app nutrition calculator to figure out the carbs for each of my recipes. If you want to experiment with recipes it's a good one to get. I haven't tried to substitute the almond flour with wheat, so I'm not sure how the rolls would turn out. I think the dough would be the same though - it's the mozzarella and not the almond flour that some people tell me is sticky and hard to handle. However, if you follow the tips in the post, it should be no problem!
Rose
Hi Katrina I don't knaw what you mean to cut the cinnamon roll 'sideways'
Katrin Nürnberger
You simply cut each roll in half, just like you can see in the video.