The Best Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

It's a bold statement, but these truly are The Best Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. My favorite pancake batter is enhanced with a cinnamon-sugar swirl for gooey cinnamon roll vibes in every bite. And the cream cheese glaze? Literally the icing on top of the best brunch you've had in months!

Save This Recipe! 💌

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!

I agree to be receive new recipes from But First We Brunch

Imagine craving my overnight cinnamon rolls so badly, but you just didn't have the time last night, so instead you make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and you have zero regrets! This recipe combines the best of two breakfast treats: the delicious flavor of a gooey cinnamon roll and the instant gratification of fluffy pancakes.

Here's the problem I ran into while researching this recipe. I looked at a lot of recipes and I noticed that instead of having a distinct cinnamon sugar pancake swirl there was more of a groove left behind where the brown sugar and cinnamon melted away. It's a delicious groove, but I want all pancake all the way through.

So I fixed that. I added some of my pancake batter to the sweet cinnamon mixture to make the best pancakes with a cinnamon swirl mixture that stays where I put it. You're welcome. These cinnamon roll pancakes are a delicious way to start your morning, and once you try them, they might just become your Birthday/Holiday/any day of the week treat for the whole family!

Ingredients & Substitutions

There are three distinct parts to this recipe: the pancake batter, the cinnamon-sugar pancake batter, and the cream cheese icing. All of them are made with easy to find, common pantry ingredients. Let's go over some of them and see if there's anywhere that you can make some swaps if you need to:

• All-purpose flour:Standard all-purpose flour is perfect for these pancakes. If you want super tender pancakes, feel free to use cake flour. If you have leftover self rising flour from making my cream biscuits or my homemade bagels, you can use that and skip the baking powder and salt in the recipe.
• Sugar: I use regular white granulated sugar in the pancakes because nobody wants cinnamon rolls that aren't sweet. Then, to drive home that cinnamon roll vibe, we use brown sugar in the cinnamon-sugar swirl batter. Finally, I use powdered sugar to make the cream cheese glaze.
• Milk: I know that not everyone has buttermilk in their refrigerator all the time, so I wanted to use milk to make this pancake recipe, but if you want to use buttermilk you certainly can. Use the rest of it to make waffles or biscuits.
• Cream cheese: If you don't have cream cheese, you can use mascarpone cheese, although it won't have the classic tangy flavor. I use the brick style cream cheese, but if you have whipped cream cheese, use that and simply add less milk.

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

I recently overheard a couple of friends talking about making pancakes and waffles and they made it sound like something that is kind of a challenge for them.

I felt like hearing that conversation helps me to see that not everyone is a as comfortable cooking as others and sometimes we all need a little help. That's why I try to include clear descriptions and great pictures to help you every step of the way. I think that working together, making this cinnamon roll pancakes recipe going to be so fun!

Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Use a hand mixer, or a really strong arm and a whisk, to beat until completely mixed. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk and beat again until you have a nice drizzling consistency.

Step 2: In the microwave or on the stove, melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Set aside to cool. Then combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl.

Step 3: Next, in a another bowl (I hope you have a dishwasher) or large, measuring cup, whisk together your milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and begin mixing.

Step 5: When halfway mixed, continue mixing while drizzling in your melted and cooled butter. There may be some small lumps, and that's okay.

Step 6: In a bowl (so sorry) combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup of pancake batter to the cinnamon sugar mixture and mix well. Place the cinnamon sugar batter into a piping bag or a small zip top bag bag.

Step 7: Heat a large skillet or nonstick pan to medium heat, add butter, oil, or nonstick spray, and portion in about ¼ cup of batter. Allow it to cook for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Step 8: Use scissors to snip a small corner from your bag and then pipe a swirl of cinnamon-sugar batter on top of the pancake batter. Allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown.

Step 9: When the edges look dry, and there are bubbles popping on the surface of the pancake, use a thin spatula to flip it over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on that side. Place into a pancake warmer or onto a plate with another bowl flipped over on top of it to keep warm.

Step 10: Repeat with the remaining pancake batter. Serve warm and drizzle with your cream cheese glaze. Enjoy!

As delicious as these are for breakfast, they are equally good for an afterschool snack, or a late night treat with a cup of tea. OK fine, they're good all the time. Eat them whenever you can. ❤️

Frequently Asked Questions

More of my favorite pancakes