These classic Paleo cinnamon rolls are soft and chewy with an irresistible texture and flavor! They’re family approved and perfect as a special breakfast treat or snack!
I’d been dreaming about cinnamon rolls ever since making my garlic herb Paleo dinner rolls. These Paleo cinnamon rolls are filled with sweet gooey maple cinnamon and raisins, then rolled cinnamon-bun style.
Paleo baking is a bit of a science and it can be a challenge to achieve a texture similar to non-Paleo baking treats. This is especially true when trying to recreate a stretchy dough like cinnamon roll dough.
The not-so-secret secret ingredient for getting that dough stretch factor in this Paleo cinnamon roll recipe is tapioca flour.
Is tapioca flour Paleo friendly?
It is indeed! Tapioca flour won’t damage the digestive tract and it’s also low-risk for allergies, which makes it a super friendly option for people with special dietary needs.
Tapioca itself is not a 1:1 substitute for grain flours, however. On the other hand, tapioca flour is a fantastic addition to gluten-free flours like almond flour and coconut flour. Its powdery consistency is just the right ingredient for tying together the crumbly bits of Paleo baking flours.
I rely on tapioca flour in many of my recipes to mimic the “chew” that gluten typically provide in traditional baking recipes. I used quite a bit of it in my pizza crust and dinner rolls, but for this recipe I knew I’d need even more.
I settled on 1/2 cup more tapioca flour than my dinner roll recipes calls for, and with maple syrup added to sweeten, the liquid/dry ingredients balanced well.
How to Make Paleo Cinnamon Roll Dough
- To make the dough, first you’ll combine the tapioca flour with almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Next, you’ll mix together melted butter, water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine them well, then add an egg and a little more coconut flour and tapioca flour. Don’t be concerned if the dough is a bit sticky – that’s normal.
- Finally, you’ll chill the dough for a bit until it’s firm enough to be rolled out and made into cinnamon rolls.
How to Roll Out Cinnamon Roll Dough
This recipe might take just a bit of practice before knowing when the dough is the right consistency to press out, roll, and cut. I provide detailed instructions within the recipe itself regarding when and how long to chill before each step, to make it easier to get it right the first time!
Below, you’ll see the “stages” of the dough. The top left photo is the dough after mixing and before chilling and the top right shows it after chilling for 15 minutes in the fridge.
From there, I place the dough in a ball on parchment paper sprinkled with more tapioca flour. The tapioca is necessary to keep the dough from sticking when it’s time to roll! I then used the heels of my hands to gently press the dough into a rectangle, as shown in the middle right photo.
Cinnamon Roll Filling Ideas
I made a couple of batches of these cinnamon rolls with dates, one with raisins and one with both. I honestly think this part is preference – the dates make it “gooier” and the raisins are great if you NEED raisins with your cinnamon!
The last photo above is the filled dough, after I chilled it in the freezer (again, all described below!) and cut into segments.
You can gently use your hands to shape them nice and round before baking. I recommend baking them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other.
Lastly – the topping!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Icing
I created a sort of sweetened condensed coconut cream for these Paleo cinnamon rolls by boiling coconut cream with maple syrup until it reduced and thickened just a bit.
If you continued to cook it this way – you’d get caramel, which wouldn’t be at all bad, but if you want that white-glaze-y look (while letting the maple flavor shine through), don’t let the mixture caramelize!
The topping can be made ahead of time (what I did) and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use – up to about 4 days.
Can I freeze cinnamon rolls?
Yes! This is what I’ve been doing with my leftover Paleo cinnamon rolls! Any leftovers can be frozen (while still fresh) and reheated. Frozen cinnamon rolls will last in the freezer for up to 3 months!
To freeze leftovers, there are a couple different methods:
- Put them in the freezer on a baking sheet until they’re frozen through, then place them into freezer baggies.
- Freeze them directly in the baking dish: Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and pop the dish right into your freezer. *If you choose this method, allow the baking dish to come to room temperature before reheating. Placing a frozen baking dish into a hot oven can cause the dish to crack!
How to Reheat Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the frozen cinnamon rolls in a baking dish or on a baking sheet. (Reminder: If reheating the cinnamon rolls in a baking dish that has been frozen, allow the dish to come to room temperature before freezing!)
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 5-8 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
I hope you guys are ready for a HUGE treat! Let’s dough-make, roll, and bake!
