A true Easter special! Expect these gluten free and keto hot cross buns (with actual yeast!) to be extra fluffy, beautifully spiced and a real delight!
Gluten Free & Keto Hot Cross Buns
An Extra Fluffy Affair!
Hot cross buns are a real beauty right?! With their gorgeous spices and yeast notes, they truly are a must come Easter in my book. And if you have yet to try them, think a little bit like a brioche, Italian panettone, or Mexican Rosca de Reyes.
Honestly guys, I’m very proud of this one! Took a little bit of work, but it’s fairly marvelous how much it does resemble real hot cross buns. Albeit more dense because well, no starches and gluten.
And you might be surprised, but (like with all our gluten free yeast breads), making these keto hot cross buns is incredibly simple really. There’s no kneading, double resting time, etc.. which gives much more room for error. But, like with any yeasted bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome so be sure to read (or skim!) through the post.
The Deets
Compared to other yeast bread recipes on the site (sandwich bread, cinnamon rolls), this one falls the least post bake. Though do note that keto flours are notoriously heavy and moist) and certain missing proteins (think gluten), so they will be denser than normal buns. I’ve tried these in both Mexico City (super high altitude) and LA (sea level) and they work just as well.
They do, however fall a bit more than our panettone (which was baked mini panettone molds, and they seem to support the structure). Still, very little shrinkage!
You just must ensure your rolls do almost double in size while proofing, and it can take anywhere from 1.5-3 hours (deepening on your temperature, altitude, how many add ins you have..). This dough does require 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 Rise
After Rise
The Tips ‘N Tricks
The yeast in these low carb and keto hot cross buns ensures a wonderful texture and taste. But it does require you to take care of a few details:
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 or honey) for 7 minutes until foamy (see picture below). 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 (but if you’re weary, just use inulin!).
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 hot cross buns 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.
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your bread will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s (my favorite), WellBees and Bob’s.
If you want a lighter bun, you can do 3/4 cup (72g) of your regular almond flour and 3/4 cup (75g) of the fat-reduced almond flour (the one from our pancakes). Similar to most peanut flours out there, this almond flour has been cold-pressed to remove 80% of its fat. This essentially reduces calorie content by 50% (hooray!), and makes for some seriously fluffy baked goods (double hooray)!
And if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread by substituting part of the almond flour (1/4-1/2 cup) with arrowroot flour in a 1-to-1 ratio.
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.
Psyllium husk powder. Same as with your flaxseed meal, you’ll always want to regrind your psyllium husk. We always favor NOW brand as it doesn’t turn bread purple. You can substitute it with more flax, but your bread may lose some elasticity and rise.
Whey protein isolate. This one is an absolute must, as it will ensure your hot cross buns don’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.
The Dried Fruit
A bit tricky because well, store-bought dried fruit ain’t the most keto of foods… though still doable. If you’re very keen, you can boil some cranberries with sweetener (allulose and xylitol work great here). And then, once softened (though not mushy), popped them in the dehydrator (or your oven at roughly 150-170F) to dry out slowly.
And you can follow the same methodology with orange peel too!
Alternatively, what I did here was to simply use toasted pecans (and it worked great!). But chocolate chunks would work great too paired with the orange hues!
The Sweetener
These sticky buns work best with erythritol (Lakanto is my fav!) and allulose.
(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!
The Methodology
(Extra Fluffy!) Gluten Free & Keto Hot Cross Buns
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 hot cross buns
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- pinch ground ginger optional (to help proof the yeast)
- 1 tablespoon inulin or maple sirup, honey, to feed the yeast*
- 1/2 cup water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 58 g sour cream
- 168 g almond flour **
- 83 g golden flaxseed meal finely ground
- 35 g whey protein isolate
- 18 g psyllium husk finely ground
- 1/3 cup erythritol or allulose
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange zest
- 56 g unsalted grass-fed butter
Optional ad-ins
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks, pecans or dried fruit (keto-style!) see post for notes
For the icing
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol xylitol or allulsoe
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1-3 teaspoons water as needed
Instructions
- See recipe video of the cinnamon rolls for guidance on the methodology (similar yeast doughs, different ratios). And check out the post for deets, tips and possible subs! Note: if using a stand mixer, feel free to use the paddle attachment for easiest mixing.
For the gluten free & keto hot cross buns
- Add yeast and a dash of ginger to a large bowl, set aside. Mix inulin (or maple syrup), water and sour cream 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.
- 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, flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, sweetener, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the eggs, vinegar and orange zest. Mix with an electric mixer for a minute or so until fully mixed. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the softened butter. Keep on mixing until you can no longer see any streaks of butter. 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.
- Lightly wet your hands and form the dough into rounds (I suggest 8 buns, but you can do 6 large ones too). Place on a baking tray, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 1.5-3 hours until the dough has almost doubled in size. How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity, but just keep in mind that because this is an enriched dough it'll take its time to rise (just be patient!). And note that if you don't see it rising, it likely needs a little more warmth (say the top of your oven!).
