This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes combine fluffy pancakes with a gooey cinnamon sugar swirl and sweet cream cheese glaze for the ultimate breakfast treat!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
I first discovered these delicious Cinnamon Roll Pancakes at Snooze, a fun breakfast spot we visited while traveling. I couldn’t stop thinking about them after I got home, so of course I had to figure out how to make my own version!
These Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are the best of two breakfast favorites combined into one. You get a light and fluffy pancake with a buttery cinnamon sugar swirl running through it, all topped with a sweet cream cheese glaze. It really does taste like a cinnamon roll in pancake form!
I used my all time favorite Buttermilk Pancakes to create these amazing pancakes. The cinnamon swirl and cream cheese glaze that turn an ordinary stack of pancakes into something pretty amazing.
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs
- Buttermilk. See tip box below if you need to make your own buttermilk.
- Canola oil
- Flour. I use unbleached all purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
How To Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- To make your pancake batter, whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Mix your wet ingredients together in another bowl.
- Pour wet ingredients mixture into dry ingredients. Mixing them in separate bowls helps prevent overmixing the batter. Over stirring makes for a tough not fluffy pancake.
- Don’t worry if you have some lumps in your batter. Again, don’t over stir! Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix together cinnamon filling ingredients: melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Put filling into a quart size heavy zip baggie and set aside.
- For cream cheese glaze, heat butter in a small pan on low until melted.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese until almost smooth.
- Sift in the powdered sugar, stir and then add in vanilla extract.
- Coat a large nonstick skillet or electric skillet with non stick spray.
- Scoop batter onto griddle (approx. 1/3 C of batter) and cook over medium low heat until pancakes begin to set and bubbles form.
- Snip corner of baggie with cinnamon filling and swirl the filling onto the top of the pancake, starting at center and move outwards. Don’t get too close to the outside edge of pancake.
- Flip pancake when bubbles on the edge of the pancake begin to pop.
- Cook until pancake is set.
- Remove pancake from griddle and drizzle with cream cheese glaze.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Don’t make the cinnamon mixture too far ahead. You want it thick enough to pipe onto the pancake but still soft enough to squeeze easily from the bag. If it gets too thick, warm it slightly.
- Use a squeeze bottle or zippered plastic bag. Transfer the cinnamon mixture to a squeeze bottle or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off. This makes it easy to create that cinnamon roll swirl.
- Wait before adding the swirl. Pour your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and let it cook until bubbles begin to form before piping on the cinnamon mixture. This helps keep the swirl in place.
- Don’t swirl all the way to the edge. Leave a little space around the outside of the pancake so the cinnamon mixture doesn’t run out onto the griddle.
- Keep the heat at medium to medium-low. The sugar in the cinnamon swirl can burn more easily than regular pancake batter, so avoid getting your griddle too hot.
- Clean the griddle between batches. Some of the cinnamon sugar may escape from the pancakes and caramelize on the griddle. Carefully wipe it away before adding your next batch so it doesn’t burn.
- When you flip right side up you will see that the cinnamon mixture will have formed a crater in your pancake. Don’t panic, this is how it is supposed to look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a pancake mix for cinnamon roll pancakes?
Absolutely. You can use your favorite pancake mix or your favorite homemade pancake recipe. The cinnamon sugar swirl and cream cheese glaze are what give these pancakes their cinnamon roll flavor.
Why is my cinnamon swirl running out of my pancake?
Make sure you leave a border around the outside of the pancake when adding the cinnamon mixture. You also want to wait until the pancake has cooked for a minute or two and bubbles are beginning to form before adding the swirl.
Can I make the cream cheese glaze ahead of time?
Yes. Store the glaze covered in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before serving. If necessary, warm it slightly so it is easy to drizzle.
If you love cinnamon rolls and pancakes, there’s really no need to choose between the two! These Cinnamon Roll Pancakes give you fluffy pancakes, a gooey cinnamon sugar swirl and plenty of cream cheese glaze in every bite. They’re a fun way to make an ordinary breakfast feel extra special and are perfect for a weekend breakfast, holiday morning or brunch with family and friends.
Check out more of my favorite breakfast recipes:
Cinnamon Roll Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 2 eggs large
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 6 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Cinnamon Filling
- 1/4 cup butter, salted melted but don’t allow to boil
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1/4 cup butter, salted
- 2 oz. cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Cinnamon Filling
- Mix together melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put filling into a quart size heavy zip baggie and set aside while you make the pancakes.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- In a small pan heat the butter on low until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese until almost smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, stir and then add in vanilla extract.
Pancakes
- In a large bowl, combine liquid ingredients.
- In another bowl, combine dry ingredients and make a well in the middle.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined. It's ok if batter is lumpy. Let batter rest 10 minutes.
- Use a large nonstick skillet or electric skillet to cook pancakes. Coat with non stick spray. Preheat to about 350 degrees F.
- Scoop batter onto griddle (approx. 1/3 C of batter. Cook over medium low heat.
- Snip corner of baggie with cinnamon filling and when pancakes begin to form bubbles, add the filling. Start at center and move outwards. Don’t get too close to the outside edge of pancake.
- When bubbles on pancake begin to pop flip the pancake. Cook until done.
- When you flip right side up you will see that the cinnamon mixture will have formed a crater in your pancake.
- Drizzle with cream cheese glaze and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t make the cinnamon mixture too far ahead. You want it thick enough to pipe onto the pancake but still soft enough to squeeze easily from the bag. If it gets too thick, warm it slightly.
- Use a squeeze bottle or zippered plastic bag. Transfer the cinnamon mixture to a squeeze bottle or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off. This makes it easy to create that cinnamon roll swirl.
- Wait before adding the swirl. Pour your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and let it cook until bubbles begin to form before piping on the cinnamon mixture. This helps keep the swirl in place.
- Don’t swirl all the way to the edge. Leave a little space around the outside of the pancake so the cinnamon mixture doesn’t run out onto the griddle.
- Keep the heat at medium to medium-low. The sugar in the cinnamon swirl can burn more easily than regular pancake batter, so avoid getting your griddle too hot.
- Clean the griddle between batches. Some of the cinnamon sugar may escape from the pancakes and caramelize on the griddle. Carefully wipe it away before adding your next batch so it doesn’t burn.
- When you flip right side up you will see that the cinnamon mixture will have formed a crater in your pancake. Don’t panic, this is how it is supposed to look.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Facts:
Kathryn says
Holy CRAP!! These are GOOOD!!!
Erin says
I wanted to love these and the taste is there (I used 1t. cinnamon in the swirl for more flavor). My swirls were a mess and didn’t turn out. The swirl batter seemed like it had WAY too much butter and needed something to bind the liquids together. They were made as stated in the recipe and they just absorbed and became a candy substance. Thoughts on how to improve the swirl are welcome, because the taste and consistency of the buttermilk pancakes were 10 stars.