Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Growing up, cinnamon rolls for breakfast were a treat on holidays. So now just the scent of them brings me back to Christmas mornings with my family. While I still love those sweet treats I decided to use them as an inspiration and created this cinnamon roll pancakes recipe that reimagines cinnamon rolls in a pancake form.

The pancakes themselves are filled with all of the cinnamon flavor while the decadent cream cheese glaze reminds me of the icing on traditional cinnamon rolls.

While you may not make these on the regular, they’re as perfect for Christmas as they are other holidays and special occasions.

The next time you’re looking for a unique breakfast that will fill your kitchen with the sweet, cinnamony smell of the holidays, turn to this delicious pancake recipe.

Common Questions about Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

What’s the secret to making perfect pancakes?

The best way to get light and fluffy pancakes is to mix them as little as possible. You can achieve this by incorporating all of the wet ingredients completely and all of the dry ingredients entirely before you combine them to minimize the amount of mixing.

Which is better to cook pancakes in — oil or butter?

While butter seems to make nearly everything better, in this case oil is the answer. Save the butter for the top of your finished pancakes — cooking them in oil is ideal because it has a higher smoke point resulting in perfectly browned pancakes.

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Mini Pancakes – Silver Dollar

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Apple Butter Pancakes

Swedish Pancakes

Peppermint Chocolate Truffle Pancakes

Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes

3-Ingredient Chocolate Protein Pancakes

Cannoli Pancakes

Eggnog Pancakes

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Mini Pancake Cereal

Grinch Pancakes

Gingerbread Pancakes

Oat Flour Pancakes

Should pancake batter be thin or thick?

While pancake batter shouldn’t be runny, you don’t want it to be too thick either — it should drip off the spoon easily. If your batter is too thick, gradually add milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Making Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Ahead of Time

You can make the pancakes ahead and refrigerate them; you can also prepare and refrigerate the cinnamon filling and the glaze ahead of time but bring them to room temperature before serving.

More Delicious Cinnamon Recipes

Cruffins

TikTok Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Cookies

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookie Bars

One-Hour Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake

Copycat Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

Snickerdoodle Cake

Storage

If you have leftover cinnamon roll pancakes, or if you make the pancakes ahead of time, you can store them in tinfoil, a ziploc bag, or an airtight container.

However, ensure that they have fully cooled and to separate them with parchment paper or wax paper to keep them from being soggy or sticking together.

Refrigerator: Pancakes will last up to one week in the refrigerator when wrapped tightly or sealed in a storage container.

Freezing: Freeze pancakes in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Tips For The Best Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

• When stirring the batter, resist the urge to create a super smooth mixture — this can result in dense, flat pancakes. Instead, just ensure that the dry ingredients are moistened — some small lumps will remain.
• Be sure to choose full fat dairy products. Doing so will get you the best results when you’re making the cinnamon filling and the pancakes.
• Using fresh ingredients is important, especially when it comes to baking soda. It’s imperative to use a baking soda no older than 6 months old to make sure that the pancakes will rise properly.
• Heat your oven to 200 degrees and store the finished pancakes there until ready to serve to make sure they remain warm. Avoid stacking them while keeping them warm in order to prevent sogginess.

Ingredients

Since there are several elements to making this recipe it helps to have all of the ingredients on the counter so that you can easily move from step to step.

Cinnamon Filling

• Light brown sugar packed
• Ground cinnamon
• Butter (unsalted, melted and cooled slightly)

Glaze

• Cream cheese softened
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Clear vanilla extract
• Milk

Pancakes

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Large egg
• Milk or buttermilk
• Vegetable oil or canola

Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need

This recipe requires a few supplies, so make sure to have them all handy when you’re ready to begin to make the preparation of the pancakes go as smoothly as possible.

• Medium bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk
• Plastic squeeze bottle, pastry bag, or plastic zip-top bag
• Stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or electric mixer)
• Large mixing bowl (2)
• Spoon, scoop, or ladle
• Spatula
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper or Silpat mat
• Griddle or large nonstick skillet
• Cooking spray

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

While there are a few components to this recipe, most of the steps are simple and quick.

