The simple method to make buttery, soft Cinnamon Rolls dripping with sweet icing. Great for Christmas breakfast! These are secretly made with wholesome ingredients that are amazingly low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, Paleo and vegan so you can freely enjoy a treat that fits your lifestyle or restricted diet!

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Low-Carb Cinnamon Rolls

For years, I think the number one recipe request I have received is healthy CINNAMON ROLLS.

And for years, I thought, HOW in the world can I do that without FLOUR, sugar, butter and eggs-- all the essential ingredients for baked goods??

After LOTS of trial and error in writing my cookbook, I FINALLY cracked the baking code!

Now you can make SOFT, buttery, cinnamon-sugar filled rolls dripping in icing that are gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free and amazingly SUGAR-FREE by using monkfruit (or stevia)!

I also included a non-low carb option that uses coconut sugar if you're Paleo or Vegan 🙂

As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).

Easy Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch

It's not difficult to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. It's just time-consuming.

I wanted these cinnamon rolls to be as close to the real deal as possible, so I used the exact same method as traditional recipes -- I used yeast!

If you've never used yeast before, don't freak out. I promise it's not hard!

But the result is so worth the wait! There's nothing like freshly baked yeast cinnamon rolls. Absolutely delicious!

How to make Low-Carb Cinnamon Rolls:

To make these low-carb, Paleo and vegan, I used:

• Almond four, tapioca flour (starch), flax and coconut flour instead of regular wheat/gluten flour.
• Monkfruit instead of sugar (extract & granules)
• Buttery coconut oil instead of butter to make these dairy-free
• Flaxseed instead of eggs

And the result? Still so yummy!

Baking with Monkfruit

One important discovery I made with baking is that monkfruit granules do not behave the same way as sugar in baked goods. They have a higher melting point and don't dissolve as well as sugar, so they don't perform well in baked goods that need a soft texture, like cakes and cinnamon rolls.

*So heed my warning: if you use classic monkfruit granules (erythritol blend) instead of pure monkfruit extract inside the dough, the result will probably be a firm/harder, possibly crunchy exterior -- not ideal for cinnamon rolls!

Using pure extract takes care of that problem. You only need ¼ teaspoon for the whole batch and it sweetens without changing the texture.

Sweetener Alternatives

Update: Lakanto's pure monkfruit extract doesn't seem to be available so here are some substitutions:

• Another pure monkfruit extract powder (same amount)
• Pure Stevia Extract (half the amount)
• Lakanto Baking Blend (approximately ½ cup)
• Besti Allulose/Monkfruit (approximately ½ cup)
• Possibly monkfruit drops although I haven't tried baking with them yet

Remember to always sweeten to taste. Yes, you can taste the raw dough -  it won't hurt you 😉

Use code PRETTYPIES at Lakanto.com or WholesomeYum.com to save on monkfruit and allulose sweeteners.

It's Simple

I tried to be thorough in the recipe instructions so you'd have the best result possible, but here's the simplified overview:

1. Mix yeast with warm water
2. Mix dry ingredients
3. Add in wet ingredients
4. Rise
5. Roll out
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up
7. Cut
8. Let rise again
9. Bake
10. Slather in icing 😉

TIPS for YEAST

For best results when using yeast:

• Use Active Dry yeast (not fast rising)
• DO NOT KILL your yeast by using water that's too hot.
  • If it's too hot to the touch (dip your finger in there!) then it will kill it. It should be nice warm bathwater temp, between 100-110 degrees. Use a thermometer if you're not sure.
• If you're not sure if your yeast is good, add a pinch of sugar to the water and see if it bubbles. If so, it's good.
• Place dough in a warm (not drafty) place to let it rise.
  • My house is on the cold side (plus it's winter) so I set my oven/cooktop combo to 275 and set the glass bowl of dough on top. Alternatively, you can heat your oven to its lowest temp (125) and crack the door and let it rise in a warm oven.
• Don't forget the second rise which helps the rolls be more fluffy.

Have any questions? Drop them below.

Make Ahead for Christmas Morning

If you're wondering if you can make them ahead and bake in the morning -- YES!

Wouldn't it be so wonderful to enjoy these sweet rolls on Christmas?

The day before, assemble the rolls in the pan, wrap with plastic and refrigerate.

