Is it possible for two awesome breakfast favorites to merge into one glorious recipe? You bet…and this is it.
Cinnamon rolls + pancakes = delicious cinnamon roll pancakes!
These vegan cinnamon roll pancakes bring together the fluffy comfort of vanilla vegan pancakes with the gooey goodness of a cinnamon sugar swirl. And yes, there’s a cream cheese glaze to drizzle on top.
All without eggs, dairy, or a lot of hassle.
Just pull together a few pantry staples like all-purpose flour, baking powder, and brown sugar, plus a few plant-based swaps that still deliver that bakery-style payoff.
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Why You’ll Love These Vegan Cinnamon Pancakes
- Cinnamon roll flavor, pancake ease. The swirl melts into gooey, caramelized ribbons right in the pan.
- No dairy, no eggs, no problem. The “buttermilk” magic comes from almond milk and apple cider vinegar.
- Drizzle-friendly glaze. Made with vegan cream cheese and powdered sugar (or icing sugar), it’s tangy and rich.
- Freezer-friendly, and they reheat well.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Vegan Cinnamon roll Pancakes
Dry Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- organic cane sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- fine sea salt
- ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- unsweetened almond milk (or soy/oat milk)
- apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- neutral oil (avocado, canola, or melted coconut oil)
- vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients
- vegan butter, softened
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- salt
Glaze Ingredients
- vegan cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- tbsp non-dairy milk
- vanilla extract
- salt
For the Pan
- Vegan butter or oil for greasing
Instructions
Make the Vegan Buttermilk
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly. This helps your pancakes stay fluffy.
Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until no clumps remain.
Mix the Batter
Add oil and vanilla to the vegan buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined. Some lumps are fine; overmixing makes pancakes tough. If the batter feels too thick, add 1–2 tbsp more milk.
Make the Cinnamon Swirl
In another bowl, stir together softened vegan butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. The mixture should be thick but pipeable. If it’s too stiff, microwave for 5 seconds to loosen.
Scoop into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner cut off.
Heat the Pan
Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Lightly grease with vegan butter or oil. If it smokes, your heat’s too high.
Pour and Swirl
Pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. When bubbles form on top, pipe a thin spiral of cinnamon swirl — start from the center and move outward.
Flip and Cook
Once the edges look set and the bottoms are golden, flip gently. Cook another 1–2 minutes until the swirl caramelizes slightly. Wipe the pan between batches if the sugar starts to burn.
Make the Glaze
In a small bowl, beat vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add non-dairy milk a teaspoon at a time until it’s thick but pourable — it should drizzle, not run.
Stack and Serve
Layer pancakes, drizzle with glaze, and top with chopped pecans or a little maple syrup if you’re feeling extra. Serve warm for peak gooeyness.
Pro Tips
- Keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.
- The cinnamon swirl caramelizes fast and can start to burn before the pancakes are fully cooked. Keep the heat low.
Variations
- Pumpkin Roll Pancakes Replace ¼ cup of the milk with pumpkin purée and add pumpkin spice.
- Apple Pie Pancakes Add grated apple to the batter and a touch of nutmeg to the swirl.
- Gluten-Free Use a 1:1 GF flour blend; works beautifully with the same ratios.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerator
Cool completely, then store pancakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Keep the glaze in a separate container.
Freezer
Stack pancakes with parchment in between and freeze in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Best used within 2 months.
Reheat
Use a toaster on low for crisp edges or warm in a 300°F oven for 8–10 minutes. Microwaving works, but the texture softens.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Cinnamon swirl can be made 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Let it soften before using.
- For next-day prep, mix the dry ingredients ahead of time. Make the vegan buttermilk just before combining the wet and dry ingredients.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pan too hot The swirl will burn before the pancake cooks. Stick to medium/medium-low heat.
- Overmixing the batter Stir just until combined to avoid tough pancakes.
