Quick cinnamon bread made healthier! No sugar, no grains, delightfully moist and soft with a crispy cinnamon "sugar" crust. You won't believe it's low-carb, Paleo and vegan!
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How to Make Low-Carb Cinnamon Bread
How are you holding up these days? As I'm writing this post, our city near Dallas is about to be officially on lockdown. The world feels heavy.
But you know what you can do right now for a pick-me-up? Bake.
Baking is therapeutic, takes your mind off of worries about the future, and brings a sense of accomplishment.
Look at this beauty. You made this. The aroma of cinnamon and sugar fills your home. And now you get to enjoy a freshly baked slice, slathered in butter. Mmmm.
Comfort. A warm cinnamon hug. We could all use one right now.
So enjoy this time at home. Bake a loaf of bread with your family. Savor this experience.
Bonus: this cinnamon bread checks all the "healthy" boxes:
- gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, sugar-free, artificial sweetener-free, dairy-free... the list goes on!
It's made with mostly common ingredients you have in your pantry. And if you don't have them in your pantry, you should be able to snag them on Amazon easily.
And since even milk and eggs are scarce these days, you'll be glad to hear these are egg-free and dairy-free, too!
What is Quick Bread?
Quick bread is different from traditional bread in that there's no yeast involved (which means no having to wait hours and hours for your dough to rise and bake).
Quick breads are very similar to cakes and muffins. In fact, if you wanted to call this a cinnamon cake, I wouldn't be mad 🙂
It's not quite as sweet as cake, which IMO makes it perfectly suitable for breakfast, afternoon snacking, as well as dessert if you choose! It's delicious with a cup of coffee. But you can enjoy this cinnamon bread any time you have an hour to spare.
It only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on prep, then roughly 45 minutes to cook and cool.
Simple Ingredients
To keep the carbs low in this bread, while still creating a soft and fluffy texture, I used a mixture of almond flour, ground flaxseed, and tapioca starch.
The other ingredients are pretty standard: oil, vinegar, water, cinnamon, water and salt.
To sweeten, I used one of my favorite sweeteners that I've been using for many years: Pure Stevia Powder.
- This is one you may not have on hand, but is available on Amazon HERE.
- Since this is HIGHLY concentrated, one bag will last you YEARS. A little goes a lonnnnngg way. (½ a teaspoon is used in this entire recipe!)
- I also use this stevia in all my dairy-free keto ice cream recipes! 🙂 It can be used in place of stevia drops/monkfruit drops and liquid sweeteners, too.
- Need help? I'm always around. Drop a question in the comments or dm me on Facebook or Instagram.
"Can I use a different sweetener?"
You may be wondering WHY I used pure stevia powder instead of a granulated sweetener, such as monkfruit or a liquid sweetener such as syrup/monkfruit syrup,
The answer is pretty clear once you try to sweeten an entire cake/loaf/muffin recipe using only monkfruit: the texture isn't right.
I don't know the exact science, but monkfruit granules don't bake just like sugar. Monkfruit is great for creating a crispy texture on baked goods like scones, but for breads/cakes/muffins, I typically only use a couple of tablespoons MAX (to add "bulk" and structure).
Important Tips for Fluffy Gluten-Free Bread
This recipe was adapted from my now infamous LEMON LOAF CAKE (which if you haven't tried yet, add it to your list!).
In that Lemon Cake recipe post, I detailed several tips for how to make low-carb cake that actually has a good texture, and those tips still apply here!
- Use a small loaf pan (smaller rises better)
- Don't overmix your batter! It will pop the bubbles needed for rise.
- Allow your loaf to cool in the oven (with the heat turned off)
That last tip is the one I want to emphasize. If you're constantly opening your oven to check on your loaf, the temperature drop will make your loaf drop! Trust me on this 😉 Just do maybe 1 quick check around 38 minutes to be sure the top springs back. Then leave it in there to cool gradually to prevent sinking.
Sugar-Free Cinnamon Sugar CRUST
One of my favorite parts of this bread is the CRISPY, slightly crunchy cinnamon sugar on top!
It's optional since there is already cinnamon inside the batter, but the extra cinnamon sweetness adds a fantastic contrasting texture that is undeniably delicious.
