Piña Colada Pancakes

Warmer weather has everyone dreaming about tropical beach vacations and sipping cocktails by the pool. If the only place you’re going this summer is your kitchen table, these piña colada pancakes are the next best thing!

The combination of pineapple and coconut is a sweet and tart combination that can be found in all kinds of desserts and treats. Piña colada pancakes are a delicious breakfast or brunch idea to enjoy any day of the week, vacation or not!

Tropical Piña Colada Pancakes

Flavored like your favorite cocktail. Piña colada pancakes are made with canned coconut milk, crushed pineapple, and brown sugar, giving them rich moisture and subtle sweetness that melts in your mouth. The signature flavor of a piña colada cocktail cannot be missed in these pancakes.

An amazing sauce! This recipe also includes a buttery pineapple rum sauce to take these pancakes over the top! Pour the sauce over your stack and let it get absorbed right into the pancakes. Top it with a sprinkle of toasted coconut, and dig right in.

Ingredient Notes

• Coconut Milk: You’ll need canned coconut milk, not a coconut milk beverage. Look for the regular full-fat coconut milk, not “lite” or reduced fat. You will use both the liquid and the cream on top.
• Egg: One large egg adds richness and flavor to the pancakes.
• Brown Sugar: I like the light molasses flavor that brown sugar gives these pancakes, and in the sweet sauce.
• Vanilla Extract: The flavor of vanilla complements both pineapple and coconut nicely.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of the pancake; you could also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder will help the pancakes rise and become light and fluffy.
• Canned Pineapple: These pancakes are packed with pineapple; you’ll need a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple. Buy the type that’s packed in juice, not syrup, so your pancakes aren’t too sweet.
• Sauce: Butter, brown sugar, pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple), and a dab of the coconut cream are simmered together to make a delicious sauce that’s perfectly sweet with a subtle caramel flavor. I like to stir in a couple of tablespoons of dark rum if I’m making the pancakes for adults. The sauce is thickened with cornstarch.
• Coconut: For an optional garnish (but I highly recommend it), sprinkle the pancakes with shredded coconut, coconut flakes, or coconut chips. Toast the coconut lightly for extra flavor.

How to Make piña colada Pancakes

Prep coconut milk. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out two tablespoons from the layer of cream on top. Set that aside for now and pour the remaining coconut milk and cream into a mixing bowl.

Prep pineapple. Drain the canned pineapple, reserving all of the juice. I drain it in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl; using the back of a spoon, press as much juice as possible out of the pineapple. You should get about 1 cup of juice which you’ll be using for the sauce.

Make sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the brown sugar and butter. While it’s melting, add the coconut cream and cornstarch to the reserved pineapple juice; whisk until smooth. Add the juice mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook, stirring constantly. Once the sauce comes to a boil, continue cooking it for 1 minute. If you want to add rum to the sauce, let the sauce cool for a couple of minutes before stirring in the rum.

Make pancake batter. Add the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl containing the coconut milk. Whisk until completely combined and smooth. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold in the crushed pineapple. Set the batter aside for 5 minutes, while you preheat the griddle.

Fry pancakes. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the preheated griddle/pan. Smooth out the tops so that the pancakes are about ½ inch thick. Cook for about 4 minutes, carefully flip the pancakes, and cook for a couple more minutes until the pancakes are lightly browned.

Serve the pancakes immediately with a drizzle of warm pineapple sauce and topped with coconut. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

• Add a toasted coconut garnish. Golden brown toasted coconut has a sweet, nutty flavor and a crunchy texture. Simply put the coconut in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the coconut is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the coconut from the hot skillet to cool; otherwise, it will keep browning and may scorch.
• Try a flavored rum. Try coconut or pineapple-flavored rum for a delicious twist on the rum sauce.
• Try other toppings. If you want to keep it simple, top piña colada pancakes with warm maple syrup. Sliced bananas or mangoes go well with the tropical theme. Chopped pecans, toasted lightly, would be wonderful, too.

More Recipes with a Tropical vibe

Refrigerate: Piña colada pancakes are best enjoyed immediately. However, leftover pancakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate rum sauce separately in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Reheat: Gently reheat individual pancakes in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until heated through. Reheat rum sauce in a small glass bowl in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds or until warm, stirring well before serving.

• Open the coconut milk and scoop out 2 tablespoons of the cream on top. Set aside.

  1 can (14 oz.) full fat coconut milk, divided

• Place a fine mesh colander over a medium-sized bowl. Drain the pineapple well, pressing out as much juice as possible. You should have about 1 cup of juice. Set aside the juice.

  1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple packed in juice

• To make the sauce, place brown sugar and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. While butter is melting, in a small bowl, whisk together reserved pineapple juice, cornstarch, and reserved coconut cream. When butter is melted, stir in the juice mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil; continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let the sauce cool a couple of minutes before you stir in the rum, if using.

  ½ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons coconut cream, 2 tablespoons dark rum, optional

• When you’ve finished cooking the sauce, make pancake batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining coconut milk, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until blended. The batter will be very thick. Gently fold in drained pineapple. Set batter aside for 5 minutes while griddle preheats.

  1 large egg, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt

• Preheat electric griddle to 375°F or a nonstick pan on medium low heat.

• Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the preheated griddle. Smooth out the tops so that the pancakes are about ½ inch thick. Cook for approximately 4 minutes on the first side, carefully flip, and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown.

• Serve immediately with warm pineapple sauce., topped with shredded coconut.

• Pro tip: Cook the sauce before you get started on the pancake batter so it’s ready to drizzle on the pancakes as soon as they are fried.
• Pineapple: Avoid pineapple that’s packed in heavy syrup for this recipe. It will make the pancakes and sauce too sweet. If you only have tidbits or chunks, give it a brief whirl in your food processor to break up the large pieces.
• Coconut: Although shredded or flaked coconut is an optional ingredient, if you really want to drive home the piña colada flavor, I highly recommend it. Toasting the coconut first intensifies the flavor and adds a nice crunch. Put the desired amount of coconut in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the coconut is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the coconut from the hot skillet to cool; otherwise, it will keep browning and may scorch.
• Storage: Store the pancakes and sauce separately in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for up to 3 days.

Serving: 2pancakes with sauce, Calories: 490kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 396mg, Potassium: 341mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 329IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 234mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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