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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Name: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 large egg, room temperature; 55g granulated sugar (¼ cup); 40g salted butter (3 tbsp); 15ml neutral oil (1 tbsp); 160ml milk, room temperature (½ cup + 3 tbsp); 40g thick plain yogurt, room temperature (2 tbsp + 2 tsp); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 160g plain flour or all purpose flour (1 cup); 2.5 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 65g room-temperature salted butter (¼ cup + 1 tbsp); 55g dark brown sugar (¼ cup, packed); 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 45g room-temperature salted butter (3 tbsp + 1 tsp); 45g room-temperature full-fat cream cheese (3 tbsp); 115g icing sugar or powdered sugar (¾ cup + 1 tbsp); ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1-2 tbsp milk

These cinnamon roll pancakes have soft, fluffy centers, buttery brown sugar-cinnamon swirls and cream cheese frosting that melts into the warm stack. Browned butter gives the batter a toasted flavor, while the cinnamon filling caramelizes as the pancakes cook.

20 min prep
20 min cook
40 min total
2 serves

Jump to Recipe ↓

Cut cinnamon roll pancake stack showing a fluffy center, brown sugar cinnamon swirl and cream cheese frosting.

Warm cinnamon roll pancakes stacked with cream cheese frosting melting over the top.

fluffy browned-butter pancakes, caramelized cinnamon swirls and cream cheese frosting melting into every layer.

A note from my kitchen

I wanted these to feel like a cozy weekend breakfast: a tall stack of soft pancakes with the buttery cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting everyone loves in a cinnamon roll.

Browning the butter gives the batter a warmer, toasted flavor, while yogurt keeps the pancakes tender. The cinnamon mixture is piped over the batter in a thin spiral and spreads slightly as the pancake cooks, creating caramelized cinnamon pockets across the surface.

I spread cream cheese frosting over the stack while it’s still warm so that the frosting softens and settles into the cinnamon swirls. This recipe is perfect for brunch or a special birthday breakfast, but still has the familiar comfort of a thick pancake stack!

What Are Cinnamon Roll Pancakes?

Cinnamon roll pancakes are fluffy pancakes cooked with a buttery brown sugar-cinnamon spiral and served with cream cheese frosting.

The cinnamon filling is piped directly over the uncooked pancake batter, then caramelizes briefly against the pan after the pancake is flipped. It spreads as it cooks, leaving buttery cinnamon swirls across the surface.

This version uses browned salted butter in the batter for extra flavor, yogurt for a tender texture and a pourable cream cheese frosting that softens over the warm stack.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cinnamon rolls in the form of a pancake stack. Each bite has fluffy pancake, buttery cinnamon filling and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Soft, fluffy pancakes. Yogurt, milk and two raising agents create a thick batter that cooks into tender and fluffy pancakes.
Caramelized cinnamon in every pancake. The brown sugar filling spreads into buttery swirls and lightly caramelizes and turns slightly crispy after flipping.
Browned butter adds more flavor. Browning the salted butter gives the pancake batter a nutty, toasted depth that works especially well with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
The frosting melts into the stack. Adding it while the pancakes are warm gives you a soft, glossy finish instead of a thick layer on top.
perfect for a special breakfast at home. The perfect treat for a birthday breakfast, holiday brunch or slow weekend morning.

What Do They Taste Like?

The pancakes are soft and lightly sweet, with a warm toasted flavor from the browned butter.

The cinnamon swirl tastes richer than a simple cinnamon-sugar topping because the dark brown sugar caramelizes when you cook each pancake, so It creates little buttery, cinnamon-filled grooves across each pancake that turn slightly crispy.

The cream cheese frosting is sweet, tangy and loose enough to spread or drizzle. Over the warm stack, it melts slightly and brings the whole pancake stack much closer to the flavor and texture of a fresh cinnamon roll.

ingredient Notes

The exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

Salted Browned Butter

Browning the butter removes some of its water and develops a toasted, nutty flavor.

Let it cool before adding it to the batter. It can still be liquid, but it should no longer feel hot. Very hot butter can affect the egg and make the batter harder to mix evenly.

Scrape in the browned milk solids from the bottom of the pan because that’s where most of the flavor is.

All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda

All-purpose flour gives the pancakes enough structure to support the cinnamon spiral.

Baking powder provides most of the lift, while baking soda works with the acidity in the yogurt. Check that both are fresh, especially if your pancakes have recently been turning out flat or dense.

Mix only until the batter is just combined and the flour disappears. A few small lumps are better than a perfectly smooth but over mixed batter.

Milk and Yogurt

Yogurt keeps the pancakes tender and gives the baking soda the acidity it needs to work.

Milk loosens the mixture into a thick pancake batter. The batter should spread slowly after it’s added to the pan rather than running immediately into a thin circle.

Egg, Oil, Vanilla and Granulated Sugar

The egg gives the pancakes structure, while a small amount of oil helps them stay soft.

