Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
intro
Fluffy, tender pancakes swirled with spiced cinnamon sugar, drizzled with tangy cream cheese glaze, delivering all the joy of a cinnamon roll in quick stovetop form.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix pancake batter
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt until evenly combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk 2 large eggs, 360ml whole milk, 57g melted cooled unsalted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stir gently with a rubber spatula just until combined—small lumps are fine, do not overmix. Let batter rest for 5 minutes at room temperature.
Prep cinnamon swirl filling
In a small bowl, stir together 100g packed light brown sugar, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, 43g melted cooled unsalted butter, and 1 tbsp all-purpose flour until a thick, spreadable paste forms. Scoop the mixture into a small plastic squeeze bottle (or a sealed plastic bag with a tiny 1/8-inch corner sniped off) for easy swirling, and set aside at room temperature.
Whip cream cheese glaze
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat 113g block cream cheese for 15 seconds on high power until soft enough to stir easily. Add 80g sifted powdered sugar, 2 tbsp whole milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, whisking until completely smooth with no lumps, about 1 minute. Set glaze aside at room temperature; it will pour easily in a thin ribbon when ready.
Cook pancake bases
Heat a non-stick griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat (325°F / 160°C) and lightly grease with 1 tsp of butter. Pour 1/4 cup (60ml) of rested pancake batter per pancake onto the griddle, leaving 2 inches of space between each pancake to allow spreading. Cook for 2 to 2.5 minutes, until small bubbles form and pop across the top surface of the pancake and the edges look set.
Swirl in cinnamon filling
Once bubbles form on the pancake tops, squeeze a thin, continuous spiral of the cinnamon sugar paste onto the uncooked top surface of each pancake, starting 1/2 inch from the edge and spiraling inward to the center. Use a light hand to avoid squeezing too much filling, which will burn easily. Cook for 1 additional minute after adding the swirl.
Flip and cook through
Use a thin, wide spatula to carefully flip each pancake in one smooth motion, taking care not to let the hot cinnamon filling drip. Cook for an additional 1 to 1.5 minutes on the second side, until the pancake is golden brown and cooked through, and the cinnamon swirl is caramelized but not burnt. Transfer cooked pancakes to a warm plate, and repeat cooking process with remaining batter and cinnamon swirl, greasing the griddle lightly with remaining butter between batches as needed.
Plate and serve
Stack 2 to 3 warm pancakes per serving on individual plates, then drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the smooth cream cheese glaze over the top of each stack, letting it drip down the sides. Serve immediately while warm, no extra syrup needed.
Tips
2.Keep your griddle or skillet at a steady medium-low heat (325°F / 160°C): if the pan is too hot, the high-sugar cinnamon swirl will burn and turn bitter before the inside of the pancake finishes cooking.
3.Adjust the cinnamon swirl paste consistency as needed: if it is too thick to pipe smoothly, stir in 1 extra teaspoon of melted butter; if it is too runny and spreads off the pancake, stir in 1 extra teaspoon of all-purpose flour to thicken it.
OMG these cinnamon roll pancakes are a total game changer for my weekend brunch rotation! I was worried they’d be fussy since regular cinnamon rolls take forever, but 30 minutes total? No way, so easy. My 7 and 9 year old begged for seconds before they even finished their first plate.
Made these for my buddy’s potluck brunch last weekend and people were literally coming up to ask for the recipe before I even sat down to eat. The cream cheese glaze is *chef’s kiss*, not too sweet, pairs perfect with the cinnamon swirl. 10/10 will make again.
Wait, has anyone tried making these with gluten free all purpose flour? My sister has celiac and I want to make these for our girls’ brunch next Saturday, nervous the texture will be off.
SO good. I’m usually the guy that burns pancakes on the regular, but these were so straightforward even I didn’t mess them up. My teenager said they’re better than the fancy diner ones we get downtown, that’s the highest compliment I could get tbh.
I prepped the dry mix and the cinnamon swirl on Sunday, and these came together in 10 minutes flat for weekday breakfasts all week. Saved me so much money stopping at the coffee shop on my way to work! They reheat great in the toaster too, just add a little drizzle of glaze after heating.
Wait, is the cinnamon swirl supposed to be thick enough to pipe? Mine was a little runny when I made it last night, so it just spread all over the pancake instead of making that pretty spiral. Did I do something wrong?
Made these in my tiny dorm kitchen with just a cheap nonstick pan and a whisk, no fancy equipment needed. My roommate thought I ordered delivery from that fancy brunch spot off campus lmao. 10/10, easy enough for a broke college kid to pull off.
Made these for our family Sunday breakfast and even my super picky father in law who hates fancy trendy food went back for thirds. He kept saying they taste like the cinnamon rolls his mom used to make but as pancakes, that’s a win for the books.
Made these before an early morning hike last weekend and they kept me full for 4 hours of trails, no mid-hike sugar crash! I used a little less sugar in the swirl and added a scoop of protein powder to the pancake batter, worked amazing. Great versatile base recipe.
Tried making these this morning and my cat kept trying to jump on the counter to steal a bite, that’s how good they smelled while cooking. The glaze came out so creamy, I could’ve eaten it by the spoonful tbh.
First time making pancakes from scratch ever and these turned out perfect? I thought for sure I’d mess up the swirl but even my wonky lopsided spirals tasted amazing. Don’t sleep on adding a little extra cinnamon if you’re a cinnamon fan like me.
Brought these to my office potluck and they were gone in 10 minutes, people were scraping the platter to get the last bits of glaze. Only thing I did different was cut the pancakes into bite sized pieces so people could grab them with toothpicks, perfect party food.
I swapped the cream cheese in the glaze for dairy free cream cheese and used oat milk in the pancake batter, and you literally couldn’t tell the difference. Finally a cinnamon roll adjacent breakfast I can enjoy without the stomach ache later! Thank you for such a flexible recipe.
Made these at 7am on a Saturday after my toddler woke up at 5am, and they were so quick to throw together I didn’t even need to chug my coffee first. My kid ate two whole pancakes covered in glaze, which is a miracle because he usually only takes two bites of any breakfast I make.
I’ve been chasing that perfect cinnamon roll pancake I had at a diner in Vermont years ago, and this recipe is dead on. The texture is fluffy, the cinnamon swirl doesn’t burn on the griddle, the glaze isn’t cloyingly sweet. Absolute perfection.
Wait, can you freeze these? I want to stock my freezer with easy breakfasts for when my new baby arrives next month, these look perfect for that.
I swapped half the glaze for pure maple syrup instead of all powdered sugar glaze and it was chef’s kiss. Got that warm maple flavor with the creamy cinnamon swirl, felt fancy but took zero extra effort. This recipe is so easy to customize to your taste.
I just moved into my first apartment and this is the first recipe I’ve made that didn’t turn out a total disaster. I even texted my mom a picture because I was so proud! They were fluffy, the swirl worked, the glaze was perfect. Thank you for making recipes that are actually easy for beginners.
Who says you can’t have breakfast for dinner? Made these for my partner after a long day at work, and they said it was better than any birthday dinner I’ve ever made for them. We ate them while watching our favorite show, zero cleanup because the recipe only uses a couple bowls. 10/10.
These were super tasty, but I would cut the sugar in the swirl by a tablespoon next time, it was a little too sweet for my taste. Other than that, super easy, cooked evenly, the whole family loved them. Just a personal preference on the sweetness level!