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Home » Recipes » High Protein Vegetarian Recipes

Published: May 8, 2024 · Modified: Jan 31, 2025 by Jim Mee Sha · This post may contain affiliate links

Healthy Protein Cinnamon Rolls

Jump to Recipe

A healthier twist to the classic favorite, these protein cinnamon rolls are a must-try treat! Although high-protein, they are still irresistibly delicious and soft and are topped off with an amazing yogurt frosting.

Taking out a piece of protein cinnamon roll from a cast iron pan.

This is my first time experimenting with using protein powder in yeast bread, and it was a huge success! These protein cinnamon rolls are decadent, soft, and utterly delicious, and no one will guess that they are secretly healthy. Love serving it with my soy milk latte for an afternoon pick-me-up.

If you love high-protein desserts (like me!), you also need to check out my vegan protein cookies, chocolate protein mug cake, and oatmeal protein bars.

Jump to:
  • 💚Why you will love this recipe 
  • 🌾What you will need 
  • 📃Ingredients notes and substitutions 
  • 🔪How to make  
  • ✔Helpful tips 
  • ❄Storing suggestions  
  • 🍽More high protein vegan treats
  • 📖 Recipe

💚Why you will love this recipe 

  • Tender, heavenly, and super comforting
  • A high-protein lighten-up recipe (where a serving contains 12g of protein!)
  • Fun to make and relatively simple to prepare
  • Store well and are freezer-friendly

🌾What you will need 

Ingredients needed like flour, protein powder, cinnamon, butter, sweetener, and salt.

For the dough

Ingredients needed for icing like sweetener, protein powder, yogurt, and milk.

For yogurt frosting

📃Ingredients notes and substitutions 

  • Unflavored or vanilla protein powder - I recommend going with a plant-based blend (like Orgain's vanilla protein powder) or casein. Whey tends to dry out baked goods.
  • Butter - Both regular and plant-based butter will work.
  • Sweetener - I am using the sugar substitute erythritol here, but feel free to use regular sugar or other granulated sweetener.
  • Yogurt - Both dairy and plant-based yogurt will work in this recipe. If using Greek yogurt, you might need to thin it out with more milk.
  • Plant milk - Similarly, you can either use dairy or plant-based milk.

🔪How to make  

Dry ingredients in a bowl with a fork and 2 ramekins beside.

Combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Butter and water in a bowl.

In another bowl, combine flour and melted butter.

Dough of cinnamon rolls in a bowl.

Then, pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. Knead for 2-3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pliable.

A proofed dough in a bowl.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it proof for 45 minutes to an hour or until it doubles in size. 

Brushing some butter on a rolled out dough.

Flour a flat surface and roll the dough to a square around 13x13 inches in size. Brush on melted butter using a pastry brush.

A rolled out dough topped with ground cinnamon and sugar.

Sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon powder. Then, tightly roll the dough up into a log.

Unbaked cinnamon rolls in a cast iron skillet.

Cut into 9 equal pieces, either using a sharp knife or a piece of dental floss. Place cinnamon rolls into a 10 inch cast iron skillet or a 9-inch square pan.

Baked cinnamon rolls in a cast iron skillet with a spoonful of cinnamon and bowl of frosting beside.

Bake at 180C/350F for 22-25 minutes until lightly browned. Let them cool.

A bowl of frosting with a spoon and 2 ramekins beside.

While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the frosting by combining all ingredients needed.

Frosted cinnamon rolls in a cast iron skillet with a spoonful of cinnamon beside.

Drizzle on the frosting, and serve your protein cinnamon rolls while warm!

✔Helpful tips 

  • Weight out dry ingredients - For the best results, weighing out the flour and protein powder with a kitchen scale like this Ozeri digital scale is recommended.
  • Rise dough in a warm spot - You can leave it on the countertop if the weather is warm. However, you might want to rise dough in an oven with the lights on during colder weather.
  • Avoid using whey protein - Due to its absorbency, whey tends to dry out baked goods, yielding stiff cinnamon rolls.

Save this recipe!

Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.

Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.

❄Storing suggestions  

Fridge - Place cooled protein cinnamon rolls into an airtight container before refrigerating. It will last in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

Freezer - Store them in a sealed container, and they are ready to be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight before freezing.

Reheating - Reheat rolls in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or until the rolls are hot.

A piece of protein cinnamon rolls with a fork and cup of milk beside.

