Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are easy to make with buttermilk pancake mix, a quick buttery brown sugar cinnamon swirl, and sweet cream cheese glaze. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or brinner (breakfast for dinner).
Love cinnamon rolls? Try my mom’s best recipe, this simple cinnamon roll cake, these fun cinnamon roll sugar cookies or these delicious cinnamon twists as well.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Recipe
Oh my word, these cinnamon roll pancakes are genius! They are quick to make and have all the flavors of a cinnamon roll. Fluffy pancake, cinnamon-sugar swirl, and a cream cheese glaze for syrup…what more could you want? We absolutely loved every bite!
I first made this recipe back in 2012 and while they were delicious as-is, there was a slight issue with the cinnamon-sugar mixture melting and cooking quicker than the rest of the pancakes. Which can lead to it burning.
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So I re-worked this recipe to make it better by adding pancake batter into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to give it a more even consistency and prevent the cinnamon-sugar from burning while it cooks. Problem solved! And now these cinnamon swirl pancakes are better than ever!
If you are like me, you occasionally make breakfast for dinner (aka brinner) and these cinnamon bun pancakes are a family favorite. Mix up your breakfast (or dinner) routine and try these pancakes. They won’t disappoint!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and Convenient – Using pancake mix saves time and effort, making it easier to whip up a delicious breakfast (brunch, or brinner).
- Tastes like a Cinnamon Roll – The butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture gives you that classic cinnamon roll taste without having to make yeast dough from scratch. Talk about quick and easy!
- Cream Cheese Frosting – Cream cheese frosting is thinned to a glaze to drizzle over the top of these cinnamon pancakes in place of syrup to make them reminiscent of cinnamon rolls. Perfectly delicious!
Ingredients You Will Need
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
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- Pancake Mix: Pick your favorite brand. I like Member’s Mark buttermilk pancake mix.
- Water: As listed on the package for the pancake mix.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, depending on your salt tolerance.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar adds a nice richness to the cinnamon filling.
- Cinnamon: I really love the flavor of the Kirkland Saigon ground cinnamon from Costco.
- Cream Cheese: The block not the tub.
- Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the cream cheese glaze.
- Vanilla: Adds extra flavor to the icing.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Prepare the pancake mix according to directions on package, by whisking together the pancake mix and water. Set aside.
- Prepare the cinnamon-sugar filling by melting the butter in heat-safe bowl in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix. Then add ¼ cup of the prepared pancake batter to the filling and mix until smooth and combined. Transfer filling to a plastic zip-top bag and cut off a small piece of the corner (to use for piping onto the pancakes). Set aside.
- Make the cinnamon roll pancakes: Heat griddle to 325˚F. Grease with cooking spray. Make pancakes with ¼ cup of batter each, leaving space between each pancake so they don’t stick together.
- Pipe a swirl on top of each pancake with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, starting from the center and spiraling outwards, stopping about 1-inch from the edge. (NOTE: If you go too close to the edge, the cinnamon-sugar will spill over onto the griddle.)
- Cook for about 1-2 minutes. When bubbles appear on the surface, flip pancakes carefully. Cook 1-2 minutes more until golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer pancakes to a clean plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
Make the Cream Cheese Glaze
- Melt the butter and cream cheese together in heat-safe bowl in the microwave. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle cream cheese icing over the warm pancakes and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t pipe the cinnamon-sugar filling too close to the edge of the pancakes, or cinnamon-sugar will spill over onto the griddle.
- Wipe the griddle and spatula after each batch to remove any cinnamon-sugar before proceeding with the next batch.
- You can prepare the cream cheese glaze before making the pancakes, but you may need to reheat it again to make it pourable. Only reheat the glaze once for food safety.
Storing and Freezing
- Store cinnamon roll pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat pancakes in the microwave or toaster.
- TO FREEZE: Make sure pancakes are completely cool before stacking inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag with parchment paper separating each layer. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave or toaster and make sure to reheat sufficiently. (Do NOT freeze with glaze on top. Freeze glaze separately in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Only reheat the glaze once for food safety due to the cream cheese.)
FAQs
Yes! Use your favorite pancake mix. It’s a great hack to make this quick and delicious breakfast.
Absolutely. It will require a few extra ingredients, but here’s a great buttermilk pancakes recipe you can use for these cinnamon roll pancakes.
Yes, you can freeze pancakes; they freeze well and can be reheated later when needed, just make sure to let them cool completely before storing them in the freezer without any added toppings like syrup or butter. Be sure to separate each layer with parchment paper so they don’t stick together, or wrap each pancake individually with plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-safe zip-top bag.
Pancakes can last in the fridge for up to 1 week if stored properly.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
Pancake Batter
- 3 cups (390 g) pancake mix, dry
- water, as directed by package (mine said 2 cups/473 ml)
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- 2 Tbsp (28 g) butter, (salted or unsalted)
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 Tbsp (57 g) butter, (salted or unsalted)
- 2 oz (57 g) block-style cream cheese
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- PANCAKE BATTER: Prepare pancake mix according to directions on package, by whisking together the pancake mix and water in a large bowl. Set aside.
- CINNAMON-SUGAR FILLING: Melt the butter in heat-safe bowl in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix. Then add ¼ cup of the prepared pancake batter to the filling and mix until smooth and combined. Transfer filling to a plastic zip-top bag and cut off a small piece of the corner (to use for piping onto the pancakes). Set aside.
- Heat griddle to 325˚F. Grease with cooking spray. Make pancakes with ¼ cup of batter each, leaving space between each pancake so they don’t stick together.
- Pipe a swirl on top of each pancake with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, starting from the center and spiraling outwards, stopping about 1-inch from the edge. (NOTE: If you go too close to the edge, the cinnamon-sugar will spill over onto the griddle.)
- Cook for about 1-2 minutes. When bubbles appear on the surface, flip pancakes over carefully. Cook 1-2 minutes more until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer pancakes to a clean plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
- CREAM CHEESE GLAZE: Melt the butter and cream cheese together in heat-safe bowl in the microwave. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Drizzle cream cheese icing over the warm pancakes and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t pipe the cinnamon-sugar filling too close to the edge of the pancakes, or cinnamon-sugar will spill over onto the griddle.
- Wipe the griddle and spatula after each batch to remove any cinnamon-sugar before proceeding with the next batch.
- Store cinnamon roll pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat pancakes in the microwave or toaster.
- TO FREEZE: Make sure pancakes are completely cool before stacking inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag with parchment paper separating each layer. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave or toaster and make sure to reheat sufficiently. (Do NOT freeze with glaze on top. Freeze glaze separately in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Only reheat the glaze once for food safety due to the cream cheese.)
Nutrition
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*Originally published on 8/12/2012. Recipe and photos updated February 2025.
