These. Are. Pure. Gold! Actually fluffy, gooey, and ultra delicious… these gluten free, paleo and keto cinnamon rolls (with yeast!) are nothing short of spectacular!
Note: this recipe was first published in June 2018, and has since been updated to provide more deets ‘n tricks!
Paleo & Keto Cinnamon Rolls
Properly Fluffy (‘N Gooey!)
In my humble opinion, these keto cinnamon rolls easily make the top 5 best bread recipes on the site (of all time!). Up along the likes of our famous keto tortillas and soft ‘n fluffy sandwich bread! And if anything, I found these guys are even truer to the original (i.e. gluten version).
They’re actually fluffy with ultra gooey centers, and have that awesome (and incomparable!) yeast kick.
Fact is, they get a beautiful rise with the yeast by actually doubling in size (!!). And they’re surprisingly easy to whip up too, just be sure to watch the recipe video for deets!
Oh, and if looking for a lazy and fairly instant version, do check out our 30 minute cinnamon roll knots!
The Deets
As mentioned, making these paleo and keto cinnamon rolls is incredibly simple really. But, like with any yeast bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome.
And the one thing to keep in mind is that your rolls will likely fall slightly post bake. Blame it on the lack of starch (keto flours are notoriously heavy and moist) and certain missing proteins (think gluten). Just keep in mind that I’m baking at ridiculously high altitude here, so if mine doubled in size- odds are yours will be even better!
You just must ensure your rolls do almost double in size while proofing. And this dough requires a little extra warmth. For instance, I place my tray on top of my oven as I heat it up (so my tray gets slightly warm and they rise beautifully).
But you must ensure you don’t overheat them or you’ll kill the yeast. Think a warm and humid day at the beach, that’s the ideal temperature.
Before ‘n after rise
The Tips ‘N Tricks 🔍
The yeast in this low carb and keto bread ensures a wonderful texture and taste. Now, how much your bread will rise (and fall!) post-bake depends quite a bit on your altitude. But note that you still won’t get that gummy and wet texture here of most low carb breads. Plus, as mentioned, I’m baking at over 7,000 feet (Mexico City here!!), so if we can make them work so can you.*
*Note, I’ve since made them in LA (i.e. at sea level!) and can indeed confirm that the rise is muuuuuch easier (and they brown much less too lol!).
Weigh your ingredients. This will forever be a staple recommendation for any sort of gluten free baking here at gnom-gnom. As aside from leading to less dirty dishes, it will ensure consistent results time and time again. Remember that gluten free (and particularly keto) baking is notoriously finicky, and measuring by cups is anything but accurate. And if you don’t own a baking scale, measure with cups by dropping the ingredients onto them rather than scooping them out (which often leads to overpacking).
Ingredients at room temperature. Self explanatory really, but incredibly important (particularly for the eggs). If you add cold eggs to the mix your bread simply won’t rise much (if at all).
Proof the yeast. This involves mixing dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and inulin or an actual sugar (think maple syrup) for 7 minutes until foamy. And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
Avoid abrupt temperature changes and air drafts. Like with any yeast bread, you need to cuddle your dough. Make sure it’s able to rest undisturbed in a warm space.
Baking at high altitude? Yup, so am I (Paola here!!). No changes need to be done here!
The Ingredients & Possible Subs
These cinnamon rolls do have quite a few ingredients, but you’ll find that most are staple paleo and keto pantry ingredients. In the list below you’ll find details on several ingredients and possible subs. But if possible, please do try and make this recipe without any subs.
Also do note that a dairy free and paleo version is totally doable with these guys! And while my heart will forever be with butter, I’ve made this dough with ghee and coconut oil and they’re both delicious on their own right.
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your rolls will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s , WellBees and Bob’s.
Now if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread even more by substituting part of the almond flour (6 tablespoons) with arrowroot flour.
Golden flaxseed meal. You’ll want to use golden flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s), and regrind the flakes in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until finely powdered. Great way to avoid slimy bread. You can substitute the flaxseed meal with psyllium husk powder (NOW brand as it doesn’t turn bread purple), but do note you’ll get more whole wheat results (delicious though!).
Whey protein isolate. This one is an absolute must, as it will ensure your bread doesn’t collapse post-bake. Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and I’ve only tried (and are super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored. Update: I’ve since tried this grass-fed whey protein isolate and it also works the charm (a bit pricier, but undoubtedly higher quality)!
