The best way to celebrate on a weekend morning is to make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes! These fluffy, perfect pancakes are swirled with a cinnamon- sugar mixture and topped with a cream cheese drizzle. They’re awesome!!!
Watch the short video showing you how to make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make them at home.
National Pancake Day
If you’ve ever thought you needed a reason to eat pancakes, today is the day: National Pancake Day!
Eat a short stack for breakfast, enjoy them for lunch, or make a dinner out a manhole-sized pancake… guilt free… because you’re merely celebrating their existence.
How do you like your pancakes? Buttermilk? Sweet Potato?
Whole Grain? Fruit topped? Whipped Cream?
What are the best pancakes?
I don’t usually care for any of that fancy stuff, but I can tell with absolute certainty that over-cooked, crusty pancakes have no place in my world. I like my pancakes fluffy.
And sometimes I like slices of banana cooked inside. A good dose of real maple syrup is what I prefer to drizzle on top.
But recently I started dreaming about mixing cinnamon rolls and pancakes together… and this is what I came up with- my new favorite pancake: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. Here are some tips for how to be successful with these!
How do you make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes?
When you make cinnamon roll pancakes, it’s not much more difficult than making regular pancakes, but it’s a little more messy because of the cinnamon swirl. Follow the tips below, and you’ll have some great pancakes. NOTE: these take a little practice to get just right!
Tips explained:
- use a nonstick skillet or griddle: these are sticky, so if you can do anything to help prevent extreme stickiness then do it!
- use a thin metal spatula for flipping: because they’re a bit precarious, a thin spatula will work best.
- use an ice cream scoop for the batter: this just makes it easier to measure so they’re all similarly sized.
- allow pancake to cook and form bubbles before adding swirl: you don’t want the swirl to have time to melt into the batter, so adding it at the last minute will help it stay intact.
- the cinnamon swirl must be thick: thin swirl will run all over the place.
- don’t get the swirl too close to the edge of the pancake- see photo above!
- flip the pancake smoothly and quickly: so the swirl will stay in place!
- wipe pan between pancakes: or the sugar in the pan may burn.
I have a wonderfully fluffy pancake batter that I like to use (recipe below) so I swirl a bit of cinnamon roll filling into the pancake.
And they cook up just like a pancake- fluffy, but with craters of crusty, sugary cinnamon swirled within.
You might find three of these stacked in a fancy breakfast restaurant, but I’m gonna tell you that one pancake is all you need.
It’s like eating a cinnamon roll, and no one needs more than one cinnamon roll for breakfast. Or certainly no more than two 😉
See, just like a cinnamon roll. Love this. I can eat this pancake just as you see it, but you really need to add the glaze to get the full cinnamon roll-effect. Read on…
Oh yeah. A warmed cream cheese glaze drizzled on top really completes this pancake. No syrup needed.
Let me say that again: No. Syrup. Needed.
There you have it: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with lots of ooey, gooey cream cheese glaze drizzled on top.
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a pancake today. Go get ’em.
These babies are just like eating a cinnamon roll, which is a perfectly okay… once in a while, right?
I mean, it’s not like I put chocolate chip cookie dough in them or anything. Hmmmm.
If you’re coming here to sample these delicious Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, you just might like the latest recipe that I’ve posted for Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes too.
And if you just love pancakes in general, you must try The Best Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes and Peanut Butter- Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Recipe Details
Ingredients
CINNAMON FILLING:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
- 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
PANCAKES:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
PREPARE CINNAMON FILLING:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie and set it aside (see *Tips below).
PREPARE GLAZE:
- In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.
PREPARE PANCAKE BATTER:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
COOK THE PANCAKES:
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or ⅓ cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.
Video
Notes
TIPS:
- *Quick and easy tip: Use a boxed pancake mix as the base for this recipe.
- *Tips for the cinnamon filling: Before swirling, open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated from the sugar. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of a tube of toothpaste, which will happen if you leave it at room temperature for several minutes. Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny to make a solid swirl.
- *Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
- *I wrote a very detailed post on how to get the cinnamon filling *just right* on my Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Post. Check it out before you attempt these!
- *If you're trying to justify your intake of decadent cinnamon rolls, you can make this a tad bit healthier by using half whole-wheat flour and low fat cream cheese, or enjoy the pancakes without glaze.
You may want to amend this–you shouldn’t ever use metal utensils on nonstick pans. It breaks off the nonstick and will ruin your pans and cause flecks of the nonstick to end up in your food.
I think it’s okay with a thin metal spatula. Just be careful to slide it underneath the pancake. There is nothing that’s going to scratch the surface.
Just made these, they were delicious!!! I put my bag’o’cinnamon goodness in the fridge for a couple of minutes to get it thick quicker. Even my teenage son loved them and he hates pancakes (I know, I don’t know how he survives in this world without them either!).
