Take a trip to the tropics without leaving the house with this paradise pancakes recipe! You start with hearty oat pancakes and then top them with a delicious combination of toasted coconut, pecans, juicy fruit, and whipped cream.

If you’ve ever been to the Smoky Mountains, you’ve no doubt been tempted by countless pancake houses with the most delicious smells and promises of a rib-sticking comfort meal. There is one in particular that we make it a point to eat at each year on the main strip in Pigeon Forge, called the Log Cabin Pancake House. There, I get the Caribbean pancakes, which are the inspiration for this post today.

While their pancakes are buckwheat, my paradise pancakes are made with a hearty oat baking mix. You then top them with toasted coconut, pecans, and a variety of my favorite fruits. A light drizzling of pancake syrup and a dollop of whipped cream and I am most definitely in paradise! Now, while you can add whatever toppings and fruit you like, I do recommend trying it this way just once if you can because it is stinking awesome.

My husband never orders his pancakes with fruit on them but I made him try these a while back and now he asks for them by saying, “can you make some of those really good pancakes with all that fruit on them?” He says they are the best pancakes he has ever had. I hope you will love them as much as we do!

Recipe Ingredients

Pancakes

Hearty Oat Baking Mix (recipe here)
Egg
Milk

Pancake toppings

Mandarin oranges
Pecans
Coconut
Banana
Cherries

How to Make Paradise Pancakes

Stir your batter ingredients together until well blended.

Place a tablespoon or so of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat to melt. Pour in enough batter for one pancake and allow to sit until bubbly on top and dry around the edges.

Flip the pancake over and cook for one more minute or so until lightly browned on the bottom.

Once your pancakes are done, place the coconut and pecans in the same skillet you cooked the pancakes in. There’s no need to add more butter.

Stir this often over medium heat until coconut is toasted, just a few minutes at most. Remove as soon as it is lightly brown to avoid burning.

Top each pancake with a generous sprinkling of toasted coconut and pecans along with mandarin oranges, bananas, and more coconut/pecans.

Garnish with a generous dollop of whipped cream (here’s my homemade recipe) and a cherry and serve alongside your favorite pancake syrup.

Enjoy a paradise pancake experience!

Storage

This recipe makes four paradise pancakes. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the pancakes for up to 4 months. Briefly thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave, air fryer, or in a skillet.

Recipe Notes

You can top your paradise pancakes with whatever fruit you like. Pineapple or fresh mango are both delicious tropical fruits.
This recipe is so easy to double. In this instance, I’m just using enough to make about 4 pancakes.
If you don’t feel like making your own baking mix from scratch, just make pancakes however you are in the mood to make pancakes and then add the tropical-inspired toppings. They won’t be exactly the same but you’ll still have a delicious batch of pancakes so it’s all good.
Now, I know there are coconut haters out there, reading this now, wondering if it will be the same without coconut. For me, no, but that is because I love coconut. For you who hate it, it will be better. Go for it, knock yourself out. Be happy and coconut free!

You may also enjoy these other delicious breakfast recipes:

Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos

Overnight Stuffed French Toast

The Best Old-Fashioned Pancakes on Earth

Banana Pancakes

Sausage Biscuits With Cheese & Chiles