As soon as you wake up (bright and early!) set the rolls in a warm place to let them come back to room temp and continue to rise. Then about when presents are winding down, you can pop the rolls into the oven. Your house will fill with the AMAZING aroma of cinnamon sugar!

It makes for magical Christmas memories 🙂 Hope you ENJOY!

Low-Carb Cinnamon Rolls

The simple method to make buttery, soft Cinnamon Rolls. These are secretly made with wholesome ingredients that are amazingly low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, Paleo and vegan so you can freely enjoy!

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hour 27 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Emily

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

For the dough:

• 2 cups fine almond flour
• 2 Tbs tapioca starch - or more almond flour* see notes
• 2 Tbs ground flaxseed - or tapioca for a softer texture (my preference)
• ¼ teaspoon pure monkfruit extract (50% mogroside) - or ⅛ teaspoon stevia extract, or ½ teaspoon 30% mogroside
• 1 Tbs coconut flour
• pinch pink salt
• ¼ cup buttery coconut oil - melted
• 2 Tbs ground flaxseed + ⅓ cup water - divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 package active dry yeast + ½ cup water

For the center:

• 2 Tbs buttery coconut oil - melted
• 1 Tbs  cinnamon
• ¼ cup monkfruit granules

For the glaze:

• ⅓ cup powdered monkfruit - homemade (See notes)
• 4 teaspoon water

Instructions

To make the dough:

• In a glass measuring cup, heat ½ cup water in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds to 100-110 degrees (bathwater temperature- not too hot)
• Sprinkle yeast into water and stir to dissolve for 5-10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbs flaxseed with ⅓ cup water. Set aside to thicken.
• Whisk dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well into a dough. (Dough should not be sticky. Add a sprinkle of flour if needed to form a non-sticky dough.)
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. (See tips in post)

To make the rolls:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter.
• Place dough on parchment and cover with a large piece of plastic.
• Roll out dough making a large rectangle, about 14"x10"
• Brush with melted buttery coconut oil. Mix cinnamon and monkfruit and sprinkle all over dough.
  
• Lift one end of the parchment to roll the dough into a log. Slice into 8 rolls.
  
• Arrange rolls in a 7-8" circular pan lined with parchment (for a 9-10" pan, fill the empty space with something heat-proof such as a silicone wrapper under the parchment)
  
• Cover with plastic wrap again. Let rolls rise a second time until puffy (about 30 minutes.)
• Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and firm.

To make the glaze:

• Mix together monkfruit and water in a small bowl. Adjust to desired thinness with a little more water, if you like. (See notes for alternate glaze) Spread over warm cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!
  

Notes

Another brand of pure monkfruit on Amazon

Pure Stevia Powder from Amazon

To lower the carbs even more, you may replace tapioca with more almond flour. This will result in a firmer, less fluffy cinnamon roll.

To make homemade powdered "sugar" (monkfruit):

• simply blend classic monkfruit granules in a small blender for 10 seconds. Make a batch of at least ⅓ cup at a time so that it blends easier.
• *Important* If you use store-bought powdered monkfruit, use ½ the amount.

To Make Ahead: Roll and cut the dough, place in a pan, but wrap with plastic and refrigerate until ready to bake. To make them the next day, bring them up to room temp (at least 1 hour) and let them rise before baking.

"Cream Cheese" Glaze: mix together-

•  2 Tbs coconut butter, melted
•  1 ½ Tbs coconut milk, warm
• 4-5 drops monkfruit  
• ¼ teaspoon lemon juice

To Store: Stays fresh at room temp 1-2 days. Best freshness wrapped and refrigerated for 5-7 days.

If you're not low-carb, replace the monkfruit granules with coconut sugar and replace the pure monkfruit extract with 3-4 Tbs coconut sugar. (It may need a little extra water if your dough is too dry. Adjust as needed)

Nutrition Facts

Low-Carb Cinnamon Rolls

Amount per Serving

Calories

285

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

25.87

g

40

%

Saturated Fat

 

10.17

g

64

%

Sodium

 

3.7

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

44.77

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

25.09

g

8

%

Fiber

 

5.45

g

23

%

Sugar

 

1.2

g

1

%

Sugar Alcohol

 

14

g

Net Carbs

 

5.6

g

Protein

 

7.14

g

14

%

Calcium

 

86.24

mg

9

%

Iron

 

1.44

mg

8

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!

Want more yummy breakfast treats for Christmas morning?

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Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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