Fluffy, sticky, and ultra gooey! These gluten free and keto pecan sticky buns (with yeast!) are nothing short of dreamy!
Gluten Free & Keto Pecan Sticky Buns
Ultra Gooey!
Once I nailed a proper keto caramel sauce (you know, with no thickener), I knew sticky buns had to happen right away!
So these are essentially my soft ‘n fluffy cinnamon rolls, with an ultra gooey and sticky caramel-pecan topping. Ahhhh-mazing stuff you guys!
The rolls are fluffy with ultra gooey centers, and have that awesome (and incomparable!) yeast kick. I did notice, however, that when baked with the caramel the rolls fluff up a bit less (but nothing detrimental really).
The caramel-pecan topping is also a real treat guys! The caramel (surprisingly!) reduces quite well; which means that you end up with a glorious sticky mess. My guess here is that how much it reduces will vary a bit form oven to oven. For instance, mine runs suuuper hot from the bottom so it ended up almost candy-like.
Either way, these sticky buns will honestly make you question if they’re actually low carb! That good.
The Deets
You might be surprised, but making these keto sticky buns is incredibly simple really. But, like with any yeasted bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome.
And the one thing to keep in mind is that your rolls will likely fall slightly post bake. Blame it on the lack of starch (keto flours are notoriously heavy and moist) and certain missing proteins (think gluten). Just keep in mind that I’m baking at ridiculously high altitude here, so if mine got a good rise- odds are yours will be even better!
You just must ensure your rolls do almost double in size while proofing. And this dough requires a little extra warmth. For instance, I place my tray on top of my oven as I heat it up (so my tray gets slightly warm and they rise beautifully). But you must ensure you don’t overheat them or you’ll kill the yeast. Think a warm and humid day at the beach, that’s the ideal temperature.
Before ‘n after rise
The Tips ‘N Tricks
The yeast in this low carb and keto bread ensures a wonderful texture and taste. Now, how much your bread will rise (and fall!) post-bake depends quite a bit on your altitude. But note that you still won’t get that gummy and wet texture here of most low carb breads. Plus, as mentioned, I’m baking at over 7,000 feet (Mexico City here!!), so if we can make this keto buns work so can you.
Weigh your ingredients. This will forever be a staple recommendation for any sort of gluten free baking here at gnom-gnom. As aside from leading to less dirty dishes, it will ensure consistent results time and time again. Remember that gluten free (and particularly keto) baking is notoriously finicky, and measuring by cups is anything but accurate. And if you don’t own a baking scale, measure with cups by dropping the ingredients onto them rather than scooping them out (which often leads to overpacking).
Ingredients at room temperature. Self explanatory really, but incredibly important (particularly for the eggs). If you add cold eggs to the mix your bread simply won’t rise much (if at all).
Proof the yeast. This involves mixing dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and inulin or an actual sugar (think maple syrup or honey) for 7 minutes until foamy. And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
Avoid abrupt temperature changes and air drafts. Like with any yeast bread, you need to cuddle your dough. Make sure it’s able to rest undisturbed in a warm space.
Baking at high altitude? Yup, so am I (Paola here!!). No changes need to be done here!
The Ingredients & Possible Subs
These keto pecan sticky buns do have quite a few ingredients, but you’ll find that most are staple paleo and keto pantry ingredients. In the list below you’ll find details on several ingredients and possible subs. But if possible, please do try and make this recipe without any subs.
Also do note that a dairy free and paleo version is totally doable with these guys! And while my heart will forever be with butter, I’ve made this dough with ghee and coconut oil and they’re both delicious on their own right.
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your rolls will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s , WellBees and Bob’s.
Now if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread even more by substituting part of the almond flour (6 tablespoons) with arrowroot flour.
Golden flaxseed meal. You’ll want to use golden flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s), and regrind the flakes in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until finely powdered. Great way to avoid slimy bread. You can substitute the flaxseed meal with psyllium husk powder (NOW brand as it doesn’t turn bread purple), but do note you’ll get more whole wheat results (delicious though!).