Instead of sugar, I used monkfruit granules, which make a fantastic CRISPY granulated sweetener due to their baking characteristics. If you want to make something crisp on the outside, use Lakanto Classic Monkfruit granules.
Lakanto Classic is available on Amazon for convenient online ordering and delivery!
Comfort Food
Are you ready to get baking? This cozy warm cinnamon bread is so comforting like a big hug from someone you love <3 Don't forget to serve it warmed up with a slather of butter (dairy-free for me - I love buttery flavor coconut oil!)
And if you're having trouble finding grain-free/dairy-free baking essentials, be sure to check out Thrive Market. You get a free gift with purchase on your first order!
I really love Thrive Market because they have their own (great quality) brand now including almond flour, tapioca, oils and sweeteners and everything in between -- all delivered straight to your door with no need to leave the comfort of your home, up to 50% off retail prices. Score! Check it out here
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below! I love getting your feedback. ENJOY!
Low-Carb Cinnamon Bread (Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 3 Tbs monkfruit granules
- ⅓ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ Tbs cinnamon
- ½ Tbs baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon pure stevia powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pink salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup + 3 Tbs water
- 1 Tbs vinegar
- ¼ cup buttery coconut oil - or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 1 Tbs monkfruit
- ½ Tbs cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line a small bread pan with parchment paper for easy removal
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together water, vinegar, melted oil and vanilla in another small bowl.
- Pour wet over dry and gently mix by folding the batter until the flour is moistened (it will be a little thick)
- Scoop batter into the pan.
- In a pinch bowl, stir together topping. Sprinkle batter with cinnamon "sugar" mixture.
- Bake for about 38-40 minutes. *Important* Turn the oven off, but leave the loaf in the oven for another 5-10 minutes with the door shut to cool gradually. Then remove and cool the loaf on a wire rack before cutting.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting.
- Enjoy!
Notes
For longer storage, keep refrigerated or frozen (pre-sliced) Sweetener Alternatives: *always sweeten to taste*
- Replace ½ teaspoon stevia extract with ½ teaspoon pure monkfruit extract 50% mogroside, or ¾ teaspoon 30% mogroside)
- OR replace ½ cup water with Lakanto monkfruit syrup or pure maple syrup for non-low-carb
- Monkfruit granules may be replaced with another granulated sweetener such as erythritol (or coconut sugar for non-low-carb)
- Need help with a sweetener conversion? Comment below
Gale Schmidt
This sounds wonderful! Can I substitute something for the tapioca flour?
Emily
Thank you! You can use more almond flour- it just makes it a little dense/heavy. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Emah
This loaf was loved by all my family this morning:) thank you so much Emily!!
The texture using tapioca made it just like a banana loaf. Next time I’m going to try making one with chocolate chips, and maybe see about adding a banana extract (if that exists) and coconut xxx
Emily
So happy you and your family loved it! Thank you so much for leaving a comment. Let me know how it goes with the extras. Sounds yummy!
Sam
How much sugar to replace the 1/2 tsp stevia? Thanks!
Emily
I would try about a 1/2 cup and taste the batter. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Peggy Seager
Is the flax in this recipe to replace egg? If so, how much egg would i use, instead of flax?
Thank you! Excited to make it!
Emily
It is, but it’s also used to make the flour blend. I’m not certain how it would turn out with eggs instead of flax. But in general, 1-2Tbs flax + 3 or 4 Tbs water = 1 egg. You’d need to replace both flax and water to get the right balance. Hope that helps. Let me know if you try it:)
Laurel
It looks yummy. And to add my two cents worth to the last question if all you need is a paleo starch to lighten it up replace the tapioca flour with arrowroot or my favorite, cacao powder which are both easy to find. The choice of tapioca flour though is always a good one as it does lighten things up as well as help a bit with the rise. Speaking of helping it rise I also have a nasty habit of adding 1/8th to 1/4 tsp citric acid or vitamin C powder to my paleo baking because it's an absolute friggin' miracle.
Okay, all done with the unsolicited advice and I need some of this for breakfast tomorrow.
Robin
Looks great! I appreciate all your tips and the tip from Laurel about a replacement for tapioca flour. I’m trying to stay keto, so 10 net carbs per serving is out for me, but my Hubby would love this!
