No Mozzarella dough here! These buns are powered by yeast.
And L O V E
Hunger Buns
Or hunger busting buns, which would be more accurate and slightly less creepy!
Today we are talking about “buns of cinnamon” and breaking down the barriers of gluteny breakfast bread, one roll at a time. And though these might not be identical to the bakery-style cinnamon rolls you used to indulge in, these keto yeast cinnamon rolls will absolutely give you the flavor and sweet yeasty aroma that your bun-loving heart desires.
Plus, they are way more filling!
Completely Honest & Transparent
Texture Assessment
Texture is (in my opinion) the number one complaint in gluten-free or keto baking so I want to be VERY clear in what this recipe will produce. It’s a two-way street, friends. I owe you that much!
These rolls are a texture somewhere near a dense cake, meaning they are going to be light with a soft crumb and a crustier exterior. That’s because the yeast, baking powder, and egg white are doing a lot of leavening but there’s still no gluten structure to trap enough air to simulate “super soft” bread. Now, there is an ingredient, whey protein isolate, that acts like gluten in baked goods, but my digestive system starts rebelling when I add too much whey protein isolate to my diet.
Luckily, these rolls take pretty basic gluten-free/keto ingredients that you probably have lying around your pantry!
Rolling Tips, So You Don’t Go On A Murderous Rampage.
Because this dough has to be wet enough to bake into a soft cinnamon bun, it’s also very sticky to work with.
My best advice is to use plastic cling wrap above and below the dough when rolling it out to prevent an annoying and sticky mess.
Then, you can use the cling wrap to slowly roll it (again) into a log of dough. After that, make sure you have a sharp knife and a cup of water handy!!!
To slice, dip the knife into the water and gently cut through the dough to make your cinnamon rolls. The water keeps the dough from sticking, so dunk it every single time you remove the knife from the dough. Trust me, it works!
Before you try it, watch this Step by step video and bake along with me!
(Pretty Easy!) Keto Yeast Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Your kitchen will smell like a bakery that had a freak cinnamon explosion that it never fully recovered from. Zero casualties though.
The pan you choose to bake your rolls in can be round or square. Just make sure you line the bottom with parchment to discourage bun-loss due to sticking. #stickybuns
Obviously ice them with a mixture of cream cheese, butter, and powdered erythritol (swerve or another brand). A splash of vanilla never hurts either.
A splash of bourbon might be considered if you are adventurous (like me) or love bourbon (also me).
Other important notes and stuff
- It’s imperative that you make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature so the yeast will work it’s magic.
- If you forgot to leave your eggs out and you are super horny for cinnamon rolls, make a warm water bath that your mixing bowl will sit comfortably in.
- Then, crack your eggs in there and beat the mixture. By the time you’re done, the eggs will be warm enough to use!
- The yeast rise time is up to you. The longer you let the dough rise, the stronger the yeast flavor becomes, which can be good or bad depending on your taste buds.

(Pretty Easy!) Keto Yeast Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Gluten Free yeast cinnamon rolls that are worth the hassle!
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 2 cups Super Fine Almond Flour
- 2 tbsp Coconut Flour
- 1 packet Dry Active Yeast
- 1/3 cup Granulated Erythritol or sweetener of choice
- 2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 3 large Eggs, room temp
- 1 large Egg White, room temperature
- 3 tbsp Warm Water
- 1 tsp Molasses or Sugar, for the yeast
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 tbsp Butter melted and cooled
- 2 level tablespoons Greek Yogurt or 1 tablespoon Sour Cream
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
- 4 tbsp Granulated Sweetener
- 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon or to taste
Icing
- 4 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup Powdered Erythritol like Swerve
Instructions
WATCH the video (it's long but helpful!) on how to make these rolls and what the dough should look like!
- Proof the yeast by adding the water, yeast, and a tsp of sugar or molasses to a small dish. Let it hydrate for 5 minutes.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients except for the sweetener (almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl and reserve.
- By hand or with a stand mixer, beat the room temp eggs, vanilla, butter, greek yogurt, yeast, and sweetener until combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to incorporate, folding with a spatula or with the mixer running.
- Add the rest of the flour mixture and continue mixing until a wet sticky dough forms. If it isn't coming together, use a silicone spatula to really mix it. You need the flours to absorb the liquid!
- Place the dough on a sheet of plastic cling wrap and cover the top with a second sheet. Roll out the dough to approximately 1-inch thickness.
- Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon and sugar and using the edge of the plastic wrap, begin to roll the long edge of the dough into a log. It will be VERY sticky so use the plastic to gently roll it up, working from side to side.
- Slice the dough with a sharp knife into 12 rounds and arranged in a parchment-lined baking pan and lightly cover with a towel to rise for at least 30 minutes. Make sure the area is warm (not hot!).
- Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, checking for excessive browning. If they are browning too soon, gently cover the pan with foil to prevent burning.
Icing
- Beat together the icing ingredients until smooth.
