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A stack of pancakes topped with caramel sauce, a pineapple slice, a cherry, shredded coconut, and a paper drink umbrella, with drinks in the background.
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Piña Colada Pancakes

Transport yourself to a tropical destination with these piña colada pancakes! Soft, moist pancakes are made with juicy pineapple and creamy coconut milk, and topped with warm pineapple rum sauce!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast and Brunch, Pancakes & Waffles
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 6
Author: Rachel Gurk

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup pineapple juice (drained from canned pineapple)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream (from top of can)
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum, optional

For the pancakes:

  • 1 can (14 ounces) full fat coconut milk, divided
  • 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple packed in juice
  • 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
  • flaked coconut or coconut chips, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  • Open the coconut milk and scoop out 2 tablespoons of the cream on top. Set aside.
    1 can (14 ounces) 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 ounces) 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.

Notes

  • 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.

Nutrition

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

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