Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Recipe (Gluten-Free / Vegan Options)

For my column in a prior issue of Allergic Living magazine, I decided to focus on fun brunch recipes. The idea for dairy-free cinnamon roll pancakes immediately popped into my head, and I wasted no time getting to the kitchen to test several batches. Let’s just say, we really enjoyed those recipe trials. And today, I’m sharing that wonderful recipe with you online!

Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes for All to Enjoy

Allergic Living is top food allergy-friendly, so I needed to make the recipe top allergen-free. But along the way, I decided to test every option – with eggs, without eggs, with wheat, without wheat, etc.

Dairy-free, Vegan, and/or Gluten-Free Options

These dairy-free cinnamon roll pancakes are naturally soy-free and nut-free, as long as you choose the buttery spread for your needs. However, you can make them vegan and/or gluten-free, if you wish, for an equally delicious experience. As you can see in the photos that follow , they look wonderful every which way – especially with that maple glaze.

“Just” Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (made with eggs and wheat)

Thick or Thin Pancakes

Be sure to take note of the liquid reference in this recipe. Climates and ingredients can change the amount you need, and so can personal taste. If you prefer big puffy pancakes (like the ones shown below), shoot for a thick batter. If you like flatter pancakes (like the ones shown above), aim for a thinner, but not runny, batter. You do want a little thickness to the pancakes since the cinnamon swirl will cause an indent.

Vegan & Gluten-Free (but amazing!) Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Special Diet Notes: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan, and vegetarian.

Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Maple Glaze

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

With just a few practice pancakes, you can easily master this fun cinnamon swirling technique. The maple glaze is optional, but it gives each short stack an amazing cinnamon roll meets maple donut flavor.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Recipe type: Brunch

Cuisine: American

Serves: 14 pancakes

Ingredients

Cinnamon Filling

½ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ cup melted dairy-free buttery spread
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Maple Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (see Gluten-Free Option below)
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs or 1 tablespoon egg replacer + 2 tablespoon warm water (for egg-free)
1¼ to 1¾ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage, or as needed
2 tablespoon oil (I use grapeseed oil)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 batch Maple Glaze (recipe below) or additional maple syrup, for topping

Instructions

Cinnamon Filling

Place the brown sugar, buttery spread, and cinnamon in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and squeeze to combine the ingredients.
Snip a very small corner from the bottom of the plastic bag.

Maple Pancakes

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, briefly whip the eggs or egg replacer with water. Whisk in 1¼ cups milk beverage, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Add up to ½ cup additional milk beverage, or as needed, to create a pourable but slightly thick batter. Less liquid will be required for puffier pancakes or for the gluten-free option, while more liquid might be needed at higher altitudes. Let the batter rest while you preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Again, feel free to add more milk beverage if it thickens too much as it sits.
Once the griddle is hot, grease it with cooking spray, a little more oil, or buttery spread. Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake and let cook for 2 minutes.
Squeeze the cinnamon filling onto the pancake (through the snipped hole), starting in the center, and swirling outward, like you would see on a cinnamon roll. Try to keep the filling at least ½-inch from the edge.
Let the pancakes cook for a couple more minutes, or until bubbles form and burst in the batter.
Flip, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Note that the gluten-free pancakes may not brown, but they will have a light and fluffy finish.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 until the batter is used up (greasing between batches).
Remove to serving plates and drizzle with pure maple syrup or the Maple Glaze, if desired.

Notes

Gluten-Free Option: Substitute 1¼ cup brown rice flour, ½ cup potato starch, and ¼ cup tapioca starch for the all-purpose flour.

Maple Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine until smooth.