Fluffy bread rolls that are keto, low carb, and gluten free. These savory soft rolls can be eaten by themselves or used for sliders and sandwiches.
These bread rolls start with a variation on the popular Fathead dough recipe. But instead of making a pizza, breadsticks or bagels, I turned the dough into these fluffy bread rolls.
What is Fathead Dough?
Fathead dough is a low carb/keto dough that is made out of cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs and a flour substitute. It started out as a pizza crust recipe published by Tom Naughton while he was creating the movie Fat Head. The recipe became an internet viral sensation and has since been adapted and modified for recipes beyond pizza crust, such as breadsticks, garlic bread rolls and bagels.
Texture of the Bread Rolls
This bread does not taste exactly like regular yeast bread. Keep in mind it is a bread made almost entirely out of cheese and almond flour. However, it is fluffy like bread rolls and it is sturdy enough to be used for sandwiches and sliders.
Ingredients for Keto Bread Rolls
There are only a handful of ingredients for this recipe and each of them is important to the final product.
Cream Cheese
Use a full-fat cream cheese. The cream cheese melts with the mozzarella and helps to create a spreadable, elastic dough.
Mozzarella Cheese
Use a low moisture part skim mozzarella. This will prevent the dough from being too wet. It’s also best to use part skim because there is already a lot of fat going into this recipe and you don’t want the rolls to be oily.
Almond Flour
Use super fine almond flour. The super fine texture mimics regular flour better and will prevent any grittiness.
Coconut Flour
This recipe uses a combination of coconut flour and almond flour to replace regular wheat flour. Each one works differently so do not substitute one for the other. Coconut flour is highly absorbent. The few tablespoons added to this recipe will prevent the dough from being too wet and will also give the rolls a fluffier texture.
Baking Powder
Use an aluminum free baking powder. The recipe does use a little more baking powder than I normally use to help the bread rise. You should not taste the baking powder though and using aluminum free will help make ensure that.
Eggs
The eggs act as the binding agent and create the structure for the bread.
How to Make Keto Bread Rolls Dough
- First, the cheeses are melted together. The appearance will look like a dough.
- The cheese dough is then blended with the eggs, flours and baking powder. The best method for blending the dough is with a food processor. It is quick, easy and produces a very uniform and smooth dough. You can also roll the dough by hand or with a mixer but it will take more effort and time.
- The dough is then divided into 8 equal parts and rolled out into smooth balls.
Adding an Egg Wash Finish
Before the rolls go in to bake, I added an egg wash finish. The egg wash finish helps the exterior of the breads develop more color and gives them a little sheen.
Reheating Tips for the Bread Rolls
These bread rolls should be eaten hot. When they cool down, the cheese condenses and the rolls become hard. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave, toaster oven or oven.
Topping Ideas
I left the bread rolls plain other than the egg wash finish. However, you can also add toppings like sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, parmesan cheese. You can also brush the tops with melted butter right before serving.
Keto Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups part skim low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 oz full fat cream cheese
- 1 1/3 cups super fine almond flour*
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp aluminum free double acting baking powder
- 3 large eggs one egg is reserved for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Add mozzarella and cream cheese to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover the cream cheese with mozzarella (this will prevent the cream cheese from overheating and making a mess in your microwave). Melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals. After each 30 seconds, stir cheese until cheese is completely melted and uniform and resembles a dough in appearance (see photo for reference). This should only take around 1 minute total cooking time. Do not try to microwave the full time at once because some of the cheese will overcook. You can also melt the cheeses over the stove in a double boiler.
- Allow cheese dough to cool slightly (only a few minutes) so that it is still warm to the touch but not too hot. If the cheese is too hot it will cook the eggs. But don't let the cheese cool down completely because then it will turn hard and you will not be able to blend it with the other dough ingredients.
- Add cheese, 2 eggs (remember the third egg is for the egg wash finish at the end only), and almond flour mixture into a food processor with dough blade attachment. Pulse on high speed until the dough is uniform. The dough will be quite sticky, which is normal.
- Scoop out dough with a spatula and place onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and knead a few times with the dough inside the plastic wrap until you have a uniform dough ball. Lightly coat your hands with oil and divide dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each dough between your palms until it forms a smooth round ball. Place dough balls onto baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
- Add the final egg to a small bowl and whisk. Generously brush the surface of rolls with egg wash.
