Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
These Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are a fluffy and delicious option for those wanting to save time in the kitchen, but also want a a fantastic holiday breakfast or brunch option.
Pancakes are special already, but cinnamon roll pancakes are a whole different experience. And personally, this is one of my favorite things to enjoy during the holiday season. They are fluffy, delightfully sweet and fun. The best part, easier and less time to make than regular cinnamon rolls. Though, it goes without saying, if you are in the mood, definitely make cinnamon rolls.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Easier than cinnamon rolls. A fun breakfast that takes much less time than cinnamon rolls. Just mix the batter and top with the swirl. And don’t get too down on yourself if it’s not the perfect looking swirl, it’s there to add flavor, the aesthetic is more of a bonus.
- The perfect fluffy texture. I have shared a couple of helpful tips below that include both my own experiences of making pancakes and some extra tips shared by Rainbow Plant Life to help give you the perfect fluffy texture and flavor.
- A great holiday treat. My favorite breakfast or brunch to share around the holidays and colder months.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour: I tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. I know many will try and make a swap with other flours. Make sure you know enough about how different flours will impact the final result. If you use whole wheat flours, I recommend white wheat flour as it is lighter and hydrating the batter with more milk as whole wheat flours are more absorbent. Be cautious with gluten-free swaps and read my notes in the FAQ section.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is what I used, but feel free to use other spices to pair with it based on your preference.
- Sugar: I used brown sugar to give the pancakes more flavor overall. You can also replace with coconut sugar.
- Butter: I like to use a high quality vegan butter like Miyoko’s as I find it doesn’t burn as easily as other butters. ****If not a fan of vegan butter, feel free to use a high heat oil like avocado oil for cooking.
- Soy Milk: To make a proper vegan butter milk, I recommend a higher protein milk like soy. If you have a soy allergy, your next best bet is using pea milk. The protein in the milk will activate with the apple cider vinegar and react best with the other leavening ingredients to fluff your pancakes and give them structure.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Helps create the fluff in our pancakes. You can also swap for equal amounts of lemon juice.
- Vegan Yogurt: Thicker vegan yogurts work best. My go to vegan yogurts are Forager Project, Kite Hill and Silk’s soy yogurt.
- Cinnamon Swirl: This includes cinnamon, brown sugar, almond butter, and maple syrup for the base.
How to Make Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
In a large measuring cup measure the milk and pour in the apple cider vinegar. Whisk together and set aside for 5 minutes.
Whisk the cinnamon swirl ingredients together and then spoon into a sandwich bag towards one corner. Press excess air out, seal the bag and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Add the melted butter, yogurt, vanilla, and milk mixture then fold with a spatula until the batter is just combined (do not over mix, lumps are okay). Remove spatula and let batter rest for 5 minutes.
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Grease your griddle and when ready, scoop 1/4 cup of the batter onto the surface.
Grab your filling and cut the corner tip of the bag off to create a makeshift piping bag. Use it to draw a swirl design on the wet side of your pancake. Let your pancake cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom of pancake is golden. Flip and cook on the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Whisk together the maple cream cheese drizzle to serve with your pancakes and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Avoid overmixing your batter. Just give it enough of a mix to combine into a batter. It’s okay if you have some lumps. Overmixing will lead to a tougher pancake that isn’t as fluffy.
- For the best indulgent pancake experience, cook the pancakes over a good quality vegan butter like miyoko’s or a high heat oil like avocado oil. I find both withstand heat well and give you the nice golden edges to your pancakes.
- Allow your batter to rest. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes to “floof” up and thicken. Having a thicker batter results in a nice and fluffy texture.
- Maintain the fluff. Once mixed you want to retain the fluff of the batter, so do not mix it again after it sits and don’t rest your measuring cup or whisk in the batter.
- Use a good quality non-stick pan or griddle. The non-stick surface will help make it easy to cook the pancakes without them sticking or ruining the swirl when flipping. I always use my non-stick griddle as it helps me cook all the pancakes faster.
