While cinnamon rolls are a perfect breakfast or a dessert, having savory alternatives makes a traditional cinnamon roll a perfect pairing for lunch or dinner.

My family has been on a cinnamon roll kick lately. At least once a week for the last several weeks, we’ve made cinnamon rolls or cinnamon rolls with alternative fillings. While I was making the dough, I decided to make several extra batches and see what savory alternatives I could make that we would enjoy.

I use the sourdough cinnamon roll dough recipe from Farmhouse on Boone when I make cinnamon rolls or these savory alternatives, but you can use whatever cinnamon roll dough recipe you prefer! Read on for some questions about these savory rolls!

What herbs go best in garlic savory rolls?

Some herbs that go well with garlic are basil, oregano, parsley, and dill. You can use an assortment of herbs. Sometimes it takes experimenting to find combinations you like. Our family loves rosemary and thyme together.

What herbs go with cheddar cheese?

Herbs that go with cheddar cheese include rosemary, thyme, dill, or chives.

How to Make Savory Alternatives to Cinnamon Roll Filling:

Garlic Rosemary Rolls

These garlic rosemary rolls were inspired by the idea of garlic knots. We love garlic in our household and usually measure it with our hearts and not a spoon. The garlic flavor paired well with the butter and rosemary and made it feel like an elevated garlic knot. It would taste great if topped with parmesan cheese too!

In a bowl, I softened one stick of butter and added 2 tbsps of garlic powder and 1 tbsp of rosemary with ½ tbsp of salt. I spread it on the cinnamon roll dough and baked it as directed in the original recipe.

We loved these and I think they would be a great addition to an Italian dish. Any variation or combination of herbs would just add to the specialty of the dish!

Cheddar Chive Rolls

These cheddar chive rolls were the surprise winner of our savory alternative to the traditional cinnamon roll filling experiment. Like I said, we love garlic and the garlic rosemary was really good, but these were so different from what we are used to and they were so good.

Cheddar cheese is a staple in our house for all sorts of dishes so I had a block on hand that I was able to grate. It was white cheddar though so at first I thought the dough was underbaked but it wasn’t, it was just melted white. Yellow cheddar will have a different appearance but the same overall taste. We wouldn’t change anything about this recipe even though you can change up the herbs if you would like.

I just mixed ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, 4 tbsp dried chives, and ½ tbsp of salt in a bowl and spread it out evenly over the cinnamon dough roll. Then I baked it according to the directions and we enjoyed them within a few minutes of them coming out of the oven.

We loved these savory alternative fillings and will make them for ourselves and guests in the future. Have you ever made cinnamon rolls with a savory filling instead of the traditional ones? Let us know in the comments below!