These low carb and sugar-free cinnamon twists are the perfect keto pastry for breakfast, snack, or dessert. Made with keto fathead dough, they are tender and delicious.
This recipe for Keto Cinnamon Twists was originally posted in July 2016. Now I’ve made them even easier to make, and I’ve got a new video to show you how.
Keto mozzarella dough really is magic!
Oh, oh, this keto mozzarella dough. Honestly, this stuff is a total low carb game changer for me and I am having way too much fun messing around with it to create new keto recipes. There’s nothing quite like it in the world, a stretchy, flexible low carb dough made out of mozzarella cheese.
It’s not perfect for everything but it works like a charm for any kind of keto pastry, and it makes an ideal keto pizza crust. I’ve used for everything from keto garlic knots to braided chocolate-filled bread.
Seriously, though. Who sat down one day and said to themselves “I am going to make keto dough out of cheese and see if it works”? Because while I am incredibly creative and innovative with my recipes, I am also quite certain I never would have thought of this. They deserve my kudos.
But that’s the nice part about the low carb recipe creation world. We can all learn from each other and build on each other’s work. I’ve put my own special twists on fathead dough now, and I think it gets better each time.
Perfecting keto fathead dough
This dough isn’t exactly tricky to make, but there are some tricks to getting it right. And so, at the request of several readers, I have created a video that walks you through the steps. Scroll down to the recipe to see the full video.
There are any number of ways to make fathead dough, and every time I make it, I find I learn something new. I actually have a few different versions of it, including this dough that’s made with both almond flour and coconut flour, and an all-coconut version as well.
I have found that fathead dough that’s made with all almond flour is too soft and spreads too much during baking. While you can indeed make it that way, and it’s good for people with coconut allergies, it’s quite a bit harder to work with. It simply lacks the proper structure.
One reader gave me another little trick that saves one step and one bowl, and that is to melt your butter right in with your mozzarella. Less mess and less to clean up afterward! That worked beautifully for me in these low carb cinnamon twists.
These little pastries make a wonderful breakfast treat. I’ve made them several times and my kids keep asking me to make them again. So if you’ve been itching to try the low carb mozzarella dough, just dive right in. I hope you find my video and all of my tips helpful.
How to make keto cinnamon twists
The video walks you through all the steps but here are some things to remember:
- Silicone mats are easier to work with, as they don’t slide around the counter as much as parchment paper does. If you use one big silicone mat to roll out and form the twists, you can simply slide the whole thing onto a baking sheet at the end.
- The conventional wisdom is that fathead dough turns out best with pre-shredded, part skim mozzarella. Although it does contain a little starch, it’s not enough to really raise the carb count, and it gives the dough more structure.
- You can melt the mozzarella and butter in the microwave, or on the stovetop. If you use the stovetop, remember to take your melted cheese and butter off the heat before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Fathead dough turns out a little differently every time. It can depend on your almond flour, your coconut flour, the size of your eggs, and the brand of cheese. So if it turns out a bit sticky, simply work in more almond flour, a little at a time, until you have a nice cohesive dough.
- I’ve updated the filling of these keto cinnamon twists to include the new Brown Swerve, for more of a cinnamon roll flavor. If you don’t have any, you can still use regular granulated Swerve.
- Let these keto pastries cool at least 10 to 15 minutes, as they are very soft when they are fresh out of the oven. If you want to warm the leftovers up a bit in the microwave, 10 seconds or so is enough for a delicious warm cinnamon twist!
Ready to make some delicious Keto Cinnamon Twists?
More delicious keto fathead recipes
- Keto Fathead Bagels
- Keto Pepper Jack Crackers
- Keto Pretzel Bites
- Keto Spanakopita
- Fathead Pizza Pockets
- Fathead Lasagna
Keto Cinnamon Twists
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 tbsp Swerve Brown
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Glaze:
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp Water
Instructions
Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking mat with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and baking powder. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the cheese and butter. Melt on high in 30 second increments until it can be stirred together. (Alternatively, you can melt the cheese and butter in a saucepan over low heat).
- All at once, add the almond flour mixture, egg, and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Use a rubber spatula to really knead the dough up against the sides of the bowl. It will still have some large streaks of cheese.
- Turn the dough onto a silicone mat or directly onto a kitchen counter and knead until uniform. If the dough is quite sticky, work in another tablespoon or two of almond flour as you knead it.
- Cover the dought with parchment paper and roll out to a 10x10 inch square.
Cinnamon Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and cinnamon. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, then sprinkle with about two thirds of the cinnamon mixture.
To make the twists
- Use a knife or offset spatual to gently loosen the dough from the silicone mat. Fold the dough over in half and cut into 10 strips with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
- Hold both ends of one strip and twist gently in opposite directions two or three times. Lay the twists on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon "sugar".
- Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool.
Glaze:
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sweetener, vanilla extract and just enough water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled twists.
Video
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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I just made these and I had problems with kneading as it really stuck to my fingers a lot. I did it exactly to recipe unless I measured something wrong but it was very sticky and I could not pull off the silicone mat and twist as it was falling apart and really sticking to the mat. What did I do WRONG? even though they don’t look as good as yours they do taste good and none will go to waste.
Thanks for all your hard work on recipes really appreciate!
Two questions: what kind of mozzarella and what kind of almond flour?
I used low moisture part-skim mozzarella and Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour.
Then it was your almond flour. I love Bob’s but that’s too coarse and doesn’t come together as well as Honeyville.
Carolyn, would putting the Bob’s Almond Meal through a grinder work if one wanted to make these right away and too impatient for an order from Honeyville?
I hope you can tell that I’m itching to get to these 🙂
Thank you.
It’s hard to know if you can get it fine enough. I can’t make any promises here BUT…apparently Bob’s is changing their grind to be more fine. I can’t wait!!!
Just made these. Oh my gawd! They’re fabulous! And Easy!! Thank you. This dough tastes just like a pastry dough. Yum!
Carolyn, I just made these – my first venture into mozzarella dough — and they are incredible! I also made quesito filling in a separate container (vanilla-flavored sweetened cream cheese), and we’re having these for breakfast spread with that! I’m truly stunned by the consistency of the pastry. Wow!
Thank you! Great video too!
You are such a genius!! These look amazing!
Noticed the garlic parmesan knots called for 2 tsp baking powder while this recipe used 1tsp (plus the Swerve). Curious to see what is the difference in the two doughs ie, what is the function of the baking powder. Thanks
Yes, I would be interested in why the difference in the amount of baking powder as well.
These are so good! Mine didn’t stay quite as nice as yours. They spread out way too much. Any ideas?? Thanks!
More flour needed (almond flour).
I made these this morning and they taste great. Mine spread a bit so should I make the dough a little stiffer? I sifted the coconut flour first then measured. You have the BEST recipes!
Yes sounds like you need a little more flour of some sort. Differences in brand can cause this, I think.
Since this dough can be formed and kneaded, do you think it would work for soft pretzels (unsweetened)? It would need to be able to stand up to a bath or dunk of baking soda solution before baking. I would try but my oven is broken. Thanks.
I don’t know about the boiling or baking soda solution before baking but you could make them similarly to this: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/12/low-carb-garlic-parmesan-knots.html
I just now discovered this recipe and am thinking of all the ways I can use this dough…my fiancé loves soft pretzels so I wanted to check in and ask if you’ve made them yet, and if so what tips you may have? Thank you!
These look so delicious! I think I may try to make them egg free! Thank you!!
Carolyn-I just love your blog and I wanted to THANK you for your recipes and all your work in finding ways for us (diabetics) to still stay healthy and eat all the yummy treats!! I have a question about he mozzarella here. I have the mozzarella cheese from Costco that comes in 2 rolls. Can I just melt that instead of shredding it and melt it? I usually buy the already shredded ones but recently heard that they add flour to them which adds extra carbs so opted to buy the whole ones. Thanks so much—I will definitely try this one.
If by rolls, you mean fresh mozzarella, then no, I don’t think you can. And the shredded mozz contains cornstarch but it’s so little as to not really add many carbs to this recipe. Probably 1 or 2 carbs for the entire recipe.
Thank you!!
OMG, perfect timing! I have been craving something cinnamon-y and was going to make your cinnamon buns this weekend, but I think I’m going to give these a try instead! They look amazing!
Made a savory version of these last night to go with I Breathe I’m Hungry’s Chicken Nugget Meatballs. Made the dough without sweetener and threw in herbed garlic butter, cheddar, and fresh parmesan cheese, and then cut, twisted, and baked accordingly. Amaze-balls. Thank you!!!
Can u taste the cheese in it
And what can I use instead of coconut flour
Do u taste the cheese in it
And what can I use instead of coconut flour?
You could try more almond flour but I am not sure if it will be absorbent enough for this recipe.
I had a recipe that used coconut flour and I was out so I used oat fiber. It’s very low carb because it’s the fiber from the oats. I used an equal measure of it. I couldn’t tell a difference in the recipe at all! I do feel obligated to say that it was only a tablespoon so there might be some differences in this recipe since it calls for a larger amount. But you could experiment with it and see what you think!
Mozzarella dough? Seriously, you are amazing!
I wish i could say that I invented it, but I did not. Still, I am having fun created recipes around it!