Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are fluffy pancakes that are swirled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture then drizzled with a sweet cream cheese frosting. They can be ready in less than 30 minutes and are perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat!
Every Saturday at my house has been dubbed Pancake Saturday. Our breakfasts during the week are usually pretty quick and healthy, just something easy to get a jumpstart on our day. But on the weekends we splurge on pancakes and more time spent together.
These Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes make their way on the menu very often! They are so delicious, indulgent, and, honestly, fun to make. I have no doubt in my mind that if you make these once you will be making them again and again. This S'mores Stuffed French Toast is just an indulgent and delicious.
If you're looking for more delicious breakfast recipes check out these Strawberry Scones, Blueberry Baked Donuts, or Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe combines two delicious classic breakfast recipes, cinnamon rolls and pancakes. If you're looking to just make cinnamon rolls check out my Caramel Cinnamon Rolls.
- A cinnamon roll pancake is a decadent and a fun breakfast or brunch treat.
- The cinnamon swirl in the pancakes is visually appealing. Just like this Dutch Baby!
- It is a fun twist on pancakes that will impress anyone. You don't need Cheesecake Factory, Ihop, or Denny's!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Brown Sugar will sweeten the cinnamon sugar mixture and bring it together.
- Ground Cinnamon will add the cinnamon roll flavor to our cinnamon roll pancakes. It plays the same roll in my Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes.
- The cream cheese needs to be very soft in order to create smooth icing.
- Buttermilk will bring our batter together and add flavor to the pancakes. I also use buttermilk in my Blueberry Goat Cheese Scones.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Milk or plant based milk can be used in place of the buttermilk.
- You can add more liquid to the icing to make it more like a glaze. Like the glaze on this Maple Coffee Cake.
- Use a smaller scoop to make mini cinnamon swirl pancakes.
- Add chocolate chips to add some richness to the pancakes.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: In a small bowl combine the melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk until fully combined and thick. If the butter is too warm it will be liquidy and separate from the sugar. If this happens let it cool in the fridge for a few minutes. I use the same type of filling in my Cinnamon Roll Pop Tarts.
STEP 2: In a small bowl combine the softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined and no lumps remain. Set aside.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder until fully combined.
STEP 4: In a small bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir into the dry mixture until fully combined. There will be some lumps.
STEP 5: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. There will be some lumps.
STEP 7: When bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancake use a spatula to flip the pancake.
STEP 8: When cooked to your liking place the cinnamon roll pancakes on a plate and top with cream cheese icing. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately.
Expert Baking Tips
- Weigh your ingredients. One of the most common baking mistakes that I see is measuring incorrectly, especially with flour. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
- Don't overmix. You need to mix your batter until all of the ingredients are JUST combined, otherwise, you will make too much gluten and your pancakes will be tough instead of fluffy.
- Piping the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you want to pipe the cinnamon sugar swirl onto the pancakes then transfer the mixture to a plastic bag and cut one of the corners off. If you don't want to use a plastic bag, then you can just spoon the mixture onto the pancakes.
- Use a measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter. I use a ¼ measuring cup to ensure that my pancakes in this cinnamon roll pancakes recipe are all the same size.
Recipe FAQ's
That's up to you! I prefer using avocado oil spray or butter. Butter adds more flavor but is more calorie dense than oil.
Your Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are probably tough because they are over mixed. You shouldn't mix the batter until the lumps are gone because it creates too much gluten.
Room Temperature: The pancakes are best eaten while still hot off of the griddle but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: If stored correctly in an airtight container they will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter melted and cooled
- 6 tablespoons (80 grams) brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
For Cream Cheese Icing:
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter softened
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup (85 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Pancakes:
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large (100 grams) eggs
- 2 ⅓ cup (560 grams) buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- In a small bowl combine the melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Whisk until fully combined and thick.
For Cream Cheese Icing:
- In a small bowl combine the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Whisk until fully combined and there are no lumps of powdered sugar.
