Healthy keto protein muffins that taste like cinnamon rolls! These tender low carb muffins have a buttery sweet cinnamon filling and pack 11g of protein per serving.
Who doesn’t love a sweet, sticky, tender cinnamon roll? But those of us who keep our health in mind know to steer clear of these gooey breakfast pastries. We give them a wide berth, because as tasty as they are, they just aren’t worth the risk.
Thankfully, you can enjoy those same flavors in healthier ways. I have any number of recipes to enjoy, from classic keto cinnamon rolls to cinnamon roll cheesecakes. And these Cinnamon Roll Protein Muffins are my new favorite way to indulge!
I’ve been eating them daily before my workouts and they are a sweet way to start my day. It’s a wonderful high protein breakfast recipe.
Why you’ll love these muffins
If you’re going to enjoy a cinnamon roll flavored treat, why not make it work a little harder for you and pack it full of protein too? Made with cottage cheese and protein powder, these muffins have 11g grams of protein and less than 5g of carbs per serving.
They really are delicious. The muffin is tender and the cinnamon filling is sweet and buttery. The glaze on top is entirely optional and not even necessary, in my opinion. Although it does make them look make them look more like real cinnamon rolls!
And these keto protein muffins are easy to make, too. Whip the batter up in a blender, swirl in the cinnamon filling, and bake them up. Before long, you are enjoying low carb, high protein cinnamon roll goodness!
Ingredients you need
- Butter: You want the butter softened, almost melted, prior to mixing.
- Sweetener: The filling works best with a combination of brown sugar substitute and some allulose so it stays gooier. You will want a powdered sweetener if you choose to add the glaze.
- Ground cinnamon: You can’t make cinnamon rolls without cinnamon! Make sure yours is fresh, as old spices lose their flavor over time.
- Cottage cheese: I used whole milk cottage cheese but 2% should work just as well.
- Eggs: Use large eggs and make sure they are room temperature.
- Almond flour: Use blanched, finely ground almond flour for keto muffin recipes like this one.
- Protein powder: I used unflavored whey protein for this recipe. Egg white may work as well but I don’t recommend plant protein or collagen protein.
- Pantry staples: Heavy cream, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Step by step directions
1. Make the cinnamon swirl: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sweeteners, and cinnamon. The butter should be almost melted but not quite, and the mixture should be like a thin paste. Set aside.
2. Prepare the muffin batter: In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Add the almond flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt and blend again until smooth.
3. Assemble the muffins: Line the wells of two muffin pans with silicone or parchment liners and fill each muffin cup about half full with the batter. Then add half a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl into the center of each muffin and swirl lightly with a toothpick or the end of a small spoon. Take care not to push the cinnamon mixture toward the bottom of the muffin.
4. Bake the muffins: Divide the remaining batter overtop, then add more cinnamon swirl and swirl it in. Bake at 325ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until the muffins are puffed and golden brown. The very top may not seemed cooked through because of the buttery cinnamon mixture, but it will set when they cool.
5. Make the drizzle: While the muffins cool, whisk together the sweetener and heavy whipping cream in a small bowl. Add water in tiny amounts until a drizzling consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
Tips for Success
One of the most important things when making these protein muffins is that you don’t push the cinnamon mixture toward the bottom of the muffin. I did that with a few of them and it’s so buttery that the bottoms come off the muffins as you try to get them out of the liners.
I tried this recipe with both almond flour and coconut flour, and I found that the coconut flour made it very rubbery and eggy. So I can’t recommend it.
Whey protein powder works best here but egg white protein may work as well. Plant protein will likely have too strong a flavor, and collagen will make them gummy.
Sweetener Options
For the filling, you will want a brown sugar replacement. But if you can add a tablespoon of allulose or xylitol as well, it helps make it gooier. If not, it will still be delicious!
The muffin batter can be made with your favorite sweetener. I deliberately didn’t sweeten it as much because the filling adds so much sweetness.
The drizzle requires a powdered sweetener to work properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
This funny curdy cheese is a healthy addition to your low carb diet. Each ½ cup serving of cottage cheese has 12 to 14 grams of protein and only 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrate. I really like the Good Culture brand, for the probiotics as well.
