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These Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls that are light and fluffy with ooey-gooey centers! Yes, it’s absolutely possible. These cinnamon rolls are sweetened with coconut sugar, made with whole-wheat flour, and use a fraction of the butter that most recipes do.
The beautiful thing about these whole-wheat cinnamon rolls—they’re just as fluffy as regular cinnamon rolls with the added bonus of a deep caramely flavor thanks to the coconut sugar, butter and cinnamon. Pure heaven!
This recipe article was originally published in May of 2020, it has since been updated with helpful tips, clearer instructions and step by step photos.
Reader Review
“Omg these are amazing!!! My kids love these, and I love that they love them because they’re so much healthier than classic cinnamon rolls.”
– Miranda
Why These Are The Best Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
It’s natural to assume a whole-wheat cinnamon roll will be dense and dry. Many whole-wheat baking recipes simply swap all-purpose flour out for whole-wheat flour and say “good enough.”
Not this recipe. After a variety of tests and many failed attempts, I found using whole-wheat pastry flour was key. Not only that, a complete replacement of all-purpose flour isn’t the move.
For the fluffiest whole-wheat cinnamon rolls you need to use a combination of all-purpose flour, whole-wheat pastry flour and cornstarch.
If you’re a true whole-wheat devotee and are willing to sacrifice fluffiness, go ahead and use only whole-wheat pastry flour. But for those of us that still want all the decadence of a homemade cinnamon roll, this combo of flours is perfect.
Second, instead of brown sugar I like to use coconut sugar. It’s a natural sugar that adds a toasty, almost maple-like flavor that really enhances the rolls. Coconut sugar is used in the cinnamon roll filling as well as the cream cheese frosting.
Lastly, this recipe was developed using instant yeast so you could make and bake these the same day. No over-night rise necessary!
Ingredients Needed
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for the recipe. For ingredient amounts, jump down to the recipe card.
- Whole milk: the fat content of whole-wheat milk is important here, so don’t use a lower fat milk.
- Instant-yeast: keeps the rise time of the dough manageable.
- Butter: I develop recipes using unsalted butter. If you’re using salted, reduce the salt by a pinch in both the dough and the filling.
- Honey: a couple tablespoons are used to activate the yeast in the dough. Maple syrup can also be used.
- Egg and egg yolk: both are key to creating a sturdy enriched dough.
- All-purpose flour: makes up half of the flour needed for this recipe. Keeps the rolls light and tender.
- Whole-wheat pastry flour: the other half of the flour. Lighter and finer than regular whole-wheat flour.
- Cornstarch: a common ingredient in cake flour and creates a light and tender crumb.
- Coconut sugar: adds TONS of toasty, maple-like flavor to the filling and frosting.
- Ground cinnamon: a key ingredient in homemade cinnamon rolls!
- Vanilla extract: for the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract.
- Cream cheese: the base of the luscious frosting for these cinnamon rolls.
How to Make Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
The thing about cinnamon rolls—they require patience, not hard work. Here’s an overview of the recipe, with step-by-step photos to guarantee success. Find the full recipe in the recipe card.
- Combine the warm milk, melted butter and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and stir to combine.
- Whisk together the flours, cornstarch and salt. Then add to the wet ingredients and mix, using the dough hook, just until a dough comes together.
- Increase the speed and knead the dough until a smooth, sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let proof until doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle.
- Brush the dough with melted butter, then combine the remaining melted butter with coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log and pinch to seal.
- Cut into 9 equal rolls (use a serrated bread knife or floss for this). Arrange the rolls in a cake pan, cover with a kitchen towel and let proof.
- Brush the top of the rolls with milk and bake.
- Grind some coconut sugar into a powder. Whip the ground sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and salt together in a stand mixer until smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and serve.
Test Kitchen Tips
- If you want to make these 100% whole-wheat cinnamon rolls, go right ahead! Just make sure you use whole-wheat pastry flour. Rolls made with 100% whole-wheat pastry flour will still be nice and fluffy, but they’ll be a bit more dense compared to the recipe as-written.
- Cake flour is key to making tender cakes and it’s simple made of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. So, adding cornstarch to whole-wheat cinnamon roll dough does the same thing. Just a ¼ cup creates rolls that have wonderful structure, hold their shape and are tender!
Storage and Reheating
These whole-wheat cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed the same day they are baked. They are at their best about 20 minutes after baking when they’re still slightly warm and the frosting is melty.
Store leftover cinnamon rolls wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on partial power in the microwave in 30-second increments.
Make Ahead Tips
I love that this dough doesn’t require an overnight rise. But, in the case that you’d would like to prep the dough the night before, you can do this one of two ways.
- One, do the first rise in the fridge overnight. Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
- Or, let the formed rolls rise overnight in the fridge. Follow the recipe as written through the step of forming the rolls and arranging them in the baking pan, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Whichever route you choose, let the dough or the rolls come to room temperature before following the recipe as directed.