Whey protein isolate. This one is an absolute must, as it will ensure your bread doesn’t collapse post-bake. Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and I’ve only tried (and are super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored. Update: I’ve since tried this grass-fed whey protein isolate and it also works the charm (a bit pricier, but undoubtedly higher quality)!
Xanthan gum. Borrowed from molecular cooking, xanthan gum is the binding agent which makes your toothpaste jelly-like (and your cream cheese, well cream cheese-like). And it’s also the most common gluten-replacer in gluten free baking. And while we do prefer the results with it, you can sub it with psyllium husk.
Now, the powdered ginger helps to condition the dough to get an even nicer rise. Though note that you can skip it without too much detriment to the final results.
The Sweetener
These sticky buns work best with allulose (my favorite keto ‘rare sugar’) and erythritol (think Lakanto).
(Important note!) I recently made the connection (while at the dentist!) that xylitol inhibits yeast and bacteria growth (which is why it’s the sweetener of choice for dental products). So don’t use xylitol!!
Oh, and ‘brown sugar’ subs (such as Lakanto’s golden) work great here too. Or you can make your own by adding a hint of blackstrap molasses!
Gluten Free & Keto Pecan Sticky Buns
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion. Though for best results we (highly!!) suggest you weight your ingredients here.
Ingredients
For the caramel-pecan topping
- 190 g pecans roughly copped
- 1 batch 15-minute keto caramel
For the gluten free & keto rolls
- 58 g sour cream or coconut cream + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 1 tablespoon inulin or maple sirup, honey, to feed the yeast*
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- pinch ground ginger optional (to help proof the yeast)
- 216 g almond flour **
- 45 g golden flaxseed meal or 5 TBSP psyllium husk, finely ground***
- 35 g whey protein isolate
- 4-6 tablespoons erythritol or allulose, to taste
- 2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 21 g unsalted grass-fed butter or ghee/coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the cinnamon filling
- 42 g unsalted grass-fed butter softened
- 4-6 tablespoons erythritol or allulose, to taste
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- See recipe video of the cinnamon rolls for guidance (we're making the same type keto dough), and check out the post for deets, tips and possible subs!
For the caramel-pecan topping
- Line with parchment paper the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Set aside. Prepare a work station for rolling up your buns by placing a 9x9-inch place of cling film (saran wrap) on the counter. Leave handy a small bowl with water (to wet your fingers) and a touch of oil to spread the dough (avocado works great here).
- Scatter pecans onto prepared pan, make a batch of our caramel sauce and pour on top. Set aside while you make the rolls.
For the gluten free & keto sticky buns
- Mix sour cream, water and inulin (or maple syrup) to feed the yeast in a small bowl. Heat up over a water bath to 105-110°F. And if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch.
- Add yeast and a dash of ginger to a large bowl. Pour lightly warm sour cream mixture over yeast, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
- Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, sweetener, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the eggs, lightly cooled melted butter (you don't want to scramble the eggs or kill the yeast!) and vinegar. Mix with an electric mixer for a a minute or so until fully mixed. Add the flour mixture in one go, mixing quickly until thoroughly incorporated. The dough will become very sticky, so you want to work quickly to get it mixed properly. Use a wet spatula to gather the dough into a ball.
- Divide the dough in 3 so you work in batches, important if you've never worked with this dough (you can roll it all in one go after you get some practice!). Lightly oil the piece of cling film and place dough on top, spreading it with your wet fingertips onto a roughly 7.5x9-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to taste, leaving a 1 inch at the top untouched. Using the cling film as an aid, roll the dough as tightly as you can and sealing the edge with your wet fingertips. Carefully wet the blade of a sharp knife and cut into three if you divided the dough in thirds. Turn the rolls and lightly press them down with your palm.
- Transfer the rolls to prepared pan with caramel-pecan topping. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 50-60 minutes until the dough has almost doubled in size. How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity- so keep an eye out for it every 15 minutes or so.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C while the dough is proofing.
- Place the pan on top of a baking tray and transfer gently into the oven. Bake for 22-30 minutes until deep golden, covering with a loose foil dome as soon as they begin to brown. Just be sure that the foil isn't resting directly on them. You can do less baking time for gooey-er rolls and longer for more bready ones.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes and invert onto a serving plate (and enjoy!)