Vanilla extract or paste is added to both the pancake batter and the cream cheese frosting. Granulated sugar lightly sweetens the pancake batter itself without making the full pancake stack overly sweet once the swirl and frosting are added.

Dark Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl

The swirl is made with dark brown sugar, soft room-temperature butter and ground cinnamon.

The butter should be soft enough to mix into a smooth, lump-free paste but not melted. Melted filling can run straight through the batter, while cold, firm butter will be difficult to pipe evenly.

Transfer the smooth mixture to a piping bag or a small ziploc bag or sandwich bag and cut a small opening. The spiral will spread slightly as it cooks, so the opening only needs to be narrow enough to give you control and prevent a thick rope of filling

Cream Cheese Frosting

The frosting is made with softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make it spoonable or pourable.

Use room-temperature butter and cream cheese so they mix smoothly. Add the milk gradually at the end because a small amount can change the frosting from thick to runny very quickly.

Equipment You’ll Need

You’ll need a small light-colored saucepan for browning the butter, mixing bowls, a whisk, a spoon, a piping bag or small Ziploc or sandwich bag, a nonstick pAN with a lid and a spatula or something wide for flipping the pancakes.

An electric hand mixer is helpful for the cream cheese frosting, although a whisk can work when the butter and cream cheese are fully softened.

A cookie scoop, ladle or measuring cup will also help you make pancakes of a consistent size.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

The exact ingredient amounts and condensed instructions are in the recipe card. The stages below are step by step instructions with images to give you an idea of the colour and texture to look for.

1. Brown the Butter

Add the salted butter to a small saucepan and place it over medium heat.

Let it melt, sizzle, foam and begin turning golden, swirling the pan as needed. Remove it from the heat when the milk solids at the bottom are deep golden brown and the butter smells nutty and toasted.

Pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl, including all of the browned bits, and let it cool until it’s no longer hot.

2. Make the Cinnamon Swirl

Mix the dark brown sugar, room-temperature butter and ground cinnamon in a bowl until the filling is completely smooth and lump-free.

Transfer it to a piping bag or small Ziploc bag or sandwich bag. Cut a small opening from the tip or corner so you can pipe an even spiral without releasing too much filling at once. The line will widen and spread as the pancake cooks.

If the mixture becomes too soft and runny, chill it briefly. If it feels too firm to pipe, warm the bag gently between your hands.

3. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and fully combined.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat again until the mixture is fully combined and smooth. Add the milk gradually, a tablespoon at a time, and mix it in until the frosting is thick but easy to spoon or drizzle.

Set this aside while you cook the pancakes so it’s ready to add while the stack is still warm.

Dark brown sugar, butter and cinnamon mixed for cinnamon roll pancake filling.

Cream cheese frosting falling from a spoon to show its thick but pourable texture.

4. Mix the Pancake Batter

Whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.

In another large bowl, crack open an egg and add the granulated sugar. Whisk these together until combined. Add the milk, the thick yogurt, the cooled browned butter, the oil and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Again, whisk these together until combined.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently whisk the dry ingredients in until a thick batter forms. Stop as soon as there are no large pockets of dry flour and the mixture is combined. It’s okay if the batter has some lumps.

Let the pancake batter rest at room temperature for about five minutes.

Egg, milk, yogurt, oil, vanilla and browned butter whisked for pancake batter.

Thick cinnamon roll pancake batter with some lumps.

5. Add the Batter and Pipe the Swirl

Heat a nonstick skillet over low-medium heat. The pan should be hot enough to cook the pancake steadily but not so hot that the brown sugar burns as soon as it touches the surface.

Add one portion of batter (about ¼ cup OR JUST A LADLE) and let it settle into a FLAT round.

Starting near the center, pipe an even cinnamon spiral over the uncooked surface. YOU CAN TRY TO Leave a clear border around the edge so the filling stays inside the pancake instead of leaking into the pan, BUT IT’S NOT A PROBLEM IF IT LEAKS (LIKE MINE!).

6. Cover and Cook the First Side

Place the lid over the skillet and cook THE PANCAKE until the edges look set, bubbles appear across the surface and the top no longer looks completely wet. THIS TOOK ME ABOUT FIVE MINUTES PER PANCAKE.

The lid helps the upper part of the pancake set around the cinnamon filling. This makes the pancake easier to flip without smearing the spiral across the pan.

Cinnamon swirl piped over thick pancake batter being cooked in a nonstick pan.

Cinnamon roll pancake cooking in the pan with bubbles on the surface and a melting brown sugar cinnamon swirl.

7. Flip and Finish Cooking

Slide a wide turner OR SPATULA fully underneath the pancake and flip it in one movement.

Cook the cinnamon side for a shorter time, ABOUT A MINUTE, just until the pancake is cooked through and the spiral has TURNED CRISPY AND lightly caramelized.