- Flip when the edges dry. This is the best indicator for the best time to flip, which can take about 2-3 minutes.
- Use a sandwich bag to pipe on the cinnamon sugar swirl. Fill the sandwich bag with the swirl mixture, squeeze out some of the air and seal, then press the mixture close to the bottom of the bag near one of the ends. Cut the tip of the bag off and carefully pipe on the swirl. I like to start in the middle and swirl outward, but feel free to make any other designs you like. It’s okay if not all of them are perfect, remember these are for fun and swirl is there more for flavor anyway!
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not tested these pancakes out with gluten-free flour alternatives. However, you can use this gluten-free pancake recipe as the base for the pancakes and add the cinnamon sugar swirl from this recipe.
Yes! After you cook the pancakes allow them to cool completely then place in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper placed between each pancake to help prevent them from sticking. Place in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, remove from the freezer and pop them in a toaster or toaster oven for about 5 minutes.
How to Serve
You can keep it simple and serve with some maple syrup. You can also further elevate it with some extra fruit like sliced bananas and some cooked apples. For the holidays, I also like to serve these with some a vegan maple cream cheese frosting, which is a combo of vegan cream cheese and maple syrup whisked together and then drizzled and spread over the pancakes.
More Pancake Recipes to Try
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Banana Nut Pancakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- Coconut Cardamom Pancakes (gluten-free)
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are a fluffy and delicious option for those wanting to save time in the kitchen, but also want a a fantastic holiday breakfast or brunch option.
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 1/4 cup soy milk or pea milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt
- 1 tbsp melted vegan butter or neutral oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Swirl
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
- 3 oz of vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1–2 tbsp soy milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup measure the milk and pour in the apple cider vinegar. Whisk them together and set to the side to stand for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the cinnamon swirl ingredients together and then spoon into a sandwich bag towards one corner. Press the mixture as close to the corner of the bag as possible and press as much air out of the back before sealing it and setting aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and whisk together to combine.
- Add the melted butter, yogurt, vanilla, and milk mixture then fold with a spatula until the batter is just combined (do not over mix, a few lumps are okay). Remove spatula and let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick griddle or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Grease your griddle and when the griddle is ready, scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the hot surface.
- Grab the piping bag with your filling and cut the tip off at the corner to create a makeshift piping bag. Use it to draw a swirl design on the wet side of your pancake. Let your pancake cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom of pancake is golden. Flip and cook on the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
- For the maple cream cheese glaze, combine cream cheese, maple syrup, milk and salt into a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth and add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved for drizzling. Serve the pancakes with the maple cream cheese glaze and additional maple syrup as desired, then enjoy immediately.
Notes
Avoid overmixing your batter. Just give it enough of a mix to combine into a batter. It’s okay if you have some lumps. Overmixing will lead to a tougher pancake that isn’t as fluffy.
For the best indulgent pancake experience, cook the pancakes over a good quality vegan butter like miyoko’s or a high heat oil like avocado oil. I find both withstand heat well and give you the nice golden edges to your pancakes.
Allow your batter to rest. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes to “floof” up and thicken. Having a thicker batter results in a nice and fluffy texture.
Maintain the fluff. Once mixed you want to retain the fluff of the batter, so do not mix it again after it sits and don’t rest your measuring cup or whisk in the batter.
Use a good quality non-stick pan or griddle. The non-stick surface will help make it easy to cook the pancakes without them sticking or ruining the swirl when flipping. I always use my non-stick griddle as it helps me cook all the pancakes faster.
Flip when the edges dry. This is the best indicator for the best time to flip, which can take about 2-3 minutes.
Use a sandwich bag to pipe on the cinnamon sugar swirl. Fill the sandwich bag with the swirl mixture, squeeze out some of the air and seal, then press the mixture close to the bottom of the bag near one of the ends. Cut the tip of the bag off and carefully pipe on the swirl. I like to start in the middle and swirl outward, but feel free to make any other designs you like. It’s okay if not all of them are perfect, remember these are for fun and swirl is there more for flavor anyway!
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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