Mine are in the oven now. Whew! This was a lot of work. I was worried they were not going to rises when I saw just how sticky this dough was! It was a real learning experience spreading this out, then cutting, and removing from the saran wrap to my pan. They rose nicely over a pan of hot water and the ACV reduced to 1 teasp. as another suggested in an earlier post! Thank you for that tip. I also never made the caramel sauce before, but it was so easy! I’ll be using this sauce for other recipes in the future. Can’t wait to see how these come out of the oven, they already have my kitchen smelling wonderful!
awww… shucks Paola. One paragraph You say they can be totally paleo & dairy free & nezt paragraph You say No Subs on whey protein… 🙁 Which one? 😉
Have You heard if gelatin or egg protein actually works? T for T ?? TY!! Can’t wait to see that pecan pie recipe!! YOU ROCK!!
Whey it’s a problem for me too… what about white egg protein powder? Thanks!
Hi if don’t use dairy what can I substitute for the whey protein powder
PRINT with US CUPS conversion doesn’t work. If possible, please fix. I’d like to print and share with my mother.
I’m so excited to try this ASAP!
Hey Paola! I can’t wait to make these….I’m literally drooling at the photo! My question is: I’d like to prepare them the night before if possible, then pop them in the oven to bake in the morning. Is there a way to do that without compromising the result? Should I prep all the ingredients the night before, then assemble and proof the dough in the morning, OR prep it all (including proofing and assembling in pan) then put in fridge overnight, then let the pan sit out for an hour or so before baking in the morning? Thanks in advance! P.S. Love your recipes!
Have you thought at all about make pecan pie with this recipe and you pie crust recipe? I’m such a pecan pie lover but can no longer go the old route!
You guys are definitely getting a recipe this fall! I nearly nailed it last fall, a few more tweaks and it will be great 😉
Sweet!!! 👍🏻 Can’t wait!
Best thing ever!!!
These look amazing. Any way I can make ahead and bake them in the morning? Will the rise overnight in the refrigerator? Maybe bake until almost bone and just warm them? Any suggestions? I want to have the smell and warmth Christmas morning.
Thank you
I can’t wait to try this for Christmas morning, my dad always made these just for me. Can I freeze them unbaked? Possibly before they rise then thaw in the refrigerator overnight?
I want to pop them in the oven in the morning to have the smell in the house Christmas morning but not the work to make them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Love your recipes!
Paola, you recipes are the bomb! I’ve wanted to tell you for so long! I did have a problem getting my doughs to rise however. I followed every dough recipe to the letter and still they would not rise! They were still tasty though!!! What I did was reduced the vinegar to a teaspoon and put the dough in my oven that had been heated to 170F then cooled off to what felt like a hot day. I put a dish of water in there as well, like my Grandma used to do. Now, the dough rises beautifully! I hope all is going well with your recovery. Thanks for all your hard work!
I am going to try this! I have had issues with my dough rising as well. Thanks for this tip!
Hey Joan I hope this helps you. This dough is picky! It needs a good bit of warmth to rise at my house, but the oven trick has really worked for me. Also, the dish of water that you put in the oven should be hot water. Put it right underneath your rising dough. It has worked for me each time! And don’t forget to reduce the vinegar. It’s silly, but I was so excited when it finally rose!!!!
THANKS! I will.
I can totally relate. I read on ATK to add 3 cups of boiling water to a pan and put it on the 2nd rack directly beneath the bread pan. Wow, first time that worked, I felt totally excited like I had just won the lottery!
Would you like to tell me how the single roll can have 441 kcal. of fat and only 379 kcal. TOTAL?
where do you see that?
It has 49 gems of fat. Info located at the bottom of the recipe. Made these for my family, and they inhaled them. A single roll is very filling!
It won’t let me switch from metric to US measurements. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Why not use scales and the normal ingredient list? When we (in England) follow an American recipe we use the less accurate cup measures without a fuss, so I would think you could use scales and weights easily unless you can’t buy scales in US ?
Help, it wont let me change to cups instead of metric measurements. These look DELISH!
Can these be frozen?
Yes!