- Too much swirl Thick or heavy piping won’t melt evenly—keep lines thin and light.
- Cold swirl mix Straight-from-the-fridge butter clogs your swirl. Soften it first.
- Flipping too soon Wait for bubbles all over and lightly dry edges for best results.
Easy Ways to Mix It Up
- Add crunch Sprinkle toasted pecans or walnuts between layers.
- Apple pie style Fold in ½ cup sautéed diced apples to the batter.
- Go gluten-free Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add 1 extra tbsp plant milk if needed.
- Protein boost Substitute 2 scoops of vanilla
vegan protein powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour and add extra milk as needed. Oue favorite brand is Nuzest protein powder. - Espresso swirl Add 1 tsp instant espresso to the swirl for mocha vibes.
- Maple cream glaze Replace some plant milk in the glaze with pure maple syrup.
This is the breakfast that turns “we should do brunch sometime” into “come over next weekend.” It’s simple, fast, and wildly rewarding—like a bakery-level cinnamon roll tacked onto fluffy pancakes.
Everyone will ask for seconds, which is a good problem to have.
Looking for more awesome pancake recipes? Here are a few to check out:
- Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- High Protein Pancakes
If you decide to whip up a batch of these cinnamon roll pancakes (or any of our recipes) please share it with us in our closed Facebook Group, The Peas and Carrots Society. We’d love to see your creations! And if you love these, check out our full collection of vegetarian and vegan recipes for more delicious ideas!
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp organic cane sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Wet (Batter)
- 1¼ cups unsweetened almond milk or soy/oat milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil avocado, canola, or melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl
- ⅓ cup vegan butter softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Glaze
- 3 oz vegan cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Pan
- Vegan butter or oil for greasing
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly. This helps your pancakes stay fluffy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until no clumps remain.
- Add oil and vanilla to your vegan buttermilk. Pour wet into dry and whisk gently until just combined. Some lumps are fine — overmixing makes pancakes tough. If the batter feels too thick, add 1–2 tbsp more milk.
- In another bowl, stir together softened vegan butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. If it's too stiff, microwave for 5 seconds to loosen. Scoop into a piping bag or zip-top bag and snip a small corner. The mixture should be thick but pipeable.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Lightly grease with vegan butter or oil. If it smokes, your heat’s too high.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. When bubbles form on top, pipe a thin spiral of cinnamon swirl — start from the center and move outward.
- Once the edges look set and the bottoms are golden, flip gently. Cook another 1–2 minutes until the swirl caramelizes slightly. Wipe the pan between batches if the sugar starts to burn.
- In a small bowl, beat vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add non-dairy milk a teaspoon at a time until it’s thick but pourable — it should drizzle, not run.
- Layer pancakes, drizzle with glaze, and top with chopped pecans or other preferred toppings. Serve warm for peak gooeyness.
Notes
- Keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.
- The cinnamon swirl caramelizes fast, so turn the heat down slightly if it starts to burn.
- Pumpkin Roll Pancakes Replace ¼ cup of the milk with pumpkin purée and add pumpkin spice.
- Apple Pie Pancakes Add grated apple to the batter and a touch of nutmeg to the swirl.
- Gluten-Free Use a 1:1 GF flour blend; works beautifully with the same ratios
FAQ
Can I skip the vegan cream cheese?
Yep! Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1–2 tbsp plant milk, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt for a simpler icing.
What’s the best milk for this?
Almond milk and soy milk work best for body and browning. Oat’s okay, but skip super-thin options like rice milk.
Can I use a regular bag instead of a piping bottle?
Totally. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped works great. Just keep the opening small for clean spirals.
Can I bake these like a pancake sheet?
Yes! Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan, pipe swirl on top, and bake at 350°F for 14–18 minutes. Cool slightly before glazing.
Can I cut back the sugar?
In the batter—yes. Try 1 tbsp. In the swirl and glaze, you can reduce slightly, but too little and the texture won’t hold up.
