These Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are undeniably the best breakfast treat I’ve ever made, eaten or shared with my RecipeGirl readers. It’s even better than the original- those Cinnamon Roll Pancakes that have been adored by many. Or the Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. This is Cinnamon Roll Pancakes taken up a notch- a big notch. !
These are the best pancakes ever. I kid you not. If you like cinnamon rolls, then this is for you. If you’re a lover of pumpkin, then you’re just going to be in absolute heaven over these. And things topped with cream cheese icing. And evil breakfast dishes. Is that you?
These Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are definitely not for the person who is watching their weight. They’re not even the kind of pancakes you should be making every weekend. But they are a decadent treat that should absolutely be made at least once every time pumpkin season rolls around.
How to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes:
The key to making this recipe a success is the cinnamon filling. If you can get the cinnamon filling right, you’ll get these pancakes right. Very detailed instructions are in the recipe below. Check it out, and follow them. Your pancakes will rule the world if you do.
When you mix the cinnamon swirl mixture, it will be thick, but with a lot of melted butter that is not really mixed in. Don’t worry. That’s how it’s supposed to look at this point.
Pour it into a zip baggie and let it sit at room temperature. You want it to thicken up a bit- which it will likely do just perfectly by the time you get to the pancakes. Just pick the baggie up every once in a while and squish it around to re-incorporate the butter, which will tend to want to separate from the sugar.
You’re going to be cutting a tiny hole in the corner of the zip baggie. And then you’ll be swirling like this. See that picture above? That’s exactly how you want the swirl to be able to come out of that baggie. If it’s too liquidy, then it’s not quite ready yet. Squish it around some more and let it sit at room temp some more. Eventually, you’ll be able to get a “toothpaste-like” consistency out of it. That’s what you want.
That cinnamon filling is swirled into a spiced-up pumpkin pancake batter on a hot and sizzling skillet. When the pancake begins to bubble and pop on top, you will gently flip it over and let the cinnamon swirl side cook.
It comes out looking like this, cinnamon crater swirls and all. Wowza.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling.
Time for drizzling the cream cheese icing. Drizzle as little or as much as you want. I recommend much.
P.S. This recipe is all thanks to a reader, who happened to suggest that my cinnamon roll pancakes might be good with a pumpkin version. Thank you, dear reader. You were right. Oh so right!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
CINNAMON FILLING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (measure, then sift)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
PANCAKES:
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Instructions
PREPARE THE CINNAMON FILLING:
- In a small bowl- mix the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Whisk the filling ingredients together and then pour it into a sandwich-sized zip baggie. Zip up the baggie and lay it on the counter while you prepare the pancake batter.
PREPARE THE ICING:
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and cream cheese 30 to 60 seconds, just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla and combine until smooth. Set the icing aside.
PREPARE THE PANCAKE BATTER:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and brown sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all is moistened.
CHECK ON THE CINNAMON FILLING:
- Open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of toothpaste (which will eventually happen if you leave it on the counter long enough, but refrigerate for a few minutes if you need to). Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny! Snip off a small piece of the corner of the baggie.
COOK THE PANCAKES:
- Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium, and spray it with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or ladle) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or ladle to spread out the batter into a nice, even circle. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pick up your cinnamon filling baggie and squeeze the filling into the corner. Starting at the center of the pancake squeeze the cinnamon filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a cinnamon roll). Cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it is golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing.
Notes
- *If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, use this combo of spices instead: 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have a couple of questions for clarity sake: (1) is 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice correct? It seems excessive. (2) When cooking the regular cinnamon roll pancakes, we are instructed to wait for bubbles to firm before piping on the cinnamon swirl and then cook 2-3 minutes more. For the pumpkin version, however, there is no such instruction to wait for bubbles to form and the pancakes are cooked 3-4 minutes post swirl. Why do we not wait for bubbles in the pumpkin version? Thank you.
Yes, you can make the recipe as instructed and it should turn out just fine. It just takes practice (as it does with the regular ones). If the bubble method worked for you in the original, then you can try it here too. The amount of pumpkin pie spice works, but you can decrease if you feel it’s excessive.
wanted to report that my husband & I loved these Christmas morning. They were challenging to make with a wired 5 year old demanding my time. I had leftover batter so I did make them the next day. Microwaved the cinnamon filling (in a bowl, not the bag) 10 seconds stirred well and also microwaved the icing 10 seconds. Made the leftover batter and it was just as good the next day for us (maybe more so since it was easier day 2). Hope others have our success. Great recipe!