Piña Coladas
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If you like piña coladas, whip up this frosty cocktail with frozen pineapple, cream of coconut, and rum—it’s paradise in a glass!
Whenever I think of piña coladas—especially when that catchy song comes on the radio—I’m instantly whisked back to a Caribbean vacation with my kids, who were 9 and 10 at the time. There they were, swimming up to the pool bar and ordering virgin piña coladas, surrounded by a swarm of partying college kids. It was quite the scene (and, yes, borderline inappropriate), but watching them sip their mocktails like seasoned vacationers was just the cutest sight.
Most piña colada recipes you’ll find are made from an overly sweet mix, but this one is made from scratch and perfectly balanced. If you have kids or non-drinkers around who want to join in, just leave out the rum and whip up some virgin piña coladas for them.
“Good grief, these are just outstanding…We’ve made it twice this week. Oh my!”
What You’ll Need to Make Piña Coladas
- Frozen Pineapple Chunks: Give the drink its fruity base and help create a thick, frosty texture. No need to thaw—use them straight from the freezer.
- Ice Cubes: Blend with the pineapple to make the drink cold, slushy, and refreshing.
- Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut: Adds the signature sweet, creamy coconut flavor that defines a piña colada. Don’t confuse it with unsweetened coconut cream—this product is thick, syrupy, and sweetened. Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut is the gold standard for piña coladas and can be found at most large supermarkets in the cocktail mixer or Latin/Caribbean section.
- Full-Fat Unsweetened Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream: Adds richness and helps balance the sweetness of the cream of coconut. Either one works—use what you have.
- White Rum: It’s not a piña colada without the rum! Some recipes use dark or golden rum; I opt for light rum as it helps to highlight the coconut and pineapple flavors.
- Lime Juice: Brightens the drink with a hit of acidity and keeps it from being too sweet.
- Pineapple Slices and/or Maraschino Cherries: Optional, but make for a fun and colorful garnish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add everything to the blender. Put the pineapple chunks and ice into the blender, then add the coconut milk, cream of coconut, lime juice, and rum. Pro tip: Using frozen pineapple instead of fresh keeps the drink thick and frosty without watering it down like extra ice would.
Step 2: Blend until smooth. Blend on high speed until the mixture is smooth, frosty, and creamy. A high-powered blender works best here to break down the frozen fruit and ice. If your blender struggles, pulse a few times first, then blend continuously until smooth.
Step 3: Garnish and serve. Pour into glasses and top with pineapple slices and Maraschino cherries, if you like. Serve right away.
More Summer Cocktail Recipes You may like
Piña Coladas
Channel island vibes with this from-scratch piña colada recipe—fruity, smooth, and just boozy enough to feel like a vacation.
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 6 oz. (¾ cup) Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut (see note)
- 2 oz. (¼ cup) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or heavy cream
- 6 oz. (¾ cup) white rum
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Pineapple slices and/or Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Instructions
- Put the pineapple, ice, cream of coconut, coconut milk (or heavy cream), rum, and lime juice into a blender. Blend until smooth and frosty. Pour into glasses and garnish with pineapple slices and Maraschino cherries, if desired. Serve immediately.
- Note: When shopping, be sure not to confuse "cream of coconut" with "coconut cream." Coconut cream consists of coconut meat and a small amount of water, whereas cream of coconut is coconut cream that's been sweetened and processed to achieve a thick, syrup-like consistency. Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut is considered the gold standard when making piña coladas. It's available at most large supermarkets, typically found in the section with cocktail mixers and other drink ingredients. You might also find it in the international foods aisle, particularly in the Latin or Caribbean products section.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 321
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Sugar: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 23 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This solved my pina colada problem forever, absolutely perfect. We don’t have access to cream of cocunut here, so I found a dead simple recipe for making, 375 grams of sugar (eek!) , dissolved on the stove top in 1 can (400 ml) coconut cream. Perfect!
Hello, this sounds delicious. Do you think you could make it in advance and then freeze it for a couple of days and then bring it out to defost before serving? Thanks, Josie
Hi Josie, I haven’t tried it. I think it should work but would give it a quick run in the blender after thawing to reconstitute. Enjoy!
Jenn, I followed your recipe exactly – and it is fantastic! However, my end result isn’t nearly as yellow as yours. Any idea why? Thanks!
Hi Tamara, glad you enjoyed it! As for the color, it may have been that my pineapple was a deeper yellow, or that the lighting in the picture impacted the color of the cocktail.
Wow! Best. Pina Coladas. Ever!!! Made them for my daughter’s in-laws and the rest of the family and everyone absolutely loved them. Just a quick tip, we live in South Florida and tried to find Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut at our local Publix grocery store but couldn’t find it. Asked a manager and he called next door to the Publix liquor store and they carried it there. It definitely makes a difference using this brand. Making it again soon!
Totally agree. Absolutely the best !
Mouthwatering! One sip and you will really be transported to far away resort! I made these for a “one last summer hurrah” party for my teens. I switched the rum for pineapple juice. Absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Wowza! Dee-licious! I could suck these things down on the regular. Not going to though. I found Coconut Barcardi rum to use here and this was the best Piña Colada I’ve ever had.
Next up- Mojito!