Xanthan gum. Borrowed from molecular cooking, xanthan gum is the binding agent which makes your toothpaste jelly-like (and your cream cheese, well cream cheese-like). And it’s also the most common gluten-replacer in gluten free baking. And while we do prefer the results with it, you can sub it with psyllium husk.
Now, the powdered ginger helps to condition the dough to get an even nicer rise. Though note that you can skip it without too much detriment to the final results.
The Sweetener
These sticky buns work best with allulose (my favorite keto ‘rare sugar’) and erythritol (think Lakanto).
(Important note!) I recently made the connection (while at the dentist!) that xylitol inhibits yeast and bacteria growth (which is why it’s the sweetener of choice for dental products). So don’t use xylitol!!
Oh, and ‘brown sugar’ subs (such as Lakanto’s golden) work great here too. Or you can make your own by adding a hint of blackstrap molasses!
And… the video story!
Paleo & Keto Cinnamon Rolls (with yeast!)
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion. Though for best results we (highly!!) suggest you weight your ingredients here.
Ingredients
For the gluten free & keto cinnamon rolls
- 58 g sour cream or coconut cream + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 1 tablespoon inulin or maple sirup (to feed the yeast!)*
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- pinch ground ginger
- 216 g almond flour **
- 45 g golden flaxseed meal or 5 TBSP psyllium husk, finely ground***
- 35 g whey protein isolate
- 4-6 tablespoons allulose or erythritol, to taste
- 2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum or 1 TBSP psyllium husk powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 21 g unsalted grass-fed butter or ghee/coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the cinnamon filling
- 42 g unsalted grass-fed butter softened
- 4-6 tablespoons allulose or erythritol, to taste
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the glaze (not paleo)
- 90 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 42 g unsalted grass-fed butter
- 3-6 tablespoons allulose or erythritol, powdered
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
- heavy cream or almond milk, as needed
Instructions
For the paleo & keto cinnamon rolls
- See recipe video for guidance (VIP!), and check out the post for deets, tips and possible subs!
- Line with parchment paper the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Set aside. Prepare a work station for rolling your cinnamon rolls, by placing a 9x9-inch place of cling film (saran wrap) on the counter. Leave handy a small bowl with water (to wet your fingers) and a touch of oil to spread the dough (avocado works great here).
- Mix sour cream, water and maple syrup (to feed the yeast, see notes) in a small bowl. Heat up over a water bath to 105-110°F. And if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch.
- Add yeast and a dash of ginger to a large bowl. Pour lightly warm sour cream mixture over yeast, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
- Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, golden flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, sweetener, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the eggs, lightly cooled melted butter (you don't want to scramble the eggs or kill the yeast!) and vinegar. Mix with an electric mixer for a a minute or so until fully mixed. Add the flour mixture in one go, mixing quickly until thoroughly incorporated. The dough will become very sticky, so you want to work quickly to get it mixed properly. Use a wet spatula to gather the dough into a ball.
- Divide the dough in 3 so you work in batches, important if you've never worked with this dough (you can roll it all in one go after you get some practice!). Lightly oil the piece of cling film and place dough on top, spreading it with your wet fingertips onto a roughly 7.5x9-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to taste, leaving a 1 inch at the top untouched. Using the cling film as an aid, roll the dough as tightly as you can and sealing the edge with your wet fingertips. Carefully wet the blade of a sharp knife and cut into three if you divided the dough in thirds. Turn the rolls and lightly press them down with your palm.
- Transfer cinnamon rolls to prepared pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 50-60 minutes until the dough has almost doubled in size. How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity- so keep an eye out for it every 15 minutes or so.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C while the dough is proofing.
- Make the glaze while the rolls are proofing by creaming together with your mixer the cream cheese, butter and powdered sweetener until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and adjust texture to taste with a teaspoon of milk at a time. Set aside.
- Place the pan over a baking tray and transfer gently into the oven. Bake for 17-25 minutes until deep golden, covering with a lose foil dome at minute 8 (they brown very quickly!). Just be sure that the foil isn't resting directly on them. You can do less baking time for gooey-er rolls and longer for more bready ones.
