If sunshine had a flavor, it would probably taste like this piña colada recipe. Thick, creamy, icy cold, and loaded with pineapple coconut flavor, this blender cocktail tastes like something you'd order at a beach resort while aggressively avoiding emails.
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This creamy frozen piña colada recipe pairs perfectly with tropical summer dinners and beachy appetizers. Serve it alongside crispy coconut shrimp, grilled Hawaiian sliders, barbecue pulled pork or the best shrimp tacos for an easy warm weather meal that tastes like vacation in your own backyard!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This piña colada cocktail recipe is ready in minutes, uses simple ingredients and is perfect for summer parties, BBQs, pool days and vacations.
- It can easily be made into a virgin piña colada or kept as an alcoholic version with spiced rum.
- This piña colada recipe is naturally dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free thanks to coconut cream! (Double check that your cream of coconut is gluten-free, as it can vary between brands.)
- Homemade piña coladas taste like a tropical dessert and cocktail combined, especially with the garnishes.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Frozen Pineapple - You can use fresh if that's all you have, but just know the cocktails will be much thinner in consistency.
- Cream of Coconut - This is a sweetened, thick, syrupy coconut product that kind of resembles condensed milk. It can be found at most grocery stores with the premade cocktail drink mixes. If needed, it can be substituted for simple syrup or sweetened condensed milk.
- Rum - White or spiced rum can be used. We prefer spiced rum for its warm, complex flavor profile.
- Coconut Cream - Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk, but if all you have is coconut milk, refrigerate the can for 24 hours. Doing this causes the cream and milk to separate, and then simply scrape the coconut cream solids off the top to use in your cocktail.
A full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Easy Variations
- Virgin Piña Colada - To make this cocktail virgin, simply leave out the spiced rum.
- Strawberry Piña Colada - Add a handful of frozen strawberries to the blender, or substitute the pineapple fully for frozen strawberries.
- Mango Piña Colada - Add some frozen mango chunks to the recipe or substitute the pineapple for frozen mango.
- Make It A Double - To make these piña coladas extra boozy, use 6oz of rum in the recipe.
- Coconut Free Option - To make this piña colada recipe without coconut, substitute the cream of coconut for sweetened condensed milk or simple syrup and the coconut cream for cashew cream or double cream.
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How To Make This Piña Colada Recipe
Step 1
Add the frozen pineapple, coconut cream, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, rum, lime juice, and ice cubes to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, thick, and creamy.
Step 2
Adjust the consistency as needed with a splash of pineapple juice if the mixture is too thick. Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired.
Step 3
Pour into chilled glasses, garnish with pineapple, maraschino cherries, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Piña coladas pair well with appetizers like classic guacamole, french onion chip dip, or grilled shrimp skewers!
Expert Tips
- Chill your glasses in the freezer for a few hours before serving. This will help keep the piña coladas extra cold, thick and frosty for longer.
- For a stronger pineapple flavor, use extra frozen pineapple instead of ice cubes. This keeps the drink creamy without watering it down.
- Taste and adjust the sweetness before serving. For a less sweet piña colada recipe, reduce the amount of cream of coconut or leave it out entirely.
Storage Tips
This piña colada recipe is best served fresh, but the leftovers can be frozen for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Because alcohol lowers the freezing point, it usually will not freeze completely solid. Instead, it becomes thick and slushy, especially if the recipe contains a decent amount of rum and sweetener.
If it hardens too much after freezing, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and give it a quick blend before serving again.
Frequently Asked Questions
A classic piña colada is made with pineapple, coconut, rum, and ice blended into a creamy frozen cocktail.
Yes. Simply omit the rum for a virgin piña colada that still tastes creamy, tropical, and refreshing.
Too much liquid or the ice melting too quickly can thin the drink. Frozen pineapple helps keep it thick and creamy.
White rum has a lighter flavor, while spiced rum adds a warm, complex, exotic flavor. Both are good, and you can use either.
Use frozen fruit, less liquid, and full-fat coconut ingredients for the creamiest texture.
More Summer Cocktails
Are you ready for summer cocktails? You have to try these, too:
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Piña Colada Recipe
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeEquipment
- High Powered Blender
- Hurricane Glass or Hi Ball Glasses
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Frozen Pineapple Chunks
- ½ cup Coconut Cream
- ¼ cup Pineapple Juice
- ¼ cup Cream of Coconut
- 1 Lime freshly squeezed (approx. 1oz lime juice)
- ½ cup Ice Cubes
- 4 oz Spiced Rum
Instructions
- Add the frozen pineapple, coconut cream, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, ice cubes and spiced rum to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth, creamy, and thick. If the mixture is too thick to blend easily, add a small splash of extra pineapple juice or coconut cream.
- Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with pineapple, maraschino cherries and a lime wedge. Serve immediately while cold and frosty.
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Notes
- Frozen Pineapple: You can use fresh if that's all you have, but it will make the drink have a much thinner consistency.
- Cream of Coconut: Can be substituted for sweetened condensed milk or simple syrup.
- Rum: White or spiced rum can be used.
- Coconut Cream: Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk. If all you have is coconut milk, refrigerate the can for 24 hours and scrape the solids off the top (this is coconut cream!).
- Other Fruits: Feel free to add other frozen fruit or substitute it for the pineapple. Fruits that work well are frozen strawberries, mangos or bananas.
- Make virgin piña coladas by omitting the rum.
- To make a coconut-free version, substitute the cream of coconut for sweetened condensed milk or simple syrup and the coconut cream for double cream or a thick cashew cream.
- Chilled glasses will help keep the cocktails extra cold, thick, and frosty for longer.
- For a stronger pineapple flavor, replace the ice cubes with more frozen pineapple.
- To adjust sweetness, add the cream of coconut sparingly or omit it entirely.
- Leftover piña colada can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Reblend before serving again.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
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