45-Minute Healthy Cinnamon Rolls
These quick and easy cinnamon rolls are one of my all-time favorites! I can never resist those cozy, cinnamony, perfectly sweet spirals. They’ll keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 2 – 2 ½ cups (240-300g) whole wheat flour (measured like this – and see Notes!)
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g or one ¼-oz package) quick-rise active dry yeast (see Notes!)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (180mL) warm nonfat milk (100-110°F)
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbsp (12g) coconut sugar
FOR THE FILLING
- 5 tbsp (60g) coconut sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan or 9"-round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the dough, whisk together 1 cup of flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, butter, and sugar. Mix in the prepared flour mixture. Continue to mix in the remaining 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 (from the filling ingredients), 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 free end onto the roll 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 pan. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the sides feel firm. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
TIMING NOTE: The 45 minutes only includes the time it takes to complete the Instructions. It does not account for any time needed to assemble or measure the ingredients.
TEXTURE NOTE: Without any proofing or rising steps, these turn out slightly denser and often don’t rise quite as high as classic cinnamon rolls made with yeast alone. If you’d prefer ones that are lighter and fluffier, follow this traditional healthy cinnamon roll recipe of mine instead!
PAN NOTE: I prefer a springform pan because the sides are taller, which allows the rolls to rise higher, and the sides are removable for easy serving. A regular 9”-round cake pan may be substituted instead.
STEP 5 NOTE – ROLLING PIN + WORK SURFACE: I absolutely love using my silicone rolling pin and silicone baking mat for rolling out the dough in Step 5! Their nonstick surfaces make the process much easier, and they’re also really easy to clean. (However, even if you use the same silicone tools as I do, make sure you lightly flour your surface and rolling pin first so the dough doesn’t rip or tear!)
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your dough dry and possibly even crumbly.
IMPORTANT FLOUR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the flour, I use Gold Medal whole wheat flour. It performs the best out of the majority of the whole wheat flour brands that I’ve tried. Other brands don’t rise nearly as high, and some don’t rise at all! If using another brand, I recommend substituting a small amount of all-purpose flour for an equal amount of the whole wheat flour (ie ¼ to ½ cup) to help your cinnamon rolls rise better. (See the "whole wheat flour" header in the "Key Ingredients to Make Quick + Healthy Cinnamon Rolls" section in my blog post above for more info!)
White whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour may also be substituted, but because of their lower protein content, your cinnamon rolls might not rise as high. Again, if using one of these, I recommend substituting a small amount of all-purpose flour for an equal amount of the whole wheat flour (ie ¼ to ½ cup) to help your cinnamon rolls rise better.
All-purpose flour may be used as well (and your cinnamon rolls will rise just as high as with my favorite whole wheat flour!), but the cinnamon rolls will no longer be clean-eating friendly.
IMPORTANT YEAST NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the yeast, I use Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast. It performs the best out of any yeast I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! Some other brands don't rise nearly as much, if at all. It isn’t always easy to find in grocery stores, so I buy mine online here. I've tested both their rapid rise active dry yeast and regular active dry yeast, and they work equally well! (See the "leavening agents" header in the "Key Ingredients to Make Quick + Healthy Cinnamon Rolls" section in my blog post above for more info!)
If you use another brand, then I recommend substituting a small amount of all-purpose flour for an equal amount of the whole wheat flour (ie ¼ to ½ cup) to help your cinnamon rolls rise better.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
BUTTER ALTERNATIVES: Salted butter and stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) are the best substitutes for the unsalted butter. Coconut oil will also work in place of the butter, but it won’t have quite the same flavor.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVE: Light brown sugar may be substituted in place of the coconut sugar, but the rolls will no longer be clean-eating friendly.
CINNAMON NOTE: I highly recommend using Saigon cinnamon. I buy mine online here because it’s so inexpensive and affordable, and it’s the main cinnamon I now use in my baking now. It has a stronger, richer, and sweeter flavor than regular cinnamon, which makes your cinnamon rolls taste even better!
GLUTEN-FREE NOTE: I haven’t had good luck substituting gluten-free flours in this recipe. The cinnamon rolls don’t rise or maintain their shape the way they do with wheat-based flour due to the lack of gluten.
EGG-FREE, DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: For a vegan version, substitute your favorite dairy-free milk and stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the butter. Coconut oil will also work in place of the butter, but it won’t have quite the same flavor.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days (if not longer!), and they reheat beautifully, if you'd like to serve them warm.
For additional information and tips, please see my blog post above. For visual tips on kneading the dough and slicing the cinnamon rolls, watch my video here located directly above the recipe. (It's for my classic cinnamon rolls, but the process of making them is similar!)
{clean eating, egg-free, dairy-free option, vegan option, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.