The Best Healthy Cinnamon Rolls
If you are on the hunt for healthy cinnamon rolls that actually taste like cinnamon rolls, you've come to the right place! With only 160 calories and 9g of protein per roll, they are fluffy, flavourful and taste just like they are from the bakery.
Ingredients
Dough
- 260 grams high protein flour (can use AP, Bread flour etc) extra 10g for kneading/dusting
- 40 grams vanilla protein powder
- 30 grams zero calorie natural sweetener
- 5 grams sugar 1 tsp
- 6 grams instant yeast 1.5 tsp
- 4 grams baking powder 1 tsp
- 1 gram salt 1/4 tsp
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 grams yogurt
- 90-120 mls low fat milk sub for soy, skim, full fat, etc. Start with 90mls and as needed.
- 1/2 tsp oil used to oil the bowl for rising
Filling
- 30 grams light butter
- 40 grams zero calorie natural sweetener or brown/white sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
Healthy cream cheese frosting
- 50 grams light cream cheese
- 1/2 tbsp milk
- 30 grams monkfruit icing sugar alternative or normal icing sugar
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, make sure to separate salt and yeast as salt kills yeast
- Microwave milk for 30 seconds until slightly warm and add to the dry ingredients- add 100ml at first, and gradually add 15mls at a time once all other wet ingredients are added until you get a nice sticky dough
- Mix 1 egg yolk with the yogurt until properly combined and add to the rest of the ingredients
- Mix well (using hands or a stand mixer) until a sticky dough forms
- Optional: Cover the dough with a cloth/cling wrap or shower cap and let it rest for 10 minutes. This allows the dough to relax and strengthens the gluten so that kneading will be easier and take less time. Makes the dough much easier to work with
- Dust surface with flour and knead for 5-10 mins or use a stand mixer on medium speed
- Once dough is nice and soft and passes the windowpane test (can be stretched out without breaking and allows light to pass through), add to an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size
- Once doubled in size, punch the air out and roll dough evenly to a large rectangle (make sure the dough is not too thick or thin)
- Mix the softened butter (not melted- 5 seconds in microwave), sweetener and cinnamon and spread evenly over the dough
- Roll tightly and cut into 10 rolls OR cut the dough separately and roll each roll individually
- Cover and let the rolls sit in a warm spot for around 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size
- Half way through the rise preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (or 350F)
- Bake rolls for 17-22 minutes (keep an eye on them as every oven is different)
- Or airfryer at 160 degrees celsius for 12-15 minutes
- Let rolls rest for 5-10 minutes before adding cream cheese frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Soften cream cheese in microwave for no more than 10 seconds, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until desired consistency is reached
Notes
*This recipe uses a zero calorie granulated sweetener that has a 1:1 substitution to white sugar. Please make sure if you are going to use a sugar substitute that it has the same substitution. If the sweetness is more concentrated, please use less of the sweetener.
Protein used: Vanilla Buttercream from MacroMike. My affiliate code for Macromike is AMB-ELIYEATS (saves you 10%!)
Macros per roll (10):
160 Calories
21.5 grams carbs
9 grams protein
4 grams fat