The Best Piña Colada Recipe

Two pina coladas in hurricane glasses surrounded by pineapple, dried pineapple wedges, and shredded coconut.

Do you like Piña Coladas? Getting caught in the rain? Then this is the BEST Piña Colada recipe for you! Passed down from a bartender friend of mine, this delightful cocktail hits all the right tropical notes.

I’m coming at you all summer long with THE BEST, most thirst quenching cocktails and mocktails, from the Classic Moscow Mule Cocktail to a fun adult Wine Slushie and my alcohol-free spin on the summer classic Aperol Spritz. There’s a liquid libation for everyone!

Two pina coladas garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

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The Best Piña Colada Recipe

Everyone claims they have the best Piña Colada Recipe but which one is the best? I think it’s different for everyone depending on if you have a sweet tooth or not. I love a Piña Colada recipe that creates a pineapple forward cocktail that isn’t too sweet or watered down with ice.

There has to be just the right balance of sweet, sour, and creamy coconut flavour to turn my head. So, when a bartender friend served me this classic tropical libation with all the right vibes, I had to ask for the recipe.

Now, I’m so pleased to be able to share this perfect recipe with you. A word of warning, though…these tall glasses of rum, pineapple, and coconut go down way too easily, especially on a hot sunny day!

A pina colada garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

What is a Piña Colada?

Translated from Spanish, “piña” means “pineapple” and colada means “strained.” Put them together and you’ve got “strained pineapple” which is the beginning of this perfect cocktail.

Today the most recognizable Piña Colada recipe is a blended cocktail consisting of rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and a bit of cream. However, it has evolved slightly since its invention in the early 1950’s.

The earliest versions were non alcoholic mixtures of juiced pineapple and coconut cream shaken together, then served over crushed ice. Later, when blenders became available, the blended piña colada was born. The addition of rum skyrocketed this tropical delight into cocktail stardom.

Who Invented the Piña Colada?

As with many classic cocktails, there always seems to be some dispute as to who came up with the original piña colada recipe. However, this classic Puerto Rican thirst quencher was most likely invented by Caribe Hilton bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero around 1954.

Ingredients used in the Best Pina Colada Recipe.

The original non alcoholic drink (sold at the snack bar) became quite popular and soon needed to be mixed up by the gallon. Ramon saw its popularity, added Puerto Rican rum and served it over crushed ice. After that, the rest is pure cocktail history.

They say it was so popular that for many years, a brief survey of the crowded bar area showed almost every patron with a piña colada in hand. If time travel was possible, the creation of the piña colada would be on my list of stops!

Piña Colada Ingredients

There’s really no need to get fancy with this classic cocktail, though many variations do exist. The original mixture of pineapple juice, coconut cream, cream, and ice became popular for a reason.

  • Pineapple Juice
  • Evaporated Milk
  • Cream of Coconut
  • Rum
  • Ice
Two pina coladas garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

As always, fresh pineapple juice is best though shelf stable is also very tasty (and more readily available). Sometimes a fun variation is to use frozen pineapple chunks in place of half of the ice. This makes the drink more like a ‘smoothie’ in texture.

A small amount of dairy cream, half and half, or shelf stable Carnation style evaporated milk adds another dimension to the creamy drink. Omit it for a vegan version of this cocktail. Alternatively, if you prefer a sweeter cocktail, replace half of the evaporated milk with condensed milk.

Cream of coconut is an essential ingredient in a piña colada. Please don’t add coconut milk in order to ‘lighten it up’. That takes away from the integrity and authenticity of the cocktail.

If cream of coconut is difficult to find (I love Coco Lopez but have to order it online) buy a can of coconut milk and use only the coconut cream. This is the solidified top portion only.

Top view of a Pina Colada garnished with a wedge of pineapple, a cherry, and shredded coconut.

Alternatively, it’s quite easy to make your own ‘cream of coconut’ without all the synthetic ingredients and emulsifiers.

Cream of Coconut vs. Coconut Cream

In general, a can of cream of coconut contains more than just coconut. It is sweetened then emulsified with artificial mixing agents and often also contains water.

Coconut cream is the solidified layer of fatty natural cream that floats to the top of a can of coconut milk. You can also buy a can of only coconut cream, though it is often more difficult to find. Most Asian supermarkets will carry coconut cream.

Let’s Talk Rum

Originally, this cocktail was mixed exclusively with Puerto Rican white or light rum (either Bacardi or Don Q). Today, there are many rum options available including those flavoured with coconut. If you are a coconut fanatic, try Don Q Coco Rum, Malibu Original, or Bacardi Coconut flavoured rum.

Bacardi Gold rum contains sweeter flavour accents such as vanilla, banana, and caramel which pair so well with the pineapple and coconut in a piña colada. For the pineapple lovers, try Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple rum made by infusing real pineapple into dark rum.

Two pina coladas garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

How to Make a Piña Colada

If you have a high powered blender, mixing up a piña colada is a breeze. Just add all ingredients (rum, coconut cream, evaporated milk, pineapple juice, and ice) into the blender jar.

Blend until smooth then pour into a tall Hurricane glass with at least a 12 oz. capacity. Garnish with shredded coconut, pineapple slices, maraschino cherries, or cute paper umbrellas.

To make this cocktail without a blender, add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake without ice for 15-20 seconds. Add 1 cup of ice to the mixture, then shake vigorously until the shaker becomes cold and frosty. Place crushed ice into a 12 oz. glass and pour the cocktail over the ice. Garnish as desired.

Close up of a pina colada garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

Tasty Variations

Though there’s nothing like an original piña colada, there are some fun flavour variations floating around out there in the bar scene.