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C while the dough is proofing. Lightly brush with egg wash, being careful to avoid the edges so they're able to rise when baked. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F/190°C, reduce temperature to 350°F/180°C and bake for further 15-20 minutes. Hot cross buns should be a deep brown when done, but feel free to tent with foil to prevent over browning (around minute 10-12).
- Allow to cool on the tray for 20 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Keep in mind that they continue to cook while cooling, so you really don't want to cut before! Keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Serve at room temperature or lightly warm.
For the icing
- Whisk thoroughly together the icing ingredients until it forms a thick paste. Pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun once they're completely cool.
Do I need to add the sour cream? And the sweeter, can it be maple syrup? And same for the butter, can that be coconut oil?
Hi,
You use almond flour low in fat (the one from youy pancakes). Can we use lupin flour to lighten as well as in your pancakes?
Thanks
You are by far my favorite keto recipe guru!!! Made the fluffy lupin flour pancakes which were so good! In order to use some of that lupin flour , can that be subbed as well for half of the regular almond flour?
I’d like to use this up quickly. So many things need freezer space. Also, does your new Mediterranean book have lupin flour recipes???
OMG!!!! I just made these, & they are FABULOUS!!!!
I’ve made so many recipes over the past 15 years of eating low carb/keto, and so many recipes are just not worth the time,effort & expense…. But these are AMAZING!! My family says they are actually BETTER than store-bought Hot Cross Buns, & I agree totally!!
As I am a big cinnamon fan, I doubled the cinnamon, changed out the nutmeg to a couple sprinkles of cloves, which I much prefer., then added home-dried cranberries & fresh walnut pieces… Heavenly!!
Thank-you so much for such a fabulous recipe!! You’ve definitely nailed the yeast recipes… Love the cinnamon buns as well! Next time it will be a double recipe so there’s some left!! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so Esther (they’re also a personal favorite of mine!)! And I love to hear about the tweaks you made to customize them to your taste buds 🙂 Thank you for reporting back xo!!
Great idea! Can I sub whey with pea protein? Is this bread salty or sweet? How can I make it more salty for an hambúrguer version?
Thank you for sharing this amazing receipts!
Can I use monk fruit for the sweetener?
Hi Julie, pure monk fruit extract won’t give you the intended results (Lakanto’s blend with erythritol will though!). xo!
It is so nice to see you replying to a question and so fast! Thank you for that and I hope you’re feeling well.
You need very careful with whey. Whey can cause massive insulin spike
Can collagen peptides be used in place whey protein?
A few of you have reported back that it ‘kinda’ works… so it won’t be a perfect sub and expect a less fluffy texture Candy. xo!
Made these yesterday for Easter. A lot of work but worth it. I used mostly Lakanto Golden but needed about an extra 1/4 cup of brown swerve to get the sweetness right. I used pecans which were delicious. You have great recipes, thanks!
Hello! Happy Easter! I was lucky enough to have ALL the ingredients on hand to make these buns today. Your recipe was easy to follow and the end result was just as shown. I’m just curious to know if it would be possible to omit the ground flax seed altogether from the recipe or sub it with more psyllium husk powder? Thanks in advance!
I’m making the hot cross buns for Easter, I want to put a small amount of dried fruit in but no where in the recipe does it tell you when to add it. I’m “assuming” you add it during the process of mixing the wet, dry and butter ingredients together. Is that correct?
Fold them in at the very end Sandy! xo!
Many thanks. The cross bit was far too sweet for my taste. The buns fabulous. For a type-1 diabetic, superb. Will share your link if that’s ok?
My batch is resting now, one small problem, psyllium husk is on the list but I followed the directions to at every point and it didn’t say to add it. I hope it hasn’t messed up the recipe. I only realised it wasn the in when putting ingredients away 🙁
I was wondering this, too. I will be making these tomorrow and assume that I should add the psyllium with the other flours. Please advise if that’s not correct. 😊
-KC
Helo,
I have made many of your recipes and they alway turn out wonderfully!! Your website is my go-to whenever I need a new recipe and I recommend it to everyone: keto, paleo or not!
I am unable to find any active dry yeast. I have been looking for two weeks and I really want to try your bread recipes…sigh. I have instant yeast in mmy cupboard. Can I use that? If not, is there any other type of yeast I can substitute?
Thank you for all of your recipes!! Happy Easter!
Apparently “active dry yeast and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes, but active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before using while instant yeast can be mixed right into the dough”. Which might explain why I didn’t get the results I expected last time 🤦♀️, still tasted good though 😁
Hello! I’m looking for some way to make keto resurrection rolls for Easter, which is this Sunday. I’m going to try your marshmallow recipes for the inside, but I’m not sure what kind of dough recipe would work for the roll portion. I trust your recipes so I thought I’d ask your opinion. Suggestions?
Bonjour, puis je utiliser de la levure rapide dite instantanée au lieu de la traditionnelle .
Merci!
