Warm, buttery dinner rolls are not a thing of the past. Brushed with garlic butter, these fluffy keto rolls make your mouth water. And they’re completely nut-free!
Let me tell you what happiness is. Happiness is grabbing a warm roll from the bread basket and slathering it with butter. And many of us believe it’s a joy we will never experience again when we go on a low carb or keto diet.
But before you wallow in utter despair, you need to try these buttery, garlicky keto rolls. They are just the kind of warm bready happiness you crave.
I sometimes find it hard to believe that ingredients like cheese and coconut flour can produce a stretchy, bready dough. But it really works, and it makes some spectacular things like keto bagels and keto calzone.
And oh boy, does it make some amazing keto rolls. I start salivating just thinking about them.
Why you will love this recipe
I will admit that this is not quite the same as traditional fathead dough and it took me a couple of tries to get it right. It follows a similar process of melting the cheese and adding in the flour and eggs. But I made a few changes to make these keto rolls lighter and fluffier.
I used my usual trick of adding protein powder to help the dough rise and give it more volume. But I also added more baking powder and an additional egg white to add even more rising powder.
And it worked! Granted, they are still more dense than conventional dinner rolls but that’s simply the nature of keto ingredients. But they are so buttery and garlicky! There is honestly nothing better.
Reader Reviews
“Thank you, Carolyn, for another winning recipe! Absolutely perfect texture and taste. I have not had one failure with any of your recipes; it is obvious that you put a lot of effort and testing into your creations. Kudos!” — Amy
“Amazing best low carb rolls ever, the addition of the whey isolate is a wonderful addition mine actually turned out looking like yours. Thank you so much for the recipe, hubby liked them too.” — Gail
“I made these for our Thanksgiving dinner and they were amazingly good. Thank you for such a yummy recipe!” — Jess
Ingredients you need
- Shredded cheese: I really like using cheddar in this recipe, which I shred myself. But you can also use mozzarella. Full fat mozzarella might make the dough a little greasy so add a bit more coconut flour if you need it.
- Butter: This helps adds flavor and helps the cheese melt. I also like to brush the top of the rolls with more butter. Because cheese adds salty flavor with the rolls, use unsalted butter.
- Coconut flour: This is a coconut flour recipe, and it won’t work with almond flour. I promise, it does not taste at all like coconut.
- Unflavored whey protein powder: A dry protein powder helps the rolls rise and have a fluffy consistency. You can also use egg white protein powder. Do not use collagen protein since it can make the rolls gummy and very hard to cook through.
- Eggs: I use a combination of eggs and egg whites in this recipe, to give the rolls a lighter texture.
- Garlic: Because everything tastes better with fresh garlic!
- Parsley: I add a little fresh parsley to the garlic butter. You can also use rosemary.
- Pantry staples: Baking powder, garlic powder, salt.
Step-by-step directions
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the grated cheese and the butter. Melt on high in 30 second increments until the cheese and butter can be stirred together and is almost liquid.
- Add the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs and egg white and use a rubber spatula to “knead” together in the bowl until uniform.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. The dough will be quite sticky so lightly oil your hands and roll into 8 ball. Place in an 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the garlic butter and brush about half of it over the rolls in the pan.
- Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool about15 minutes before removing from the pan and breaking apart. Brush with the remaining garlic butter. Serve warm.
Expert tips
You can assemble these rolls a day ahead. Once ready, cover and refrigerate overnight. Be sure to let them come to room temperature before baking.
A little butter helps the cheese melt and liquify in the microwave. I melt mine on high in 30 second increments and stirred in between. It only took about 1 minute and 30 seconds total.
Add in the remaining ingredients quickly. No need to sift the dry ingredients together, but you should have everything else ready to go. You want to add them all in at once and start stirring and kneading the dough together.
Use a rubber spatula. I find that the best way to make a cohesive fathead dough is to use a good flexible rubber spatula to knead it together in the bowl. Really press it up hard against the sides of the bowl to work the melted cheese into the other ingredients.
Grease your hands. This dough is a little stickier than traditional fathead dough so it helps to have your hands greased when you roll it into balls.
Use parchment paper. Lining your cake pan with parchment helps ensure that the keto dinner rolls won’t stick to the pan. But it still allows them to get nicely browned around the edges.
Adjust salt to taste. If you’re not a salt lover, you may want to leave out the additional salt. The cheddar and the baking powder both have salt as it is. I personally love salt and salty things so I like sprinkling the rolls with a little coarse sea salt at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
These mouthwatering keto dinner rolls contain cheese, coconut flour, protein powder, butter, and eggs. They also have kitchen staples such as baking powder, garlic, and salt.
Store leftover rolls in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and re-heat gently before serving. You can also freeze them for several months.
This fathead dough keto roll recipe has 5.9g of carbs and 2.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per roll.
