Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 1 hr Rest time: 20 mins Total time: 2 hrs
Makes: 6 large rolls or 8-12 medium rolls
To make this recipe Carnivore: do not use maple syrup
These hearty animal-based dinner rolls are made with ground pork, pork rinds, eggs, milk, ghee, and sea salt and are lightly sweetened with maple syrup.
What you need to make Animal-Based Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:
- Ground pork
- Pork rinds
- Eggs
- Grass-fed ghee (or butter)
- Maple syrup (or raw honey (ASHLEYR for 10% off); Note: I recommend local or Manuka)
- Sea salt (ASHLEYR for 15% off)
Note: to make this recipe carnivore, do not use maple syrup.
Equipment:
- 9×5 bread pan (or properly sized baking dish to fit the rolls; a 9×5 bread pan worked perfectly for 6 large rolls)
- Blender
- Mixing bowl
(for the full recipe, scroll to the bottom)
Substitutions
Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.
Butter can be used in place of ghee.
Pork cracklings can be used in place of pork rinds.
How to make Animal-Based Dinner Rolls
If a visual will help, watch the Instagram Reel for this recipe.
Make the dough.
In your blender, crush the pork rinds to a fine powder. Set the pork rind powder aside.
Melt the ghee on your stovetop.
In your blender, mix the raw ground pork, melted ghee, maple syrup, milk, eggs, and sea salt (ASHLEYR for 15% off) until a smooth paste forms.
Add the paste to a mixing bowl. Fold in the pork rind powder to form a dough. It should be thick and dense.
Note: if you go through tons of salt in your household like we do, check out this salt-purchasing hack that will save you money + make things more efficient. We started this last year, and I’m so happy we did!
Refrigerate the dough.
Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for 20+ minutes to firm up.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Form the dough into rolls.
Remove your dough from the fridge and form the rolls.
I formed each roll and placed them side by side in a 9×5 bread pan, similar to how you see classic dinner rolls being baked. Brush the tops with melted ghee.
Note: these rolls won’t rise much, so you’ll want to form them into the shape you’d like them to end up in post-baking.
Note: for a visual, watch the Instagram Reel for this recipe.
Bake the rolls.
Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The tops should be brown and crispy. The inside should resemble bread, however it will be much more dense and moist and not dry and fluffy like bread. If the inside is gooey like a quiche or thick pudding, the rolls are not done.
Serve and enjoy.
Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes.
These rolls are delicious fresh or straight out of the fridge. If there are leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Tips to make Animal-Based Dinner Rolls
- These rolls won’t rise much, so you’ll want to form them into the shape you’d like them to end up in post-baking.
Other favorite dinner ideas:
Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing
Animal-Based Dinner Rolls
Animal-Based Dinner Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 5 oz pork rinds (pre-ground)
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup grass-fed ghee
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp sea salt (ASHLEYR for 15% off)
Instructions
- If you’re interested solely in the recipe, skip this bullet point and keep on reading. For those interested in sourcing nutrient-dense food, low-toxic household products, and discounts on brands that may support your AB journey, you may find value in my product guides. Head over to this page if you’d like to check them out. All are free (and always will be).
If a visual will help, watch the Instagram Reel for this recipe.
Make the dough.
- In your blender, crush the pork rinds to a fine powder. Set the pork rind powder aside.
- Melt the ghee on your stovetop.
- Add the paste to a mixing bowl. Fold in the pork rind powder to form a dough. It should be thick and dense.
- Note: if you go through tons of salt in your household like we do, check out this salt-purchasing hack that will save you money + make things more efficient. We started this last year, and I'm so happy we did!
Refrigerate the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for 20+ minutes to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Form the dough into rolls.
- Remove your dough from the fridge and form the rolls.
- I formed each roll and placed them side by side in a 9x5 bread pan, similar to how you see classic dinner rolls being baked. Brush the tops with melted ghee.
- Note: these rolls won't rise much, so you'll want to form them into the shape you'd like them to end up in post-baking.
- Note: for a visual, watch the Instagram Reel for this recipe.
Bake the rolls.
- Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The tops should be brown and crispy. The inside should resemble bread, however it will be much more dense and moist and not dry and fluffy like bread. If the inside is gooey like a quiche or thick pudding, the rolls are not done.
Serve and enjoy.
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- These rolls are delicious fresh or straight out of the fridge. If there are leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Other favorite dinner ideas:
Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting me!
Ashley Rothstein develops tasty, whole food, animal-based recipes that include a moderate amount of “minimally toxic” plant foods. To fix her own health issues, she bounced around between the carnivore, keto, and paleo diets for a few years. After experiencing and studying each diet philosophy, she learned she feels her best by merging the three and following an animal-based diet. As a glut at heart, she likes to channel her creativity and create meals that are healthy but also satisfy her inner gluttonous spirits.
I tried this recipe and it was not at all what was pictured. What I ended up with were more like meatballs (still tasty, but not at all bread like). I’m not sure how this recipe could’ve created the bread-like substance in the pictures presented.
I tried leaving a comment before but it wasn’t posted. These pictures are falsely portraying what the recipe will produce. These ‘rolls’ come out much more like meatballs than dinner rolls. Still tasty, but misleading.
Author
Hi Kristi. I am just now getting around to seeing (and approving) both of your comments. I am not sure how the pictures are “falsely portraying what the recipe will produce.” I created the recipe, made it, and photographed the rolls right after making the recipe. I also created a reel (you can watch it here) which is a video of me making the rolls and shows the texture. I am not sure how any of this (pictures or video) is “misleading.” Did you follow the recipe exactly as written? The instructions are specific and sometimes folks miss steps (like refrigeration, for example), which can make a difference.
I’m wondering if I could use ground chicken or turkey instead of the pork? I’m thinking that might be a neutral tasting bread. Or does the fat in the pork play a part in the texture? I’ve been making other meat breads, but with cooked meat. Mostly making muffins, but I am looking for a dinner roll that I can have for Thanksgiving.
Thanks!
Author
Any ground meat will do. I use pork since I also used pork rinds in the recipe, but my carnivore pizza crust uses ground chicken and pork rinds and the taste is great. If using a leaner meat, I’d recommend putting parchment paper down first so the rolls don’t stick to the pan you’re using. I didn’t do this for the trial run of my carnivore pizza crust and the batter stuck to the pan.
Is there anything that could be substituted for the milk to make these dairy free?
Author
Water or bone broth would work fine.