In many of your recipes, you list ‘golden’ flaxseed. Is there a reason why you prefer that to the other varieties?
It just bakes lighter and not gummy 😉
Hi,
Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast (not availble in my country)?
Kinda curious… would the caramel pecan sauce be a good choice as a filling for pecan pie?? Cause it looks delicious.
I’m experimenting on this!
These pecan caramel sticky buns are decadent and delicious! I hadn’t had a caramel cinnamon roll for over 2.5 years. These are a God-send for ketophiles. Thanks for an incredible recipe, Paola! I truly appreciate a yeast-based cinnamon roll bathed in a gooey, “yumptious” caramel sauce. HEAVEN!!!! 🙂
You’re too sweet Jolene! So happy you enjoyed them so much!!
I have these rising now! So far they are looking beautiful.
I didnt have a 9×9 pan so they are in a rectangulat pan and I cut them into 8 to fit.
I did sub egg white protein for the whey protein amd plain vinegar or apple cider vinegar because that was all I had.
I will update with the results!
Oh and my caramel is a little weird because i used Erythritol i have three dogs xylitol isn’t allowed lol
I am So excited to test the bagels next!
I’m with you, Johanna!!! No Xylitol is allowed in my house. I’ve had rescue dogs for over a decade and a lot of them will snatch anything edible that hits the floor or is within their jumping range because many of them often went hungry wherever they came from!
I know you said no substitutions, but, and there’s always a but… can I substitute Wildway grass fed whey protein (natural)? I realize it has 2 g of carbs but it is supposed to be a really good whey.
Jackie I haven’t tried it yet, but readers have reported back successfully with Tera’s grass fed whey and I’ll be trying it this weekend xo!
will these rise we are omly about 150 ft alitude ?
They’ll rise better than for me!! 😉
Oh my WOW, Paola! I made the rolls this evening (just with the caramel, no pecans since I prefer caramel rolls/sticky buns without pecans) and they were SO GOOD!!!!!
I was planning to try making caramel rolls with your caramel sauce recipe and your cinnamon roll recipe but I wouldn’t have actually baked the rolls in the caramel sauce and that’s what made it especially perfect! You’re the woman! 😍
And keto or gluten-free and sugar-free?? Who would ever know?!! They’re just yum!!!
Thank you so much!
Ruthie
Ruthie so wonderful to hear!! Thank so much for sharing in detail and happy thanksgiving!!
Both your cinnamon rolls and caramel are life!!! Cannot wait to put them together, you’re such a star Paola!!
You’re going to LOVE these Emily! I’m SO obsessed with the caramel sauce 😉
I have never received any recipes. Also I have just filled out the same form 4 times. Yet it keeps requesting me to fill out the form asking for: first name, email address, and sign up. All of these have been done several times. Please See if you can determine if my account is active. Thank you
Hi Diana! I’m not sure what happened (and apologies!), but I do see that you signed up successfully today so you should start receiving the newsletter from tomorrow 😉 xo!!
Where is the recipe for the caramel?
Click through the caramel link in the recipe card Sherry! xo!
Can the whey protein isolate be replaced with something other than dairy and soy lecithin? My daughter had GI surgery and can’t tolerate either ingredient. Do you think Terasway will work? It is just whey protein concentrate and Sunflower lecithin. Still working on the new way of eating. We also live a high altitude (3500ft). Your web site in a God send for my family. Thank you so much
Hi Sarah! Funny you ask, because I JUST bought Tera’s grass fed whey today. I can’t tell you for sure yet, but I have heard from other readers that there’s no issue (and I’m all about keeping my dairy as grass-fed as possible). Will report back once I try this week 😉
Oh, and every recipe on the site was tested in Mex City (about 7000ft!). I’m not in LA for a few months, but don’t worry about the altitude (they just might brown a bit quicker!) xo!
These rolls look so good! I there any way around the eggs, as I am allergic to eggs?
Thanks for your help
Oh man I think with this one it might be a bit tricky to get them fluffy without the eggs… having said that, I do know that a couple of peeps have made the cinnamon rolls with chia eggs and said they tasted great (I imagine they were denser though?) Hope this helps!