Do not press the pancake down. Flip it back to the spiral side and transfer it to a plate as soon as it’s done, then carefully wipe away any escaped cinnamon sugar before cooking the next one.

8. Frost and Serve Warm

Stack the pancakes while they’re still warm.

Spoon or drizzle over the cream cheese frosting and spread it around so it melts gently into the cinnamon swirls.

Serve straight away while the pancakes are fluffy and warm and the frosting is soft.

Cinnamon roll pancake with a caramelized brown sugar cinnamon swirl.

Stack of fluffy cinnamon roll pancakes with cream cheese frosting.

How to Pipe the Cinnamon Swirl

The easiest way to keep the cinnamon mixture under control is to cut a small opening in the piping bag rather than a wide one.

Pipe two or three even rings, beginning near the center and working outward. Try to stop before the edge of the pancake as The filling will spread as the pancake cooks and again when it touches the skillet after flipping.

Tips for the Best Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Cool the browned butter. It should still be fluid but no longer hot when it’s added to the batter.
Keep the batter thick. It’ll be a bit more difficult for a thin batter to support the cinnamon spiral and it might spread too quickly in the skillet.
Use room-temperature butter for the brown sugar cinnamon swirl. It should form a smooth, pipeable paste rather than a melted liquid or stiff dough.
Cut a small opening in the piping bag. The filling spreads while cooking, so starting with a thick, oversized line can create pools that leak or burn.
Try to leave a border around the pancake. Piping too close to the edge allows the filling to leak directly onto the pan.
Use low-medium heat. The pancake needs enough time to cook through before the sugar becomes too dark.
Cover the first side with a lid when cooking. The lid helps the surface set around the swirl so the pancake flips more cleanly.
Wait until the top is mostly set. Flipping too early can smear the filling and tear the pancake.
Cook the second side briefly. The cinnamon side needs less time because the sugar caramelizes quickly.
Wipe the skillet between batches. Any escaped sugar can continue darkening and affect the next pancake.
Do not overmix the batter. Too much mixing develops the gluten and can make the pancakes dense or chewy.
Frost the pancakes while warm. The cream cheese frosting softens into the swirls and gives the stack its cinnamon roll-like look and finish.

Make Ahead and Storage

Preparing the Components Ahead

The cinnamon swirl mixture and cream cheese frosting can be prepared ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.

Bring the cinnamon mixture back to a pipeable consistency by leaving it out at room temperature before piping it onto the pancake batter.

For the frosting, let it soften slightly, then stir in a tiny splash of milk only if it needs loosening.

Making the Batter Ahead

The pancake batter is best mixed shortly before cooking.

Once the baking powder and baking soda are wet, they begin working. A long rest can reduce the lift and give you flatter pancakes.

Storing Leftover Pancakes

These cinnamon roll pancakes are at their best straight from the skillet.

If you have leftovers, let them cool and store the pancakes separately from the cream cheese frosting in covered containers in the refrigerator. Warm the pancakes gently, then add the frosting just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Did My Cinnamon Swirl Burn?

The heat was probably too high, too much filling was piped onto the pancake or the cinnamon side cooked for too long.

Use low-medium heat, cut a smaller opening in the piping bag and cook the second side only until the pancake is set and the sugar is lightly caramelized.

How Do I Know When to Flip the Pancakes?

The edges should look set, bubbles should appear across the surface and the top should no longer look completely raw.

The pancake should also release easily when you slide a wide turner or spatula underneath it. If the batter drags or folds, give it a little longer.

Do I Need to Use a Lid?

I’d strongly recommended using a lid for this recipe.

It traps enough heat to help the top of the thick pancake set before flipping, which helps protect the cinnamon spiral and reduces the chance of a raw center.

Why Are My Pancakes Dense?

The batter may have been over mixed, the baking powder or baking soda may be old, or the batter may have rested for too long before cooking.

Whisk the dry ingredients in only until the dry flour disappears, use fresh raising agents and cook the pancakes after resting the batter for just five minutes.

Can I Use Unsalted Butter?

Yes. Just use the same amount of unsalted butter for browning and add enough fine salt to the batter to keep the flavor balanced.

You can also use unsalted butter in the cinnamon swirl mixture and frosting as well if you want full control over the salt level. Just add salt to your taste.

Can I Make the Pancakes Without the Cream Cheese Frosting?

Yes. The brown sugar cinnamon swirl gives the pancakes plenty of flavor on its own.

The cream cheese frosting is what makes the finished pancake stack taste most like a cinnamon roll, but the pancakes can also be served with a little maple syrup or plain butter instead.

More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

For a smaller classic stack, try my fluffy pancakes for two.

My French toast bites are coated in cinnamon sugar and make an easy sweet breakfast or brunch.

For a coffee-shop drink beside the pancakes, try my banana bread latte.

You can also browse the full breakfast and brunch recipes collection.

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