Related Recipes
Keto Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) grated cheddar cheese, or mozzarella
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup (60 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic, powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
Garlic Butter
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the grated cheese and the butter. Melt on high in 30 second increments until the cheese and butter can be stirred together and is almost liquid.
- Add the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs and egg white and use a rubber spatula to knead together in the bowl until uniform.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. The dough will be quite sticky so lightly oil your hands and roll into 8 ball. Place in the prepared baking pan.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the garlic butter and brush about half of it over the rolls in the pan.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool about15 minutes before removing from the pan and breaking apart. Brush with the remaining garlic butter. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Oh I am so disappointed. The Cheesy Fathead rolls are way too salty, can’t taste the cheese! Followed your instructions with additional baking powder- was that the culprit?
Um yes, it would be, since baking powder is mostly sodium chloride…
I was too focused on lightening up the dough to realize that. Didn’t yours come out super salty tho?
No mine did not. It may also be your cheese? The combo probably.
Do you think hydrolyzed collagen peptides would work in place of the whey protein powder? I’d love to try these! My last attempt at fathead dough (not your recipe) was a disaster, but your rolls look amazing and we have cheddar so I’m hoping to try again…
No, it won’t. I find that collagen proteins tend to make the baked goods gummy and very hard to cook through.
Can I assemble these a day ahead,refrigerate, then bake before
a gathering?
Yes, but be sure to let them come to room temp before baking.
I’m making these today to go with some spagetti (Miracle Noodle) and meatballs for our weekly “game night” with my neighbors, who also eat low carb. I only have whey protein “isolate” and I’m hoping that will work as well as just plain whey protein, because the only whey protein I could find at the grocery store and Walmart were all flavored. Excited to make them for this evening! Thank you for all the love you put into every recipe!
These were so yummy!! Thank you!! What is the best way to store leftovers? Refrigerator? On the counter? Ziplock bag?
The fridge is probably best, and the re-warm them gently.
Thank you, Carolyn, for another winning recipe! Absolutely perfect texture and taste.
I have not had one failure with any of your recipes; it is obvious that you put a lot of effort and testing into your creations.
Kudos!
Carolyn, would vanilla whey throw off the flavor? I only have vanilla protein powder on hand.
Yes, it would throw it off tremendously. I wouldn’t advise it.
Amazing best low carb rolls ever, the addition of the whey isolate is a wonderful addition mine actually turned out looking like yours. Thank you so much for the recipe, hubby liked them too.
So glad to hear it!
What would be the best way to reheat these?
I made these for our Thanksgiving dinner and they were amazingly good. Thank you for such a yummy recipe!
So glad you like them!
Made a batch of these this morning at my husband’s request. He really likes them. I’m not crazy about the mouthfeel created by the proportionately large amount of protein powder, but I think the flavor is really fantastic. I do think I’ll make them again, though I’ll confess in advance to tinkering with the dry ingredients. We think they’d make great slider buns; no need to add cheese when the bread is so delightfully cheesy! Thank you Carolyn.
You have saved me this holiday season! I’ve made the stuffing, creamy pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and will make these as well!! Thank you for providing us all these delicious recipes!!
I am excited to hear what you think!
I make your above mentioned skillet cheesy skillet bread tonight as a start for stuffing. OMG, it is SO good. Could hardly stand to pop it in the low oven to dry it out. Thank you SO much!. Now with regard to these dinner rolls, is there an option for those of us without a microwave? I have a Thermador stove that it truly to die for, and it holds a very low simmer easily. Can I heat this is a pan?
Have decided to weed out my Wheat Belly 3 ring binders so I only have the recipes from you! The other authors often aren’t trustworthy. Have decided you are the “Ina Garten” of Keto! (Hope you consider this to be a compliment, as it is meant to be!)
You can melt the cheese and butter in a pan, I’ve done that before. Be careful when you add in the eggs that the pan isn’t hot to the touch! And the Ina Garten of Keto, wow! I am flattered.
Any suggestions for a sub for the whey protein powder? I’m currently out!
Sorry, no. you need a protein powder to make these rise properly.
Can you use collagen protein powder
No, sadly it will make your baked goods gummy and hard to cook through.
Would almond flour be an ok sub for coconut flour, and if so, would 1.5 cups be the amount of almond flour to use? Coconut makes me sneeze… Really looking forward to making these…❤️
I had the same question – every time I use coconut flour in savory anything it’s a fail, regardless of brand.:/ But these look and sound SO GOOD!!!
I am also curious on this… I hope that almond can be subbed.
You can try it but I make no promises. I have not made this dough with almond flour.
Carolyn, have you tried using any of your breads, this one or the corn bread for example, to make a breakfast strata? You know the bread, egg, cheese, sausage and often mushroom or spinach thing you make ahead and refrigerate overnight and then bake in the morning. I used to make something like that for Christmas morning and it was convenient and delicious. Now, with my low0carb kids coming for Christmas, I could use a low carb version.
Than you.
I think the best one for a strata would be my cheesy skillet bread.