What’s better than low carb pancakes? Low carb 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 Keto, gluten free and diabetic-friendly.
I’m a huge fan of pancakes, and I luuuurve cinnamon rolls. It was obvious – I had to combine the two in one wonderful dish!
This recipe uses my popular almond cream cheese 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!
These 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!
A quick note on almond flour: Baking with almond flour is never an exact science because brands can vary greatly in texture. In this recipe I used this 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 (widely available in UK supermarkets), I recommend that you increase the amount by about 2-3 tbsp. This ensures your pancakes aren’t too fragile.
How to make low carb pancakes with a cinnamon swirl:
1.) Put almond flour, cream cheese, eggs and baking powder in a blender. You can also use a bowl and an electric mixer.
2.) Blend until smooth and frothy!
3.) After you stir together the cinnamon swirl mix (melted butter, cinnamon, powdered sweetener and 3 tbsp of the pancake batter – just use a bowl and a fork), heat some butter or coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.
Once the butter is hot and begins to bubble, pour some of the pancake batter into the pan. Then add the cinnamon mix onto the pancake, making a swirl.
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.
4.) 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.
(The image actually shows a different pancake than the one above – just in case you’re wondering whether these pancakes shrink in size. They don’t!)
Fry the cinnamon swirl side for around 30 seconds, then slide the pancake onto a plate or lift it out with a spatula.
5.) 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 tbsp 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. Of course, if you are not after a perfect finish, you can simply spoon the frosting over the pancakes.
Cinnamon roll low carb pancakes – Recipe tips and variations
Feel free to add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of vanilla powder or vanilla extract to the pancake batter.
If you are after a sturdier pancake, you can also add 1/2 tsp 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 1/2 tsp of pumpkin spice mix (aka mixed spice in the UK)!
I know some of you cannot have almond flour pancakes. You can try to replace the almond flour with 1/4 cup coconut flour (roughly half the amount). Or try my easy coconut flour pancakes – they are to die for!
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.
These low carb pancakes freeze well and can be reheated by either popping them in the microwave or even in the toaster.
You can store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Don’t miss these delicious low carb breakfast recipes:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pancake Batter
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp almond flour (60g)
- 1/2 cup full fat cream cheese (125g)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup / 60g butter melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp powdered sweetener or more, if you have a sweet tooth 🙂
- 3 tbsp pancake batter (from above)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup / 60g cream cheese
- 1 tbsp powdered sweetener
- 1 tbsp 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 tbsp of almond milk. Fill into a piping bag and decorate the pancake stack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Val says
Hello!
Does the nutrition include the frosting? Or without frosting?
Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
It includes the frosting 🙂
hotmail says
Delicious! I like it! Thanks for sharing! I will make it follow introduction of you!
Ruth says
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 says
Hello Ruth, I’m so glad you all liked the pancakes! Enjoy the last few days of your holidays 🙂
Luci says
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 says
And I did not have almond milk so used heavy cream instead in the topping. My sweetener was erythritol.
Katrin says
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 says
Regarding the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: It sounds wonderful!! What is a knob of butter??
Katrin says
It’s what we call just enough butter for frying over here in the UK!