Soft keto cinnamon rolls recipe with a vanilla sugar-free frosting.
Waking up to the smell of freshly baked keto cinnamon rolls is the perfect way to start a holiday or weekend morning.
Made with mozzarella dough these easy keto cinnamon rolls are inspired by some of the other fathead dough recipes, like my chocolate chip vanilla chaffles and these keto pizza scrolls. Sugar-Free cream cheese frosting is the perfect frosting for these cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
Keto cinnamon rolls are made with the same base ingredients used in most mozzarella doughs, but with the addition of vanilla and sweetener to make it sweet instead of savory.
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Mozzarella and cream cheese may seem like an odd combination, but I promise it makes the BEST keto cinnamon rolls! They’re what makes them so soft and moist.
- pre-shredded mozzarella cheese – look for one labeled “low moisture”. Do not use traditional mozzarella cheese that is stored in water.
- almond flour – I strongly suggest you go with the finely ground flour rather than almond meal for the softest almond flour cinnamon rolls possible.
- baking powder –
- cream cheese – full fat, plain cream cheese is best.
- vanilla extract – or vanilla essence
- granulated sweetener and brown sweetener – you will need a regular granulated sweetener for the dough but will want to use brown sweetener for the cinnamon filling.
- egg
- ground cinnamon
- melted butter – you can use salted butter or unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt.
See the keto cinnamon rolls recipe card below for quantities.
TOP TIP: As with ALL recipes here, ALWAYS taste your batter BEFORE cooking to ensure you have added enough sweetener to suit YOUR tastebuds. Read the Ultimate Guide To Low-Carb Sweeteners.
Instructions
To start mix the shredded/grated cheese, almond flour, sweetener, and baking powder in a microwaveable bowl. Add the cream cheese to the top.
Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Mix the dough then microwave again for 30 more seconds.
Add the egg and vanilla to the dough and knead with a silicone spatula until it is well incorporated and forms a dough ball.
Place the dough in between 2 pieces of baking parchment/paper. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and about 14 inches in length.
Next, remove the top layer of paper from the bough. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter.
Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together and then sprinkle over the top of the dough leaving about an inch space around the edges.
Roll the dough up tightly along the length. Cut off the uneven ends. Then cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
Hint: Your cinnamon rolls will rise and spread as they cook.
Place each one in a baking pan with the spiral facing up. Bake at 220C/425F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. While the cinnamon rolls are still warm, add 1 tsp of sugar-free cream cheese frosting to the center of each roll then spread it out. Serve warm and enjoy!
Substitutions
Are certain ingredients stopping you from making these cinnamon rolls? Below you will find our recommendations for common substitutions.
- Almond flour – use 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) coconut flour.
- Cinnamon – ground nutmeg is an excellent substitution for cinnamon.
- Butter – use melted coconut oil instead of butter.
The above substitutions are great alternatives to will keep your cinnamon rolls keto, low-carb, and gluten-free.
Variations
Take your keto cinnamon rolls up a notch with these tasty recommendations below. Make your cinnamon rolls zesty, with bits of chocolate, or fruity!
- Zesty – add lemon zest to your dough and a spoonful of lemon juice to your frosting if you choose to add any.
- Chocolate – top with some sugar-free dark chocolate chips.
- Berry – use a berry extract instead of vanilla extract for berry-flavored cinnamon rolls.
- Pecans – add chopped pecans to the cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle some sliced pecans over the cream cheese frosting to decorate.
See this sugar-free cream frosting on my website to add frosting to your cinnamon rolls!
Equipment
I used a square glass baking pan lined with baking parchment paper to bake my cinnamon rolls. I set the rolls close enough together they would touch a bit as they rise.
However, pick your baking pan based on how you like your cinnamon rolls. If you don’t want pull-apart rolls use a cookie sheet or a cupcake pan to bake your keto cinnamon rolls.
Storage
Uncooked cinnamon rolls can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap or a zipped bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking.
Cooked cinnamon rolls should be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for 4 days. Rolls can be reheated in the microwave one at a time for 15-30 seconds.
They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To defrost keto cinnamon rolls, remove as many as you need and leave them covered on the kitchen countertop for 1 or 2 hours.
Top tip
The dough is easiest to roll out when it is still warm. Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you get started to ensure your dough doesn’t get cold.
FAQs about keto cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls are usually made using wheat flour and processed sugars that are not allowed on keto. However, this keto cinnamon roll recipe made with mozzarella dough doesn’t use wheat flour or processed sugars making them keto-friendly!
Yes, this easy keto cinnamon rolls recipe uses almond flour (not to be confused with coconut flour) but there is also a keto cinnamon rolls recipe that uses psyllium husk.
These only have 2.1 grams of net carbs per roll. Perfect to enjoy on your keto diet or low-carb diet.
This recipe uses almond flour but there are various other recipes that use different low-carb flours. Keto cinnamon rolls recipe with psyllium husk and cinnamon roll mug cake with coconut flour.
Soft Keto Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Mozzarella Dough)
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheets – non stick
- Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 1¾ cup pre-shredded/grated mozzarella shredded
- ¾ cup almond meal/flour
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to your taste
Filling
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sweetener of choice
- ½ tbsp ground cinnamon ground
Frosting (optional)
- ¼ cup sugar-free cream cheese frosting
Instructions
How to make keto dough
- Mix the shredded/grated cheese, almond flour, sweetener, and baking powder in a microwaveable bowl. Add the cream cheese to the top. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Mix the dough then microwave again for 30 more seconds.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the dough and knead with a silicone spatula until well incorporated and a dough ball forms.
- Place the dough in between 2 pieces of baking parchment/paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and about 14 inches in length. This is easiest to do while the dough is still warm. Remove the top layer of parchment paper.
Assembling cinnamon rolls
- Generously brush the melted butter over the entire top surface of the dough. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and then sprinkle over the butter leaving about 1-inch space around the edges without any cinnamon/sugar.
- Roll the dough up tightly to create a long cylinder. Start at one of the long ends and roll completely to the other side.
- Cut the uneven ends off at both sides of the roll and discard. Then cut the roll into 12 equal pieces about 1-inch thick. Place each one in a baking pan with the spiral facing up.
Bake
- Bake at 220C/425F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. While the cinnamon rolls are still warm add 1 tsp of sugar-free cream cheese frosting to the center of each roll then spread it out. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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These are delicious! It’s hard to believe they are made from a cheesy dough! They remind me so much of yummy Pinwheel Scones that I learnt to make at ‘Manual Training Cooking Class’ as an 11-12 year old in the 1960’s. We’ll be taking the leftovers hiking tomorrow 😊👍.
What an awesome cooking memory. Isn’t food wonderful that it can transport you back to a special time and place? Have a wonderful hike. You might like to see my keto camping food list. Happy hiking 🙂
Another absolute winner, thank you Libby!! So quick and easy to make too. We added a dollop of keto vanilla ice cream and it was difficult to stop eating!!!
Ooooh, warm keto cinnamon rolls with keto vanilla ice cream! What a superb combination. Thank you Luciana for the idea.