Paleo Cinnamon Rolls {Grain Free, GF, DF}
Paleo Cinnamon Rolls {Grain Free, GF, DF}
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 1/4 cups tapioca flour (plus more for pressing out the dough}
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut flour sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup warm water not hot, warm enough to keep butter melted or coconut oil melted!
- 1/3 cup grass fed butter melted, or ghee, or coconut oil
- 2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For the Filling:
- 2 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon Plus a bit more to sprinkle over
- 1/2 cup Raisins or chopped dates
For the Topping/Glaze:
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 2 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Rolls:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, 1 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the melted butter, water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and vanilla and stir.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir until fully combined. Add the egg and continue to mix. Lastly, add in the second part of the tapioca (1/4 cup) and coconut flour (2 Tbsp). Mix until well combined - dough will be sticky.
- Chill dough for 15 minutes. At this point it should be firm enough to handle with some help from extra tapioca!
- Sprinkle about 1 tbsp tapioca over a large piece of parchment paper, placed on either a large cutting board or baking sheet (so you can transport dough to fridge easily!), then place dough in the center.
- Sprinkle more tapioca on your hands and top of dough to help press dough into rectangle, about 10 x 7”. I find that using the heel of my hand to work the dough into this shape is most efficient.
- Once dough is spread, whisk together maple syrup and cinnamon and brush all over dough, then sprinkle more cinnamon and the raisins/dates over the top.
Roll dough on the long side (so your roll is wide, about 10”. Use the parchment paper that’s underneath to help you carefully roll dough as tightly as possible. You won't be rolling the parchment WITH the dough, but rather using it to guide the dough so you don't have to touch it. Because dough can be sticky, you may want to chill again before rolling if you find dough sticking to parchment paper.
- Once rolled, gently seal the end and chill the roll in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (it will have softened a lot at this point) so you can easily cut it.
- While dough chills, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After chilling, cut 1/2” off each end of roll and discard. Then cut into 1 1/2 inch sections, place each one flat side down on a parchment lined baking sheet
Bake in the middle rack of preheated oven for 20 minutes or until just done and beginning to brown on top.
For Topping/Glaze*:
In a small saucepan, bring coconut cream and maple syrup to a boil. Lower heat, allow to boil/simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 mins until syrupy (like sweetened condensed milk). Then, stir in vanilla and salt. It will thicken as it cools. Allow it to cool, or refrigerate before using.
- Prior to serving (cinnamon rolls should be served still warm) drizzle topping over rolls with a spoon. You can also add chopped nuts if desired - enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Topping can be made before beginning, or ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Baking Recipes? Try One of These!
Garlic Herb Paleo Dinner Rolls
Easy One-Bowl Paleo Pizza Crust
Orange Cranberry Pecan Muffins
Classic Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
Cinnamon Raisin Coffee Cake Muffins
Hearty Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Bread
Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Paleo Running Momma!
Ok I’ve been meaning to write and you – do you consider Swerve non-paleo?! I’m bouncing between Paleo and lower carb and thought use of granulated Swerve could really reduce the carbs in this and or other recipes. Curious your thoughts as you are so well versed in the Paleo baked goods! Happy holidays!
I haven’t used swerve and don’t know much about it. I haven’t experimented with low carb baking at all yet.
THANK YOU!! I have been searching high and low for such a recipe for Cinnamon Rolls and to no avail, until this morning. I’ve been craving a great, grain free cinnamon roll dough that has some stretch as you say, that I can use for a lower carb version. I’m diabetic so unfortunately the delicious Maple Syrup is out for me, but this will be perfect with Swerve confectioners sweetener and Cinnamon and maybe just a sprinkle of Coconut sugar too. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you! And hope these work out well for you 🙂
These cinnamon rolls look amazing!!!
Hi Michele! What a yummy recipe! I am wondering if there can be a substitute for the tapioca flour- like arrowroot?
I’m not sure arrowroot would work here for the texture, and since it’s such a large amount I’m not sure I’d want to recommend trying just in case it doesn’t hold up.
Can’t wait to try these!! Thank you for all of your recipes!!
Can these be frozen before baking and then baked later like on Christmas morning? If anyone else also knows the answer please help in case Michele doesn’t see this soon. Baking today for Christmas.
