Pin RecipeThe star ingredient that enabled these cinnamon buns to be gluten free without sacrificing taste OR nutrition was cassava flour, a grain-free root vegetable flour made from yucca.
Cassava Flour is a Nutritious Gluten-Free Ingredient that 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 and 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.
Clean Cinnamon Bun Recipe Is Dairy Free Too!
Thanks to coconut butter (see photo on left), 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.
Cinnamon Date Paste Takes the Place of Refined Sugar
And finally, thanks to cinnamon date paste, these cinnamon buns are even free from refined sugar!
Most cinnamon bun recipes call for sugar (and LOTS of it!), but 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.
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 😉
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Nobody (and I mean nobody!) will believe these sweet, sticky, ooey-gooey cinnamon buns are both dairy free and gluten free with no refined sugar.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll 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 Roll Filling:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 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 Roll Frosting:
- 1 cup coconut butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cinnamon Roll 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 Roll 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.
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.
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
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!