High-Protein No-Roll Cinnamon Rolls
These High-Protein No-Roll Cinnamon Rolls skip the rolling pin completely. A Greek yogurt dough rises right in the baking dish and gets dimpled like focaccia. It bakes into six big rolls with caramelized cinnamon sugar edges, finished with a quick vanilla glaze.
Quick Look: High-Protein Cinnamon Rolls
- 🥐 Serves: 6 (1 large roll each)
- ⭐ Features: High-Protein, Greek Yogurt Dough, Beginner-Friendly
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 💥 Cook Time: 30 to 40 minutes, plus about 3 to 4 hours of resting and rising
- 🕑 Total Time: about 4 to 5 hours, mostly hands-off
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Easy
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? A few stretch and folds replace the kneading, and pressing in dimples replaces rolling, filling, and slicing. Watch and learn! 😉
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Key Ingredients
- Plain Greek yogurt - Use a thick 2% or 5%. The extra fat makes softer, more tender rolls, and nonfat works too with a slightly less rich dough. Greek yogurt is also the base of the dough in my high-protein blueberry bagels.
- Instant yeast - A full tablespoon speeds up the rise. Kitchen temperature and yogurt thickness change the timing, so watch the dough instead of the clock. If yeast dough makes you nervous, my no-knead cheddar garlic bread is another forgiving one-bowl dough.
- Brown and granulated sugar - Mixed with cinnamon and a pinch of salt, they coat every roll. A layer on the bottom of the dish turns slightly caramelized as it bakes.
- Eggs - Each dough ball gets dipped in beaten egg first. The cinnamon sugar clings to it, so every side gets coated.
- Milk - It goes over the rolls after you dimple them. It dissolves some of the cinnamon sugar into a syrup that bakes into the dough. Dairy, almond, and oat milk all work.
Substitutions & Additions
- No yeast - This dough needs yeast for its rise. For a yeast-free Greek yogurt bun, try my gluten-free pistachio raspberry breakfast buns, which use baking powder instead.
- Honey for sugar - Use honey in place of the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in the dough.
- Dairy-free milk - Almond or oat milk both work for the milk poured over the rolls.
- Caramel drizzle - Drizzle my 2-ingredient caramel sauce over the warm rolls for something richer. It's nut butter and maple syrup whisked smooth.
- Extra cinnamon - Spread the warm rolls with the whipped cinnamon honey butter from my pumpkin swirl pancakes.
How To Make My High-Protein No-Roll Cinnamon Rolls
This is an overview of the recipe. All measurements and detailed steps are in the recipe box below.
- Mix the dough with a spoon until it's shaggy, soft, and slightly tacky. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time only if it feels dry.
- Stretch and fold the dough after a 15-minute rest, then again after each of two 45-minute rests. It gets smoother and more elastic every round.
- Divide the dough into six pieces and shape each one into a smooth ball.
- Dip each ball in beaten egg, then roll it in cinnamon sugar until it's fully coated. Set the rolls in the dish in two rows of three.
- Let the rolls rise under a towel in a warm spot until puffy and about doubled, 1 to 2 hours. Cover in the cinnamon sugar.
- Dimple the dough with wet fingertips, just like focaccia. Pour the milk over the top so it runs into the pockets.
- Bake the rolls at 375°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling around the edges.
- Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the warm rolls and pull them apart right from the dish.
High-Protein No-Roll Cinnamon Rolls FAQs
Do I need to knead this dough?
No. A few quick stretch and folds in the bowl are enough. The resting time does most of the work, and the dough forgives you if the timing slips.
How do I know the rolls have risen enough?
They should look really puffy and roughly doubled. That usually takes 1 to 2 hours in a warm spot. Go by how the dough looks instead of the clock, and don't let it rise so long that it collapses.
Why dimple the dough like focaccia?
The dimples make deep pockets and crevices. They catch the milk and cinnamon sugar, which melt into a syrup as the rolls bake. Press firmly enough to make pockets, but try not to deflate the dough.
How do I know when the rolls are done?
The tops should be golden brown and slightly crisp, with cinnamon sugar bubbling around the edges. An instant-read thermometer should read about 190 to 195°F in the center. Start checking at 30 minutes, since some ovens need closer to 40.
How do I store leftover cinnamon rolls?
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently. They're best fresh and warm.
Chef Josh's Expert Tips
- On browning: If the tops brown too fast, loosely cover the dish with foil for the rest of the bake.
- On the glaze: Let the rolls cool a little longer for a thicker, whiter glaze. Add it while they're still hot if you want it to melt into the dough.
- On the dish: A 9 x 13-inch dish gives six large rolls room to expand while still touching as they rise.
- On the yogurt: It's what brings the protein here. I use Greek yogurt the same way in my high-protein cheesecake stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
- On brunch: Put out my bacon, egg and cheese tortilla muffins beside the rolls for something savory.
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If you make this one, I want to hear about it! Please leave a comment and ★★★★★ star rating below (that helps everyone else know what the favorites are). Feel free to tag me on Instagram too, so I can see your creations 😎.
Recipe
High-Protein No-Roll Cinnamon Rolls
A Greek yogurt dough rises right in the baking dish, gets dimpled like focaccia, and bakes into six big cinnamon sugar rolls finished with a vanilla glaze.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix the dough in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Combine the 4 cups flour, 2 ¼ cups Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon yeast, 2 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
- Add warm water if needed, 1 to 2 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. It should be soft and slightly tacky, not dry or crumbly.
- Oil the dough lightly with a little olive oil and turn it in the bowl to coat. Cover with a clean towel and rest for 15 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough in the bowl. Lift one side, stretch it upward, fold it over itself, rotate the bowl, and repeat a few times.
- Cover and rest the dough for about 45 minutes. Stretch and fold again, then cover and rest for another 45 minutes.
- Give the dough one final round of folds. It should now be smoother, softer, and more elastic.
- Mix the cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl. Combine the ½ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Break up any brown sugar clumps.
- Beat the 2 eggs in a separate shallow bowl until fully combined.
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the bottom.
- Divide the dough into six equal pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into a ball, tucking the edges underneath.
- Dip each dough ball in the beaten eggs and let the excess drip off. Roll it in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated, including the sides and bottom.
- Arrange the coated balls in the prepared dish in two rows of three.
- Cover the dish loosely with a towel or lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours, until puffy and about doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wet your fingertips, then press into the risen dough like focaccia, making deep pockets without fully deflating it.
- Pour the ⅓ cup milk evenly over the rolls, getting some into the pockets. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the tops.
- Bake on the middle rack for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown, puffed, and cooked through. Start checking at 30 minutes. The center should read 190 to 195°F. Cover loosely with foil if the tops brown too fast.
- Whisk the glaze while the rolls bake. Combine the ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Add a few drops of milk if it's too thick, or a little more powdered sugar if it's too thin.
- Rest the rolls for 5 minutes after baking. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls and serve, pulling them apart from the dish.
Notes
- Makes 6 large cinnamon rolls.
- The eggs are for dipping the dough balls, not for brushing the tops.
- The source recipe didn't list flour for dusting the work surface, so it's added to the ingredients.
- The glaze is a thick but pourable drizzle. Adjust it a few drops at a time.
Nutrition
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I looooove these!! They are perfect for holiday brunch but really, just any occassion :). It's so nice to have a healthier version of the cinnamon roll everyone loves!! And these are SO EASY!