These are my dream. I love cinnamon rolls. Really I love anything cinnamon and sugar especially when it’s covered in icing, so cinnamon rolls are obviously my thing. But this recipe gives me a healthier, gluten-free, grain-free version and I am so excited about.
I wasn’t sure if these would turn out. Baking something without gluten is always a big experiment and I never know what will happen. But, these were such a success and even got a big stamp of approval from a few of our friends who probably weren’t nearly as excited about a weird almond flour cinnamon roll as I was.
Some may view these as labor intensive, but I have made real cinnamon rolls before, and I really don’t think these compare. Real cinnamon rolls, even though they are so amazing, have to rise two separate times and my parent’s entire kitchen was covered in flour when I made them last Christmas. These made their own mess, but it just didn’t feel as daunting as the real version.
I used raisins in my filling, but they are totally optional. I recommend them though. They get juicy after cooking with the rest of the filling ingredients and add such a great texture to these cinnamon rolls.
Also, the ICING. It’s made from cashews. All you do is blend soaked cashews and a few other add-ins, and you have the most delicious, nut based, gluten-free, dairy-free icing. It’s super versatile and can be used on a lot of different baked goods, but it worked perfectly here.
Mitch was out of town this week, so I have been left to my own vices for dinner. This means I have been eating so many leftovers, loving life because I don’t have to clean up after dinner, and eating almost all of these cinnamon rolls. If you are looking for a healthier, lighter version of this cozy favorite, you have to try this recipe!
- For the Dough
- 3 c almond flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tapioca flour or starch
- 1/4 c melted coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- The Filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (or organic cane sugar)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 c raisins - optional, but amazing
- 1 tbsp butter - room temperature
- pinch of salt - sprinkle this pinch evenly over the topping (the best you can)
- For the Cashew Icing
- 3/4 c raw cashews
- enough water to cover the cashews while they soak
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp water as needed to blend
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place cashews into a dish and cover with water
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, tapioca flour and salt with a whisk
- In a smaller bowl, combine the maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and coconut oil with a whisk
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine until a ball forms and place in the fridge
- I like to clean up my kitchen while the dough chills in the fridge
- Once the dough chills for about 10 minutes, it's time to roll it out
- You will need two pieces of wax or parchment paper, or it won't work
- Lay out one sheet of parchment and sprinkle it with a little tapioca starch or almond flour
- Place the dough ball onto the parchment, sprinkle with a little more flour, and lay the second sheet of parchment on top
- Using your rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick
- Spread the butter (must be room temperature) onto the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon, coconut sugar and pinch of salt, drizzle with the maple syrup and evenly distribute the raisins (these are optional, but so good)
- Being very careful, roll up the dough as tightly as you can get it, and wrap the cinnamon roll log with the parchment and place in the fridge (this will make it easier to cut)
- Grease your pie dish or 8x8 baking pan with butter or coconut oil and clean up your kitchen again
- Once your kitchen is clean, get the cinnamon roll log out of the fridge, and cut it into 1 or 1 1/2 inch cinnamon rolls and place into your baking dish
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown (every oven is different so be sure to watch closely)
- While the cinnamon rolls cook, make your icing
- Drain the cashews and place into your blender or food processor
- Add the rest of the icing ingredients, starting with just 2 tbsp water
- Blend and add water as needed to make it smooth
- Ice the cinnamon rolls as soon as they are out of the oven and enjoy!
These look so, so good! I love the idea of cashew icing; beautiful pics too 🙂
Thanks Heather! They were such a fun treat:)
Would honey work to replace maple syrup?
Hi Brenda!
I haven’t tried it with honey, but I am sure it would work just fine. Let me know how they turn out:)
These were great! The icing is amazing ?
Thanks Katie!! I’m glad you liked them:)
How long do you soak cashews before making icing?
30 minutes at the very least 🙂 But you can soak for as long as overnight.
It looks very good…However, I cannot have eggs, yeast or vanilla. Do you have a recommended substitute?
Hi Julie! You could try a flax egg – For each egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (measure after grinding) with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well, and place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the result should be a sticky egg-like substitute.
There isn’t any yeast in this recipe so you should be good with that. You could try almond extract instead of vanilla.
I’ve never tried any of these suggestions, so let me know how it goes if you go for it!
Did I miss oven temp?
Found it
Glad you found it, Sue! 🙂
What size rectangle should the dough be rolled?
Hi Mary Jane! Sorry for the late response. I think my rectangle is normally about 10X14″ but the important thing is that you get the dough a uniform thickness (about 1/4″).
what about adding fresh chopped apple bits along with or instead of the raisins?
Hi Donna! That’s a great idea – the apples would pair so well with the spices! Let me know if you try it:)
This was delicious! I’ve been making gluten free cakes/biscuits for a while but this was outstanding. I wanted to make something my non gf parents would love and they did! I used honey instead of maple syrup (and no coconut sugar) and 1 and a 1/2 green apples finely cubed instead of the raisins. The cashew icing is AMAZING. I do think this was a little too sweet for my taste, I guess maybe honey is sweeter then maple syrup? I’m really keen to try this with rice malt syrup to reduce the fructose/sugar highs and lows caused by honey. Really loved the crumbly, soft, texture, a bit hard to work with in getting the scrolls nice and round and not falling apart, but was fun! Had some shoddy end bits that I just flattened out and turned into cookies! Very delicious too! Thanks so much 🙂
Your substitutions sound amazing! I am glad they worked out and that you enjoyed your cinnamon rolls!
Do I have to use tapioca flour or starch
Tapioca starch 🙂
Can I use arrowroot flour instead of tapioca starch?
Yes you can! Sorry for the delay – took a blogging hiatus!
can’t wait to try these!!!! I have been looking for a gluten free recipe for cinnamon rolls that are not full of starches. thanks so much for sharing
Of course – let me know what you think!
what is the nutrition counts on these for carbs and such? They are so so yummy!!!
Hi Erika! I am so glad you enjoyed these! I don’t calculate nutrition facts for my recipes, but you can always plug the ingredients into an online nutrition calculator and figure that out!
Katie, This is my first time working with almond flour. My new grandson is very sensitive to any wheat my daughter in law eats. They have a tradition of sweet rolls Sunday morning before church. The older boy does not tolerate too much dairy. Whew! Anyway, i bought the bobs red mill, super fine almond flour. Is this ok? I am not familiar with tapioca flour, or starch. Can I use cornstarch, or is this something I need to find? Sorry for so many questions. I would love for them to have their cinnamon rolls again.
Laura – Bob’s red mill superfine will work great, and cornstarch would definitely work in place of the tapioca. Let me know how it goes!!