How long it takes: prep time 15 minutes, 5 minutes to cook each batch Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowls, pastry bag with tip (or small resealable plastic bag, griddle Servings: 4
Bakery-Style Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Easier than real cinnamon rolls. When you make cinnamon rolls in pancake form, you don’t have to mess with yeast or wait for dough to rise. And it’s easier than you think! There’s no rolling or slicing involved for these cinnamon roll pancakes—instead you’ll make a separate batter for the cinnamon swirl. Pour it into a zip-top bag or piping (pastry) bag, and squeeze a swirl of it onto each pancake. Tried and true: We found in initial tests of this recipe that the cinnamon swirl was melting out and getting stuck on the pan. The swirl batter is made with brown sugar and cinnamon but we also added flour and butter to stabilize the mixture. That combination makes the swirl batter squeezable but still thick enough so that it stays where you want it once you pipe it onto the pancakes (meaning, it won’t melt out – we tested this many times to get it perfectly right!). Perfect topping: Finish with a tangy cream cheese glaze and you’ve got cinnamon roll pancake perfection!
Ingredient Notes
Cinnamon Swirl: Use unsalted butter, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon to make the delicious cinnamon swirl. Pancakes: The pancakes are made with typical pancake ingredients. You could substitute your favorite pancake mix if you want to streamline this recipe. If you make your own pancake batter, you’ll need an egg, milk, oil or melted butter, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cream Cheese Glaze: You’ll need unsalted butter, a couple of ounces of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to make the glaze.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Make the cinnamon swirl. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl. Place the mixture in a piping bag or zip-top bag. Make the glaze. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and cream cheese in 20 second intervals, stirring with a fork or whisk after each interval. Once the mixture is just melted, mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until you have a smooth glaze. For a bright white glaze, use clear vanilla extract. Prepare the pancake batter. Whisk the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until well-combined. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on top of the wet ingredients, then toss together gently before stirring the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Add batter to the griddle. Set a griddle over medium heat and grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray if desired. Add ¼ cup of batter to the griddle for each pancake. Snip off the corner of the piping bag, and swirl the cinnamon mixture onto the pancakes, starting in the center and working your way outwards. Helpful Tip: Hold the piping bag close to the pancake, and don’t pipe too close to the edge of the pancake; you want to leave a border. Cook the pancakes. Fry the pancakes for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side (including the time it took to pipe on the cinnamon swirl). When you see bubbles appearing in the batter that don’t disappear, flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or two on the other side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Carefully wipe the griddle with a wet paper towel between batches to remove excess sugar. Serve. Plate the finished pancakes and serve immediately with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze.
Recipe Variations
Take a shortcut. Feel free to use your favorite boxed pancake mix for the pancake batter if you’d like. Simply make the cinnamon swirl batter and cook the pancakes as directed. Switch out the glaze. If you’re not a fan of cream cheese, you can use a basic vanilla glaze (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla) or simply add maple syrup to your pancakes. We also love these pancakes with homemade whipped cream! Make sticky bun pancakes. Top the pancakes with homemade caramel sauce instead of the glaze, and a sprinkle of chopped toasted pecans. Add a pinch of cardamom. Swedish cinnamon buns are made with cardamom for even more cozy flavor. You can add cardamom to the cinnamon swirl for Scandinavian flair!
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate/Freeze: For best results, store the pancakes without the cream cheese glaze. You can keep leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze cinnamon roll pancakes in an airtight storage container or a freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to keep the pancakes from sticking to each other. Reheat: Microwave the pancakes until they’re warmed through, or place them on a sheet pan and heat them in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes or until warm. Drizzle with glaze before serving.