- Bake rolls for about 21-23 minutes in the middle rack of your oven, or until rolls are golden brown. Rolls are best eaten hot.
Notes
- These bread rolls should be eaten hot. When they cool down, the cheese condenses and the rolls become hard. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave, toaster oven or oven.
- *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Looking forward to recipes.
These came out delish! I didn’t use a food processor just my hands to mix and knead. I’m sharing this recipe with my Keto Krew!
So glad you enjoyed!
The instructions above are so thorough, it’s very difficult to screw up! Turned out great, and so yummy. A great addition to a meat and veg meal.
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Can I freeze these to whip out at short notice later on?
I have not tried, but I think they should freeze well
I would like to know if you did freeze them and how they turned out.
Has anyone tried freezing? I’d like to try these for Thanksgiving but time is at a premium that day…
Very good recipe. Easy to make. Follow the techniques given in the recipe and you will get great results as mentioned. It really gives me a good replacement for a bread. I plan to try it as a loaf. Thanks kirbycravings.
I’m glad you liked the recipe!
PS – ? I used 1- 8oz bag of Kraft Creamy Melt part skim low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese (It has already been correctly mixed for the first two ingredients) .
Woot! Made these to go with my Keto Clam Chowder & they were perfect! Will definately be making these again!
So glad you enjoyed!
This is by far the best ketto buns that I have made, texture and all! My family loved them so much that made them into bigger buns, cooked them for 30 minutes and used them for Hamburgers. They were amazing!
So glad your family enjoyed these!
Very delicious! I’ll make these again for sure! I made it with whatever cheese I had…like tex mex mix and it is amazing. Thank you!
I’m glad you liked it!
What happens if I use aluminum containing baking soda?
do you mean baking powder? Because the recipe needs baking powder, not baking soda. You want to stick to aluminum free because this recipe uses a higher amount of baking powder than usual and if you use one containing aluminum, the bread rolls may have an aluminum aftertaste.
These are, by far, the best fathead dough rolls I’ve ever made. They are light and fluffy, and reheat beautifully in the micro. Used them for sliders. This is my new go-to for all things fathead.
So glad you like them!
Made this today….very delicious. Soft and fluffy. Smelled so good baking. I made a BLT sandwich out of this……
so glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe!
Can you reserve half the dough after you make it in the refrigerator and make the rules the next day?
No, it’s best to make all the bread at once. The dough is only malleable while the cheese is still melted. These reheat well, so you can bake them all and then store the remaining in fridge or freezer.
Easy and Quick and Tasty
So happy you liked it!
Can you taste the cream cheese
no
Thank you Kirbie! Love this recipe! ?
So glad you love the recipe!
Game changer!! Perfect recipe – I followed it exactly and I appreciated your explanations and descriptions. Man, these are delicious!!! I want to test the dough for cinnamon rolls and other Keto goodies now. I’m ready to experiment now that I have the perfect dough to work with. Thanks!
I’m so happy you tried and enjoyed this recipe!
Can I make this into a loaf? Any idea on baking time? Thank you, I am really excited to try this.
The bread doesn’t rise as much as regular yeast bread so if you make it as a loaf, it will be a fairly flat loaf.
Absolutely easy and delicious roll! Cant wait to have for sliders! My not a keto husband even had one and he didn’t know it was low carb!
That’s so great to hear!
Bless you, bless you, bless you! These turned out fantastic and toast up beautifully. I couldn’t do this with out great recipes like this one. Thank you!
I’m happy this worked out for you!
Thank you so much for this! I will try this real soon. Does the bread harden if not eaten soon after baking?
It won’t turn hard but it won’t be as soft once the bread is fully cooled. You can always reheat.
Is it really 1.5 tbsp of baking powder?
yes
Awesome rolls. I used chive and onion cream cheese wich gave it a subtle flaor twist which was delicious. I didn’t have aluminum free baking powder so I used what I had and there was no after taste.
Will definitely make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Love the idea of chive and onion cream cheese
These look amazing! Cant wait to try it out. Do you think this will work as a pasta recipe?