- Spread glaze on top right out of the oven (though skip the glaze for the ones you're not planning on eating on the same day!). Also keep in mind that some slight deflating is normal, don't sweat it!
- Keep stored in an airtight container (or tightly wrapped in cling film) at room temperature for 2-3 days, warming them up before serving.
Is it possible to adapt this recipe or the yeast bread recipe to a yeast cake? I would like to make a keto King Cake for Mardi Gras. The cinnamon roll recipe seems like it might be a starting point.
When you share that you should roll out to 7.5 x 9 is that for each ⅓ of the dough or is that for the whole dough if you don’t want to do it in thirds?
I know you are probably super busy but would be great if you could answer some of the questions unless I am missing them somewhere.
Thanks
whey and butter automatically make these rolls not paleo 🙁 any suggestions?
I’m in the same boat I can’t have dairy including whey & casein. I’m going to try using vegan protein powder in a few days as I’m desperate to make them.
Can you share what you are calling coconut cream? Is this coconut milk?
Yes, put your can of coconut milk in the fridge and the cream will harden on the top. Just scoop it off to use.
Where is the video??
If you have adblock on it will hide the video as well.
Right above the recipe notes.
It’s “coddle”. Coddle the dough. Cuddling it would be a little messy.
has anyone tried using gelatin (grassfed) to replace the xanthan gum??
I tried making the cinnamon rolls with coconut cream and ACV. Could not get the yeast to proof. Does the ACV have to go in with the eggs and not the yeast?
my dough didnt rise once i shaped the rolls…:( everything was done as recipee, i followed with psyhiliu husk instead of flax.
Where did you place them to rise Talin?
microwave with boiled water in a glass cup, i am going to try again with quick rise yeast that i dont need to proof with water..
Let me know! Also, make sure you are using GOLDEN flaxseed meal (Bob’s works best imo). Regular flaxseed leads to denser baked goods (and I’ve made the mistake in the past!)
Made these before and they were fantastic! What do you think is the best method for rewarming? I’d like to make them in advance and then reheat morning of my event. Thank you!
Going to try this soon…as soon as I get required ingredients. can I use whole ground flaxseed meal in place of the golden flaxseed meal?
Tbh you won’t get the same texture Barbara- they’ll be denser and potentially a bit slimy xo!
Can this dough be used to make BABJA?
Judy did you mean babka? If so yes… but I’m still testing as I had one come out a bit hollow in the middle (still tasted great and texture was good though). Maybe I just over proofed… still getting used to sea level baking in LA lol!
Could not get dough to rise. A little too chewy not enough flakey. Used physillium husk but everything else followed to the letter.
I am allergic to nuts as of 2 years ago. What can I I substitute for the almond flour?
I’ve tried coconut flour last night, for the first time, as l had run out of almond flour.. It was magical, what a lovely flavour! Highly recommend it. xx
I attempted these twice and they failed to rise. I watched the video again and saw that you MIXED the yeast while I just poured the sour cream on top as per directions. Maybe this is why so many people have had troubles?
I had the same problem in muy first intent. Perhaps s next time I’ll do it as in the keto bread recipe so that I’ll mix levadure with inulin and warm water and leave proufing. Then mix with sour cream, butter and cider vinegar. To complete this fail I also run out butter so I added coconut cream to the dough and yes , spread with cinnamon. God in taste though and fluffy. I’ll try next with psyllium ínstead gold fleex flour to have another go😊
My tummy does not like xanthum gum. Is this a must? Is there a substitute?
Thanks.
I have the save issues so I use guar gum in place of xanthan gum. You have to use a bit more, i.e for 1 TBSP of xanthan gum you’ll need 1 1/2 TBSP of guar gum.
I’ve not made this recipe yet but I always use Guar gum in place of xanthum.
These are really good! I was preparing my self for dissapointment since most recipies I’ve tried with breads ands buns turns out weird, but thos one is amazing. Tastes like the real thing! Even after 3 days in the fridge they are amazing😍 thanks you!!
Is there any way you can give steps when using instant or rapid rise yeast? If I proof my yeast it will be eaten by the sugar and my dough won’t rise. Thanks.