I would bake straight from the fridge but I’m not sure how it would bake completely frozen. If you can, I would just store in the fridge until ready to bake 🙂
Thank you! I made these the day before Christmas, stored the rolled up dough in the fridge and then sliced and baked Christmas morning. They were so yummy!! Thank you for your recipe and all of the time and effort you put into making these just perfect!! It has allowed me to enjoy the special moments with family without having to compromise my lifestyle change to paleo.
Michele, Can I make the dough and totally prepare these ahead of time and freeze them, and bake on Christmas morning? If so, would I thaw first or just bake from frozen and at what temperature/for how long? Sorry about all the questions!! Thanks!!
I would recommend prepping and storing in the refrigerator until ready to bake, I’m not sure how they would bake being completely frozen first. Then from the fridge, just bake as instructed. Hope this works out!
Merry Christmas they turned out amazing! Puffed up, great texture, soft and baked on the inside and a bit crunchy on the outside and just the right amount of sweetness!! I ended up freezing the dough (they were fully prepared), then last night before bed I transferred the pan to the fridge then straight into the oven this morning as they had thawed perfectly! Another hit!!
Joining the advance prep crew. If anyone experiments, let me know. I plan to make these tomorrow. Thanks!
Hi Michele,
Thank you for doing a great job…all of your recipes I’ve tried are delicious. I’ve read the instructions numerous times, but I do not see the baking powder added. Please advise.
I just happen to be making these now and noticed it in the first line with all the dry ingredients. Hope that helps! Merry Christmas.
Michele,
Thank you for such a delicious recipe! I was looking for something to satisfy my sweet cravings without all the processed sugar, and these were AMAZING. The one issue I came across, is that it was impossible to roll. I tried, I really did, and it broke right away. The one mistake I made was putting all of the coconut and tapioca flour in, instead of leaving the tapioca (1/4 cup) and coconut flour (2 Tbsp) for after the egg. I misread the directions. Could that made the rolling more challenging?
5 starts for the taste!! I only did 4 stars because of the rolling.
I made this same mistake and its crumbling like crazy. What did you do to fix it?
What would you recommend for an egg sub? Gelatin egg? Flax? Apple sauce?
I also have this same question!!
So tasty!!
Made these today- the best paleo cinnamon roll i’ve made yet! I did take the dates and soak them in hot water and then pureed them with the maple syrup because i didn’t want chunks:)
That sounds great! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Thanks for the tip. Going to try these soon and I may use this method to avoid chunks.
Can you substitute almond flour? I’m allergic to nuts. I miss cinnamon rolls so bad, this makes my mouth water!
I always use ground sunflower seeds in place of almond flour. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but have had success in others(biscuit, pancakes).
This is amazing! I know how difficult grain-free baking is, but these look SO DELICIOUS! Will definitely be trying them 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
These look like perfect cinnabons! I’m so excited to make them.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! I have never had success with ANY paleo or even just GF cinnamon roll recipe. I just made these and cannot believe how delicious they are. I am blown away!! I am printing off this recipe to keep in my arsenal. 😀
Oh I’m so thrilled to hear that, glad it worked out! Made my day 🙂
I just made these and they were way better than another recipe I had. First of all, they rolled up perfectly. I’ve never been successful with that part. The dough was a little crumbly but didn’t seem to matter. We left out the raisins just because! I put them in a pie plate so it would be a pretty circle- They have been in the oven for 32 minutes now – I ate one after 25 minutes and it was doughy on the inside. The taste was delicious but texture underdone- could be because I smooshed them too tight in the pan. Hopefully, the longer time in the oven will take care of that.
Hi, glad you hear it mostly worked out! I also have problems rolling dough so the fact that these worked out that way was huge! I do think they bake up better separately but hopefully baking for longer will help out 🙂
Could you make the dough the day before and chill in the fridge overnight instead of the freezer step?
Yes I think that would work well 🙂
I tried to make these and they will not form a roll at all! When I baked them it just melted into one big blob! I don’t know what I did wrong 🙁 They still taste delicious though
Thank you for the great recipe, my 1st make, in the oven, but they don’t look as yours! i need practice. Hoping they will be my go-to replacement for the Jenny Craig cinnamon rolls I love!
I don’t have coconut cream for the. Icing. Can you suggest a substitute?
If not, I’ll freeze them until I have the right ngredient.
I’m a beginner at preparing & eating Paleo, hoping its the beginning of better eating for me. I want to be in tne club, thanks for your help!
