On one of my recent trips to Panera, I arrived smack dab in the middle of the lunch rush. The restaurant bustled with activity as the kitchen pushed out plates as quickly as possible, and guests filled nearly every table. Since my amazing “boss” allows me to take as long of a lunch break as I’d like (that’d actually be me… one of the perks of being self-employed!), I didn’t mind the extra wait and joined the long queue of people standing in line to order.
As I inched closer to the cashier stand, I stared at the large bakery section adjacent to the registers. I can’t help it… I always do that whenever I see baked goods because I love looking for recipe inspiration! (And I have a huge sweet tooth. But… We’ll pretend the former is the only reason why.)
I glanced over at the shelves of freshly baked breads, overflowing with loaves of sourdough and cinnamon swirl and tomato basil (← my favorite for sandwiches from Panera!), and the big bins of bagels, full of flavors like asiago cheese and cinnamon raisin and French toast. (I definitely need to try that last one!)
As I took another few steps forward in line, I shifted my gaze to the glass display case with the sweet treats. I spotted traditional desserts like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and cupcakes, along with the breakfast pastries of blueberry muffins, triple berry scones, and…
Cinnamon rolls the size of my face. Yes, literally the size of my face!
I tried so hard to push them out of my mind, choosing to stare at the big menu boards behind the cashier instead, but… Well, since I’m a cinnamonaholic, I’m sure you can guess how well that worked out!
Because I just couldn’t shake the thought of warm, cozy cinnamon rolls out of my head for the rest of the afternoon—and the next few days!—I decided to make my own at home, which resulted in these Healthy Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls. Just look at those sweet cinnamon spirals!
Even better, these pastries are much healthier than the ones I spotted in the restaurant. They’re just as light and tender, but they contain no refined flour or sugar — and they’re just 112 calories!
Pure bliss.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY SLOW COOKER CINNAMON ROLLS
Like most traditional cinnamon roll recipes, this one uses yeast to make the pastries rise. Have you worked with yeast before? I promise it isn’t hard or scary! I’m going to walk you through the basics (and you can see my video tutorial here, above the recipe!), but simply remember… Yeast is like Goldilocks. It likes things not too hot, not too cold, but just right!
To start, the type of yeast doesn’t matter. Active dry, rapid or quick rise, and bread machine yeast will all work in this recipe! I always keep a large jar of Red Star Quick Rise Yeast in my refrigerator because that brand performs the best for me and I bake with yeast a lot! If you only occasionally bake with yeast, you can easily buy the individual packets instead. You’ll use one full packet in this recipe.
Remember our Goldilocks Rule? It’s time to put that to use! You’ll add the yeast to a mixture of warm milk, melted butter, coconut sugar, and a little salt. If the milk is too hot, you can kill the yeast, and if the milk is too cold, the yeast won’t activate as quickly. You want milk that’s rather warm to the touch, similar to the water temperature when you take a shower. After about 10 to 15 minutes of sitting, the yeast will turn foamy and look like a puffy brown cloud in your bowl. That’s good—you’re doing great!
Then you’ll mix in the flour, knead the dough (check out my video here for tips!), roll it out, brush it with a little melted butter, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and roll it up into a log.
Whew! Got all that? Good!
Because now I’m going to tell you my secret trick for slicing cinnamon rolls… Use dental floss! It creates a nice, clean cut without squashing the log like a knife tends to do. I know it sounds silly, but it works like a charm! (And you can see exactly how I do that in this same video!)
Now arrange those little rolls in your slow cooker (this is the 5-quart one that I use!), and place the lid on top. Time for our Goldilocks Rule again! For the yeast to make the cinnamon rolls rise, it wants an environment that’s not too hot, not too cold, but just right. To achieve that, switch your slow cooker to the “Keep Warm” setting. After about 45 minutes, those little rolls should have doubled in size!
Then flip the setting to “Low,” and wait as {im}patiently as you can for about an hour and a half until…
Hello gorgeous treats! ♥ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy slow cooker cinnamon rolls!
| Healthy Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls | | Print |
- for the dough
- ¾ cup (180mL) warm nonfat milk (100-110°F)
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (24g) coconut sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g or one ¼-oz package) dry yeast
- 2 – 2 ½ cups (240-300g) whole wheat flour (see Notes!)
- for the filling
- 6 tbsp (72g) coconut sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- Line a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker with foil, and lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Wipe up any cooking spray that lands on the rim of the slow cooker with a paper towel.
