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.
This is a great simple recipe, but if you like fluffy pancakes separate the egg and add the yoke but beat the whites until fluffy than fold into mixture.
I made these and the concept is great but the pancake batter is WAY to salty. Next time I think I’ll use my favorite pancake recipe with the swirl and frosting 🙂
Really? I’ve not noticed… you’re the 1st to mention that. There’s really not an unusual amount of salt in there. I’ll have to pay close attention next time I make it!
My 8 year old daughter declared, “These are not good!” I was floored!! But she continued on to say, “These are DELICIOUS! The best pancakes EVER!!” I second that!! I ended up with thick pancake batter and just poured in more buttermilk till they were the consistency I wanted and they still puffed up and were A!MAZ!ING!!!!! You do have to be patient and let them cook really good on the first side so when you flip them you don’t need to let them cook so long and end up burning the swirl. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!! My new favorite breakfast!
Fun! Love that story- thank you!
I just made these, and let me tell you, they were loved by all! My pancake batter seemed a bit thin and didn’t get very tall, but the end result was still very good! I learned that not as much butter is required in the cinnamon/brown sugar filling. After pouring out the excess butter, my filling was bit thicker and was much better to use. I ended up quadrupling the pancake batter to only a double of the filling and topping, and didn’t have much of the filling or topping left over (had to make a second double recipe of the pancake batter while in the process!)
Thank you for the awesome recipe, this will definitely be a “do over” in our home!
I made these this morning as a special treat for my girls (the boys had all left the house). YUM! They are delish, but one is enough. 🙂
I was worried at first, because they didn’t “look” right to me, but going back and looking at your pictures, they were exact. I didn’t notice the “grooves” from the cinnamon part in your pics, so when my came out “groovy” I was wondering what I did wrong. Turns out yours are groovy too… and it works, ’cause the icing goes down into the grooves.
Yeah, groovy is good 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Made these this morning for my 13 year old sons birthday breakfast – they turned out great and were declared the best pancakes ever!!
I made these the other night! They were FANTASTIC! Taste exactly like real cinnamon rolls you buy at the stores (EVEN BETTER), just in pancake form. Love Love Love Love, Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe : ) 10 STARS
I am also a pancake junky and have some good ones you might like.
I had the same runny cinnamon/sugar mixture issue as some others. I added 1/4 c. powdered sugar to that mixture and it was a great consistency. Thanks for a great weekend breakfast treat for my boys.
Will have to give that a shot! Thanks for the tip.
This was absolutely fantastic, I made these and everyone was SO impressed. I grew up in 5 star restaurants so everyone expects great food from me, this was no disappointment!
sooo good, i made these for my boyfriend and housemates for my 4th anniversary, definitely a hit!
OMG!!!!!! These cinnamon roll pancakes are the very first thing I saw on stumble – STUNNING! I will most definitely be trying them. I have recently post a recipe for Finnish pulla, which is a Cardamon scroll with cinnamon and sugar rolled through it, they are amazing but as ‘luxurious’ as these.I look forward to trying them out.
Just made these and OH MY GOD how delicious! I must admit I’m a little nauseous but thats more from overindulgence than anything else. Oh, and since I’m such a glutton I added butterscotch chips to a few… If I could I’d make another batch right now.
Awesome recipe….I liked it when I tried it from the link below first! Seems like Robin Sue was inspired too!
http://www.bakingserendipity.com/2011/01/cinnamon-roll-pancakes.html
Rachel
I was so excited to try these, unfortunately they didn’t turn out for me. When I added the glaze and flipped them over the sugar just burned on my frying pan, I experimented with different amounts (and thicknesses) of the glaze but it just kept on sliding off and burning. I had to clean the frying pan in between each pancake which wasn’t worth the effort in my mind. I’d imagine with a griddle it would be much easier to scrape off the extra sugar before it burned. We ended up just using the glaze as a topping afterward.
I found you via Pinterest. These were yummy. I didn’t have cream cheese, so we ate the pancakes without the frosting….still super yummy and easy 🙂
Pancakes and comment from J. French is Awesome!! LOL!!
When the Pancake was first forged in the Batter of Heroes, it was meant to fill a man with thrice as many normal foods as he would consume at a meal. They were to be delicious, but plain, for the Greats of History did not boast of their conquests. That all changed when Recipe Girl was born. Her storied life of constructing pancakes became famous when she hit the scene with the unheard of idea of merging Pumpkin and Cinnamon into one swirl. As the skies cleared, all that was left on her Frying Pan of Posterity was what you now see, above. One must wear shades as not to be blinded by the gracious decor of the Swirl; direction unchanging. It goes down as the dew drips upon a Wonderboom fig sprawling in the early light. It goes without saying that I will relish this Pancake until the death of me. May it be my last meal before entering battle. I pray that my children’s children think of me as they feast upon thine glorious batter fried cakes.
-Jonathan
The Daily Serge
Pretty much the funniest, most creative blog comment I’ve ever seen. Thanks for that 🙂
Are you kidding me! These look amazing. I’m going to make them for my kids this weekend. I bet they love them!!
I used your cinnamon, sugar and butter mixture in waffles and it was so good. It got crispy and then I used the rest as syrup….best waffles I’ve ever had
I wish my computer had smell-O-vision!! I will try these out for sure!
I found these on pinterest & made them for breakfast today. Everyone loved them!! My kids couldn’t stop raving. I doubled the batter but not the cinnamon or the cream cheese glaze & the proportions were great. Mine were absolutely a mess but who cares what it looks like, they tasted great!! Thank you.
I made these this morning in my dorm and my roommate and some kids across the hall loved them. I am usually very bad at making an evenly cooked, fluffy pancake, but these turned out PERFECT! I will be making a big batch for finals week and I cannot wait!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!!
Pro tip: Forget trying to melt butter and cream cheese together in the microwave. The cheese will still be hard by the time your butter is burning. Just get a medium-ish sized pot, put it on low, and stir the two ingredients together- toss in the vanilla and powdered sugar and voila! you have a perfect little warming dish to keep that sauce nice and gooey.
Good tip, Jeff. I’m always hurrying to get things like this done in the microwave, but the stovetop method makes sense too. Thanks for piping in!
I know I’m late to the party but good god I’m so excited to make these I might just have them for dinner tonight.
Thanks for the recipe.