Cinnamon Filling

1. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a medium bowl, then pour the melted butter over top. Alternatively, to make it easier to pour the mixture into another container you can prepare this in a large measuring cup.
2. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine the mixture thoroughly.
3. Pour or spoon the mixture into a plastic squeeze bottle, piping bag, or resealable bag.

Glaze

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, and vanilla extract.
2. Begin beating the mixture on low speed until the sugar is somewhat incorporated. Then, turn the mixer to high to completely incorporate all of the ingredients.
3. Once the mixture is silky smooth, turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the milk while continuing to mix until the glaze is the desired consistency.

Pancakes

1. Fill a large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt).
2. Whisk the mixture together so that all ingredients are evenly dispersed.
3. Next, add the wet ingredients (egg, milk, and oil) to the flour mixture. 
4. Whisk all of the ingredients together until completely combined
5. Using a large spoon, scoop, or ladle pour the batter onto the griddle that has been preheated to medium heat.
6. Then, swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top of the pancake. Repeat for each pancake.
7. Allow the pancakes to cook until small bubbles form on the top and the color of the bottom is a light golden brown.
8. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and allow them to cook again until the bottom reaches the same light golden brown shade.
9. Once finished cooking, use the spatula to transfer the pancakes from the griddle to a prepared baking sheet. Place the pancakes in a single layer and keep warm.
10. Continue to make the rest of the pancakes until all of the remaining batter has been used.
11. When finished, assemble pancakes in stacks of 2-3.
12. Then, using a spoon, drizzle the cream cheese icing over the tops of the stacks so that the glaze drizzles down the side.
13. Serve the stacks of pancakes immediately.

What to Serve With Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

You can serve any of your favorite breakfast beverages or foods with these sweet pancakes.

• Coffee or tea – Wash down all of the sweetness with a bold brew or hot cup of tea.
• Meat – Sausage is a great savory choice to dip into the cream cheese drizzle but bacon or country ham are delicious options as well.
• Eggs – Serve an egg casserole for an easy side dish or whip up some scrambled eggs as a side.
• Fresh fruit – Top these pancakes with berries or other favorite fruits or serve a fruit salad on the side.
• Juice – Serve orange juice or apple juice or tie in the spirit of the holiday season with a bright red cranberry juice.
• Cocktails – If you’re having a celebratory brunch, try making mimosas or a big batch of bellinis.

Why You Should Make This Recipe

Besides just being a fun way to kick off any holiday or special occasion, there are plenty of other reasons to prepare these pancakes.

• Sentimental – Many people may have grown up enjoying homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on holiday mornings and this pancake recipe is reminiscent of that.
• Aromatic – The smell of cinnamon wafting through the kitchen infuses the house with a seasonal scent that will ensure that calling anyone to the breakfast table won’t be necessary!
• Celebratory – These are not the kind of pancakes you might whip up on any given weekend so they certainly signal a celebration.
• Delicious – These cinnamon infused pancakes with sweet glaze are a sweet and tasty way to start the day.

Variations and Add-ins

There are already a number of elements involved with these pancakes but you can dress them up with some other additions.

• Fruit – Try tossing in some dried fruit like cranberries or raisins, or fresh fruits like berries or diced apples, for a healthy upgrade.
• Chocolate chips – Fold white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate into the pancake batter for extra decadent pancakes.
• Cinnamon – For more cinnamon flavor, add a little bit to the glaze or sprinkle it over top.
• Syrup – If you don’t have time for the glaze, or you just want a different flavor profile, drizzle the pancakes with a high-quality maple syrup or offer up a variety of flavored syrups to choose from.

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If you love this easy Cinnamon Roll Pancakes recipe, you’re going to love these other breakfast ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

Other Sweet Holiday Breakfast Treats

Easy French Toast Casserole

Grinch Donuts

Homemade Gingerbread Pancakes

Cranberry Quick Bread

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