What's better than pancakes? Keto cinnamon roll pancakes! These almond flour pancakes with a cinnamon swirl and a sugar free cream cheese frosting are sure to be a hit at the breakfast table. The recipe is gluten-free and diabetic-friendly.
I'm a huge fan of pancakes, and I love keto cinnamon rolls. It was obvious - I had to combine the two in one wonderful dish!
This recipe uses my popular keto pancakes as a base. If you haven't tried them yet you're missing out! They have a LOT of fans 😉
I first tested a cinnamon swirl made just out of butter, sweetener and cinnamon. However, I did not like the way the pancakes looked - kind of messy and almost falling apart. By adding a few tablespoons of pancake batter to the cinnamon swirl mix, the problem was solved!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe:
- Almond flour
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Powdered sweetener
Baking with almond flour is never an exact science because brands can vary greatly in texture. In this recipe I used a super-fine defatted almond flour. It absorbs liquid really well and looks almost like wheat flour.
If your almond flour is coarser or you're using almond meal or ground almonds, increase the amount by about 2-3 tablespoons. This ensures your pancakes aren't too fragile.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Step 1: Put almond flour, cream cheese, eggs and baking powder in a blender. You can also use a bowl and an electric mixer.
Step 2: Blend until smooth and frothy!
Step 3: In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon swirl mix (melted butter, cinnamon, powdered sweetener and 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter).
Step 4: Heat butter or coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the fat begins to bubble, pour some of the pancake batter into the pan. Then add the cinnamon mix onto the pancake, making a swirl.
Step 5: Once the pancake top (and the swirl) is firm enough, turn over the pancake using a wide spatula. Low carb pancakes are more fragile than wheat flour pancakes because they contain no gluten and a wide spatula will ensure the pancake does not break.
Step 6: Fry the cinnamon swirl side for around 30 seconds, then slide the pancake onto a plate or lift it out with a spatula.
Tip: I used a SMALL pan and made one pancake at a time. The benefit is that the butter does not burn as the pancake covers most of the pan.
Step 7: Last, stir together your cream cheese frosting - I did this in a bowl with a fork. Depending on how cold or firm your cream cheese is, add 1 tablespoon of nut milk or more to achieve your desired consistency.
I made my own DIY piping bag by simply filling the cream cheese frosting into a small ziploc bag. Then I snipped off one of the corners. It's best to use a sturdy plastic bag for this.
Keto cinnamon roll pancakes taste wonderful without the cream cheese frosting - you could serve them simply with some berries or a squeeze of sugar free syrup. But, naturally, the frosting takes it to the next level of decadence!
If you don't have the patience to pipe it over your stack, simply spoon it over or us it as a filling between 2 pancakes, a bit like a giant whoopie pie.
Recipe tips and variations
Feel free to add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder or vanilla extract to the pancake batter.
If you are after a sturdier pancake, you can also add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the pancake batter. This improves the crumb structure in low carb baking.
Want to give the cinnamon swirl mix an autumn/winter vibe? Add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix.
For a coconut flour version, use the base recipe of my coconut flour pancakes.
If you are using a large frying pan, you can make 2 or 3 pancakes at a time. Just make sure you're sticking to a low to medium heat so your butter does not burn.
Storage
These low carb pancakes freeze well and can be reheated by either popping them in the microwave or even in the toaster. Freeze for up to 3 months.
You can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Related recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
For the Pancake Batter
- ½ cup plus 1 tbsp almond flour (60g)
- ½ cup full fat cream cheese (125g)
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ¼ cup / 60g butter melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener or more, if you have a sweet tooth 🙂
- 3 tablespoon pancake batter (from above)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup / 60g cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- 1 tablespoon almond milk to loosen
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the pancake batter in a blender.
- Melt a knob of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in some of the pancake batter and add the cinnamon swirl. Place a lid over the pan. Turn the pancake over once the top starts to firm up (about 2 minutes). Fry the side with the swirl only briefly (about 30 seconds). Proceed until all batter has been used up.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, mix together the cream cheese, sweetener and loosen with 1 tablespoon of almond milk. Fill into a piping bag and decorate the pancake stack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Lisa
What could I do instead of cream cheese? coconut cream? dairy free household
Katrin Nürnberger
I would use dairy-free cream cheese. We often buy Violife. I think a coconut yoghurt could also work well, although coconut cream could also be a good substitute.
Sharon Cunningham
I really enjoyed these. My husband too! Easy to make which is always a bonus! Thank you! I’ll be making these again soon.
Deanna
Delicious! Looking forward to eating the leftovers!!
GeeBee
These are absolutely delish!! Next time I will use a frame in the frying pan as these were more like crepes - which would also be delish with some fruit in the middle and rolled up. Truly a yummy breakfast, or dessert.
Elba Lopez
This pancakes are the best ❤️ They really taste like cinnamon rolls. Love them
Val
Hello!
Does the nutrition include the frosting? Or without frosting?
Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger
It includes the frosting 🙂
hotmail
Delicious! I like it! Thanks for sharing! I will make it follow introduction of you!
Ruth
Hi Katrin,
As holiday season is about to finish soon, I was looking out for something special to let my family enjoy to the full the last carefree days.
This morning I surprised my loved ones with your low carb cinnamon roll pancakes. They looked so yummy and tasted really delicious.
Unfortunately there was nothing left. So tomorrow I'll have to prepare another batch for freezing.
The children enriched them with a big layer of the cream cheese; I'd added a drop of vanilla aroma, while my husband preferred them without. He said the best way to enjoy them is accompanying them with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. And I think he's right.
Whatever the way you prefer eating them, this recipe is able to turn a normal breakfast into a real morning treat, the best way to start another happy day.
Lots of thanks for your always surprising and gladly accepted ideas.
Katrin
Hello Ruth, I’m so glad you all liked the pancakes! Enjoy the last few days of your holidays 🙂
Luci
Just made these...still eating. Wow, yummmm, fabulous! I added some chopped walnuts to the batter for some crunch and served with fresh blueberries on the side. These are every bit as good as any pancake I've ever eaten. Do you think the batter would work for waffles?
Luci
And I did not have almond milk so used heavy cream instead in the topping. My sweetener was erythritol.
Katrin
Yes, the batter would definitely work for waffles as well. Just make sure your grease your waffle iron really well, because almond flour is a little more fragile than flour
Patricia Anthony
Regarding the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: It sounds wonderful!! What is a knob of butter??
Katrin
It’s what we call just enough butter for frying over here in the UK!