It’s not brunch without pancakes. Coconut pancakes are delicious in all the right ways. Light, fluffy, and coconutty, this irresistible stack will be a new breakfast favorite!
What’s in the Mix
Complicated recipes are overrated. This coconut pancake recipe requires simple ingredients and pantry staples. Check out the full printable recipe for more details.
- All-purpose flour – Resist the urge to use coconut flour. While coconut flour works for specific recipes, it isn’t a 1:1 substitution with all-purpose flour.
- Sugar – A small amount lightly sweetens the pancakes without overdoing it. They will be covered in maple syrup after all!
- Leavening – Baking powder and baking soda are vital for fluffy pancakes. The baking powder activates once it’s mixed with wet ingredients. For this reason, letting the batter sit for 10 minutes while the skillet heats up will give you fluffier pancakes!
- Shredded coconut – For that coconut flavor!
- Milk & vinegar – This combo creates homemade buttermilk. Store-bought buttermilk works too.
- Egg – Eggs provide structure. Without eggs, the pancakes would fall apart. No thank you!
- Butter – Fat creates tender pancakes. Without it, they would be dense and dry. Butter imparts a nice flavor but vegetable oil is perfectly acceptable too.
- Coconut extract – A little goes a long way! Start with less because you can always add more, but you can’t take it out!
Get to Cooking!
Making homemade coconut pancakes couldn’t be easier, just follow these simple steps.
- Make buttermilk. Buttermilk is essentially fermented milk. Combine the milk and vinegar first so it has a few minutes to sit. Whisk and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients. This will ensure you don’t get a lump of baking powder (yuck!) or overmix the batter.
- Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.
- Pour wet into dry. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a smooth batter forms. If you overmix the batter, the pancakes can lose their beloved light and fluffy texture.
- Heat up the skillet. Let the skillet get hot. This will give your pancake batter time to sit. The temperature should be set to medium-low heat, but you shouldn’t start until the pan is hot. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the pancakes won’t brown nicely and may spread too much.
- Make the pancakes. Use a portion scoop to scoop three pancakes into the skillet. They are ready to flip when the bottoms are golden brown and small bubbles appear on the top – about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and let cook through.
- Serve. Enjoy the pancakes with a hefty drizzle of maple syrup. After all, life is short.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – Adding salt to recipes helps to bring out the other flavors. If using unsalted butter, feel free to add a pinch of fine sea salt to the batter.
- Seasonings – Try toasting your coconut for a older flavor. Spread a layer of shredded coconut in a dry skillet on medium-low heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s golden and fragrant.
- Sauces – Top these coconut pancakes with your favorite syrup. Check out our homemade Vanilla Butter Syrup, coconut syrup or Cranberry Syrup.
- Swaps – Add ins are always great to add to pancakes. I like chocolate chips or chopped nuts. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are great options!
- Senses – These pancakes are a tropical delight that entice the senses. As they cook, a warm, nutty aroma fills the air, blending the toasty scent of coconut with the rich sweetness of butter. Each bite melts in the mouth, offering a luscious balance of subtle sweetness and creamy richness.
Tasty Companions
You can serve these coconut pancakes with any number of your other breakfast favorites. They taste great with other breakfast sweets like fresh fruit salad, a berry smoothie or an acai smoothie bowl.
If you’re looking to pair with something more savory, try crispy home fries, scrambled eggs, quiche, egg muffins or bacon!
Tips and Tricks
To ensure you get the perfect coconut pancakes every time, follow these tips and tricks below!
- Consistency is key – If the coconut pancake batter is too thin, add a tablespoon or two of flour to it until you reach the right consistency.
- Low heat – If the bottom of the pancakes brown too quickly, turn down the heat. Don’t try to cook them on high heat. The bottoms will brown before the insides can cook.
- Rubber spatula – For easy flipping, use a thin-set rubber spatula. It’s difficult to master the flip when you’re working with a thick, bulky spatula.
- Double batch – I like to double the batch so I can freeze the extras for busy weekday mornings! Hot breakfast in 60 seconds? Yes, please!
Storage and Freezing
How to Store
Leftover coconut pancakes? No problem! Store pancakes in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag for up to three days.
Can I Freeze Coconut Pancakes?
Pancakes are easy to freeze and last much longer. Let them cool to room temperature then carefully place them into a large zip-top bag. Use within 3 months for best results.
Reheat in the microwave in 20-second increments until warm. Don’t microwave them too long or they can get chewy.
More Pancake Recipes
There’s nothing like a stack of hot, fresh pancakes for breakfast! Here are some of our favorite pancake recipes.
Coconut Pancakes
EASY Coconut pancakes are delicious, light, fluffy, and coconutty. This irresistible stack will be a new breakfast favorite!
Servings:
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
- Combine the whole milk and vinegar. Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, shredded coconut, and salt.
- Add the egg, coconut extract, and melted butter to the thicken milk mixture. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until everything is incorporated.
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. While the batter sits, heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-low heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add a teaspoon of oil.
- Use a portion scoop to drop three scoops of pancake batter into the skillet. Let the pancakes cook until the bottoms are golden brown, and the tops begin to bubble – about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Use a thin-set spatula to flip the pancakes over and let them cook until the bottoms are golden brown – about 2 to 3 more minutes.
- Carefully transfer the pancakes to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes with shredded coconut and maple syrup.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
Notes
Store pancakes in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 231 kcal, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 12 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 56 mg, Sodium: 217 mg, Potassium: 162 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 9 g, Vitamin A: 381 IU, Calcium: 77 mg, Iron: 1 mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Excellent recipe. I made these in a four-hole omelet pan. I substituted xylitol for the sugar, and vanilla extract for the coconut extract.
I’m with you: it’s not brunch without pancakes! 🙂 And these are so fluffy and delicious. The whole family approved!
Coconut pancakes! I’m a first timer for this pancake flavor and I already can’t wait to make them again. SO GOOD.
Enjoyed these for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! Turned out perfectly fluffy and delicious; my whole family loved them!
I love these pancakes! We are coconut fan and these are the absolute best for breakfast. Yum!
These get my vote at any opportunity when I can sneakily get a stack made for brunch.