🍽More high protein vegan treats

  • A plate of protein muffins on a white checkered teacloth.
    Vegan Protein Muffins
  • A plate of protein balls with oats and a spoonful of peanut butter beside.
    Vegan Protein balls
  • Slices of protein brownies topped with flakes sea salt arranged on a parchment paper.
    Fudgy Vegan Protein Brownies
  • A tray of blondie slices on parchment paper. There is a wire tray, tahini and salt in the background.
    Healthy Eggless Protein Tahini Blondies

If you made this recipe, leave a rating and comment below. We would love to hear from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉

📖 Recipe

A pan of cinnamon rolls with spoonful of cinnamon powder and icing beside.

Healthy Protein Cinnamon Rolls

Meesha
 A healthier twist to the classic favorite, these protein cinnamon rolls are a must-try treat! Although high-protein, they are still irresistibly delicious and soft and are topped off with an amazing yogurt frosting.
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Resting time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 9 rolls
Calories 189 kcal

Equipment

  • large mixing bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • 10-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch square baking pan

Ingredients
 
 

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 scoop protein powder 90g (see notes)*
  • 1 tablespoon erythritol or another granulated sweetener**
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast *
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted (vegan or regular)
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons warm water

Cinnamon sugar filling

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted (vegan or regular)
  • ¼ cup erythritol or another granulated sweetener**
  • 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon powder

For icing

  • ¼ cup yogurt unflavored (soy/almond/regular/greek)
  • 2 tablespoons protein powder (see notes)*
  • 2 tablespoons erythritol or another granulated sweetener**
  • milk to thin (plant-based or dairy)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease or line a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch pan.
  • Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine butter and water.
    2 cup all purpose flour, 3 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon erythritol, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
    2 tablespoons butter
  • Knead for 2-3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliable. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it proof for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.
  • Flour a flat surface and roll the dough to a square around 13x13 inches in size.
  • Brush on melted butter, then sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon powder. Tightly roll the dough up into a log.
    2 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup erythritol, 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon powder
  • Cut into 9 equal pieces, either using a sharp knife or a piece of dental floss. To cut dough with dental floss, slide the floss under your dough, cross it over at the top, and gently pull on both ends to form a clean cut.
  • Place cinnamon rolls into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 9-inch square pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes until lightly browned. Let them cool for 15-20 minutes.
  • While your rolls are cooling, make the icing by combining all ingredients needed. It should be pretty drippy and runny, so do add more milk to thin, if needed.
    ¼ cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons protein powder, 2 tablespoons erythritol, milk
  • Drizzle it on your protein cinnamon rolls, and it is ready to be enjoyed.

Notes

*Protein powder -I recommend going with a plant-based blend (like Orgain's vanilla protein powder) or casein. Whey tends to dry out baked goods.
**Sweetener - I am using the sugar substitute erythritol here, but feel free to use regular sugar or other granulated sweetener.
 
Helpful tips
  • Weight out dry ingredients - For the best results, weighing out the flour and protein powder with a kitchen scale like this Ozeri digital scale is recommended.
  • Rise dough in a warm spot - You can leave it on the countertop if the weather is warm. However, you might want to rise dough in an oven with the lights on during colder weather.
  • Avoid using whey protein - Due to its absorbency, whey tends to dry out baked goods, yielding stiff cinnamon rolls. 
 
Storing - Place cooled protein cinnamon rolls into an airtight container before keeping. It will last in the fridge for 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating - For frozen rolls, let them thaw on the countertop for a couple of hours or in the fridge overnight. Heat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until warm. 
 
Nutritional info is calculated using erythritol, an artificial sweetener. 

Save this recipe!

Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.

Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 12gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 287mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 239IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.

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Comments

    5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Joanne says

    May 12, 2024 at 7:34 pm

    These look great! Do you know how much is in a scoop of pea protein powder? I have some but not sure that I have a "scoop". Thanks! I can't wait to try them!

    Reply
    • Jim Mee Sha says

      June 02, 2024 at 8:56 am

      A scoop is around 30g, hope you like this recipe!

      Reply
A headshot of Mee Sha leaning on a handrail.

Hi, nice to meet you! I am Mee Sha, a final-year dietetic student passionate about nutrition, cooking, and food. This blog was created to share my favorite plant-powered recipe!

More about me →

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