Hi! I found your amazing blog through pinterest, and my mom and I are SUPER excited to start trying all of your amazing recipes. I do have a question about the whey protein isolate? My mom absolutely cannot do whey, and i’m a vegetarian and won’t do collagen. Since it’s for structure, do you think it would be alright to substitute in something else that gives structure, like an extra egg yolk? I know you get this a lot, but I didn’t see anyone ask specifically about using egg yolk. Thanks for all your incredible work and innovation, I really think you are a genius.
I saw this and did the extra yolk just to try it though I am not vegetarian and it did great
ah! thank you!! 😀
So glad to hear this! I have been wanting to make these for ages, but wasn’t sure how to eliminate the whey either.
Thank you I’ve been wondering about a solution & was gonna try vegan protein powder. I’ll try the extra yolk.
I saw a comment that we couldn’t freeze the dough but I was wondering if I could freeze them after they are baked?
You have an awesome site and recipes..
Yeah definitely Connie! Just freeze them unfrosted so you can warm them up and get them back in top shape!
And thank you, how lovely you’re enjoying xo!
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup or inulin? I’ve used honey in gluten free bread before and it did great. Just checking, and are the measurements the same?
I couldn’t place the dough in the oven in muy first intent so once rolled up the dough I placed it in the freezer till next day and put in in the fridge to defreeze. All went well. Surprise. 😀
These have been great, what I crave are orange danish rolls,
Soon I gonna try, maybe use orange extract in the glaze and orange zest in the filling.
Is it okay to use Rapid Rise Instant Yeast as a substitute for the active dry?
These have such an amazing texture for being low carb. They’re gooey and delicious straight out of the pan. They’re even great reheated. They are a bit of a process for a first timer, but well worth the effort.
Do you think this could work with sunflower flour as I’m allergic to almonds?
These were just ok. The texture was a little odd, kinda that psyllium husk mushiness, but a little bit of a “bread” stability. I followed the recipe to a T, and they tasted more like a mushy whole wheat cinnamon bun. It hit the spot for being a Keto recipe,but next time I may tweak it by adding some coconut flour or something to give it a different texture.
Thanks for the recipe!
Coconut flour will give you pure wetness (just a heads up!) xo!
Do you have to add the whey protein? I’m trying to eliminate some expensive ingredients that I won’t use very often.
Someone stated to remove whey powder and add an extra egg white
I am keto but a friend is paleo and we’re planning a “paleo baking day” and she wants these rolls. Unless I missed a note somewhere, the filling doesn’t appear to be paleo. Can I substitute ghee for the butter to make the filling? And can collagen protein be subbed for the whey protein?
Thanks!
I did both of these 2 things in this recipe mentioned and it turned out great. I have made this a few times and did different things each time to see what I liked best. I simply had ran out of butter and didn’t realize it until making the frosting and it was delicious
These are bonafide cinnamon rolls. Amazing and saved my keto!
Have you ever tried to bake these as a larger, single loaf for slicing? I’m wanting to try and realize I’ll have to tent and likely bake at a lower temperature. The rate is so amazing I’m willing to be the guinea pig.
Seriously thank you.
What a treat! The texture was more along the lines of banana bread. Quite yummy!
Accidentally left off melted butter before rolling them up but since I used melted coconut oil on the plastic wrap there was no harm done!
I don’t see a place to change to cup measurement.
There are two buttons underneath the ingredients Jo Ann 😉
Hello! Do you know the internal temp for your bread recipes? I tried your hamburger bun recipe and smelled delicious, but I think I over baked 🙁
These are delicious, and I still can’t believe they are Keto. I subbed yoghurt for sour cream to avoid another trip to the shops. The yeast puffed up beautifully and the use of oiled cling film to roll the dough was genius. They did raise slightly during proofing and some more in the oven but not as lovely as your pictures. But then again, I’m not puffing up either after eating these! Thank you for another excellent recipe
😂🤣😂🤣
Mine are currently proofing but they have been in a warm (not to hot not to cold) oven for 1 hour and they haven’t risen at all. I’m not sure what to do about it. Other than that, so far so good. Their form looks legit. Rolling them out was easy but boy were they sticky!
Thank you Paola! I just made this cinnamon rolls and they are delicious, just like the real thing without the guilt!! I made 18 mini rolls! Thank you again for all your work to develop all the yummy recipes to share! Every single one I have tried turned out really good and I have never disappointed! 😍😋