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
The aroma. When you bake them, your kitchen fills with gorgeous warm cinnamon scent. To me, it smells like happiness!
The texture & taste. My cinnamon rolls are soft and chewy, just like good cinnamon rolls should be. The sweet cinnamon swirl adds wonderfully gooey goodness.
The genius keto ingredients. This keto cinnamon rolls recipe uses the famous "Holy Grail of Keto dough", which contains mozzarella cheese as a base. It was originally conceived as a pizza base. But, with a few tweaks it makes a brilliant dough for sweet pastry as well. By using mozzarella dough and sweetener instead of wheat and sugar, each cinnamon bun is only 1.3g net carbs.
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.
Katrin's Top Tips
#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. They firm up as they cool.
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 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 Cereal Recipe22 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Cinnamon Rolls
Video
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 teaspoon water boiled
- 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 lined with parchment paper.
- 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.
Danielle
You're a great blogger. I typically don't take the time to read the forward (because they are often boring and add little to my desire to try OR the recipe). I just get to the ingredients and steps. But, you started off saying read for tips and so I did and I found your writing to be a wonderful pastime. I also want to thank you for the metric conversion...without it I'd be lost (shameful I know!). I am going into the kitchen to make these - they look and sound wonderful. Thank you!
Katrin
What a lovely comment to wake up to in the morning! Thank you so much for your kind words. I really hope you'll enjoy the rolls. They are not the easiest recipe - there's always that stage when I mix and the mozzarella is sticky it looks like the dough will never come together... and then it does. I hope you'll try out some other dishes on the website in time 🙂
Elissa
Thanks for the recipe. I was reading the ingredients and eggs are not listed but your instructions indicate adding an egg. Just thought I would give you heads up.
I hope to try this recipe this weekend! Looks so yummy!!
Katrin
Hi Elissa, thank you for your comment - the egg was listed, you must have missed it when you were scanning the list... I do that all the time! Anyway, it's great to get hints like that because sometimes I do forget to write down something and I'm always grateful when it gets pointed out. I'm glad you like the look of the cinnamon rolls. Let me know how you get on!
Steve
Hi Katrin,
I’m guessing a shredded vegan mozz cheese substitute wouldn’t get the job done as well as the real thing. Have you an opinion?
Katrin
I've never tried vegan mozzarella cheese. As long as it behaves like mozzarella and becomes stringy, it might work. I huess it is cashew based? You might end up with a tougher dough. But it is always worth a try! 🙂
Anna
Oh man, I was SO looking forward to this but I ended up with Cinnamon pancakes >.< Where did I go wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, read all the comments for tips and hints but nada, no treats for me tonight 🙁 Could I have used too much oil on my hands to handle the dough? I also sprayed my glass dishes with canola oil spray so they wouldn't stick as I ran out of baking paper.
Katrin
The almond flour I used in the recipe is very fine - I used the one by Sukrin. I am not sure if you can get hold of it in Australia - best check on Amazon. Maybe the one you used was coarser? I don't think it could have anything to do with too much oil.
Katrin
Thanks for sharing this here! That's a great idea if you want to save some time 🙂
Katrin
Hi Kim, provided you measured the right amount of each ingredient using either a scale or the US cups AND you used the pre-shredded mozzarella, nothing really can go wrong (unless maybe your egg was CRAZY GINORMOUS and made the dough too liquid?). So the one thing I could imagine is that the dough was simply too hot? The main ingredient in this recipe is mozzarella and it gets very soft when hot, but firm when at room temperature. Once the dough is not hot anymore, there really is no way it can retain the texture of mashed potato. The recipe for fat head dough has been about since 2012 and it's not my invention, like I said in the text - it's been made loads. I really hope my thoughts on what could have gone wrong help you and that you will give it another go. Fat Head dough has so may cool uses, I've made pretzels with it, flatbreads and, of course, pizza 🙂 I'm glad your result DID taste good though, even if it was not the look you were aiming for 🙂
Kim
Yes, I believe that you have a point there....that my melted cheese was too hot....I must give it another try as it does taste good! I am having it for breakfast everyday. 😉
Leah
I'm excited to make these rolls but just curious, did your egg stick to the cheese? My egg kept sliding off the heated cheese mixture when I made the Fathead dough. Thanks for sharing!
Katrin
It's not the easiest dough to make, that's true. You just have to persevere with the egg and keep on mixing until it gets incorporated into the dough. I will happen eventually!
Eva
These look yummy! I am thinking of making these for my son for snacks at school. I send batches of things into school for him for the term ahead. So they would be frozen and the cook would take one out of freezer for him in morning for his snack tht day. I've seen you say they freeze well which is great but I'm assuming that you would freeze them without the glaze on them?? Will they be just as good if he just has them reheated with just the filling and without the glaze?
Katrin
I wouldn't freeze them with the glaze, just like you said. I like them without glaze just as much, but I guess we're all different :). I'd try with a batch at home and see how it works best for you and your son. Maybe you can send in a pot with the glaze that they keep in the fridge for a week?
Chris
I made these before Christmas and used the full log method. They were sticky to cut and collapsed into a cinnamon blob in the oven. But what delightful delicious cinnamon blobs they were!!!
Katrin
It's all about the taste!!!!
Daniel Dehner
When I use this dough for pizza I roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. First I lightly oil the sheets with a small amount of olive oil, then I put the lump of dough between and use the rolling pin to roll it out to the desired thickness. For pizza, I bake the crust with both sheets of paper (makes it easy to flip over for even baking). I will be trying this recipe!
Katrin
That would be a good way to do it too! Thanks for sharing 🙂