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I absolutely love these keto cinnamon buns! They are soft and fluffy with amazing flavor, just like your favorite breakfast pastry.
In the process of developing this recipe I've tried many different low-carb flour mixes until I found the perfect batch. The "secret" ingredient that makes all the difference in these grain-free cinnamon rolls is the defatted (de-oiled) almond flour. It's fine and light with delicate flavor, making the buns nice and fluffy.
Just like the traditional sweet pastry recipe, these rolls are packed full of flavor from cinnamon and yeast. I hope you enjoy them as muych as I do!
How To Make Keto Cinnamon Rolls
To make these keto cinnamon rolls I'm using a tweaked version of my Keto Panettone recipe.
You'll start by mixing the yeast with warm water and sweetener. For this step you'll need inulin-based sweetener such as yacon syrup, or nutritive sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar or even plain sugar. (Don't panic, no sugar will be left after the fermentation of yeast!) In this step do not use low-carb sweeteners as they won't work. You'll then need to keep the mixture in a warm place (I used oven with the light on) and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
In the meantime you should mix all the dry ingredients apart from the cinnamon-sweetener filling. Once the yeast gets foamy, it's time to add the remaining wet ingredients. Finally you'll slowly add the dry ingredients.
Once the dough is formed it's time to prepare the dough for filling by forming it into a large rectangle. You'll then sprinkle it with the cinnamon-sweetener mix and roll up into a long log. You'll then cut it into eight equal pieces and transfer into a lined baking tin. These rolls will need to proof for an hour before you brush them with egg-butter wash and bake for 45-55 minutes.
The baked rolls can then be served with vanilla or cinnamon flavored cream cheese frosting. The unfrosted rolls will keep at room temperature for several days and in the freezer for at least 3 months.
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What You Need For Keto Cinnamon Buns
Making grain-free and gluten-free cinnamon rolls will require careful timing and patience but I promise it's really worth the effort. And it gets easier with every batch. Here's what you need to make your keto cinnamon rolls:
- Yeast. I prefer using fresh yeast but you can use dry active yeast instead. Yeast is what will give these delicious keto cinnamon rolls great flavor and fluffy texture.
- Inulin-based sweetener such as yacon syrup, honey or sugar. This ingredient is essential for activating the yeast. Don't panic, no sugar will be left after the fermentation of yeast!
- Low-carb flour mix. I used a combination of superfine, defatted almond flour, coconut flour and psyllium husk powder. To replace the gluten found in regular wheat flour, I added whey protein powder and xanthan gum. Xanthan gum can be omitted but the texture is better if you use it and the batter will be easier to work with. Finally, I added cream of tartar and baking soda for extra fluffy texture.
- Eggs and egg whites. You'll generally need to use more egg whites to keep the bread fluffy. Don't worry it won't taste eggy!
- Cinnamon filling. The filling in these cinnamon rolls is made with granulated low-carb sweetener and a generous amount of cinnamon. It will seem like a lot but trust me, you need it. If you're not too keen on cinnamon, replace it with sugar-free chocolate chips or finely chopped 90% dark chocolate.
- Egg-butter wash. Instead of a traditional egg wash I'm using butter and egg yolk which give it both flavor and beautiful golden shine.
- Cream cheese frosting. This is an easy frosting made with cream cheese, whipping cream, keto-approved sweetener and vanilla.
I hope you love these Keto Cinnamon Rolls as much as I do! If you make this bread, make sure to leave a comment below, tag me on Instagram or share it in our Facebook group!
Tips & Substitutions
Which Psyllium Powder Should I Use?
I prefer using whole psyllium husks which I powder myself in a food processor. I generally don't recommend ready-made psyllium husk powder because they are all different. I've baked dozens of keto breads and I made all of them using whole psyllium husks that I powdered myself. Ready-made psyllium husk powder is often too fine and makes any keto bread too dense, flat and heavy. Sometimes the bread would also get a purple hue and an ammonia-like aftertaste (although that may be related to rancid flax meal). Trust me, you don't want any of these in your low-carb bread!
The best way to get the best texture and flavour is to buy whole psyllium husks and powder them in a coffee grinder of a food processor.
