So, the other day, I got this wild idea. I was staring at a box of pancake mix in my pantry, and I thought, “Hmm, can I turn this into cinnamon rolls?” I mean, why not, right? I’m all about experimenting in the kitchen, and this seemed like a fun challenge. I love cinnamon rolls, but sometimes I just don’t have the energy to make the dough from scratch.
I started digging around online, and it turns out, I wasn’t the first person to think of this! A bunch of folks have tried making cinnamon rolls with pancake mix, and the results seemed pretty promising. Most of them say it’s totally doable and a great shortcut.
Here’s what I did: First, I grabbed the pancake mix, some butter, sugar, and of course, cinnamon. Those are the basic things you need. I also made a simple icing with powdered sugar and milk to drizzle on top later. I’m keeping this super simple.

- Mixed up the dough: I followed the instructions on the pancake mix box for making regular pancakes, but I added a bit more melted butter to make the dough richer. I also threw in a good amount of cinnamon and some sugar into the batter, gave it a good mix.
- Rolled it out: I dusted my countertop with flour and rolled out the dough into a rectangle. It wasn’t as smooth as regular dough, a bit crumbly, but it worked.
- Made the filling: I mixed some softened butter, brown sugar, and lots of cinnamon in a bowl. Spread that all over the dough, like I was making a little cinnamon-sugar carpet.
- Rolled and sliced: I carefully rolled up the dough, starting from one of the long sides. It was a little messy, but I managed. Then, I sliced it into about an inch thick rounds, like you do with regular cinnamon rolls.
- Baked them: I placed the rolls in a greased baking dish and popped them into a preheated oven. I baked them for around 15-20 minutes, just until they were golden brown. Kept a close eye on them, didn’t want them to burn.
While they were baking, I mixed up a simple glaze with powdered sugar and a little bit of milk. Nothing fancy, just wanted something sweet to drizzle on top.
When the rolls came out of the oven, I let them cool for a few minutes, then I drizzled the glaze over them. They looked pretty good, not gonna lie. A little rustic, maybe, but definitely cinnamon roll-esque.
The taste test
They were actually pretty tasty! Not exactly like traditional cinnamon rolls, the texture was a bit different, a little more cake-like, but they were soft and fluffy, and the cinnamon flavor really came through. I add a shake of cinnamon when making the batter, I feel the cinnamon flavor is not strong enough, so I add some more shakes. If you like strong cinnamon flavor, don’t forget to add more!
And honestly, for a quick and easy treat, they were perfect. Would I make them again? Absolutely! It’s a great way to satisfy a cinnamon roll craving without all the fuss of making dough from scratch. Plus, it’s a fun little kitchen experiment. If you’ve got some pancake mix lying around, give it a try! You might be surprised at how good they turn out.
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