Indulge in a delicious and easy breakfast with these homemade Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning or a special occasion, these pancakes are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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If you love pancakes as much as my family, also make sure you try my original Fluffy Pancakes recipe and Pumpkin Pancakes! Both are simple to make and packed with yumminess!
Cinnabon Pancakes
Are you a breakfast lover? To be honest, I am not! I’m quite boring in fact when it comes to breakfast. Give me a cup of coffee and perhaps a yogurt, and I am set. My family however, they are HUGE breakfast fans, so I try to keep things fun and interesting for them! Since cinnamon rolls are a favorite with everyone, I decided to combine classic pancakes with the flavors of cinnamon rolls and by doing so, the ultimate treat came about and became a new fav!
Growing up, we used Bisquick to make a quick and easy batch of pancakes, however, once I tried homemade, I haven’t gone back! Just as easy and even more fluffy! Plus, you can make a double batch and freeze some for a later date!
Why this Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes recipe works
These pancakes are definitely a lot easier to make and much less time consuming than a traditional cinnamon roll would be, but has all the same ooey gooey flavors that you crave. You can even make a cream cheese frosting to drizzle on top if desired! We have found that a little butter is our ideal topping for these, however, icing or frosting will never be judged because you can’t go wrong!
Ingredient Notes for these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Using a few pantry staples, these breakfast cinnamon swirl pancakes come together in no time! Perfect to enjoy any time of the day and feel free to double or even triple the recipe to feed larger crowds. See printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts and directions.
Pancakes
- Milk/ Vinegar– this is to create a substitute buttermilk option (see directions below). If you have buttermilk on hand, you won’t need the milk/vinegar.
- Flour– use all purpose flour, I haven’t played around with other types, but all-purpose results in a fluffy, light tasting pancake!
- Sugar– this adds to the overall sweetness of the pancakes themselves. White granulated sugar is what you will need, any brand. if you like your pancakes extra sweet, increase by 1 tbsp.
- Baking Soda/ Baking Powder/ Salt– this helps the pancakes get fluffy and rise a bit. Ensure freshness by changing these out every 6 months or so.
- Egg– one large egg, lightly beaten.
- Butter– unsalted butter is what you will use since salt is used in this recipe as well.
Cinnamon Swirl
- Butter– stick with unsalted butter, it will need to be melted.
- Brown Sugar– this gives the swirl it’s cinnamon roll flavoring.
- Cinnamon– the ultimate addition to the swirl. After-all, how can you have cinnamon roll flavors without the cinnamon, right?
- Flour– all-purpose is best!
How to make Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
We make these delicious cinnamon roll pancakes on our large cast iron griddle, however, if you aren’t feeding as many people, feel free to use a nonstick skillet!
- Combine- all pancake ingredients into medium bowl and stir until combined. Set aside pancake mix and heat griddle or pan. Lightly grease it.
- Make the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture- combine the ingredients and pour into a squirt bottle (ketchup type bottle), piping bag, or ziploc bag with corner snipped off.
- Pour Batter- into small circles on heated pan/griddle over medium heat. Immediately add the cinnamon swirls to the top of the pancakes.
- Cook- the pancakes until small bubbles develop on top of pancake. Flip over using a spatula and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Serve- warm with some melted butter and syrup on top.
Storing and Freezing this Cinnamon Roll Pancakes recipe
- These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Warm them up in the microwave to get them heated through again.
- Pancakes can also be frozen, and I’ve been doing that for years. Simply place them in freezer bags, separated by parchment paper, and freeze up to three months.
How to make a buttermilk substitute
If you’re anything like me, buttermilk is one of those things never on hand. Instead of having to buy a container and have it go to waste, my go to is this simple substitute.
- Pour milk into a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Any type works, I use 2%.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar for every 1 cup of milk. Lemon juice also works in place of vinegar.
- Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until you notice the milk starts thickening and curdles.
- You’re all set as that is the buttermilk needed. For this specific recipe, you will need about 3/4 cup, maybe more if batter is too thick.