Store these muffins on the counter in a covered container for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for several months.
These keto protein muffins have 4.4g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.7g net carbs per muffin.
Cinnamon Protein Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, softened, almost melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1 tbsp allulose, or xylitol
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Muffins
- 3/4 cup (157.5 g) cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Sweetener, (or other granular sweetener)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup (196 g) almond flour
- 3/4 cup (81 g) unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Drizzle (optional)
- 1/3 cup (41.67 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- Water as needed
Instructions
Cinnamon Swirl
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sweeteners, and cinnamon. The butter should be almost melted but not quite, and the mixture should be like a thin paste. Set aside.
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line the wells of two muffin pans with silicone or parchment liners. If you only have one pan, you may need to work in batches.
- In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Add the almond flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt and blend again until smooth.
- Fill each muffin cup about half full with the batter. Then add half a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl into the center of each muffin and swirl lightly with a toothpick or the end of a small spoon. Take care not to push the cinnamon mixture toward the bottom of the muffin.
- Divide the remaining batter overtop, then add more cinnamon swirl and swirl it in.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the muffins are puffed and golden brown. The very top may not seemed cooked through because of the buttery cinnamon mixture, but it will set when they cool.
- Remove and let cool 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Drizzle
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and heavy whipping cream. Add water in tiny amounts until a drizzling consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
Notes
Nutrition
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Hi Carolyn,
If I attempted to make these in the jumbo silicone cups rather than the standard, how long would you suggest I bake them?
Thank you!
I think you are going to have to experiment and keep your eyes on them.
Hi Carolyn 😊 I really want to make these today but don’t have any cottage cheese….do you think cream cheese and/or sour cream would work?
Cream cheese is too thick and sour cream is too thin. Maybe a mix of the two? But make sure to soften the cream cheese a lot!
Thanks so much!
Dear Caroline, I’ve made them last week and what can I say except that my daughter gives your muffins 70000 out of 10 points. I think that says it all!
Thanks’ for your great work!
Looks Delish and the protein keeps u fuller
These muffins are too good!
Thank you for another awesome recipe to help us stay on track deliciously!❤️
So glad you like them!
So very yummy!! Thank you for always putting out new recipes. I did not put the icing on and their are so good. Just figured easier to pack without the icing in our lunch bags for the week.
I have Fage yogurt on hand. Can I substitute that for the cottage cheese?
(I love your recipes! You are my go to source for low carb recipes)
I honestly don’t know. It’s much thinner and may affect how they bake.
These are amazing – you nailed it again!
Made this morning and now going into the rotation.
BTW – why the youtube absence? We miss you!
Just busy! Finishing up a cookbook manuscript…
I’ve tried a lot of Keto recipes over the years and have been disappointed but this one tastes like an actual muffin with so much cinnamon flavour! Absolutely delicious! It will be a regular in our house!
Thanks so much!
Great to hear!
is the allulose granular or powdered?
Click the link in the recipe, it takes you to the exact product.
PS… if it was powdered, I would specify that. 🙂
Wondering if ricotta will work in place of cottage cheese
It should but it won’t add as much protein.
Thank you for all the good detail- these were so yummy! And my husband is The Pickiest lol
So delicious and easy to make.
Is the taste of cottage cheese hidden by other ingredients? This sounds good but I can’t take the taste of cottage cheese.
You don’t taste it.
What can I use in place of allulose or xylitol? I have bought so many Swerve, protein powder and monkfruit products that I can’t keep spending money on baking.🤷♀️☹️
As I said in the tips, you can skip it if you don’t have it. Add another tbsp of Swerve.
WOW! Just made these and they are delicious! I love that its a lower fat and high protein. As I get older that seems to work better for me. YUMMM!
So glad you liked them!
Oh, I hope these are as moist as your chocolate protein muffins are. They are my favorite!
Could I put ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese? I have a container in the fridge that needs using.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes, I’ve been making them for years
Yes, it should work!
Well Carolyn, you have outdone yourself once again! I made these muffins for Sunday brunch, and they are fantastic! Even loved them!!
Yay, I am so glad you like them!
Can you sub egg white protein powder for the whey protein powder?
To be honest, I think probably but I can’t say for certain.