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.
Barbara
Just made them, fell in love, thank you for so much. I needed this.
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad to make your Easter weekend nicer 😉
Jolynn
What size egg should be used? I read in another review that a bigger egg could cause it to spread out. I used a large egg and mine spread out to fill the pie pan!
Katrin Nürnberger
A large egg is fine. I think the spread may have something to do with the type of almond flour you're using. If it's not super-fine as the recipe requires, your dough will have less staying power and the rolls can spread. Add an additional 2-3 tbsp almond flour next time if you're using "regular" almond flour and not super-fine.
Jolynn
Hmmmm, I was using superfine almond flour. Maybe my oven wasnt hot enough. I shall play around and master these eventually!!
Katrin Nürnberger
Hope you will! Of course, it could have been the oven. I've had readers make these in muffin pans to prevent spreading, which worked well for them. If you thought the texture of the rolls were good, then that may be something to try too.
Larry Mayer
Made these. And for your awareness, is the 4th or 5th thing I’ve made from your web site. I’m hooked. And I’m no baker. I’ve perfected Almond bread and I loved these cinnamon buns. But they did sit down and were still delicious. Thanks for all you do for us weight watchers. Ive lost 10 lbs in a month with the staples from your site.
Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger
That's wonderful! Thank you so much for putting your trust in my website. And congrats on the weight loss!
Cori
These were awesome! I put the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to roll it out and then cut the log into 12 sections. After reading reviewers say they flattened out, I decided to spray a cupcake tin with coconut oil and put each roll inside each hole. They kept their shape and came out easy. I didn't have yogurt or vanilla stevia for the frosting so I used cream cheese, butter, truvia granules and vanilla extract. Yum yum!! And I honestly didn't taste any salty/cheesy flavor. I think I'll be doubling the recipe next time!
Katrin Nürnberger
What a great idea to bake them in a cupcake tin! Glad you enjoyed them
Larry Mayer
My wife suggested the same. My comments below.
Melissa
I wish I could say I was a fan of these. I followed the recipe to a T, using my scale and all. The only thing I changed, I didn't have any sub brown sugar, so I used half real brown sugar and lakanto monk fruit sweetener. But these cinnamon rolls were not sweet at all, and I could barely taste any cinnamon. The rolls started off cute and tall but ended up spilling together as they flattened. The dough tasted like mozzarella. My husband liked the first one, but after the second, he wasn't too thrilled.
For those of you trying this out, a tip for making 12 out of 6 easily: after smearing the cinnamon sugar spread on the 6 pieces of flat dough, I used a cream cheese knife/spreader to cut them lengthwise (a pizza cutter will also work). Then roll each individual roll. Made it very easy and neat.
The dough used seems to be good for savory items, but if I were to try again, I might actually put sweetener in the dough itself next time.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Melissa, thank you for detailing your tips on how you make the rolls. Sounds like you prefer a sweeter roll - so if you do try them again, just add a bit of sweetener into the dough itself!
Anna Funnell
Oh my god. They were a bit of a faff to make (definitely nearer an hour than 30 minutes, at least the first time) and they didn't rise much, but oh god, the mouthfeel. I have missed soft, flakey pastries SO MUCH since starting low carb 8 years ago, but these are definitely the closest I have tasted to the real thing. Thank you Katrin!
Katrin Nürnberger
8 years is a long time without a good cinnamon roll!!!!! You certainly deserved these 😉
Anna Funnell
I’m having a couple for breakfast this morning. Feels truly decadent!
Katrin Nürnberger
It's a Friday - perfect day for a really good breakfast!
Heather Vickery
Thank you for this recipe is sounds delicious
will be trying them tomorrow
Thanks for sharing your recipes Heather
Katrin Nürnberger
Can't wait to hear how the rolls turned out Heather!
Angela
Can I prepare this recipe entirely, refrigerate overnight and bake off in the morning? I want to make the dough, assemble and put it in the pan and just pop in the oven in and AM.
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I think that will work. Bring it to room temperature before popping in the oven though so the baking time is the same. It's possible it will rise less if you bake straight from the fridge and I don't want you to be disappointed.
Kathy
I want to make these and read the comments about them flattening. Would placing each roll in a silicone muffin pan possibly solve that issue and make a nice roll?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Kathy, I've never had a problem with spreading. But your idea would definitely prevent them from spreading, so do give it a go 🙂
Laura
What are the macros for this recipe?
Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger
The nutrition information is at the bottom of the recipe card at the end of the post. You deduct the fibre from the total carbs to get the net carbs.