One of my strengths is holding on to unnecessary items.
Unnecessary items of the old jacket, soap holder, throw pillow, Christmas figurine variety.
So it goes without saying that the upcoming garage sale ā OUR upcoming garage sale, the one where we get rid of a bunch of our stuff – is giving me hives. And listening to my Brad Paisley Pandora station while pricing my old, unnecessary (but totally necessary) picture frames does not help the cause.
Itās funny how that works out ā or doesnāt work out – because I live with a man who is a frequent flyer at the Goodwill. Getting rid of anything that hasnāt been used in a month, even if it was MINE and I was going to use it next month, is one of his strengths. Seriously, though, I was going to use that soap holder.

Like that one time when I was going to make bread in my bread maker but found it to be āmissingā. Never mind the fact that I was retrieving it out of the closet, where it lived for most, ok, ALL, of its life. Or that it had a setting to program the time so I could make bread in the middle of the night, which made it the coolest bread maker in the world. Or that I wanted to keep it forever.
Itās probably in somebody elseās kitchen baking cinnamon swirl bread and making their life perfect. I think I hear a Brad Paisley songā¦
Waaahh!
Iām consoling myself over the loss of my sentimental treasures by making these Healthy Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. Because I want my kitchen to sing Brad Paisley songs, even if I donāt have a bread maker anymore. And the healthy part? Letās just say Iāve been experimenting with cookie dough stuffed cupcakes and I could use a little health in my life, especially when it comes in the form of gooey, sweet, cinnamony pancakes.
As much as I wanted to bake the cinnamon filling right into them, it just wasnāt happening. I fried, I griddled, I baked, I parchment papered⦠it just wasnāt meant to be. So I topped the pancakes with the filling instead. And oh my yummers, they were so tasty! The end result: wheat bran pancakes topped with the spicy cinnamon filling and drizzled with sweet glaze. And no guilt! Hallelujah.
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Healthy Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
These healthy cinnamon roll pancakes are made with whole grain pancakes, a pumpkin-walnut cinnamon filling and a Greek yogurt frosting.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup bran cereal (I used All Bran original, measured then crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup buttermilk (I used 1% milk with a little vinegar)
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (can use canned, not pie filling)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground walnuts or bran
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- additional walnuts for topping
Instructions
- Mix the first 7 ingredients (flour through egg whites) until well-combined. Pour 1/4 cup batter on a medium-heat griddle and cook until bubbly; flip and cook again until light golden brown and cooked through.
- Stir together pumpkin, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add ground walnuts or bran if the filling needs to be thicker. Place a in baggie, snip the corner, and spiral filling on the tops of the pancakes.
- Whisk Greek yogurt and honey until smooth. Place in a baggie, snip the corner, and drizzle over pancakes in a zigzag pattern. Top with additional walnuts.
Notes
One serving is 2 large pancakes.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pancake recipe, cinnamon roll recipe, cinnamon roll pancake, healthy pancake recipe
PS. I do need a little help – whatās the going garage sale rate for a pair of peep toe heels?



LOVE these pancakes! In fact, I emailed the link to everyone in my address book! They taste fabulous and when I served them for Sunday brunch, no one in my house (age 3 — 73) had a clue that they are “healthy.” I love that they dont give you that sugar high. Made a couple of changes: didn’t have pumpkin last time I made them so I had to substitute applesauce. Still yummo! Also added ground flax to the swirl. Finally, added a splash of vanilla to the yogurt. Keep these terrific recipes coming!
That’s so awesome! I’m glad you liked them!
I totally loved your blog about the bread maker! I can’t stop laughing!!!!! What a pick me up for a tough day! Kate
They recipe looks great and I would love to make them for Mothers Day. One question though, how much vinegar (and what type) did you add to the milk to substitute for buttermilk? Thanks! š
A good rule of thumb is one tablespoon vinegar for every one cup water. š And I just use distilled vinegar.
Wow these look delicious,brilliant idea too!
Thanks! I love pancakes and making them into cinnamon rolls only made me love them more.
Love pancakes for breakfast, but I think I can have them for dessert too! Yum!
What great thing to have for breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning. Thanks for sharing!
Breakfast Sunday! Thank you!
Thank YOU Nicole! Hope you like them.
Oh I absolutely need to make these!
I hold onto unnecessary items too. It’s just so hard to get rid of some stuff! Do you think we should be on the show Hoarders?
On a more positive note, I’m absolutely in love with these pancakes. And since they’re healthy, I’m going to eat twice as I normally do š
Nooooo not hoarders!!
Looks amazing as always!
and I’ll take your peep toes off your hands if you’d like š
Kristin did a shopping spree through all my garage sale stuff… I wish you could’ve come too! She ended up with her whole backseat of her car full of clothes, Christmas decorations, dishes, etc.
Oh man, wish I could’ve too! Looking forward to seeing you this weekend š
Wow, these look fantastic! And remarkably low calorie for how decadent they look!
Thanks Mercedes!
That’s why I have so much clutter! I’m always thinking, “but I might NEED that someday”. Oh well, getting rid of stuff is just another reason to go shopping!
Must make these pancakes for my girls. I think they would be pleased.
SHOPPING! I hate to say it but I love to shop. š
Those look fantastic! I cannot wait to try them. Thanks for sharing. Come and visit us. We have some great things going on this week.
Hah, I am totally the same way! And my husband is just like yours. Although he’s slowly converting me and I’m getting better at getting rid of the really unnecessary stuff.
Your pancakes look incredible. I’ve been meaning to try some kind of cinnamon roll pancakes, but I love that these are healthier than any recipes I’ve seen.
Sometimes it’s hard to know if you should be mad or glad that he’s getting rid of all you’re stuff… š
Those look delicious! I got very excited when I saw the word “healthy” in front of the word “pancakes”. I can’t wait to try your version soon š
And remember that less is more, the more clutter you get rid of , the more uncluttered your life will be! š
I know, I know. In reality, I want to get rid of stuff but then when I see things that people have gifted me, I start to feel attached. š
Oooh.. those look amazing. They’d be great for a Saturday morning!
That’s exactly when I made em!