I don’t think this dough will work for a pasta recipe but i have shared several keto pasta recipes: https://kirbiecravings.com/2-ingredient-keto-pasta/
https://kirbiecravings.com/keto-low-carb-skillet-lasagna/
https://kirbiecravings.com/low-carb-keto-lasagna/
Do you have to use coconut flour, or can you go without?
You definitely need the coconut flour. The coconut flour absorbs all the moisture and will make the rolls fluffy.
Do you have to add coconut flour? My husband has an allergy to coconut. Can it just be almond flour?
The rolls don’t rise that much since they are made mainly from cheese. I found the coconut flour really helps make them more puffy and fluffy. I have not tried only using almond flour. The amount you would need to add would be different and without testing it myself, I don’t know how much you would need.
Is it okay to use shredded cheddar instead?
the dough needs mozzarella
I used your basic recipe, then added Old Bay seasoning, minced garlic, garlic salt & onion powder into the dough. The result was a wonderfully cheesy, savory biscuit! They turned out light, moist & crumbly, just like a true biscuit would be. They reminded me of the cheddar biscuits served at Red Lobster restaurants. My hubby, who isn’t keto, said he gives them a buttery thumbs up. He said it would have been 2 thumbs up except the other one was too busy holding a biscuit while he ate it.
I’m happy you and your husband liked them so much!
Has anyone tried making these without the mozzarella? I can get almond cream cheese but can’t have dairy or soya or coconut, so the mozzarella is impossible for me. I generally use white rice flour as a substitute for coconut as I’ve that many allergies, I NEED to. Thanks in advance 🙂
This recipe is delicious, my husband (who isn’t eating strictly keto) at 2 1/2 of these. Although they were yummy the flattened out in the oven. They turned out to be like flat biscuits almost. I followed the recipe exactly any idea what went wrong?
did you add the full amount of baking powder? It’s tbsp, not tsp
This is my absolute favorite keto roll recipe yet. So soft and nice, even the next day. The first time I made them I had to under bake them because I had to leave the house and they still had 4 or 5 minutes to go to get them the color of the picture. They were barely browned on the very tip and mostly still white-ish. The were SO soft and delicious, even the next day. Closest thing to bread I’ve had. I did not do an egg wash the first time. I just made them again and cooked them the full time. I think I liked them even better under-cooked. I also did an egg wash this time and it was pretty, but when I bit into the roll, I tasted that dreaded “eggy” flavor that most keto breads have, so I will not do an egg wash again. I see these becoming a staple in my diet. I’m making ham and cheese sliders with them now!
I’m glad you enjoyed the bread rolls!
Going in knowing they were not going to be like soft yeast rolls – we were shocked on how good they turned out! I used them to make Cuban Pork sliders and they worked! My son ate 4 of them! I am going to have double the recipe next time! Great recipe – thanks for sharing!
I’m glad the recipe worked out for you!
Oh my goodness! THESE ARE THE BEST. I thought I was actually eating real bread. So yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Wonderful rolls! My son who is on Keto was really missing a dinner roll. This was his answer to prayer!!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed!
I made this tonight and they were delicious! Thank you! I am an avid baker. While I still cook with various flours for others, I have not experimented much with almond or coconut flour for my low carb diet. What I did differently was to use a whisk to vigorously mix the eggs and cheese blend together until smooth. After that, I put the mixture into my stand mixer w/the dough attachment, and added the dry mixture. I beat it on high for a few minutes. I did not turn on the oven until I was done shaping them into rolls and placing them on the baking sheet. I let the shaped balls rest. I do this with scones – let them rest for awhile prior to baking. It allows the baking soda to “get to work”. The result – very fluffy rolls, No egg wash needed (because you oil your hands to shape them, which already adds a sheen). It’s been 4 hours and these have not hardened at all. I have one on the counter, and 2 more in the refrigerator. I’m interested in seeing the texture tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing your experience and method!
How would I adapt this to make Burger buns?
the breads do not rise enough to make full sized burger buns and I don’t recommend trying to make them bigger. You can make sliders. Or you can use one of my other keto bread recipes for burger buns. https://kirbiecravings.com/carb-free-cloud-bread/ https://kirbiecravings.com/cauliflower-bread-buns/