Iiiiêeee! I made it! And it worked!!! I don’t have any experience with yeast dought at all, and was really intimidated. The first yeast proof failed… Then I bought a new pack and started over again. The yeast here in Germany looks a little different, yours looks “finer”. I had to proof it for 15+ min, and let it rest for 3 hours before baking. Now I feel “empowered” to try the panettone!
By the way: do you plan to develop a low carb “pastel de nata”, the wonderful portuguese little tart, recipe? I think you are the only one who can make it!
Thank you Paola and many greetings from Germany!
I made the panettone first, and it was good. However, the hot cross buns are absolutely wonderful. They taste like the ones I used to buy in the store, but without all the sugar and candied fruit. The orange peel takes the place of that flavor. I added golden raisin once and the last time I made them with currents. I do add 1/2 tsp cardamon because I like the added flavor. I recommend your site all the time. You are an amazing baker. Thank you so much for all the work you do and all the wonderful recipes.
So good!! Made these with my daughter today and just ate one loaded with butter and a nice cup of tea. Thanks for all your work coming up with these great recipes!
Can I make a version of these without yeast for Passover/Easter?
Honestly I’ve no idea how they would come out without yeast, but I’m guessing dense and they won’t taste as intended xo!
I made these twice now and love them!! Wonderful recipe so glad I found your website Marsha
I’ve tried a bunch of your recipes and they’re coming out great, but for this one I’m not clear on whether the egg wash is a separate thing or am I only putting 2 eggs in the dough and saving the other for the wash?
I was wondering this too, do I add 2 eggs to the dough and save 1 egg for the eggwash? Hoping to get an answer before I make them this week please
I made them last weekend. Easy and beautiful!!!
Love your bread recipes they have been the favorite so far – especially your Fluffy Burger Buns – yum! You mentioned that the defatted almond flour is a lot like peanut flour. Can I use that as a substitute until I can order the defatted almond flour? I noticed the peanut flour at my local health food store. Thanks again for all your hard work and sharing so much!
I love your bread and buns recipe(s) so much that I have 4 bags of the dry ingredients mixed and in my fridge, just waiting to be made into more buns. I want to make these, too, but unfortunately the defatted almond flour is “unavailable” on Amazon and “out of stock” on the Sukrin site. Any idea if they’re going to make more of this product or if they’ve discontinued it?
That’s so wonderful to hear Diana! I’m emailing with Sukrin, and they told me that they’ll be back in stock on Monday (they sold out after the pancake recipe!)… I’m still doing some testing on the bread and bun recipe, but it will also be great for giving those a lighter texture. So you can make this one without the de-fatted flour (same as you do with the other two recipes), but I’ll be adding this flour as a note to a lot of recipes nowadays 😉 xo!
I just made this recipe!! Came out so good thanks a lot
That’s so wonderful to hear Patricia! Thanks so much for reporting back!! xo!
Hi Paola,
Thank you as always for your hard work. I was just thinking about all your recipes that are just staples in my life! I’ve been keto for 3 years now and I really believe this site has been a gamechanger for me, so thank you xx
The Sukrin almond flour is still totally sold out across the UK it seems! 😂😂 Hoping they restock soon.
I am still waiting (patiently…not trying to pressure you!) for a keto stroopfwafel. If anyone can do it, you can! I’ve also been experimenting trying to make a flaky keto croissant (almond or chocolate) but I can’t quite get the lamination right to get that flakiness, so there is another challenge for you 🙂
X
Francesca
Dear Francesca, every single time I see a stroopwafel I think of you (totally not kidding lol!!). And regarding the croissants, that’s honestly one of my culinary goals (i.e. I’m not giving up!). I also believe Sukrin is getting a new shipment of the flour on Monday (at least in the US), so keep your eyes peeled and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it (its terrific in pancakes!).
Big kiss and have a lovely weekend!
Paola,
Hahaha sorry if I’m haunting your stroopwafels! Of course I should have known that you would already be working on the ultimate pastry…Cannot wait for the results…like I said, if anyone can do it, you can!
Have a great Easter
x
Francesca
I love hot cross buns! It’s now the time of the year where they’re in every supermarket in the UK and their scent can be smelt everywhere you go because bakeries are making them. I miss them and it’s great to be able to eat something that will be very similar. I can’t wait to try them.
We just found out my grandson is allergic to wheat and oats and need to not eat dairy. What can I use instead of the butter in making these
I substitute butter with coconut oil but not sure what to use in place of the sour cream?
CANNOT wait to make these for Easter dinner! Just wondeing if it is possible to sub collagen protein powder for the whey
Hi Marcelle! You won’t get the same results, but I know some readers have done it in the past (for the sandwich bread). So it will collapse a bit more post bake, but since they’re small rolls it might not be the end of the world? I’m still experimenting more for you guys, but haven’t come up with a perfect sub 🙁
We’ve made most of your keto yeast breads and they’re all truly unbelievable! Intrigued about the fat reduced almond flour and will surely have these for Easter 🙂 Thank you for all that you do Paola!
Monica that’s so wonderful to hear! You’ll surely love these too then (and yup, that almond flour is a game changer for these breads!) ;)!