What to serve with this Cinnamon Swirl Pancake Recipe
If you want to add some protein to your breakfast, you can always add a side of bacon or sausage. However, these dishes pair perfectly with the pancakes as well:
- Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole
- Ham, Broccoli. and Cheese Crustless Quiche
- Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Quiche
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
- Breakfast Stuffed Avocados
Tips For Making the Best Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
Have you ever had flat, not fluffy pancakes and wondered what went wrong? Here are a few tips to make the perfect pancake every time.
- Do not over work your batter. Lumpy pancake batter is okay. In fact, it will be near impossible to get all the lumps out, this is okay!
- Preheat your griddle. But don’t have the heat too high. You don’t want to burn the pancakes before they even have a chance to cook through.
- Do flip too early! Wait until bubbles form on the top before you flip.
- This recipe can easily be doubled: simply increase ingredients! You’ll be glad you did, trust me!
- Feel free to use cream cheese frosting on top instead of butter and maple syrup.
- Love cinnamon? Double the swirl and really squeeze it on! You can never have too much of that yumminess!
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes you’ll love
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake– combines all the flavors you love in homemade cinnamon rolls with a moist and fluffy coffee cake.
Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls– soft, with a doughy texture and incredible filling. With an out of this world cream cheese frosting, these can even be made in the bread machine!
Easy Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread– everything you love about a cinnamon roll is baked into this Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread! Topped with cream cheese frosting, this is a winner!
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies– soft, perfectly sweet, and the cinnamon mixture is simple to make…these Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies are a favorite with all!
French Toast Cinnamon Roll Casserole– combines all the flavors of ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls with the convenience of a breakfast casserole! Easy to make, ready for the oven in under 10 minutes, and perfect for Christmas morning breakfast, brunch, or a weekend treat!
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Breakfast Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 cup flour *all purpose
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter *melted
Cinnamon Swirl
- 2 tablespoon butter *melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon flour
Instructions
- Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for about 5 minutes to let the milk “sour”.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in egg and melted butter into soured milk.
- Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
- Make the cinnamon swirl mixture in a separate bowl by combining all ingredients. Use either a squirt bottle (ketchup type bottle), or bag with corner snipped off.
- Scoop pancake batter in small circles on heated pan/griddle. Immediately add the cinnamon swirls.
- Cook the pancakes until small bubbles develop on top of pancake. Flip over using a spatula and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Serve!
Notes
**If cinnamon mixture is too thick to drizzle, add more buttermilk to thin it out allowing it to pour on easier.
Kristy
Is it 181 calories per pancake? Or the entire batch?
Kristin
Per serving, about 2 medium pancakes! Enjoy!
Kristin, Tammy and Vicky
Oh we are so sorry it didnt turn out good. I wonder what happened? : (
Bisquick definitely would work if you have it, so hopefully next time you make it, you will fall in love with the recipe as we have!!
Again, sorry it didnt turn out yummy, thats always a bummer!
august
How much of each ingredients? I cannot make it if I don’t know how much of each ingredient I need.
Kristin
Scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, or click the “jump to recipe” button at the top! Everything should be listed! Enjoy!
Melissa Campbell
I made this exact recipe and they turned out terrible. The pancakes were thin like crepes, making them hard to flip and the cinnamon swirl tasted good but came of easily and ended up hard. I recommend using a pre-made pancake mix like Bisquick for the pancakes instead.
Carlea Sheppard
Me and my friend decided to make these together this morning and it was the best decision we made. The pancakes were the perfect consistency and the spark of flavour from the cinnamon swirl was absolutely delicious leaving me and my friend shocked on how amazing they were. I definitely recommend making these, but also make sure to do exactly as the instructions say. LITTLE TIP: If the cinnamon mixture is a little too chunky, try adding some more melted butter into it. This helped us get the perfect thickish paste so it nicely melted into our pancake when being cooked.
Kristin
Yay! Love hearing that you enjoyed these! They are a favorite in my house for sure too!!