Coconut Manna (Coconut Butter) would make great icing for the cinnamon rolls. Just melt some in warm water, add a bit of maple syrup and drizzle over top. I’ve used that same combo to drizzle over Christmas cookies and it works great. The Coconut Manna has a natural sweetness to it, so you really don’t need a lot of syrup.
These totally fulfilled my craving for cinnamon rolls! Great recipe- easy to follow, great Sunday morning baking project. I will definitely be making these again!
The cinnamon Rolls were yummy but they were not like yours. They did not rise at all and were more like a cookie consistency and they were not light in color like yours. Even though I followed the recipe to the letter (I am a professional baker. I owned my own cake business for years) could it be because of the type of Almond flour I used? It was not blanched, just almond flour. Do you think that if I use more tapioca flour it will rise?
That being said they tasted amazing and the Drizzle on top just took it over the edge!!! I am really loving your recipes. Do you have a paleo cookbook in the works? I would buy it!
Blanched almond flour is the one you’ll want to use for baking, that definitely impacted the color and maybe the rise, not sure. Glad they tasted good though! No cookbook yet but would love to work on one next year 🙂
I have made these cinnamon rolls at least a dozen times for my paleo boyfriend. Cinnamon rolls are his favorite treat and nearly every weekend he asks me to make them again. I don’t do the topping prescribed in the recipe. Instead, I use non-dairy Daiya cream cheese and make my own icing. Highly recommend this recipe!!!
Have you tried Bob’s Red Mill new paleo flour? It’s a mix of almond, coconut, tapioca, and arrowroot. I’ve made scones and waffles so far. Really nice. But I haven’t found many recipes out there for it yet.
Nope I haven’t tried it, sounds good though!
I really want to make these for Christmas morning, but my toddler is egg free. Do you think a flax egg would work? I can always make him a separate treat, but it would be fun if he could have the same yummy rolls as us. Thanks!
Hi! Could I make this vegan as well by swapping out for miyokos vegan butter and a flax egg?
Can you substitute coconut flour for a different flour?
Am I just missing the oven temp? ?? Maybe I’m not awake enough yet but man I just dont see it
I woke up more…and found it ?
These were wonderful! Although there are a number of steps, they were very easy to make! Thank you for this great recipe!
i am confused. do you add the warm warm water with the ghee etc.
Sadly these ended up in the bin. The “pastry” was dry and crumbly, not sticky when placed in the fridge and therefore just ended up more dry and crumbly. Tried adding some more liquid ingredients and were still crumbly when I tried flattening them out. No way these would of rolled up, so the mixture ended up in the bin.
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they are definitely a labor of love. Took a while to make and there are a lot of steps but they are so worth it. Ive only had cinnamon rolls maybe three times in my entire life but I loved these! They were a little dense and starchy but I loved the flavor and texture overall. It was such a treat because I had been craving a cinnamon roll and the ones at the grocery store were so dry. I made traditional cream cheese icing for these and they were really delicious! Thanks for creating this recipe!
These were DELICIOUS. I subbed tigernut flour for the almond and they turned out perfectly. The tigernut gives them a wee bit more sweetness.. so good. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
Do you think a flax egg or Chia egg would work as a substitute?
Hi!
Just wanted to let you know that I made these last night and they were delicious!
I actually did use arrowroot powder since my stomach cannot handle Cassava/tapioca very well. It did not seem to make a difference at all!
Thanks for the recipe!
NOT DAIRY FREE
FYI grass fed butter – butter is dairy.
I think that’s why it says grass fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil. The coconut oil would make them DF.
Hi! Recipe tastes great! For some reason mine flattened out in the own and looked more like a cookie. Is there an obvious reason why mine did not rise?
That happened to me because I forgot to add the remaining flour later on!
I made these this afternoon and was worried because I haven’t worked with dough much. They turned out perfect and are soooo delicious! These will be in regular rotation!
Used Cassava flour instead of tapioca flour. They came out perfect, and were delicious!! Thank you for a great recipe!
this looks great making them right now for my family do you think I could double The recipe I have four brothers and one sister and my parents so there a lot of people to go around
I‘m an American living in Germany, and I was soo happy to find a grain-free version for my cinnamon roll craving 🙂 I made these today, and they turned out perfectly! Also the topping/ glaze for the top of the rolls tasted much like a caramel glaze, it was sooo good! Even my husband & daughter (who are both very picky eaters) loved them & wanted seconds. 🙂 Thanks so much for posting this yummy, healthier version of cinnamon rolls.
