By When you want a cinnamon roll but not a whole tray, make these high-protein cinnamon roll bites. They are made with simple ingredients (no protein powder) and take just 30 minutes to whip up. They can also easily be made gluten-free with oat flour and will still pack in 10 grams of protein and 3g of fiber!
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My love for cinnamon rolls runs deep. Between my cinnamon roll protein baked oats, cottage cheese cinnamon rolls, and cinnamon sugar pancakes, I'm a bit obsessed! It's a classic that I've used for so many of my high protein baking ideas.
So, it was only time that I made a smaller version of my favorite food ever! These high-protein cinnamon roll bites are lower in fat and calories while being higher in protein. And my personal favorite part - they are small batch cinnamon roll bites, so they are baked in the same meal prep container they are stored in.
Jump to:
the difference between gluten-free and not
I tested these high protein cinnamon rolls without protein powder with both all-purpose flour and oat flour, and both worked great. But with oat flour, you need to bake them a bit longer and let them cool before eating. Otherwise, they taste a bit gummy.
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Greek yogurt: Use any plain variation you like. I look for one with the most fat, and just be sure to mix in the liquid on top (the whey). This adds more protein than a recipe that uses almond butter or another nut butter.
- Baking basics: Don't forget the vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Agave or honey will work in place of maple syrup.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or oat flour. A 1:1 gluten-free flour should work, but I would reduce the quantity by 2 tbsp.
- Flaxseeds: These add protein and fiber. Hemp or chia seeds work too for these healthier cinnamon roll bites, but flaxseeds are the least noticeable of the bunch.
- Sugar: We need both white and brown sugar to toss these in. You can make these lower carb cinnamon roll bites by swapping these for their sugar free alternative sweeteners. Monk fruit is my favorite!
- The glaze: This is just milk and powdered sugar.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: flaxseeds
These little seeds have 3.5g of protein per 2 tablespoons. So while not the highest, they are the most mild in flavor and texture. Plus, they have around 6g of fiber for those 2 tbsps.
step by step: tips to nail this recipe every time
- The dough is thick. This way, you can roll it into balls.
- The dough is wet. When you roll the dough balls, you'll notice that the outside feels moist. This is good and helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick!
- If the batter is dry but you can roll it into balls, dip each one in milk before rolling in cinnamon sugar, so it will stick.
- Squish the little bites into the pan! Think pull-apart bread. There's no need to space them out.
- Bake until golden brown. With oat flour, this is about 5 minutes longer than with all-purpose.
quick recipe video
the pan I use
I use a glass storage container that's over safe and 3.4 cups in size. Anything around 8" x 5" in size will work. Just make sure it's oven safe!
air fryer cinnamon roll bites
You can make these in the air fryer too! Just use a container that's safe at higher oven tempuratures. I like to use a ceramic dish. Then air fryer for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or until golden brown and baked through.
how to store & meal prep it
You can store these at room tempurature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They start to dry out after day 3 but taste the best reheated int he microwave or airfryer. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months once they are totally cool. I'd recommend transfering to a freezer safe container for this since the glass containers can break as the bites expand when frozen. Just keep the glaze separate for any storage.
Recipe
high protein cinnamon roll bites
Ingredients
Dough
- ⅔ c Greek yogurt (plain)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¾ c all purpose flour (or oat flour)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon flaxseeds (ground)
Coating
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 1.5 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk (any kind)
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 7.5" x 4.5" glass, oven-safe, meal prep container. If you don't have a similar-sized one (circle works too), you can make these in mini muffin tins.
- In a bowl, mix together the ⅔ c Greek yogurt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, ¾ c all purpose flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and 1 tablespoon flaxseeds until a shaggy batter forms. Then use your hands to knead it all together. It should be firm but still moist. Try not to over-knead it; otherwise, the bites end up tough.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoon brown sugar, 1.5 tablespoon white sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Then roll the dough into 20-24 bites (I did 22) that are each about 1" in diameter. Either roll them all and place them on a tray, and then roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture, or after rolling each ball, drop it into the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat. The dough should have enough moisture on the outside for the cinnamon sugar to stick. But if not, lightly dip each bite into milk first, then roll in cinnamon sugar.
- Squeeze all the bites into your prepared baking container and then bake for 25-30 minutes. When I used oat milk, it took 30 minutes, but all-purpose flour took 25 minutes. While they cool, in a small bowl, mix together 1.5 tablespoon powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk to make the glaze. If it's too thick, add a splash more milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. Enjoy your cinnamon roll bites with your glaze! For a fun holiday take, shape these into the shape of a Christmas tree on a sheet tray and drizzle with glaze.
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
are there flaxseed ground or whole?
Ground!
These are so good! I added a pinch of salt to the dough and used ground flax. Made them for my family for weekend breakfast and we ate them all
So happy to hear that!
What if you don’t have flax seeds is there a sub?
You can just leave it out!