Keto Cinnamon Rolls with a festive twist! Chopped cranberries and pecans make your fathead cinnamon rolls perfect for a holiday brunch or Christmas morning treat. Drizzle on a little sugar free cream cheese glaze and you’re in low carb cinnamon roll heaven. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Let’s talk keto cinnamon rolls, shall we? Because it’s such a delicious topic of conversation, after all. It’s a warm, gooey, cinnamon-y topic of conversation that warrants further discussion. Wouldn’t you agree?
I’ve been asked for my keto cinnamon roll recipe hundreds of times but that sweet little recipe lives in a cookbook called The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, and I am not at liberty to give it out. Suffice it to say that it’s a delicious treat made with the sweet version of my Magic Mozzarella Dough. And it’s a great book with over 150 low carb keto recipes, so I hope you will consider purchasing it.
This particular recipe, however, is a little different. First, it utilizes a fathead dough similar to my Keto Bagels recipe. Secondly, it contains chopped cranberries and pecans for a fun holiday twist. And thirdly, the cream cheese frosting has a bit of orange zest for an extra festive flair.
Can Cinnamon Rolls Really be Keto Friendly?
Yes, yes they can. Let’s face it, the famous fathead dough made with mozzarella has changed the game for keto dieters. It’s fun to make and to play with, and there are infinite ways to vary it and create new and delicious keto recipes.
I have developed two great doughs that are fathead adaptations and I really like them both. And both would be fine here, but I really do like the one made with just coconut flour. It’s springy and flexible, and it bakes up into tender rolls just like ones made with conventional yeast and flour. To make a sweet version for these cinnamon rolls, I simply worked in a few tablespoons of powdered sweetener and a little vanilla extract.
Once you have a good keto dough, creating a keto friendly filling is really quite easy. All you really need is some butter, some low carb sweetener, and some cinnamon. But you can add in some fun things like cranberries or other berries, chopped pecans or walnuts, or even some sugar free chocolate chips. Feel free to riff on the basic cinnamon roll theme to suit your fancy.
And cream cheese frosting is perfect for keto, since it’s easy to make with low carb sweeteners. Be sure to use a powdered or liquid sweetener so you don’t end up with a gritty glaze.
Tips for Coconut Flour Cinnamon Rolls
Coconut flour can be a tricky keto flour to work with, because it can vary a great deal brand to brand. I always ALWAYS use Bob’s Red Mill as it produces the most consistent results in baked goods. If you use another brand, you may find that you need to work in a little more flour as you knead the dough. If your dough is particularly greasy and sticky, sprinkle with a tablespoon or so more coconut flour and work it in with your hands.
Accurate measuring is key. Even when you use the same brand every time, you can mis-measure easily when using volume measurements. Weight is the most accurate way to measure dry ingredients but not all of us own kitchen scales. So again, you may need to work in a bit more flour as you knead the dough. It’s always good to have the bag of coconut flour handy to sprinkle your dough with a little extra.
Grease the work surface.You need your dough to come up easily as you roll it into a log. When it comes to any fathead dough, I find that the easiest way to ensure release from the work surface is to brush it with oil. I usually brush with a little avocado oil, but you could spray with coconut oil spray too.
Cover with parchment for rolling out. Once the cinnamon roll dough is ready to be shaped, you want to use some parchment or some waxed paper before you roll it. If you don’t, it may stick to your rolling pin and ruining what you’ve already done.
Brush the dough with melted butter. This helps the filling stick and also makes it gooey and delicious during baking. I used Brown Swerve for the sweetener in these keto rolls but you can easily use any granulated sweetener.
Roll up carefully and pinch the seam. It’s easiest to start with the long end that’s farthest from you and to roll the dough toward yourself. If it’s sticking a bit, get a sharp knife or offset spatula to help lift it as you go. Roll as tightly as you can and be sure to pinch the seam shut so it doesn’t unravel during baking.
Use a sharp knife to cut. A good large sharp knife will easily cut through this coconut flour dough and make clean round rolls. I always cut of the very end bits of the dough log, because they don’t have much filling to them. That way I get 8 even rolls perfect for baking.
Ready to try making your own Keto Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls? I know you’re going to love them! Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
More Delicious Keto Cranberry Recipes
Low Carb Cranberry Cheesecake Pie
Cranberry Shortbread Streusel Bars
Keto Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 recipe dough from Keto Bagels
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 cup Brown Swerve (or regular Swerve)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries finely chopped (use a food processor if you can)
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
- Water to thin as necessary
Instructions
Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper. Lay a large silicone mat on a work surface and lightly grease the mat to help prevent the dough from sticking.
- Follow the directions for the bagel dough except add the powdered sweetener in along coconut flour in Step 1. Add the vanilla extract in Step 2.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared work surface and knead a few times until uniform. Cover with parchment or waxed paper and roll out to a large rectangle, about 15 by 12 inches.
Filling:
- Brush the triangle with the melted butter and sprinkle with the sweetener and the cinnamon, leaving a 1/2 inch border all around the dough. Sprinkle with the chopped cranberries and pecans.
- Starting at a long end, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the seam closed. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 8 even rolls (I always cut about 1 inch off the ends of the roll as those don't have a lot of filling. This allows you to cut more even slices).
- Place the rolls in the prepared baking pan and bake about 30 minutes, until the rolls have puffed and spread a bit, and the tops are golden brown. Remove and let cool.
Cream Cheese Icing:
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sweetener until well combined. Beat in the heavy cream and the orange zest, if using.
- Beat in enough water to thin to a pourable consistency. Drizzle icing over the rolls.
Nutrition