For Pancakes:
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, until fully combined.
- In a small bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients until fully combined. There will still be some lumps.
- Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat. Use butter or non-stick spray to grease the pan.
- If you want to pipe the cinnamon sugar swirl onto pancakes, then put the filling in a plastic bag with the corner cut off. You can also use a spoon to do this
- When the pan is hot add ¼ cup of batter to the pan. Using a plastic bag or a spoon, add a swirl of the filling.
- When bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancakes use a spatula to flip the pancake.
- When cooked to your liking, place on plate and top with cream cheese icing. Repeat with remaining pancakes.
Notes
- Don't overmix. You need to mix your batter until all of the ingredients are JUST combined, otherwise, you will make too much gluten and your pancakes will be tough instead of fluffy.
- Piping the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you want to pipe the cinnamon sugar swirl onto the pancakes then transfer the mixture to a plastic bag and cut one of the corners off. If you don't want to use a plastic bag, then you can just spoon the mixture onto the pancakes.
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Melissa says
My son said that these were the best pancakes and that I should make them my regular recipe. They were surprisingly light for how much flavor was packed in them!
Ellie Haley says
I love this! I'm so happy you enjoyed them
Anonymous says
Love this recipe! Great instructions. It is definitely a keeper.
Ellie Haley says
Love hearing this!
Genieva says
Just made these today for a fun brunch. My son prefers with syrup, my daughter likes them without syrup and I love them either way. The crispness of the cinnamon sugar swirl is the best part. Talk about cracking the code on crispy edges. You’ve found a way to make the whole pancake crispy. Thank you!!
Ellie Haley says
Yay! I'm glad they were a hit!
Anonymous says
Tasty, but I struggled when the cinnamon mixture ran all over the pan after flipping them. Lots of burnt sugar on the pan then! Not quite as fluffy and delicious as the ones from our local diner, but I’ll keep trying.
Ellie Haley says
That part can be a struggle! If it gets to be too much sometimes I'll wipe out the pan with a paper towel before moving on to the next pancake. I hope your next try is more successful!
BT says
Wow, you even weigh the eggs!! I will explore your site now looking for great cookie recipes. I'm sure the fact that my cookies are terrible is because i use xl or jumbo eggs. I will try this C.R. pancake recipe this x-mas 2023.
Jennifer says
Loved these so much! I made Them for my husband for father’s day. He ate about 5 by himself!
Jocelyn Meusel says
I just made these for the first time and Absolutely lOved them! Super simple recipe and so dElicious. Will definitely make again!
Naseem Attaran says
These cinnamon roll pancakes were delicious! Such an easy recipe for a monday morning back at work, but also fancy for a brunch over the weekend. Will definitely be making these again soon. By far the best recipe I've found for them and devoured by the whole family!
Candice Gilmore says
made these cinnamon roll pancakes for my family and we were all in heaven. super easy for a from scratch recipe and i didnt have baking soda so they were a bit flatter but still so yummy!
Joe says
My wife and i have 4 young sons. I made tHese cinnamon roll pancakes for a birthDay breakfast this morning. Everyone absolutely loved them! Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Kaleena Martinez says
these are beyond amazing! My husband said they are they best pancakes he has ever had!
Jaclyn Boyd says
Tried these and no matter what I did the butter and brown sugar wouldn't combine and were not squeezable out of a bag so I just put like little lumps into the pancake it worked well!
Ellie Haley says
Was the butter warm at all when you combined them? This is usually the reason. I place mine in the fridge or freezer to cool it down and then it combines well.
Carol Stobart says
Boy these were a hit. My husband loved them. I didn't make the icing because I was in a complete hurry as he was basically sitting at the table with an empty plate and a napkin tucked in his shirt. Well that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not really. I will be making these again including the icing.
Ellie Haley says
Yay!! These are a big hit with my husband as well!
Rosie says
Love the sound of cinnamon roll pancakes, these look so delicious!
Ellie Haley says
Thank you! They are so good!