- Once the rolls have cooled, smear them with an obscene amount of frosting and serve!
Notes
When Rising you can choose how long to let the rolls rise. The longer the rise, the more volume and the stronger the yeast flavor.
Sticky Dough if you have trouble handling the rolls, a bit of water on the knife or your fingers helps! After you slice each roll, use your knife as a spatula to transfer the roll to the pan (keep it close to you!)
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 233Total Fat 20gCarbohydrates 10gFiber 5gProtein 8g
The dough was way to sticky to roll…what did i do wrong? Im in Canada…could there be a difference in the size of the eggs…i added 2 more Tbsp of coconut flour
Hi Joy! Yes, there could absolutely be a difference in eggs (large vs extra large = more moisture) and also variation when you measure out the flours. Did the extra cocnut flour help? Also, it’s easier to roll with plastic wrap instead of parchment paper. Let me know!!!
Can you use the dough recipe to just make dinner rolls? Not a fan of fat head dough. Also would it work for pizza?
This specific recipe, no, because leaving out the sweetener will change the texture! I would try my Keto Yeast Pizza Dough or Garlic Bread Biscuits and ommit the garlic!
https://www.inspectorgorgeous.com/2019/02/easy-yeast-pizza-dough-gluten-free-low-carb/
Thank you for this recipe! I am so glad I found itđ I used 3 eggs plus 1 egg white, hope that was correct? Your tips were very helpful and my cinnamon rolls are fluffy and delicious!! So happy how thick they got. I also added whipping cream to the icing. Think next batch I make I will try topping with my caramel sauce. Thanks so much!
That was correct! And I am so happy you enjoyed them. I hope you find other recipes you love!
What does the yeast âeatâ in order to make the roll rise?
You can proof the yeast with sugar or inulin if you would like! If you use instant yeast, it doesnât need to be proofed but it wonât rise as much as doing it the traditional way. Hope that helps!
This recipe is a bit confusing, like many people I jumped to the ingredients to make sure I had everything which I did so following the ingredients list I immediately took 3 eggs out to get them to room temp before I started baking…once I thought those were to room temp I got started and thats when some confusion started…
A- the directions make no mention of when the hot water comes into play so I threw it all in when mixing the wet ingredients. Hopefully this is correct!
B- the ingredients list states 3 eggs at room temperature and a separate bullet stating 1 egg white…I assume(assumed) this meant 4 eggs in total, the 3 full eggs at room temp and a 4th egg in egg white form but not mattering if itâs room temp or not since it didnât state room temp next to it like the other 3 eggs, so I took my 3 eggs out ahead of time to get them to room temp. Then when starting the recipe, after my eggs sat for a while being the only room temp ingredient listed, I see the note that says ALL ingredients must be room temp so now I am wondering a couple things,
1-if the eggs are actually 3 in total(all room temp) and 1 of those 3 is an egg white…I used 3 eggs and 1 egg white since thatâs what the ingredients list called for, but my egg white was NOT room temp since it was listed as itâs own separate ingredient and didnât state room temp next to it so I may have an extra egg in there (as well as an egg white that wasnât warm enough) not sure!
2- my next confusion with the important notes is that it states itâs pertinent ALL ingredients are room temp, but in the the ingredients list it only states the 3 eggs have to be, the ingredients nor the important notes state anything about the sour cream/yogurt being room temp. So needless to say I did not take that out with my 3 eggs (4 eggs? Still not sure!) to get too room temp ahead of time soooo Iâm guessing all my ingredients are too cold right now…I canât do the âwarm water bathâ because Iâm mixing in the biggest bowl I have so I donât have anything else it will fit in to do the water bath to bring to room temp…not sure whatâs going to happen really!
This is a pretty lengthy process what with setting ingredients out to get to room temp(which I feel isnât really included in the total time listed), then mixing everything, then letting sit for 30+ mins to rise, then baking for another 30 mins so itâs going to be disappointing if they donât turn out half way decent! Hopefully they taste good!
Hey Jr, thanks for bringing all of this to my attention!
1. You did the right number of eggs and I don’t think it will be too hard on the yeast to have one chilly egg white in your mix. The whole idea about room temperature is to allow the yeast to work and it just works a lot slower if it’s cold!
2. I see where I missed adding the warm water in with the other liquid ingredients–Added!
3. I’ll also fix add a few more mentions of what should be room temperature so it isn’t so confusing.
Good luck with the rolling process (up next) and I really do want to hear how they turn out!!!!
-Liz
I think this will be much easier for people to follow! They turned out pretty good really! The rolling was not bad, I used the plastic wrap like you advised and really didnât have any issues. Iâve made cinnamon rolls with the fat head dough and they just never puffed up well for me. These certainly fluffed up beautifully! Iâd make them again.
I’m glad they turned out! I think for a yeast recipe, this one is pretty forgiving unlike a loaf of bread might be. Thanks for giving me some great feedback Jr! I need you as my proofreader đ