After Christmas, I was in a quandary as to what to do since everyone had been so busy wrapping presents, visiting family, and planning their holiday menus. After all, everyone must have room in their back pocket for another breakfast recipe. A week of lazy mornings is surely coming up. Am I right?
I’ve never made cinnamon roll pancakes, but I knew they were popular among bloggers. I wanted to try something new and vegan if I could. Both were possible.
For that classic cinnamon roll taste, I used a whole grain, yeasted batter. This is because most cinnamon rolls are made with the earthy flavor of bakers’ essential yeast. It was a great surprise to see it double in size, just as I had hoped. I then scooped a small amount of batter and added brown sugar, cinnamon, and a few drops of melted butter. I now had my cinnamon swirl.
It’s so simple and delicious! They look so fluffy and tasty when they are cooking.
This cinnamon roll pancake recipe is real and requires only eight ingredients!
Almond milkVegan Butter
Whole wheat pastry flour
Cinnamon
Sugar & brown sugar
Salt
Yeast
That’s it! All of these ingredients are likely to be in your kitchen. They are also surprisingly easy to make and take less than 2 hours from start to finish. It’s not bad for pancakes with the cinnamon flavor of slow-cooked, homemade cinnamon rolls packed into each fluffy bite.
Although I do not think that a glaze was necessary, I could not bear to try them without one. I used my favorite glaze, which always leaves plenty of leftovers. Powdered sugar with almond milk and vegan butter melted (recipe below). It’s delicious when it reaches your lips.
The pancakes taste just like cinnamon rolls.
Fluffy
Not too sweet
The cinnamon and brown sugar flavor is packed into this bag
Filling up with a serious amount of filling
& Surprisingly Healthy
They are also great for feeding a large crowd. One batch makes at least eight large pancakes. Two pancakes should be enough for one person.
This week, make these for family and friends! They’ll probably love them. I think they’ll also make your holiday parties a bit more sweet and memorable. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For Batter
- 2 cups unsweetened Almond Milk (or any other non-dairy alternative milk)
- Earth Balance vegan butter, 2 1/2 Tbsp
- Sugar 2 Tbsp
- 1Onepackage of rapid-rise or dry active yeast* (each package yields about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Use 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry OR unbleached flour
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1 1/2 Tbsp of pancake batter
- 1 Tbsp softened/melted vegan butter
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- Half a teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Batter Heat the almond milk in a large bowl with vegan butter for 30 seconds increments in the microwave until it is warm and melted. Do not let the mixture boil. You can also heat the ingredients over medium heat in a pan.
- Allow the mixture to cool down to 110 degrees F (43 C), which is the temperature of bathwater. The mixture should be warm but not hot. Otherwise, the yeast will die.
- Sprinkle yeast on. Allow to activate for 10 min. Add the sugar and salt, and stir.
- Add flour in 1/4 cup increments, stirring constantly. Use a whisk if there are a lot of lumps. But do it gently, not vigorously. The batter should be sticky but not like dough. The ideal amount is 1 1/2 cups (the amount written in the original recipe //adjusted for batch size). However, if you find it too thin, add more. The batter will look like a normal pancake mix. Thick but pourable.
- Cover the batter with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm area to double in size. The rapid rise will help the batterproof faster, but you can also use active dry. Just a little longer.
- Cinnamon swirl: After the batter has risen, scoop out 2 1/2 tablespoons and add one tablespoon of vegan butter, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and three tablespoons of brown sugar. (Amounts are as written in the original recipe // adjust for changes to batch size). If it’s too dense to pour, thin it with almond or coconut milk. Mix well and pour into a plastic squeeze or sandwich bag.
- Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and lightly grease the surface. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle or large skillet and swirl the cinnamon-sugar filling around in a circular motion starting from the center. You can even create other shapes or designs.
- Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear on top and the edges are dry. Transfer to a large platter or serving dish and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Warm in a 200-degree oven until serving.
- Optional, but recommended: Frost the cake with dairy-free cream cheese frosting. Or, mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp vegan butter melted and 1-2 Tbsp almond milk (amounts are as written in the original recipe // adjust for changes to batch size). You can make the glaze as thin or as thick as you like. I prefer it to be thicker. You can also drizzle maple syrup on top.
- Cover leftovers and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days. For longer-term storage, place leftovers in a bag or container that is freezer-safe. They should reheat easily in the toaster or microwave.