Cracker Barrel-Style Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are fluffy homemade pancakes with a brown sugar and cinnamon swirl piped right into the batter on the griddle, finished with a thick cream cheese icing. They are a copycat of the Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes on Cracker Barrel’s holiday menu, made with pantry ingredients. The recipe makes 12 pancakes.
How to make it: Mix a quick pancake batter, then stir a little of it into melted butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to make the swirl and spoon that into a piping bag. Beat cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar into an icing. Cook 1/4-cup pancakes at 350°F, pipe a swirl into each one, flip when the bubbles pop, and top with the icing.
Why You’ll Love It
- Cinnamon roll flavor in every bite: the swirl cooks right into each pancake.
- Cream cheese icing: a thick, tangy-sweet topping instead of plain syrup.
- Restaurant breakfast at home: the holiday menu stack, made in your own kitchen.
- Feeds a crowd: one batch makes 12 pancakes.
What Are Cracker Barrel’s Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes?
Cracker Barrel added Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes to its 2026 holiday menu: buttermilk pancakes with a cinnamon filling and cream cheese icing, served with two eggs. The restaurant describes them as fluffy and dripping with sweet cinnamon roll glaze. Cracker Barrel does not publish its recipe, so this is a copycat-style version that gives you the same idea at home: a cinnamon sugar swirl inside each pancake and cream cheese icing on top.
Ingredient Notes
The pancakes: Two cups of all-purpose flour, a little sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for the dry side; milk, two room-temperature eggs, melted butter and vanilla for the wet side. Add a splash more milk if the batter is too thick to scoop.
The cinnamon swirl: Melted butter, brown sugar, a tablespoon of flour and two teaspoons of cinnamon. Three tablespoons of the finished pancake batter go into it too, mixed well before it goes into the bag.
The icing: Two ounces of softened cream cheese and two tablespoons of softened butter, beaten with powdered sugar, a little vanilla and a pinch of salt. A tablespoon of milk, added a little at a time, thins it to the consistency you like.
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk, plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cinnamon swirl
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the cream cheese icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon milk (you may not need all of it)
How to Make Cracker Barrel-Style Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
1. Make the batter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and stir just until moistened; the batter should be lumpy.
2. Make the cinnamon swirl. Combine the 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter. Mix well and transfer to a piping bag with a thin tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.
3. Make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and softened butter with a hand mixer on high until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until mixed in, then the vanilla and salt. Add the milk a little at a time until the icing is the consistency you like.
4. Cook the pancakes. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat (350°F). Scoop 1/4 cup portions of batter onto the griddle and gently pipe a swirl of the cinnamon mixture into each pancake.
5. Flip. When the bottom is golden and the bubbles on top begin to pop, flip the pancakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until cooked through. Wipe the skillet with a damp paper towel between batches.
6. Serve. Top with the cream cheese icing and serve warm.
How to Get the Cinnamon Swirl Right
The swirl is what makes these cinnamon roll pancakes, and it comes down to three things.
Put batter in the filling. The swirl is not just cinnamon sugar: 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter and a tablespoon of flour are mixed into the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon before it goes into the bag.
Use a bag with a small opening. A piping bag with a thin tip gives the cleanest spiral. A zip-top bag works just as well: fill it, push the filling into one corner, and snip off only a tiny piece of that corner with scissors so the line stays thin.
Pipe right after the batter goes down. Scoop the batter, give it a few seconds to start setting, about 15 to 20 seconds, then pipe the spiral from the center out. Leave it alone until the edges look dry and bubbles pop across the top, then flip once.
Tips for Success
Why is my batter lumpy?
It is supposed to be. Stir the wet and dry ingredients just until moistened and stop while there are still small lumps.
How do I know when to flip?
Flip when the bottom is golden and the bubbles on top start to pop, or when the edges look dry. Then cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until cooked through.
Do I need to clean the skillet between batches?
Give it a quick wipe with a damp paper towel between batches, then keep cooking.
How do I keep the pancakes warm?
Put cooked pancakes in a pancake warmer, or stack them on a plate and cover them with an upturned bowl while you cook the rest.
Variations
- Thinner glaze: Add the full tablespoon of milk, or a little more, so the icing drizzles like a cinnamon roll glaze.
- More batter in the swirl: Mix up to 1/4 cup of batter into the cinnamon filling instead of 3 tablespoons.
- Restaurant-style plate: Serve the stack with two eggs on the side, the way the holiday menu plate comes.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate: Cool leftover pancakes and refrigerate them in a covered container within 2 hours; use within 3 to 4 days. Keep the cream cheese icing covered in the refrigerator too, and do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.
Freeze: Freeze the pancakes without the icing for 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Warm pancakes in the microwave or a low oven until hot all the way through (165°F), then add the icing.
What to Serve With It
Serve the pancakes warm with scrambled or fried eggs and your favorite breakfast meat for a full diner-style breakfast.
For more breakfast ideas, try the plain Cracker Barrel pancakes, old fashioned pancakes, blueberry pancake casserole, cinnamon roll casserole, cinnamon roll French toast rolls or an easy cinnamon roll coffee cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Cracker Barrel’s actual recipe?
No. Cracker Barrel does not share its recipe. This is a copycat-style version built the way the restaurant describes its Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes: pancakes with a cinnamon filling and cream cheese icing.
What is in the cinnamon swirl?
Melted butter, brown sugar, a tablespoon of flour, two teaspoons of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter, mixed and piped into each pancake.
What icing goes on cinnamon roll pancakes?
A cream cheese icing: softened cream cheese and butter beaten with powdered sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt, thinned with a little milk.
Can I use a zip-top bag instead of a piping bag?
Yes. Fill a zip-top or freezer bag, snip off a small corner and pipe the swirl straight from the bag.
How many pancakes does this make?
About 12 pancakes, using 1/4 cup of batter for each.
Final Notes
Keep the batter lumpy, pipe the swirl right after the batter hits the griddle, and save the cream cheese icing for the end. If you make these Cracker Barrel-style cinnamon roll pancakes, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Cracker Barrel-Style Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour for the pancakes
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for the batter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the batter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for the swirl
- 1/4 cup brown sugar for the swirl
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour for the swirl
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon for the swirl
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened, for the icing
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for the icing
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar for the icing
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract for the icing
- 1/8 teaspoon salt for the icing
- 1 tablespoon milk for the icing, you may not need all of it
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and stir just until moistened; the batter should be lumpy.
- Combine the 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter. Mix well and transfer to a piping bag with a thin tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.
- Beat the cream cheese and softened butter with a hand mixer on high until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until mixed in, then the vanilla and salt. Add the milk a little at a time until the icing is the consistency you like.
- Heat a lightly oiled non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat (350°F). Scoop 1/4 cup portions of batter onto the griddle and gently pipe a swirl of the cinnamon mixture into each pancake.
- When the bottom is golden and the bubbles on top begin to pop, flip the pancakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until cooked through. Wipe the skillet with a damp paper towel between batches.
- Top with the cream cheese icing and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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