How to Make This Easy Protein Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Makes: 8 Servings
Per Serving: 12g Protein | 190 Cal
Cinnamon rolls are such a treat. Whether you’re indulging in a warm, gooey cinnamon roll as part of a special occasion breakfast or weekend brunch or you’re looking for a decadent late-night treat, there’s just something about cinnamon roll that feels cozy and special.
But cinnamon rolls are notoriously, well, let’s just say less than wholesome. They’re packed with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and topped off with a rich and creamy frosting. If you’re on a health journey, you’re going to absolutely love my high-protein cinnamon roll recipe. Macro-friendly and made with cottage cheese and casein protein, these cinnamon rolls are even topped with creamy, dreamy vanilla icing. Each one delivers 12 grams of protein (with icing) and is perfect for breakfast, workout recovery, an afternoon snack, or even a delicious dessert.
Gluten-free, yeast-free, and ready in about 30 minutes, this is the cinnamon roll recipe you’ve been waiting for.
Why You’ll Love This High Protein Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Packed with protein: Most traditional cinnamon rolls aren’t exactly known for their high protein content. These cinnamon rolls contain 12g of protein per roll (with icing) and are macro-friendly.
Gluten-free: These cinnamon rolls are gluten-free and yeast-free, made with cottage cheese, all-purpose gluten-free flour, casein protein powder, an egg, leaveners, cinnamon, and sweeteners.
Quick and easy: This dough is super simple and comes together in no time at all. Plus, since you don’t have to contend with yeast and rise times, it’s practically foolproof.
Soft, cinnamony rolls: Sometimes, gluten-free baking can feel dry and crumbly, but not these cinnamon rolls. They’re not the same as yeasted baked goods, but they’re still pretty darn good.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
1 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 scoops (30g) casein protein powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Filling:
1½–2 tablespoons melted butter
Extra coconut sugar & cinnamon for sprinkling
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1½ tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk of choice
Instructions
Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prep the dough’s wet ingredients: Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and egg to a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Prep the dough’s dry ingredients: Add the all-purpose gluten-free flour, casein protein, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to a separate large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Make the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula until a dough starts to form. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour (just a dusting!). If the dough is too dry, add a splash of your favorite milk (plant-based is fine!).
Roll out the dough: Lightly flour a clean, dry work surface. Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle using a lightly floured rolling pin.
Fill the rolls: Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter all over the rectangle, leaving a bit of a border around all sides of the dough. Mix the cinnamon and coconut sugar together in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the melted butter.
Roll up the cinnamon rolls: Starting at one of the long sides of the dough, tightly roll up the cinnamon dough into a log, carefully smoothing out any cracks with wet fingers.
Slice the rolls: Use a serrated knife to slice the log into 8 even cinnamon rolls. Place each roll on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the rolls: Use your pastry brush to brush the tops with a bit more melted butter and sprinkle each with a little more coconut sugar.
Bake the protein cinnamon rolls: Transfer the sheet pan with the cinnamon rolls to the preheated oven and bake for about 16-17 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and the filling is a bit bubbly.
Make the protein icing: While the cinnamon rolls are baking, whisk together the cream cheese, vanilla protein powder, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
Serve: When the rolls are baked through, remove the pan from the oven and slather the protein cinnamon rolls with the prepared frosting. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Info (Per Roll with Icing - Makes 8 Rolls)
Calories: 190
Protein: 12g
Carbs: 23g
Fat: 7g
Nutrition Info without Icing:
Calories: 155
Protein: 9g
Carbs: 20g
Fat: 4g
Swaps & Substitutions
Flour: If you don’t have dietary restrictions or aren’t avoiding gluten, you can use regular all-purpose flour instead of the gluten-free version. Whatever you do, don’t use almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour, or any other gluten-free flour substitute. It needs to be a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend in order to provide the structure and balance needed for the dough to come together.
Protein Powder: You’ll want to stick with a casein or casein-whey protein powder for the dough. For the icing, whey protein or a plant-based protein powder will work great. If needed, you can adjust the amount of milk in the icing to make sure you end up with the right consistency.
Sweeteners: Instead of the maple syrup in the dough, you can use honey, agave, or your favorite sugar-free syrup. If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, try classic brown sugar or even monk fruit sweetener (you may need to adjust the amounts, however, to make sure you’re not overloading your cinnamon rolls with sweetness).
Butter: If you’re dairy-free, try using a vegan butter or ghee instead of traditional butter. You can also use coconut oil if that's what you prefer, though it will change the flavor.
Cottage Cheese: If you really need to swap out the cottage cheese, you can use Greek yogurt, but you won’t end up with exactly the same texture as you’d get from the cottage cheese.
Milk: Fat-free or reduced-fat dairy milk is great, but you can also use oat milk, almond milk, or whatever you like best.
FAQs
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I wouldn’t recommend it. You’re going to get the best results with a casein-based protein powder. Other protein powders can make things too dry or crumbly.
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You sure can! I’d recommend using a regular all-purpose flour instead of the gluten-free baking blend if you’re not avoiding gluten. Otherwise, I’d really recommend sticking with the all-purpose gluten-free flour. It’ll give you the best results.
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If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure you reheat them before enjoying for the best flavor and texture.
These protein cinnamon rolls are the perfect blend of wholesome and indulgent. They’re fluffy, spiced, sweet, and sneakily protein-packed. Whether you’re looking for a weekend project, meal-prepping for the week ahead, or looking for a late-night snack, these cinnamon rolls deliver.

Protein Cinnamon Rolls
This protein cinnamon rolls recipe is the recipe you’ve been looking for. Gluten-free, yeast-free, and ready in about 30 minutes, you’ll want to make these over and over again.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 2 scoops (30g) casein protein powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1½–2 tablespoons melted butter
- Extra coconut sugar & cinnamon for sprinkling
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1½ tablespoons powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the dough’s wet ingredients: Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and egg to a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Prep the dough’s dry ingredients: Add the all-purpose gluten-free flour, casein protein, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to a separate large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Make the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula until a dough starts to form. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour (just a dusting!). If the dough is too dry, add a splash of your favorite milk (plant-based is fine!).
- Roll out the dough: Lightly flour a clean, dry work surface. Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle using a lightly floured rolling pin.
- Fill the rolls: Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter all over the rectangle, leaving a bit of a border around all sides of the dough. Mix the cinnamon and coconut sugar together in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the melted butter.
- Roll up the cinnamon rolls: Starting at one of the long sides of the dough, tightly roll up the cinnamon dough into a log, carefully smoothing out any cracks with wet fingers.
- Slice the rolls: Use a serrated knife to slice the log into 8 even cinnamon rolls. Place each roll on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the rolls: Use your pastry brush to brush the tops with a bit more melted butter and sprinkle each with a little more coconut sugar.
- Bake the protein cinnamon rolls: Transfer the sheet pan with the cinnamon rolls to the preheated oven and bake for about 16-17 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and the filling is a bit bubbly.
- Make the protein icing: While the cinnamon rolls are baking, whisk together the cream cheese, vanilla protein powder, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- Serve: When the rolls are baked through, remove the pan from the oven and slather the protein cinnamon rolls with the prepared frosting. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
190Fat
7 gCarbs
23 gProtein
12 gNutrition info is based off of estimates. They are calculated by taking the ingredients in this recipe and dividing them by the number of servings.