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Cinnamon rolls are one of those treats that I always crave, especially on Christmas morning. When I grew up, my mom would make me and my brother a can of Pillsbury buns every Christmas and I thought, why shouldn’t I still have cinnamon buns? So, I decided to make myself some vegan keto cinnamon buns for the holidays this year.
A few years ago, I made some vegan keto cinnamon buns that I really enjoyed. It’s been a while and I’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe, so I figured it was time to update the recipe. Instead of making a million confusing notes on the original recipe, it just seemed easier to start fresh.
Like the previous iteration, these are nut-free and gluten-free. They’re also soy-free, depending on what type of vegan cream cheese you use. I’m also working on another coconut-free version because I know there are a lot of you out there that can’t do coconut! This recipe is also really fun because it’s easy to completely change the flavor profile by switching out the spices in the filling and the extract used.
Notes on Making Spice Vegan Keto Cinnamon Buns
- I definitely recommend using parchment paper for this recipe. It makes the whole process so much easier. See below for tips on rolling the buns out!
- For sweeteners, I prefer to use Lakanto. It’s the brand I’ve found that works best for baking, and doesn’t upset my stomach. You can save 15% if you shop on their site using the code MeatFreeKeto.
- You could really use any winter baking spice blend for the filling (gingerbread, pie spice, etc) in place of the cinnamon. You could also use a tsp of powdered espresso or cocoa powder. Both are delicious!
- Almond extract is also lovely here, as is orange. If you use the cocoa powder in the filling instead of cinnamon, you could also use raspberry extract and it would be delightful.
- I tried to take pictures of the filling and rolling process below. Sorry my nail polish is all chipped and sad and the lighting in my kitchen is less than ideal…
- Keep in mind that the carbs in erythritol don’t count towards net carbs as the body doesn’t digest them and they don’t impact blood sugar.
- I try to be as accurate as possible with the nutrition calculations, but as there are differences between varieties and brands of certain ingredients, you may come up with slightly different numbers!
Spiced Vegan Keto Cinnamon Buns (nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 oz vegan cream cheese (56g), softened
- 1/2 cup hot water (120ml)
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole psyllium husk (or 2 tsp/10g psyllium powder)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (56g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
- 1 oz vegan cream cheese
- 1 tbsp granulated sweetener
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon or see alternatives in notes above
- 1-2 tbsp water or nondairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet (rimmed or otherwise) with parchment paper.
- To make the dough, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, water, sweetener and extract. Whisk in the psyllium until all clumps are gone and let this sit for 3-5 minutes, until it gels up.
- With a dry fork, whisk together the coconut flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and keep stirring until the dough is uniform and all the coconut flour has been absorbed. I like to let this dough ball sit for another 3-5 minutes, so that the coconut flour absorbs the wet ingredients.
- While waiting for the dough to set up, whisk together the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Add in 1-2 tbsp of water (or nondairy milk), depending on how thick your filling is. You want to be able to spread it out smoothly without too much trouble.
- Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper into a roughly 6" x 8" (15cm x 20cm) rectangle. I like to put parchment on top of the dough as well, so nothing sticks.
- Spread the filling over the dough, leaving around 1 inch (2.5cm) at one end (see the pictures below for clarification).
- Starting at the end where the filling reaches the edge, roll up the dough into a log. I also like to use the parchment to help with this (again, see the picture below).
- Using a serrated knife, cut the log into five equal pieces. Place these pieces, flat side up, on a baking sheet and smush them down so they spread out into little medallions. They should be around 3" (8cm) in diameter.
- Bake for around 45-50 minutes, until the edges and bottoms turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before digging in. You could also add a glaze of sorts
Notes
Nutrition
I can’t get any of your photos to load on any pages today on my iPad or iPhone… it might be an Apple issue though?
Hi Caroline! I’m sorry about that – it might have been bad timing. My site was updated on that day, so maybe it was just being flukey during that. :/ I hope it works for you now!
Hi Liz, Great keto recipe!! I was surprised at how dough-like it was and how much it actually tastes like a traditional yeasted bun made with healthier ingredients 😉 I also love how easy it is . I will be making these again! Do you know if these freeze well? – thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi, Trina – thanks so much for the comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I actually haven’t tried freezing them before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
I tried freezing one and it thawed just fine. I made these again and used almond flour instead of coconut flour by mistake. I was worried the baking time would be off as coconut absorbs more moisture than almond, but they turned out even better than with the coconut flour! They were softer and even more bread like. I made them a third time with almond flour and did a savoury rather than sweet, pizza roll-up bun – so awesome!
Can I substitute chia or flax seed for psyllium husk? Or do you advise against it?
Thanks for this recipe! I like how it uses only coconut flour (instead of different flours as in many Gf recipes)
Is there a reason why the water needs to be hot?
Also, what can I use instead of vegan cream cheese in the dough?
Hi Emilye! Good question – the hot water is to help everything combine thoroughly before mixing it in with the dry ingredients.
I’m not sure what would work as a cream cheese substitute, but I think almond butter might be the closest option! 🙂
Thanks for getting back to me 🙂 I’ll try it with nut butter and see how it works out. Do you think coconut oil would work as well?
Unfortunately, I don’t think coconut oil would work, as it doesn’t contain fiber or protein, which both help to act as binders here. I hope the nut butter works! 🙂
A certain type of cream cheese? I live 40 minutes from town so I have to know what you m getting in advance. Lol. Thanks!
Hi Corinna! Any type should work. I have not yet tried a brand that didn’t turn out. 🙂
These are very delicious and easy to make. They resemble the real thing a lot, but are much healthier. I make these buns regularly now.