Easiest Virgin Piña Colada recipe | Non-alcoholic alternative

Inside: The best virgin Piña Colada recipe you’ll ever taste! Great way to get all the taste but as a non alcoholic alternative.

Summer is here and on a hot day you need a cool, refreshing drink. What better drink to serve than a cocktail that the whole family can enjoy. You can either make this as a Virgin Piña Colada or an alcoholic version but either way, you won’t find a better recipe to make at home.

A virgin Pina Colada, otherwise known as a non-alcoholic Pina Colada, is made using a blend of 2/3 pineapple juice to 1/3 cream of coconut, plus ice. Add a pineapple wedge for the perfect tropical drink this summer.

The key though, is in the specific cream of coconut used. Read on to find out which one I settled on after testing out quite a few!

If you’d like an easy mocktail that is perfect for kids check out this recipe!

What is a Piña Colada?

The traditional Piña Colada is an alcoholic cocktail originating from Puerto Rico, with the name meaning ‘strained pineapple’.

It is a sweet cocktail made with simple ingredients from your local grocery store: white rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either crushed ice.

Traditionally you find them in a tall Poco Grande glass (hurricane glass) with a garnish of pineapple or a maraschino cherry on the side and one of those drink umbrellas to give it an extra something.

History of the Piña Colada drink

The earliest known story states that in the 19th century, a Puerto Rican pirate, Roberto Cofresí, gave his pirate crew a cocktail consisting of coconut, pineapple and white rum. However, when he died, the recipe was lost.

As such, the Caribe Hilton Hotel claims Ramón “Monchito” Marrero created the original version in 1954 while a bartender at their hotel. The hotel was given a proclamation in 2004 by Governor Sila M. Calderón to celebrate the drink’s 50th anniversary of being created. It is now thought of as the official drink of Puerto rico.

Variations on the Piña Colada Recipe

There are many different ways to make a Piña Colada alternative:

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Use different measures of the main ingredients as per your own preference.

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Remove the rum to create a non alcoholic alternative – also known as the piñita colada.

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Add Amaretto instead of rum to create an Amaretto colada

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Add vodka instead of rum to create a Chi chi Colada

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If you cannot get hold of cream of coconut then a Staten Island Ferry could be the answer. Use equal measures of Malibu and pineapple juice to get that coconut flavour.

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So many tasty drinks to enjoy!

Ingredients for homemade virgin Piña Coladas

This is very straight forward mocktail recipe but the specific cream of coconut from Coco Lopez is key to making it work. I have tried so many but this creates the most delicious virgin Pina Colada recipe out there..

As well as being found on Amazon (aff link), I have seen it in Lakeland, in health food shops and in the world foods section of major supermarkets.

For one virgin Pina Colada, you’ll need:

• 1/3 Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
• 2/3 pineapple juice from concentrate
• Ice
• Pineapple wedges to garnish

So simple, right? There are no specific measurements either so you can whip it up without any measuring equipment.

How to make the best Piña Colada mocktail

You don’t have to use a cocktail shaker but I find that giving it a good shake gives the ingredients a chance to combine – otherwise they do tend to separate with the cream being so thick.

You can also use a good blender to mix them together in a larger batch if you prefer.

Another fun option is to blitz up some ice to make the mix even thicker, more like a virgin Piña Colada smoothie – lovely and cooling on a hot summer day.

Pour the Coco Lopez Coconut Cream up to around the 1/3 mark of the shaker, top the rest of the shaker up with pineapple juice and plop in some ice.

Give it a good shake up to get it frothy and then pour into a Poco Grande glass. Add a straw and some pineapple wedges to garnish and you’re done! Voila!

{Each can of Coco Lopez makes 3 – 4 large Piña Coladas to give you a rough guide as to how many you might need}

Yield: 1

Non Alcoholic Pina Colada

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Non alcoholic Pina Colada - make 1 or a whole batch!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 glass Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
• 2/3 glass Pineapple juice from concentrate
• Crushed ice
• Pineapple wedges to garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the Coco Lopez Coconut Cream up to around the 1/3 mark of the shaker.
2. Top the rest of the shaker up with pineapple juice.
3. Add in some ice and give it a good shake.
4. Pour into the glass and garnish with a pineapple slice.

Notes

For a bulk recipe just keep to the same ratio of 1/3 Coco Lopez to 2/3 Pineapple juice.

Each can of Cream makes 3 - 4 large Piña Coladas to give you a rough guide as to how many you might need.

FAQ

Equipment you will need

You can make this by simply using a glass to measure out a third and two thirds of ingredients. However, it may be useful to have the following equipment:

• A cocktail shaker
• A blender
• Hurricane glass
• Cocktail umbrellas
• Straws

Making larger quantities

If you want to make a big batch for a lot of people then you just have to follow the 1/3 cream to 2/3 juice ratio but for reference, each can of Coco Lopez has 425g of coconut cream inside. So each can would need 850ml of pineapple juice. 2 cans would need 1700ml and so on.

Can I use coconut milk?

I can tell you from experience that no, coconut milk, coconut water and coconut cream are not the same as cream of coconut.

Coconut milk is thin like cows milk and would be used in the same way; in tea & coffee or in your cereal. Coconut cream is also fairly thin in comparison and is often used in cooking to make creamy sauces.

Cream of coconut is more like condensed milk in consistency and is just as sweet – giving the perfect balance to the pineapple in the mix. It is harder to come by but it is the only thing that gives you that authentic flavour.

Can I use fresh pineapple chunks?

If you have a blender then you can add to this recipe by blitzing up some fresh pineapple chunks within the mix to add a little extra flavour and texture to the drink. You could also experiment with other tropical fruits, mashed ripe bananas or even a dash of lime juice. See what takes your fancy!

You can also freeze your mix so that you can have a store ready for when guests arrive or for days when only a Piña Colada will do. Simply pour the mix into a sealable container and pop it in the freezer until needed.

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I hope my easy Piña Colada mocktail recipe has inspired you to go and make your own! Just imagine you are sitting on a warm beach surrounded by palm trees while you drink – bliss!

What is your favourite cocktail for summer?