free printable keto food list! Download →

Little Pine Kitchen

Low Carb Recipes + Resources!

top view of low carb cinnamon swirl bread
Home > low carb bread > Low Carb Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Low Carb Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Lindsey Hyland
5 from 9 votes
Recipe
Save
Reviews

YOU GUYS, guess what low carb bread I’ve made 3 times in the past week??

This. Low carb. Cinnamon swirl. Bread.

Because the other day, I had a random craving for a childhood fave: Pepperidge Farm’s cinnamon swirl bread. My Dad used to toast a slice and cover it in butter for me to enjoy before I ran off to school. Nothing fancy. Just a toasted piece of sweet, cinnamony, fluffy bread. I loved it. I craved it. And HERE IT IS…

Think of this recipe as almond flour bread and cinnamon rolls love child.

It teeters along the thin line between breakfast and dessert with its slight sweetness, its fluffiness, and its cinnamoniness. Which eliminates any guilt (for me) in enjoying it after every meal. (Hense the 3 loaves in a week!)

One thing I want to point out that makes this recipe even more amazing: It has a similar taste, texture, and mouthfeel to traditional bread — If you’ve been eating low carb for a while now, you know why that’s SO exciting.

Unlike chaffles with their slight eggy taste or oopsie bread with its unique texture, this bread will make you think it’s the real, gluteny, carby, sugary deal.And it REALLY wants you to slather it with cream cheese or smother it in butter. So, let’s bake!

slice of low carb cinnamon swirl bread

What I Love About This Low Carb Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe

This is an “adult” version of my childhood favorite. PLUS! You don’t have to fuss with yeast, or wait for it to rise. There are no fancy techniques for making low carb desserts like this one. Here’s what else to expect:

  • EASY
  • Low carb and sugar-free
  • Breakfast, snack or dessert
  • Slice + freeze!

Recipe Notes

Important Ingredient Notes

Almond Flour – Almond flour is the low carb flour used in this recipe, as it’s most similar to wheat flour in taste, texture, and mouthfeel. Be sure to use fine-grained almond flour for the best texture results — I prefer Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s brand.

Whey Protein Isolate – Makes this bread extra fluffy, as almond flour is significantly denser than traditional flour. I learned this trick from my soul bread recipe. My favorite brand is ISO Pure.

Sweetener – My keto sweeteners of choice are Swerve and Lakanto — both of which can be used as a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If you use plain erythritol, you may want to increase the amount (erythritol is 70% as sweet as sugar).

Storing Tips

Store your low carb cinnamon swirl bread in the fridge after baking.

Can You Freeze This?

YES! Bake, cool, and slice your bread. Then freeze the slices, and toast them from frozen for low carb breakfast in a jiffy.
top view of low carb cinnamon swirl bread

Recipe Variations

As long as you stick to this base low carb cinnamon swirl bread recipe, you can modify the nuts, sweetener and spices as you see fit! Here are some variations you may want to try:

  1. Add a struesel topping by roughly chopping low carb nuts such as pecans or walnuts and tossing them in cinnamon and erythritol. Sprinkle the struesel on top of your loaf before baking. Check out my low carb pumpkin muffins for my favorite ratio of ingredients.
  2. Add some fruit. Sprinkle berries into the cinnamon layer, such as raspberries, sliced strawberries or blueberries ala low carb blueberry muffins.
  3. Or extract… higher carb fruits like bananas are best added to recipes in extract form. Check out my low carb banana muffins, and consider adding in your favorite flavors!

closer view of low carb cinnamon swirl bread

More Breakfast Bread Recipes

Do you LOVE and CRAVE bread for breakfast as much as we do?! Great! We have some recipes to save the day!

slice of low carb cinnamon swirl bread

Low Carb Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings :16 Slices
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Save Recipe!

Ingredients

Bread:

  • 3 1/4 Cups Almond Flour
  • 7 Tablespoons Whey Protein Isolate ISO Pure recommended!
  • 3/4 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 Cup Almond Milk warm
  • 2 Tablespoons Mild Tasting Oil (see notes below)
  • 3 Eggs

Cinnamon Layer:

  • 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lay a piece of parchment paper down on your counter, and spray with cooking spray. Set a bowl of water above the sprayed parchment paper. Grab an 8" bread pan (your parchment paper will eventually need to fit inside this bread pan).
  • Combine. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour (3 1/4 cups), whey protein (7 tablespoons), Swerve/Lakanto (3/4 cup), baking powder (1 tablespoon), and salt (1 teaspoon ). Add almond milk (1/4 cup), oil (2 tablespoons) and the eggs (3), and stir to combine. Toss the cinnamon layer ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
    adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient
  • Shape. Use very damp hands (this is what our bowl of water is for) to press the dough into an 8-11" square. Sprinkle the cinnamon layer over the top of the dough.
    how to make keto cinnamon swirl bread by shaping the dough
  • Roll. Grab the edge of the dough closest to you, and roll it up as tightly as possible. Again, damp hands will help here! Peel back the parchment as you roll the dough over itself. Shimmy the rolled dough to the center of the parchment, then fit inside the bread pan. Remove excess parchment to prevent burning.
    how to make low carb cinnamon swirl bread by rolling the bread
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, you'll know the bread is done once the top is golden. Allow the bread to cool in the pan before trying to remove and slice.
    closer view of low carb cinnamon swirl bread
Rate this Recipe
Save Recipe!

Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:

Lindsey's Tips

  • Almond Flour. Using fine-grained almond flour will yield the most "flour-like" results. My favorite brands are Bob's Red Mill, Trader Joe's, or Costco brands. 
  • Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. I stick to Lakanto and Swerve which are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using a different brand of Erythritol, keep in mind it's 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste. 
  • Mild Tasting Oil. You want an oil with a high smoke point and mild flavor -- think avocado, vegetable, safflower, sunflower, peanut. Skip EVOO, coconut, or sesame oil.
  • Nutritional information is based on 1 slice, if you cut this bread into 16 slices:
©Little Pine Low Carb. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

Original Recipe

Less of a swirl, more of a sweet cinnamon loaf with a nice crunch on top! As requested, here’s the original recipe posted to this page:

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
  • 4 Tablespoons NOW Powdered Psyllium Husk
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)
  • 1/2 Cup Water (hot)
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil (melted)
  • 1/4 Cup Walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line an 8" bread pan with parchment paper.
  2. Mix almond flour, psyllium husk, baking powder, salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and erythritol together in a large bowl. Add eggs, coconut oil, and hot water. Stir to combine.
  3. Pour half the batter into the prepared bread pan. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon over the top. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan. Using a knife, swirl the batter around to create a pattern with the cinnamon. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the bread, and gently press them in to adhere.
  4. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. You’ll know the bread is done once the edges become golden brown.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hi Simone! No, flaxseed is great, but it doesn’t absorb as much liquid as psyllium husk or create the same “fluff” 🙂

      Reply

  5. Hi! I am just starting on the low carb lifestyle. I love bread so I tried this recipe. It was good but it didn’t rise at all. Is that normal? It was very dense so would not pour into the pan. Any advice on my next round would be very much appreciated! Thank you so much.

    Reply

    • Hi Carol! I’m sorry to hear your bread didn’t rise! There are a few reasons why this can happen, let me know so I can continue to troubleshoot with you! 1, it’s important to use a fine grain almond flour, as coarser grains (and almond meals) can weigh down the bread. 2, Check the expiration date on the baking powder, this is our main leavening agent. 3, did you use a ground psyllium husk? I’ve had the best luck with NOW psyllium husk.

      Lastly, I’m sorry to say that low carb breads won’t rise as much as traditional wheat bread. They’re an awesome substitute, but may not be as “fluffy” as you’re used to. Hope this helps, let me know 🙂

      Reply

    • Hello Dan! I’ve used the whole one, I’ve had the best luck with NOW psyllium husk. Hope this helps, let me know 🙂

      Reply

    • Hi Bielka! I haven’t tested Splenda in this recipe (it’s not one of the sweeteners I use due to my blood sugar), but I don’t think it would be a problem. Looks like Splenda is recommended to be used 1:1 with traditional sugar? You can check out my keto sweeteners guide here, you should be fine with a 1:1 swap. Let us know how it turns out!

      Reply

  12. Hi Lindsey, it looks like you have changed the recipe. I had been using and sharing your previous recipe that included psyllium husk but no whey protein and I’m not sure what else there was, that’s why I’m reaching out via a comment. The photos now posted for this recipe look much different as well. Thank you in advance for your help!

    Reply

    • Hi Lindsey! I’m SO sorry for the delay, I have been trying to track down the original recipe, and found a user who printed it out and sent it to me, phew! Anyway, I’ve added it below the recipe card above. So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

  13. Hi Lindsey!

    I’ve made your old version of this recipe so many times (with psyllium but no protein isolate), and I love it, I went to make another batch today but noticed the recipe change. Would you mind reposting the old version too please?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Mike! I’m SO sorry for the delay, I have been trying to track down the original recipe, and found a user who printed it out and sent it to me, phew! Anyway, I’ve added it below the recipe card above. So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

  14. Hi Lindsey
    I made the cinnamon bread
    It was totally cold but it still would not slice very well it was crumbly, Any ideas on what to do next time?
    Was the bowl of water to keep your hands moist?
    Thanks
    Stella

    Reply

    • Hi Stella! Yes, the bowl of water is to keep your hands moist so you can roll the bread without it sticking to your hands – the dough should be sticky. Sounds like the bread could have overcooked a bit? Another possibility is the protein powder — which brand did you use?
      Thanks!

      Reply

        • Hi Stella! My guess is either the bread was slightly overcooked, or, the protein powder used absorbed more liquid, creating a dryer product. I’ve heard of some whey protein isolates doing this during the baking process. I’ve only tested the recipe above with ISO Pure whey protein isolate. Hope that helps!

          Reply

  15. I have Quest unflavored baking protein powder that is a whey/casein mix. Would that work for this bread or is important that it be a whey isolate?

    Reply

    • Hi Kelly! You can absolutely try it, but your bread won’t be as fluffy. Whey is what adds fluff, casein doesn’t have the same baking characteristics. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  19. This cinnamon bread sounds delicious and I love the healthy aspect of all of the ingredients too! Think I am going to have to make this as I am so hungry for a slice!

    Reply

  21. Exactly what I need to indulge myself post Christmas 😊! A bit of a guilt free pleasure! And with the schools back perfect easy breakfast and afterschool snacks for the kids!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Pin1.2K
Share94
Email