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Defatted (De-oiled) Almond Flour
I used RealFoodSource defatted almond flour. Please make sure you use extra fine, defatted almond flour, not almond meal. If you can't find defatted almond flour, use extra/super fine almond flour and use the same amount in grams/ounces.
Based on feedback on similar recipes, some of you had success with Kirkland Superfine Almond Flour and other types of extra fine almond flour. If you use any of these alternatives, use the same amount but make sure to go by weight (grams or ounces) and not cup measurements as these almond flour alternatives may have slightly different densities (to avoid confusion I removed the cup equivalent from the Ingredients). For a comparison, I found that a (packed) cup of RealFoodSource Almond flour was 120-130 grams, while a (packed) cup of Sukrin Defatted Almond Flour was 100-105 grams, even though they are both defatted and look the same.
Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Cream of Tartar
While often confused, baking powder and baking soda are two different ingredients. Baking powder additionally includes an acidic ingredient such as cream of tartar, and starches that are added to avoid clumping. In this recipe I used a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar but you can always use gluten-free baking powder instead. The conversion is simple:
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder = 1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instead of cream of tartar, you can use the same amount of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and add it to the eggs before mixing with the dry ingredients.
Dairy-Free Keto Cinnamon Rolls
If you are dairy-free you can use coconut butter frosting by melting about 1/2 cup coconut butter with a tablespoon of coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar-free vanilla extract and low-carb sweetener to taste. You can also replace the dairy butter used in the egg wash with coconut oil.
What if My Yeast Doesn't Foam?
If your yeast doesn't foam it meant it's not activated and the fermentation didn't start. This can happen when:
- The water was too hot or it was too cold. When working with yeast, make sure you get the temperature right. The ideal temperature is about 40 °C/ 100 °F. Too hot and the yeast will not survive. Too cold and the yeast will remain dormant. You don't have to use a thermometer though — you can simply use your finger to test the water. If it feels hot, it will likely be too hot for your yeast to survive.
- The yeast expired. Yeast will expire because it's a fungus that eventually dies. If the yeast is foaming it means it's still alive and will be fine to use. The expiry date will give you a good estimate of how long the yeast will last, but various conditions, such as where and how yeast is stored, will affect how long it will live.
- You used a sweetener that doesn't work with yeast. You'll need inulin-based sweetener such as yacon syrup, or nutritive sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar or even sugar. (Don't panic, no sugar will be left after the fermentation of yeast!) Do not use low-carb sweeteners like Erythritol, Swerve, Allulose or Xylitol to activate the yeast as these options won't work.
More Recipes With Yeast Dough
Looking for more recipes that are using yeast? Make sure to check out my Keto Panettone, Keto Yeast Bread, Keto Hot Cross Buns and Keto Naan Bread!
Hands-on Overall
Serving size 1 roll
Nutritional values (per serving, 1 roll)
Net carbs6.4 grams
Protein22.9 grams
Fat12.1 grams
Calories250 kcal
Calories from carbs 11%, protein 40%, fat 49%
Total carbs13.4 gramsFiber7 gramsSugars4 gramsSaturated fat5.6 gramsSodium182 mg(8% RDA)Magnesium81 mg(20% RDA)Potassium396 mg(20% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
To activate the yeast:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water, divided (360 ml/ 12 fl oz)
- 1 tbsp yacon syrup (15 ml) or honey or coconut sugar (won't affect the carb count)
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast (12 g/ 0.4 oz) or 30 g fresh yeast (1.1 oz)
Dough:
Topping:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (30 ml)
Cream cheese frosting:
- 1/3 cup full-fat cream cheese (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
- 2 tbsp powdered low-carb sweetener such as erythritol or Swerve (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
- 1/2 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
Instructions
- Turn the light on in the oven (only the light). Pour 1/3 cup (80 ml) of the warm water into a bowl. The temperature should be about 40 °C/ 100 °F, but no more than 45 °C/ 110 °F. If you don't have this option on your oven, preheat the oven to the lowest setting (mine is 50 °C/ 120 °F). Open the oven for about 30 seconds to cool down slightly before placing the yeast inside and close the door.
