The best and healthiest homemade cinnamon bun recipe ever! If you are looking for a healthy alternative to the traditional cinnamon roll recipe, then this is it.
The star ingredient that makes this cinnamon bun recipe gluten free (without sacrificing taste OR nutrition) is cassava flour. Cassava flour is a grain-free root vegetable flour made from yucca.
How to Make Healthy Cinnamon Bun Recipe
Here at Clean Cuisine we believe in making our food healthy, nutritious, but must also be delicious. We definitely don’t forgo flavor and this cinnamon bun recipe is no different.
There are quite a few steps to making this cinnamon bun recipe as it is with any traditional recipes. Be sure to print the recipe below and have it ready when you make these cinnamon buns.
Cinnamon Bun Ingredient Swaps
To make these cinnamon buns healthy, we had to make just a few swaps. Our preferred ingredients are always gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free. We eat this way to reduce overall inflammation and improve our gut, health and reducing aging.
Cassava Flour is a Nutritious and Bakes Like a Dream
Cassava flour is a great ingredient to use as an alternative to conventional whole grain flours such as whole wheat or spelt flour.
In many recipes it can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio for whole wheat flour. It’s also a great source of vitamin C (1/4 cup has almost 20% of your Daily Value), folate, magnesium, potassium and many additional nutrients.
So whether you are gluten free / grain free or not, you may want to consider adding cassava flour to your clean food pantry staples. Our favorite brand is Otto’s. You can learn more here and buy it here.
Date Paste Takes the Place of Refined Sugar
Most cinnamon bun recipes call for sugar and LOTS of it! However, by combining dates, a little extra virgin coconut oil, raw honey, water and cinnamon in a food processor you get a nutrient-dense but decadently sweet cinnamon date paste.
Thanks to this homemade cinnamon date paste, these cinnamon buns are free from refined sugar!
Cinnamon Bun Frosting
Thanks to Artisana Organics coconut butter, these even include a rich and decadent dairy free frosting to drizzle on top.
If you haven’t heard of coconut butter yet, it’s an incredibly nutrient-dense food made from the “meat” or flesh of coconuts. In fact, because it is a “whole fat”, coconut butter has the same health-promoting qualities as coconut oil, and then some. For example, coconut butter (but not coconut oil) contains both iron and fiber. We buy our coconut butter at a deep discount from Thrive Market.
I know this gluten free cinnamon bun recipe clearly won’t taste like what you might get from Cinnabon, but I promise it won’t disappoint 😉
Cinnamon Bun Recipe
Our nutritious and gluten free Cinnamon Bun Recipe is ooey-gooey, sweet and 100% delicious without refined sugar and dairy ingredients.
- Prep Time: 35
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
Cinnamon Bun Recipe Dough:
- 1 cup warm “whole” almond milk, see notes below
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 3 organic eggs
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 2 1/4 cup
- 2 cups
- 3/4 cup
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot
Cinnamon Bun Filling Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon, like this one
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 8
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 teaspoons water
- 3/4 cup chopped raw pecans
Cinnamon Bun Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Bun Dough:
- Add yeast and sugar to warm milk in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine and allow the yeast to foam to proof. Once the yeast has proofed, stir in melted coconut oil, salt, eggs, flours and arrowroot into yeast mixture. Gently mix until well-combined.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball and place into a large lightly oiled glass bowl. Cover lightly with a damp towel and set aside while you work on the filling.
Cinnamon Bun Filling:
- Add the cinnamon, oil, dates, honey and water to a food processor and process into a thick, smooth paste (Note: if cinnamon-date paste is a consistency that would be too thick to easily spread, simply add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency.) Set cinnamon-date paste aside.
- Place dough on a large lightly floured surface, knead gently with hands and use a rolling pin to roll to a 1/4 inch thickness. Spread cinnamon-date paste evenly over the top of the dough.
- Scatter the pecans evenly over the cinnamon-date paste.
- Tightly roll the dough, beginning at the long edge, until a log of dough has been formed.
- Cut the dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch slices and place onto a lightly oiled sheet pan.
Baking & Frosting:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place rolls into oven and allow to cook until lightly browned and cooked through, but not overcooked, about 23 to 25 minutes.
- While cinnamon buns are baking, prepare frosting: in a mini food processor, add the softened coconut butter, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix together for 1 full minute, or until smooth, creamy and lump-free. Transfer the frosting to a zip top bag and cut a small hole from the corner (learn more about how to make a Ziploc Frosting Bag HERE.)
- Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before frosting.
- To frost, begin piping a thin swirl on top of the cinnamon buns. Serve at once.
Note: leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
To avoid a watery consistency, make sure the almond milk you buy is “whole” and not excessively filtered. You can learn more about “whole” almond milk HERE. I like New Barn , Elmhurst and   Malk brands.
What You Need to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Food Processor: You can certainly use a pastry blender, like this one. But, a food processor will definitely make this cinnamon bun recipe easier to make.
- Red Star Yeast: This is a staple in our house. This yeast is so forgiving and easy to use.
- Korintje Cinnamon: The best flavored cinnamon and perfect for this recipe.
- Pastry Mat: This pasty mat makes cleaning up a breeze.
- Baking Pan: 9×13 or 10×15, depending on what you need.
Can you freeze cinnamon bun dough before baking?
Yes, absolutely. You can make the cinnamon buns right up to the “baking and frosting” instructions above. Then, go ahead and place them on a pan or baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 1 hour. Once frozen, you can add them to a container for up to 1 month.
When you’re ready to bake the cinnamon buns, put the rolls in the fridge to defrost overnight. Then pull them out of the refrigerate and allow them to rest on the counter at room temperature. Then follow the “baking and frosting” instructions above.
Elisha @UseHealthTips says
Thanks Ivy for sharing this recipe, it looks yummy, haven’t tried it yet, but will. I remember in my class there was a guy who always used to ask for gluten-free products, this one is definitely for him. I’m gonna find him and make it for him, hehe, anyways, its really delightful i am sure
Ivy Larson says
Hi Elisha! I am so sorry for the lengthy delay getting back to you. Somehow your comment got lost in the shuffle, but I am so happy you found the recipe and I hope your gluten free friend is pleased =) Please do let me know if you give it a try!
Denise says
Hi Amy, Wow you’ve been a pioneer in the whole foods plant based movement! I was inspired reading your story. now I came across this cinnamon bun recipe- and I was excited. I’m GF also but I don’t do eggs (allergic). So I’m hoping this will work with “flax egg”. I miss these special treats and tried to make some a while ago without yeast but using homemade starter. They came out a bit “sour” tasting so they weren’t too satisfying. I’m curious about the casava flour as I’ve read it makes good tortillas and chips too! It’s a bit expensive as flours go, but it is a chore to make from scratch. I’ve actually been making most of my flours from “scratch” as I soak and dry my grains, nuts, and seeds and often sprout for a day or two before using in recipes. A bit more work for sure but doing what I can to reduce inflammation (I have leaky gut auto-immunity) and symptoms keep coming up so there’s something I’m still not tolerating and haven’t healed completely. Such is the nature of auto-immune disease…. I wish you the best in your journey and thank you for sharing your recipes.