Emily
Hi Robin, thanks! It's actually only 5 net carbs --see the bottom of the recipe card. The sugar alcohol is subtracted from the total too 🙂 And subbing the tapioca would lower it even more.
Tara
Emily thanks for the recipe. I was looking for something quick and easy to make while being quarantined. I used coconut sugar and it turned out great. My husband loved it and he is very picky..
Emily
Awesome! Glad you both liked it! Thanks for your review. Good to know the coconut sugar worked just as well
Jenn
Hi
I would like to try this but without using monk fruit and stevia. I love using coconut sugar . Can also use maple or honey as well. What would I do to convert the sweetener? Thank you , this looks delicious!
Emily
Hi! You can use coconut sugar instead of the monkfruit granules, and I would sub about 1/3 cup maple syrup for part of the water (and still use 1/3 cup water)
Taste and adjust your batter as necessary with additional coconut sugar if you want it sweeter.
And if it’s a little too dry or wet, adjust with more water or almond flour.
Let me know how it goes
Luana
This bread tastes like a warm hug! It is delicious. I did not have stevia or monk fruit, so I used swerve, and it came out veeeery good!
Emily
I’m so happy you liked it! Great to know it works with serve. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Jen S
I tried this (with coconut sugar) but it was so bitter and had such a bad aftertaste I'll be throwing it out. I may try it with one of the sweetener substitutions for the stevia. For the one that says to replace the 1/2 cup water with Lakanto, is that meant to replace ALL the sweetener, or just the 1/2tsp of Stevia?
Emily
Oh no, I’m sorry! Always taste the batter before baking so it’s sweet enough. To use only coconut sugar in a recipe like this, I would use at least 1/2 cup or more. Maybe 3/4 to 1 cup even.
The water replacement was for Lakanto syrup. That replaces the stevia only. You could try 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of water too.
The granules are added for bulk as well as additional sweetness. Hope that helps!
Kim
First let me say...LOVE YOUR RECIPES! I am so excited that I have found your website!!!!!!!
Can you please let me know what size loaf pan you used for this recipe?
Thanks - can't wait to try this!
Emily
Oh yay! I’m so excited too!
I use a slightly smaller than standard loaf pan. It’s approximately 8”x3.25” (measuring on the bottom)
Hope you enjoy!
Lynne Patton
What are your measurements for a small loaf pan? Have loved making your scones and plan on making this too.
Emily
The bottom of the pan measures 3.5 x7.25” & it flares out about one inch wider at the top. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Kim
I am wondering exactly what size bread pan do you use for this recipe? Thank you. I have loved every recipe of yours that I have tried!
Emily
Hi! It's 7"x3". Here's a very similar one on Amazon. If you use a larger standard size bread pan, it will cook faster (and be shallower). Hope that helps!
I'm so glad you have loved the recipes! 🙂 Let me know if you try this one.
Kim
Thank you so much for your quick response. Can't wait to try this!
Jlynne
Is there a substitute for tapioca flour?
Emily
Another light starchy flour would probably work, such as arrowroot. Almond flour may technically work, but it will make it more dense and heavy
Kyme
If I make this into muffins would it be about 20 minutes in the oven with the same temp?
Emily
Yes 🙂 I start checking my muffins around 20 min and sometimes go to 24. It depends on how full you fill the cups and your oven and climate. Hope you enjoy!
Kyme
I made these into muffins, and they rose beautifully! I was wondering: every time I've tried to adapt other baking recipes using flax eggs, they never rise. How do you get your recipes to rise so well?
Emily
Glad the muffins turned out for you! 🙂
I use a wide variety of methods to make my baked goods rise. But first and foremost I specifically formulate the recipe to use flax eggs. I don’t adapt other recipes that use eggs. It’s tricky replacing eggs, especially since they act as a binder, and also add structure, fat, and leavening. All those aspects have to be taken into account to replace the eggs.
Some of the things I do to help things rise: vinegar and baking soda & powder, smaller pan sizes, lower oven temps/longer baking time, not over mixing the batter, & leaving baked goods in the oven (turned off) to cool. I also make sure there’s not too much liquid in the batter to weigh it down. Hope that helps 🙂