If you love fathead dough… you’re in for a real treat! We’re making keto dinner rolls! These keto bread rolls are made with a fathead dough, plus a secret ingredient that gives them an incredible flavor and texture, just like flour-filled dinner rolls. I’ll walk you through this keto roll recipe step-by-step and you’ll have low carb dinner rolls on the table in less than an hour! Serve up these keto fathead rolls with your favorite low carb soup, keto salad, or even keto casseroles. So, have you guessed yet what the secret ingredient is? It’s real yeast! That may be a little uncommon for keto bread recipes, but it gives it the flavor and texture of a classic roll. (Don’t worry, it’s super simple to add.) Readers have been asking me for a low carb bread with yeast for a while now. While this isn’t exactly a loaf, I’m willing to bet these rolls will hit the spot. 😉 And, I think the yeast is exactly what makes this the best keto dinner roll recipe!
What Is Fathead Bread?
Fathead bread is a low carb and keto recipe for bread and dough! The dough is made out of a combination of cheese, cream cheese, eggs, and almond flour. If you haven’t made fathead dough before, that may sound odd, but trust me when I say that it turns into a perfectly textured dough for keto pizza crust, keto bagels, keto soft pretzels, low carb naan bread, and even keto gnocchi, tortillas, and breadsticks (find these last 3 in my cookbook!). This keto dinner rolls yeast recipe really stands out, though, and I’ll even show you how to use yeast in it without needing sugar to proof it.
How To Make Keto Dinner Rolls
Making low carb rolls is a lot like making other fathead dough recipes, but the yeast adds an extra step. It’s still super simple, with just a few bowls, a food processor, and your oven. Here’s how we make keto bread rolls using this method:
Bloom the yeast. Stir together warm water and inulin (don’t be scared off, it’s just a prebiotic fiber we’re using to proof the yeast – instead of sugar!). Add yeast and set aside.
TIP: The yeast is ready when it’s puffy and bubbly – this takes about 10-15 minutes, but you can continue with the next step while you wait.
Start the dough for low carb keto bread rolls. Pulse almond flour, baking powder, and egg in a food processor, until uniform. (See my tips below if you prefer to use coconut flour.)
Make the cheese portion of keto rolls. Combine shredded mozzarella and cream cheese. Heat in the microwave until melted. Stir until smooth and uniform. Finish forming the dough. Once the yeast is ready as shown above, add it to the food processor and pulse. Place the melted cheese into the food processor and process just until combined, as shown below.
TIP: Place the melted cheese over the blade when you add it, before pulsing, which will help it incorporate faster. You’ll want to scrape the sides and bottom a couple times, too.
Chill the dough. I’m sharing more tips for working with the dough for fathead dinner rolls below, but this chilling step is the most important to make the dough less sticky. Form the rolls. Using oiled hands, form the dough into a slightly flattened ball. Cut it into 8 sections, like a pie (shown below) and roll each section into a ball. Place it onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle fathead rolls with sesame seeds. Press the seeds into roll lightly so they stick.
TIP: Feel free to mix up the toppings! Try poppy seeds, everything seasoning, or just a simple egg wash.
Bake. When the keto friendly rolls are golden brown, they are ready to eat!
TIP: If you have patience, their texture will improve and become even more bread-like if you let them cool a bit.
Top Tips For Perfect Fathead Dinner Rolls
Keto fathead bread isn’t hard to make or hard to work with, but I do have some tips to help you out if you’re new to fathead dough:
Use low-moisture mozzarella. This is important for the right texture. Don’t use the white, moist “fresh” mozzarella. Pulse the dough until just combined. If you don’t mix thoroughly, the texture of your keto rolls will be off. If you over-mix, they may be too dense. Chill the dough before forming. This is crucial to make it easy to work with, otherwise it will be too sticky. Use oiled hands to work with the dough. A neutral oil, such as avocado oil, will keep your hands slippery enough to prevent sticking to the dough. Don’t use more almond flour to prevent sticking, that won’t really work like regular flour would. How to make a nut-free version: To make this recipe with coconut flour (which is technically a fruit and not a nut!), replace the 3/4 cup almond flour with 1/3 cup coconut flour and add an additional egg. How to make taller fathead rolls: They come out pretty light and fluffy, but spread a bit, making them shorter than traditional flour rolls. If you want them taller, you could bake them close to each other so that they prevent each other from spreading, but I find it’s a bit harder for them to cook through this way and they are slightly more dense. Up to you! Get ALL my best fathead dough tips in my Easy Keto Cookbook! I have an entire guide to fathead dough in there.
How Many Calories In Keto Dinner Rolls?
Each easy keto dinner roll made with almond flour has 139 calories… and 3 grams net carbs! These numbers will be fairly similar if you make them with coconut flour, but you’ll get fewer rolls with that flour conversion (in the tips above).
How To Store Keto Fathead Rolls
Store this keto dinner rolls recipe in an airtight container in the pantry for a day or two, or for 5-7 days in the fridge. Because they don’t contain any preservatives, if you want to store them for longer than that, they should be frozen.
Can You Freeze Low Carb Dinner Rolls?
Yes, you can freeze these keto dinner rolls. Store them in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. Simply let thaw and warm in the oven if desired.
What To Serve With Keto Rolls
My keto friendly dinner rolls make such a great lunch and dinner side. Here are a few ideas that go well with them:
Deviled Ham Salad – Spread some of this delicious and fresh ham salad onto your keto fathead rolls for the perfect lunch. Chopped Antipasto Salad – For an Italian-style meal, serve this antipasto salad alongside the low carb dinner rolls and some olive oil for dipping. Keto Beef Stew – This hearty classic is a filling and satisfying meal, sop up any extra stew with your keto rolls recipe. Broccoli Cheese Soup – My super easy, super popular recipe for delicious broccoli & cheddar soup! Pair with these keto fathead rolls for a complete meal. Sirloin Steak In The Oven – Steak and rolls are the perfect combo, and this recipe makes it easy. Best Keto Vegetable Soup – One of the most delicious ways to get your vegetables in! I love dipping the low carb dinner rolls into this soup.
Glass Bowls – I use these glass bowls all the time! The set comes with every size I need, and they are nice enough to take right to the table. 14-Cup Food Processor – A food processor is necessary to make these keto fathead rolls, since they use yeast and need the power of the processor to incorporate well. Nonstick Baking Sheets – These are my favorite baking sheets and pans. Nonstick, easy-to-clean, and a great size for low carb dinner rolls!
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