Hi, if you can’t have coconut flour, could you just use more almond flour?
Your recipes are amazing! My husband is on the AIP diet so I can’t use the almond flour. Would you suggest substituting more coconut flour or tapioca flour?? Thanks for your help.
I want to make these but we have a nut allergy in the family. Could I substitute cassava flour for the almond flour?
Can you make these a day ahead? And then just bake the next morning?
These taste fine. However, maybe they should be called cinnamon roll biscuits and it would make more sense. They are dense and crumbly like the country biscuits people would get in a biscuit and gravy dish. The taste is cinnamony just didn’t get the whole cinnamon roll effect. My kiddos still liked them thought and we all ate them.
Disastrous. Did not roll out at all. Followed the recipe exactly. They were doughy, biscuity and I threw away 90% of them. I had left over dough from the Paleo sugar cookie recipe on this site and made another batch of these rolls using that dough and it worked MUCH better.
Tried these on Christmas morning and my husband / family loved them! I will admit, it was a bit time consuming, but totally worth it. I forgot to buy raisins or dates for the filling, but had apples at the house so I chopped them pretty finely and they made for a fantastic alternative. Yumm!
Followed the recipe almost exactly – for the filling I spread softened butter (we’re not strictly paleo) and sprinkled coconut sugar and cinnamon all over then proceeded by the directions. They rolled up fine, cut fine, got a little lopsided while baking but came out just like the pictures! Batter looked exactly like yours in the pictures. Not sure why it’s not working for some people? Since we’re not strictly paleo, I can definitely taste the tapioca flour. For the glaze, I melted coconut butter and added maple syrup. These were good with coffee but left something to be desired. Maybe fluffier with cassava flour? And more ooeygooey filling? I wonder if using yeast would work with the gluten free flours…?
Would cassava flour work just as well as tapioca do you think?
Wow. I made these this morning (I’m in the Netherlands) and they are so so good. My daughter and I were smiling like weirdos at one another after we ate the first. I have to say thank you for your recipes! I used to bake a lot; it used to be my biggest passion. Especially making dough. But life happened haha, and I did not bake anything for 4 years! Now your recipes have awoken the old flame again 😀 !
These look amazing!! Any chance I can sub arrowroot, cassava or brown rice flour for the tapioca starch… there wasn’t any in the store. Thanks so much for all of your amazing received!
Amazing recipe. I was low on tapioca flour so did a mix with arrowroot and cassava. The icing is beyond. YUM!
Absolutely mind blowing! No joke! They are chewy like a regular cinnamon roll! I use a mix of tapioca and arrowroot flour. So good.
This recipe is so good! I wound up mixing chopped pecans into the glaze sauce and experimentally pouring it over half of them about 8 minutes before they were done. (It came out like a sticky bun, which was great!) Also, I’m weird and think raisins are gross (??), and sub’d a handful of currants; next time I’ll probably leave them out. But the recipe is lovely, and I was impressed! My kiddo loved them also. As usual, you have big fans over here!
Oh my goodness, after years of baking paleo this is the first time that me and all my family couldn’t stop eating and we already want to make more! They turned out amazing!! Thank you for a great recipe!!
What did I do wrong? Mine flattened out and look more like cookies. They taste good, but the texture is more like a cakey cookie. I am going to enjoy them for sure, but would love to know where I missed the mark!
I’m sure these are perfect when making it 100% as said. I’m on the AIP diet so I replaced almond flour with half tapioca and half coconut flour. I also replaced the egg with apple sauce. They tasted great! However, they did not expand much. The texture was still fluffy though (:
Thank you for the Cinnamon Roll recipe! This recipe was super easy to follow and the rolling of the dough proved to be easier than I expected with the parchment paper. They held together well and had good flavor, my only disappointment was the dough consistency. Mine came out more crumbly than typical cinnamon rolls rather than the classic elastic dough. Any suggestions to combat this issue? Or are these meant to be crumbly since they aren’t your traditional yeast based cinnamon rolls? Thanks again.
Do you think I could swap pumpkin puree for the butter? I made some gf cinnamon rolls once so I’m trying to mix that flavor combination with these because I like the paleo flours better. Thanks!