Oh my goodness! I just made these, and they are OVER THE TOP!!!
This recipe stinks, ever time I needed to flip (top of pancake covered in bubbles) the cinnamon glaze ripped the pancake wherever it was creating a mess of pancake batter and cinnamon on my pan.
NOT SUCCESSFUL
Sorry it didn’t work out for you- it can definitely be tricky!
wow this recipe is SO good!
It’s so creative a delish.
Perfect smooth pancakes.
Ok…just had to add to my earlier comment, when my hubby ate these he said “I think thats the best thing I ever put in my mouth” LOL I took one to church to share with a friend and she about went into convulsions haha! Huge hit!
I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and I can’t eat sugar. When I saw these I knew I had to convert them into something I could eat. I used gluten free pancake mix, vegan butter, and swerve (sugar replacement) to make these, and they were teh best pancakes I’ve had since I was a kid. Next time I’ll get some dairy-free cream cheese for the topping. yum!
So happy to hear that you made it work!
Well may I just say…HOLY PANCAKE! LOL What an amazing recipe…thank you! I had to double the swirl part however…my family of 5 devoured the 1st batch. Thanks Again! I am now following you on pinterest, cant wait to try some more recipes 🙂
Gina
South Pittsburg, TN
Holy amazing. I have no interest in cinnamon buns but THESE are amazing! Thank you–we are having a snow day here in New England, so these are officially our Snow Day Pancakes! (Gingerbread is next…)
Mmmmmmm!!! I can’t wait to try them! They look wonderful!
Just found this on pinterest. My kids loved these and want them every weekend. Even my picky 7 yr. old ate four by himself. My cinnamon swirl wasn’t as thick as yours even once I was on my last pancake. Wondering if next time cutting the butter down some or refrigerating it for a bit would help. It’s less than 20 degrees outside here and my kitchen wasn’t very warm for it not to thicken properly. Not sure what I was doing wrong. I would understand it not working in the summer months. LOL thanks again regardless they were yummy!
These were amazing!!! Thought the cream cheese glaze was a little too strong and will probably leave out the cream cheese next time, but the pancakes were delicious!
Just made these for myself and my daughter. We both LOVE them. I will never make regular pancakes again. I’m not a huge pancake fan at all. I usually can only eat my husbands but I have found a pancake mix I can make myself so I made it and use the cinn. Swirl glaze and they were awesome!! My swirl mix was a little thin but not too bad and they still tasted yummy!! My daughter loves them too. I will be making these tomorrow morning for all three munchkins.
I made these pancakes last night for me & my roommates and we all LOVED them. They were so freaking delicious. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I will definitely be making these again in the future 🙂
Made these and they were amazing! The only thing I did wrong was snip my bag a little too big so I didn’t get very much “swirl” but I’ll know next time! Thank you for such a yummy recipe 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this DECADENT, DELICIOUS, SOUL-WARMING recipe! I just made them for breakfast. Super easy! Your instructions and photos were spot on. My little variation was to make them with my favorite pancake batter-whole wheat buttermilk. That makes them slightly less guilt inducing. 😉 But hey! We all deserve a nice treat every now and then. Thank you again! 🙂
THIS DID NOT WORK AT ALL. DAMN THIS.
AMAZING!
I didn’t have any problems with the recipe. However, I used my family’s pancake recipe. These came out A-mazing. I received rave reviews and requests for more. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.
Just made these this morning & they are delishous, turned out abit messy but didn’t affect the taste, will be making them again 🙂
We made these before the recipe was revised in February. After using the new recipe, I think we prefer the original version. Would it be possible to get a copy of the old one?
I’m afraid I nixed that recipe. Sorry about that!
These are the best pancakes my family & I have ever had. We had these for Christmas morning, this will be our new family tradition. My 5 kids loved them & they were easy to make.
SO happy to hear that!
This looks like a wonderful recipe however, it does not work. The pancakes are nice and fluffy but once you add the cinnamon mixture (regardless of the temperature of the pan) it burns. I threw out many attempts at all temperatures. Forturnately I did not attempt this on Xmas morning as it would have been a complete disaster. I ended up making pancake sandwiches swirilling the mixture between two pancakes then drizling them with the “icing”. If someone else has had success, I’d appreciate your tips.
Sorry these did not work for you… read through the over 400 comments and you will be able to find some tips that may work for you! They definitely take a little bit of practice- we love them in our house!
OMG!! The most amazing pancakes ever!!!!!
I plan on making this for my wife’s birthday early in the morning. My question is can I make the cinnamon swirl and drizzle the night before and still be usable?
Tough to say… I saw someone recently make these and they put the cinnamon swirl and the drizzle on top of the pancakes instead of swirling them in. Might be better if you’re trying to save time?