While most include the core ingredients of pineapple juice and cream of coconut (sometimes in different ratios) the rum can be replaced with another spirit or liqueur. Source wikipedia.

  • Amaretto Colada – Amaretto replaces the rum.
  • Chi chi Colada – with vodka substituted for rum.
  • Lava Flow – strawberry daiquiri (more rum!) and piña colada blended together.
  • Virgin piña colada or Piñita Colada – non-alcoholic version made without rum.
  • Kiwi colada – A fun fruity version made with kiwifruit (fruit and syrup) in place of pineapple juice.
  • Kahlua colada – substitute Kahlua (coffee liqueur) for rum.
  • Scotsman Colada – substitute Scotch for rum, most likely unpeated.
  • Staten Island Ferry – a cocktail consisting of equal parts Malibu coconut flavored rum) and pineapple juice served over ice. In other words, the ghost of a piña colada.
  • Caribou Lou – 1 oz of Malibu rum, 1.5 oz of 151 Proof Rum, and 5 oz of Pineapple Juice. It’s very strong because of the overproof rum.
  • Blue Hawaiian – differs from a piña colada mainly by including blue Curaçao (a liqueur traditionally made with the dried peels of the laraha bitter orange).
  • Tequila colada – made by substituting…you guessed it…tequila for rum.
Pinterest image of two pina coladas garnished with a red cherry, dried pineapple wedge, and shredded coconut.

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Yield: 1 cocktail

The Best Piña Colada Recipe

Top view of a Pina Colada garnished with a wedge of pineapple, a cherry, and shredded coconut.

Do you like Piña Coladas? Getting caught in the rain? Then this is the BEST Piña Colada recipe for you! Passed down from a bartender friend of mine, this delightful cocktail hits all the right tropical notes. Makes one 12 oz. cocktail.

Prep Time 7 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz white rum 
  • 3 oz coconut cream
  • 2 oz evaporated milk
  • 3 oz pineapple juice 
  • I cup ice (more if making with a cocktail shaker)
  • 2 tsp sweet shredded coconut, optional for garnishing
  • 1 piece of pineapple or cherry, optional for garnishing

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients (rum, coconut cream, evaporated milk, pineapple juice, and ice) into the canister of a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Pour into a tall glass (at least 12 oz.)
  3. Garnish with shredded coconut, pineapple wedge or a cherry.

Notes

To make this cocktail without a blender, add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake without ice for 15-20 seconds. Add 1 cup of ice to the mixture, then shake vigorously until the shaker becomes cold and frosty. Place crushed ice into a 12 oz. glass and pour the cocktail over the ice. Garnish as desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

12 oz

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 799Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 124gFiber: 3gSugar: 113gProtein: 8g

Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.

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30 comments

  1. Amy Liu Dong

    One of the perfect summer drinks to make today, and I am sure my sisters will love it!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Hahaha well I can tell you that my sisters sure do!

  2. ramona

    Coconut milk and pineapple is one of the best combos and i cant wait to make this! This is such a refreshing drink for summer and since the summer holidays are coming up, this will defo be something i will make often! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      You are welcome. Enjoy!

  3. Jessica

    You weren’t lying; this was definitely the best pina colada I’ve ever had. It was perfectly creamy, sweet, and refreshing. I learned a lot about this delicious drink from your post too. Thanks!!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      This is so great to hear Jessica!! This is one of those recipes that is hard to beat.

  4. Mikayla

    Decided to whip these up and pretend we were on vacation by dipping our feet in the pool while sipping away. Delicious, thank you!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      That sounds absolutely idyllic. Enjoy your ‘vacation’.

  5. Sharon

    This pina colada is quickly becoming my go-to poolside sipper for summer evenings. It’s so creamy and refreshing.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Excellent to hear this Sharon. Have a wonderful weekend.

  6. Claire

    WOW! This reminded me so much of my honeymoon! My hubby and I drank them when we were at our resort, so I made a batch for our wedding anniversary. Such a great recipe, delicious 🙂

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Awww how sweet! Happy anniversary to you.

  7. Erin

    I made this for a BBQ last night and the pina coladas were a hit! So creamy and just the right flavor. I can stop my search for the perfect recipe!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      The search stops here! I don’t kid around when I say it’s ‘the best’.

  8. NANCY

    Made it for the 4th and now this will be my drink all summer long. Great recipe, better than the last few I had at bars. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      So great to hear Nancy! Cheers!

  9. Savita

    This sounds so amazing, it is totally summer-appropriate. Loved the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Oh yes! So refreshing for the summer.

  10. Gloria

    Reminds me of our honeymoon in Hawaii. Those were the best pina coladas ever. Now I can make these and remember those sunny days on the beach or so long ago LOL.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      How lovely! We didn’t go anywhere for our honeymoon but I’ve been to Hawaii! So happy these Pina coladas brought you to a happy memory.

  11. AmyG

    Love Pina Colada’s on a summer afternoon. They always make me feel like I’m on vacation even though I’m not.

    Reply

  12. Terri Gilson

    Wow! Love that this has cream of coconut – I use it in my coconut cream pie and you’re right – there is no substitute! I have found it at Calgary Co op in the past!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      It’s so hit and miss…I really just grab it whenever I can.

  13. JustineCelina

    YUMMMMM! You know I’ll be trying these, Bernice! They look absolutely heavenly and I appreciate all the different substitution ideas, too. Cheers!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I can never resist a pina colada either!!

  14. nancy

    Such a crushable drink!! can’t go wrong with coconut milk / pineapple and a little booze!! 😀

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      A little too crushable sometimes lol

  15. Laura

    Love pina colada’s! You just can’t go wrong with coconut milk and pineapple. And they look so pretty too. Perfect summer drink!!

    Reply

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