I love cinnamon buns. One time my friend and I travelled all the way downtown (which took nearly an hour) to get vegan gluten free cinnamon buns the day after I had a bad breakup. Cinnamon buns were obviously the only thing that was going to make me feel better.

If you know me well, which by now you might, you will know that I am a vegan pancake extraordinaire! I love making any, and everything into pancake form. And cinnamon buns my friends, are no different!

Each time I make a new batch of pancakes, I get a little wiser and the pancakes come out a little better. A couple weeks ago I made my first attempt at these vegan, gluten free cinnamon bun pancakes and while the sauce was on point, the actually pancakes were big and hard and not very good at all!

This week however, with a little inspiration from Meghan Telpner, I think I have totally nailed the recipe!

Best Ever Cinnamon Roll Pancakes:

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of cinnamon decoction (see notes)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (or other liquid sweetener of choice)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 chia egg (see notes)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cardamom Infused “Icing”

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup soaked cashews
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (add more or less depending on how sweet you want it)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cardamom

Making the Pancake Magic Happen:

1. Make your chia egg and set aside.
2. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Place all wet ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients using a whisk or a fork. If you like your pancakes a little runnier, you can add some additional water.
5. Heat a pan or griddle on medium heat. For an extra infusion of cinnamon you can place about 1/4-1/2 tsp of cinnamon in 2 tbsp of coconut oil, mix together, and grease the pan/griddle with that mixture. It gave my pancakes a crispy, cinnamon-y flavour. So good!
6. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto your griddle. Once little bubbles start to come up, that’s your cue to flip em!

Making the Cardamom-icing Magic Happen

1. Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until desired consistency. If you want this sauce to be a little more liquid-y just add some more coconut water. If you find this mixture isn’t sweet enough, add another tbsp of maple syrup or liquid sweetener or choice!

Notes:

*Soaking the cashes: you can choose to soak your cashews for 2-6 hours in regular temperature water, OR you can use the QUICK SOAK method. Bring water to a boil and pour over cashews. They will be ready in about an hours time. Or if you are impatient like me, you quick soak them at the beginning of the recipe and they are what they are by the time you’re ready to make the dressing. I always make mine right at the very end to give my little cashews a chance!

*Cinnamon Decoction: Place 2-3 cinnamon sticks and place in a pot with 1.5 cups of water. Bring water to a boil and let simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or when the water has taken a nice brown colour. Discard the cinnamon sticks and use this “decoction” in the recipe as directed. This gives it such a delicious, cinnamon-y flavour!

*Chia Egg: Mix one tbsp of ground chia seeds, with 1.4 cup warm water. Let it sit for approximately 5 minutes and add to your pancakes! You can also substitute your 1 tbsp of ground chia for ground flax seeds!