Pina Colada Recipe: Bright pineapple and creamy coconut combine to make this easy drink. Transport yourself somewhere tropical with just 4 ingredients, and 3 minutes!
Love pineapple? You might also like my Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes.
Today is the perfect time to learn a new party drink recipe or two. A frosty (and delicious!) pina colada is the perfect addition to your drink repertoire, and with just a few ingredients and a blender, you can be on your way to enjoying this chilled treat. They are perfect for the beach, the pool, or even your backyard barbecue. It is impossible to drink this pina colada drink without a smile on your face! One sip, and you’ll immediately be transported someone with white sand, bright sunshine, and crashing ocean waves. Scroll down for my favorite frozen pina colada recipe.
Looking for more summer drinks?
What Is In a Pina Colada?
The best pina colada recipes contain a mixture of rum, pineapple and coconut.
Our piña colada recipe includes: two ounces white rum, three ounces pineapple juice, one and a half ounces of cream of coconut, a quarter ounce lime juice (fresh if possible), and one cup of ice.
Variations may include lime juice, bananas, and pineapple chunks or pineapple juice (depending on whether the recipe is for a smoothie or a cocktail). The recipes might also call for either white or dark rum, depending on color and flavor.
How to Make a Pina Colada
Our frozen pina colada take just a few minutes! Chill your glasses ahead of time to stop the drinks from melting in the summer sun. First, gather all your ingredients ,and your blender.
I also use maraschino cherries and pineapple wedges as a fun garnish. Place all ingredients (with the exception of the cherries and pineapple wedges) into the blender, and blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency to your preference by either adding more or less ice or adjusting the amount of juice.
For a thicker drink add a few more ice cubs. On the other hand if you prefer a thinner drink use less ice cubes.
Once desired texture is reached, pour into pre-chilled glasses, then garnish with a cherry and a pineapple wedge.
Variations:
Virgin Pina Colada: Want a delicious drink but not interested in the alcohol? You can easily make a virgin pina colada by swapping the rum in our recipe for four ounces of pineapple juice. To get the same texture as the typical pina colada smoothie, you’ll want to increase the amount of ice in the drink. You can also add a frozen banana or frozen pineapple chunks to reach your prefect texture. Including fruit will also give your virgin pina colada an extra boost of flavor.
How to Make a Big Batch of Pina Coladas:It is possible to make a large batch of pina coladas ahead of time, though it takes a few extra tools and steps. You’ll want to have several large pitchers available. In one pitcher, place all pina colada ingredients with the exception of the ice, mix thoroughly, and store in the fridge until ready.
In the other pitcher, prepare a large amount of crushed ice ahead of time, and store in the freezer (or the fridge if you’ll be preparing the drinks shortly). When you are ready to serve, combine ingredients and crushed ice in a chilled glass. For a pitcher pina colada I like to put my garnish right in! Mmmm boozy fruit, my favorite way to get vitamin C!
How to Make a Pina Colada Without a Blender?
If you do not have a blender available, it is certainly still possible to prepare and enjoy our frozen pina coladas. If the ingredients and ice are not blended, this is a pina colada cocktail instead of a pina colada smoothie. For the best cocktail, combine ingredients (without the ice) in a cocktail shaker, shake well, then strain into a glass. You may add a few ice cubes, just keep in mind it may get watered down as the ice melts.
Best Rum for Pina Coladas
There are a wide variety of rums available on the market. For our homemade pina colada, we recommend a white rum to keep the taste a little light and the color bright. However other pina coladas are made with dark rum or a mix of white and dark. As a rule, dark rum is typically used for sipping because of its strong flavors, while white rums mix more easily into a cocktail. You know your palate, so use what you like best!
Consider Bacardi Silver, El Dorado 3-Year Rum or even Havana Club if you’d like stronger flavor but still want a white rum.
You might even consider a flavored rum like pineapple, lime or coconut such as Bacardi Pineapple or Malibu Lime.
Trivia: Where Was the Pina Colada invented?
Although the exact bartender that first created this creamy drink is a bit of a mystery, historians agree that the first modern pina coladas made their appearance in Puerto Rico in the 1950’s. Pina colada literally means “strained pineapple”(Bet you a dollar that’s a Jeopardy question someday!). The pineapple, coconut and rum flavors were all typical of the Puerto Rican style. Some say the pina colada got its start even earlier; a famous Puerto Rican pirate was known to give his crew a drink of pineapple, coconut and white rum in the 19th century. And that sounds like a good boss to me! 🙂
Pina Colada
Pina Colada Recipe: Bright pineapple and creamy coconut combine to make this easy drink. Transport yourself somewhere tropical with just 4 ingredients, and 3 minutes!
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Servings: 1 Drink
Calories: 405kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces White Rum
- 3 Ounces Pineapple Juice
- 1 ½ Ounces Cream of Coconut
- ¼ Ounce Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 1 Cup Ice About 6-8 Cubes
- Maraschino cherries and pineapple wedges For Garnish if Desired
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Instructions
- In the blender, combine white rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, and ice. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a chilled glass (typically a hurricane glass).
- Garnish with maraschino cherries, and pineapple wedges if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 405kcal
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Recipe adapted via: The Spruce Eats
Whether you enjoy your pina colada as a smoothie or as cocktail, with white rum or without, there’s sure to be a pina colada variation out there for everyone. So get blending, and get sipping! I hope you enjoy this frozen pina colada recipe as much as I did!
Pineapple Recipes From Blogs I Love:
Pineapple Cake via Mom On Timeout
Pineapple Chicken via Dinner At the Zoo
Pineapple Whip via Crazy For Crust
Pineapple Cherry Crush Cocktail via Small Town Woman
What do you think of this Pina Colada recipe? What is your favorite summer sipper?
Let know what you think