- In a large bowl, stir together the milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and wait 10-15 minutes or until the mixture turns frothy. Mix in 1 ½ cups of flour. If the dough is still wet, continue stirring in flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough springs back most of the way when you gently press your index finger into it. Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
- To prepare the filling, stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- On a clean, well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a 16x10” rectangle. Brush with the melted butter, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides again. Carefully roll up the dough into a log, starting at one long edge and rolling towards the other one. Pinch the ends to seal. If the dough won’t stick together, gently brush the second longer edge with water before pinching to seal.
- Slice the log into 12 pieces using dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place the rolls into the prepared slow cooker, and place the lid on top. Turn the slow cooker to its “Keep Warm” setting, and let the rolls rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Without removing the lid, turn the slow cooker to its “Low” setting. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (1:15 to 1:30) or until the filling is bubbling and the sides of the cinnamon rolls feel firm. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before carefully lifting the foil insert out of the slow cooker and serving.
Brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar, but the cinnamon rolls will no longer be clean-eating friendly.
Red Star Yeast is my favorite brand of yeast (both their quick rise yeast and regular active dry yeast work equally well!), and Gold Medal whole wheat flour is my favorite brand of whole wheat flour. When I use these two brands, my cinnamon rolls always rise to double their original size. Other brands of yeast and flour don't always rise as well, so if using different brands (especially of flour!), I recommend replacing ½ cup of flour with all-purpose flour or bread flour to ensure your cinnamon rolls rise properly.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour. If using the first two, I recommend replacing ½ cup of flour with all-purpose flour or bread flour to ensure your cinnamon rolls rise properly.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I haven't had good luck with gluten-free flours in this recipe. The cinnamon rolls don't rise properly or have the correct texture.
For more tips on kneading the dough and slicing the cinnamon rolls, watch my video here located underneath the recipe.
If you like your cinnamon rolls with a little cream cheese drizzle, use my recipe here or my cinnamon roll glaze recipe here!
DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: Substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and stick-style vegan butter (this is my favorite!) for the best flavor or coconut oil in place of the butter.
REGULAR OVEN METHOD: To bake the cinnamon rolls in an oven instead of the slow cooker, follow my instructions here.
{egg-free, dairy-free option, vegan option, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Ahhhh I wish I had a slow cooker because then I could make your slow cooker brownies too!! Either way, these look so wonderful Amy! 🙂
Can salt be eliminated from this recipe? I have a friend who is salt sensitive.
Thanks.
I think that should be okay, but if at all possible, I’d still recommend adding a tiny pinch because the salt influences how the yeast proofs. I’d love to hear what you and your friend think of the cinnamon rolls Shari — your friend is so lucky that you’re baking them homemade treats! 🙂
I’ve never tried doing anything yeast-y in the crock pot but now I’m totally intrigued!! These look amazing! And I am totally the hugest sucker for anything at Panera 🙂 YUM.
We need to have a Panera date sometime where we skip the entrées and just eat the sweets Karen! 😉
Do you think I could sub the whole wheat flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour? A friend of mine is celiac, but she been requesting I make her cinnamon rolls!
That’s really sweet of you to want to make your celiac friend cinnamon rolls Melissa! 🙂 I don’t have any experience with gluten-free yeast baking, but I do know it tends to be different. I highly recommend that you check out my friend Jane’s blog, The Heritage Cook. She is a WHIZ when it comes to GF baking — she actually has an entire cookbook full of GF yeast recipes coming out this fall! She should definitely be able to help you and tell you how to modify wheat-based yeast recipes to make them GF.
I just had a quick question if my crockpot is slightly larger like 6 and a half or 7 at. Should I just watch the time because they spread, maybe add some aluminum balls???
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Patricia! The slow cooker I used had inner dimensions of about 10″ to 11″ by 7″. If your slow cooker is larger than that, I’d recommend crumpling some aluminum foil and adding a foil “ring” between ½” and 1″ thick around the bottom of the inside so the cinnamon rolls don’t spread as far. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
My slow cooker does not have a warm setting just a high and low. Any suggestions, Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Debbie! If your slow cooker doesn’t have a “Warm” setting, then set it to “Low” but leave the lid slightly ajar so a bit of air can get in and out. Since “Low” is a higher temperature than “Warm,” your rolls may rise faster and not require a full 45 minutes to double in size. I’d love to hear how that goes and how your cinnamon rolls turn out if you try making them!