Easy Pina Colada

Looking for a great Pina colada recipe? you found it here! This creamy, fruity and refreshing cocktail is definitely one of the worlds most popular blended drinks.

Best Pina Colada Recipe

It’s hard not to love pina coladas because they’re so easy to drink. We did some research and found about the interesting history of this beloved drink. You can read about it here. It’ really only takes a few simple ingredients to hydrate yourself on a hot day with this awesome cocktail. Adjust the level of rum and sweetness to your personal liking. You don’t have to follow the recipe exactly, as pineapple juice brands can vary on their sugar level.

Video: Pina Colada Cocktail

Use Fresh Pineapple instead of Pineapple Juice for Pina Coladas?

Yes, you can use fresh pineapple but you will get chunks and fibers of the fruit. So it becomes more “edible” than drinkable. We suggest you still use some pineapple juice because you need enough liquid for the drink. But adding a few chunks of fresh pineapple in there doesn’t hurt. You can always make a fresh pineapple juice by peeling, coring, and blending a fresh pineapple, then straining it through fine mesh sieve.

Cream of Coconut vs Coconut Cream for Pina Coladas

The names are almost the same, but they are different ingredients. Here’s a quick look at all the different coconut liquid ingredient variations.

Coconut Water:
Split open a coconut and the clear-ish liquid in the center is coconut water. Kind of like water but with a slight coconut flavor. Refreshing but not typically used in cocktails.

Coconut Milk:
This is usually made by cooking equal parts coconut and water. Usually not sweetened. Mostly used for southeast Asian recipes like Thai curries and such. It’s not typically used for cocktails. Coconut milk has the consistency of regular milk.

Coconut Cream:
Like coconut milk but thicker and richer. Usually not sweetened. It it usually a made by cooking four parts coconut with one part water or from the cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk. You could use coconut cream in cocktails, but it isn’t sweetened and you’ll often need to add sugar or simple syrup to taste.

Cream of Coconut:
This is what is often used in cocktails. We know, the names are super confusing. Cream of coconut is basically coconut cream with sugar added and reduced to a syrupy like consistency. You’ll often find this in the alcohol aisle or liquor stores. Common brands include Coco Lopez (the original & what we recommend) and Coco Real (often the easiest to find).

Pina Colada

Yield: 2 Cocktails

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

These are amazing with fresh pineapple juice, if you can make/get it.

Cream of Coconut is different from Coconut Cream. Cream of Coconut is syrupy thick and sweetened. It is usally sold in the alcohol section of grocers or at liquor stores. Coconut Cream is usually unsweetened and basically thicker coconut milk. If needed, you can use coconut cream (or even coconut milk) for pina coladas, just make sure to add sugar or simple syrup to taste.

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) Pineapple Juice (6 oz.)
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) light or white Rum (2 2/3 oz.)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) Cream of Coconut , preferrably Coco Lopez (2 oz.)
• 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fresh Lime Juice (optional) (1/2 oz.)
• 2 cups (480 ml) Ice , approximately
• Optional - pineapple spears , for garnish

Instructions 

• In blender combine pineapple juice, rum, cream of coconut, lime juice and ice. Blend until all ingredients combined. 
  
• Serve in hurricane or highball glass. Add straw. Garnish with pineapple spears or triangle wedges
  

Notes

To Make Fresh Pineapple Juice (with just a blender):

1 pineapple makes about 1 - 1/2 cups of juice

Peel, core, and blend a fresh, ripe pineapple. Strain the pineapple through a fine mesh strainer to extract the fresh juice.

Video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 33mg, Potassium: 115mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Cocktails, Drinks

Cuisine: American, Cocktails, Party

Calories: 301

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