Tips For Baking With Yeast
- These cinnamon rolls rely on instant-rise yeast (also labeled rapid rise sometimes) to do the heavy lifting. If you only have active dry yeast, you’ll need to activate it for a few minutes in the warm milk (110ºF) until it’s bubbly.
- Check the best by date printed or stamped on the yeast container/packet. If the date has past, throw the yeast away and buy new. No need to waste time and ingredients only to find your yeast isn’t working as it should.
- Use warm water or milk: when working with yeast it’s important to use warm water or milk—not HOT and not COLD. The ideal temperature is 110ºF, so try to hit within a 5ºF range of that (I use my instant-read thermometer).
Mix Up The Flavors
This recipe is super forgiving. Play around with different spice blends, add some dried fruit or toasted nuts, and get creative with the frosting.
- Sour cream frosting: whisk together ¼ cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or paste) and a pinch of salt.
- Add more spice: add ground nutmeg, cardamom, a pinch of cayenne, cocoa powder, or even espresso powder to the filling for an additional flavor boost.
- Add dried fruit and/or nuts: add finely chopped dried fruit (raisins, dates, dried cranberries) or nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios) to the cinnamon-sugar filling.
Make It A Meal
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Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Description
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Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup (185g) whole milk, warmed (110ºF) + 3 tablespoons for brushing
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (one ¼-ounce package)
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg + 1 yolk, beaten
- 1 ½ cups (187g) unbleached all-purpose
- 1 ½ cups (164g) whole-wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup (36g) cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
- ¾ cup (115g) coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Frosting
- ½ cup (80g) coconut sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
Dough
- Add ¾ cup milk to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment; sprinkle yeast over top. Whisk together 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk; add to bowl with milk and yeast and mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Whisk together 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour, ¼ cup cornstarch and ¾ teaspoon salt; add to bowl with wet ingredients and mix on low until a dough comes together, 1–2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and knead until a smooth, sticky dough comes together, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1½–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, grease a 9-inch round or square cake pan and line with parchment paper; grease parchment paper.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and roll out into a 14×9-inch rectangle; long side parallel to counter’s edge.
- Brush 1 tablespoon melted butter over dough, leaving ¼-inch border on farthest edge.
Filling
- Combine remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter with ¾ cup coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and pinch of salt. Evenly sprinkle filling over dough, leaving a ¼-inch border on farthest edge.
- Using a bench scraper, loosen dough from counter and roll away from you into a tight log; pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam side down and cut into 9 equal; pieces using a serrated knife or floss.
- Reshape rolls as needed. Place one roll in center of prepared cake pan, then place remaining rolls around perimeter of center roll, seam side facing in. (For a square cake pan, arrange rolls in rows.) Cover pan loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise until dough springs back when gently pressed, 45–60 minutes
- Heat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) with rack set in middle position.
- Brush rolls with 3 tablespoons milk and bake until buns are golden brown on edges, 23–25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.
Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip together 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla and pinch salt until smooth. Meanwhile, grind ½ cup coconut sugar into a powder using a spice grinder. Add ground sugar to cream cheese and continue to beat until light and smooth.
- Spread frosting over buns and serve.
I made these over the weekend for brunch and they were incredible – thank you!
These are one of our favorites!!!
The frosting was to die for- sooo good!
WE LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! My kids want cinnamon rolls almost every weekend and this is a perfect fit for my family.
Omg these are amazing!!! My kids love these, and I love that they love them because they’re so much healthier than classic cinnamon rolls.
Thanks for the recipe lady!
Oh yay!! I am so glad you and your kids enjoyed these Miranda!
I loved it! I loved the fact that it’s not your typical super-sweet cinnamon roll, I loved the almost mocha-like frosting that the coconut sugar brings out, and the crunchy exterior and soft interior. They don’t sell whole wheat pastry flour where I lived so I opted for a mix of all-purpose, pastry, and white whole wheat flour and it turned out great. I also made the layers really thin to maximise the cinnamon/coconut sugar flavour in every layer 🙂
Hi Nowa! I’m so glad these turned out well with the mix of AP, pastry and white whole wheat! Thanks for giving the recipe a try and leaving a review. 🙂
Disappointed.. recipes have far too much sugar not enough protein for breakfast items.
Thought i found healthy recipes…..
Hello, I’d like to make these ahead and freeze for Christmas morning. Would you suggest baking them then freezing? Or making through to the shaped and proofed then freeze? Looks like a fabulous recipe! thank you!
Great question, Lola! I would form the rolls and then freeze (don’t proof before freezing).
Here’s what I would do: go all the way through forming the rolls, but instead of proofing and baking them, wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. Then the day before baking, transfer the pan to the refrigerator. The morning of baking, allow the rolls to sit out at room temp and rise until dough springs back when gently pressed, 45–60 minutes (make sure the pan is in a slightly warm area of the kitchen). Then bake as directed.
Let me know how this goes!