- Add yacon syrup (or honey or coconut sugar) and stir until fully dissolved. (Don't panic, no sugar will be left after the fermentation of yeast!) Sprinkle with active dry yeast (or use 30 g/ 1.1 oz fresh yeast).
- Place the bowl in the oven. The light will be enough to keep the bowl warm. Allow to proof for 10 minutes. When ready, the yeast will be frothy and will grow in volume.
- Once the yeast have proofed (it will become foamy), remove the bowl from the warm oven. Keep the light in the oven on.
- Add the egg whites and egg yolks into the bowl with the proofed yeast. (You'll need to reserve 1 egg yolk for brushing.) Add the remaining warm water (1 cup/ 240 ml). Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer and process until well combined.
- Place all of the dry ingredients in another bowl: fine defatted almond flour, coconut flour, whey (or egg white) protein powder, psyllium powder, Erythritol, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine or use a hand mixer to process well.
Note: Not sure what defatted almond flour is? Check the recipe tips in the post above!
- Add the dried mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time and process well. Gradually add more until you use all of it.
- Spread the dough on a silicon mat or a firm parchment paper lined with cling film. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to form a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 inch) rectangle, about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick.
(Note: The dough will be quite sticky so it really helps to have a non sticky mat. I use a silicon mat that is much larger than the one you'd use in a tray.)
- Mix the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sweetener with cinnamon and sprinkle all over the rectangle leaving about 1 cm (1/2 inch) uncovered.
- Grab the mat and gently roll up the dough to create a long log.
- Cut into 8 pieces. The easiest way to get even pieces is to cut the log in half, and continue cutting each piece in half until you get a total of 8 pieces.
- Place in a 23 cm (9-inch) springform pan lined with parchment paper and lightly greased with ghee or coconut oil. Place in the oven and let it proof with the oven light on for 60 minutes.
- Once the dough has proofed (it will increase in volume), remove from the oven. Preheat the oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F (fan assisted), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (conventional). Mix the remaining egg yolk with 2 tbsp melted (not hot) butter. Gently brush the egg-butter wash on top of the buns.
- Loosely cover the bread with aluminium foil and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of the baking process.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down slightly. Grab the parchment paper and remove the rolls from the springform pan.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, place the cream cheese, whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of powdered sweetener and vanilla in a bowl. Use an electric mixer and process until smooth and creamy. (check the recipe post for dairy-free options.)
- Spread the cream cheese on top of the rolls just before serving.
- Store at room temperature loosely covered with kitchen towel for up to 3 days. To store for longer, freeze unfrosted for up to 3 months.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 1 roll)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Water, still |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Yacon syrup, natural sweetener |
| 1 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 4 kcal |
| Egg white, fresh |
| 0.2 g | 2.2 g | 0 g | 11 kcal |
| Egg, yolk, raw, fresh |
| 0.2 g | 1 g | 1.7 g | 21 kcal |
| Yeast, active dried yeast, leavening agent |
| 0.3 g | 0.8 g | 0.1 g | 6 kcal |
| Almond flour (deoiled, defatted, fine) |
| 1.8 g | 14.1 g | 3.5 g | 109 kcal |
| Coconut flour, organic |
| 0.8 g | 1.3 g | 1.1 g | 28 kcal |
| Whey protein powder (protein isolate, Jay Robb) |
| 0.1 g | 2.5 g | 0 g | 10 kcal |
| Psyllium husk powder |
| 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener) |
| 0.6 g | 0 g | 0 g | 3 kcal |
| Xanthan gum, thickening agent |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Cream of tartar, raising agent |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Baking soda, raising agent (bicarbonate of soda) |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Cinnamon, spices |
| 0.3 g | 0 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener) |
| 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Cream cheese, soft (full-fat) |
| 0.3 g | 0.7 g | 2.8 g | 25 kcal |
| Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat) |
| 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 2.9 g | 27 kcal |
| Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener) |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Vanilla extract, sugar-free, alcohol-based |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Total per serving, 1 roll |
| 6.4 g | 22.9 g | 12.1 g | 250 kcal |
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