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My Perfect Pina Colada Recipe

April 18, 2016 By justalittlebitofbacon 2 Comments

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A pina colada should taste like pineapple and coconut; it shouldn’t be too sweet or be more ice than drink; and it should be easy to make! You don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen. You want to be relaxing right now, sipping your drink, and I don’t blame you one bit. To make my perfect pina colada, all you need is a few ingredients, five minutes, and a blender. Enjoy!

A mason jar glass full of pina colada and ice all garnished with pinapple slices and an umbrella.

Hello, all!

I think it’s TIME for a fruity drink. Who’s with me?

Now, I’m not going to say this everyone’s perfect pina colada, but it is my perfect pina colada. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about pina coladas and how to make them, but, if I’m going to have one, I want the best one.

I mean, why not?

My first memories of them are from a long time ago, when my parents visited Puerto Rico and came back with a thirst for the drinks. We had cream of coconut and pineapple juice in the house for years after. I only had the rum free versions at that point, but the combination of pineapple and coconut was hard to beat, rum or no. šŸ™‚

And, of course, since then I’ve had my share of them when on vacation, sitting on the beach. Now WITH rum. šŸ˜‰ A daiquiri or a colada is almost required in those situations and I can’t say I’m too fussy about beach coladas. The beach is enough.

However, when I had a craving recently and I made myself a pina colada, something wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t taste the pineapple, and the cream of coconut was too sweet and not coconuty (Is that a word? It is now!) enough.

But I knew what to do. And that was to tinker with the recipe until I had a pina colada worth drinking on my deck when I’m not in relaxed, vacation mode.

Close up of a perfect pina colada with a straw in the glass. Pineapple slices and drink umbrellas scattered about.

Luckily the answer was a simple one that is only a titch more work than the recipe I started with on this journey. It comes down to two things.

Tips for Making the Perfect Pina Colada

First, make your own pineapple juice from pineapples, and fresh or canned works just fine. (Though, if you want super intense, go for fresh.)

Second, cut the cream of coconut with some unsweetened coconut cream. More coconut flavor and less sugar!

How do you make the Perfect Pina Colada

To make the perfect Pina Colada, puree and strain canned pineapple chunks. Then blend together the strained pineapple, coconut cream, cream of coconut, and rum. Serve with ice, pineapple slices, and maraschino cherries.

All good. And that’s it. It’s really that easy! Everything you need to go from blah to yum. šŸ™‚ A quick puree of pineapple chunks, strain out the woody bits, and back into the blender with the coconut and, of course, the rum. Can’t forget the rum. Pour over ice and drink.

View of two pina coladas in mason jar glasses with straws, umbrellsas, and pineapple slices.

More Fruity Rum Drinks

  • Coconut, Orange, and Pineapple Rum Punch
  • Layered Frozen Strawberry and Lime Daiquiri
  • Blueberry Mojito Pitcher for a Crowd
  • Refreshing Blackberry Mojito 

If you try my recipe for my Perfect Pina Colada, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.

– Happy Drinking, Annemarie

My Perfect Pina Colada - My pina colada has plenty of pineapple flavor, lots of smooth coconut, and not too much sugar. Perfect for sipping on a warm day! Serve it over ice and think about summer. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

My Perfect Pina Colada Recipe

My pina colada has plenty of pineapple flavor, lots of smooth coconut, and not too much sugar. Perfect for sipping on a warm day! Serve it over ice and think about summer.
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Caribbean
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

  • 2 8 oz cans pineapple chunks in juice
  • 3 oz cream of coconut, preferably Coco Lopez
  • 3 oz coconut cream, unsweetened
  • 6 oz rum
  • ice to fill the glasses
  • pineapple slices and maraschino cherries for garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Puree the pineapple chunks until smooth. Pour the pureed pineapple through a fine, mesh strainer to remove the pulp. You will have about 12 oz of juice left.
  • Add the strained juice, cream of coconut, coconut cream, and rum to the blender and puree until smooth.
  • Divide ice among 4 glasses and then pour in the pina colada. Garnish with pineapple slices, maraschino cherries, and little umbrellas if you wish.

Notes

  • Brands I Use: I prefer the Coco Lopez brand of cream of coconut, and the Thai Kitchen brand of coconut cream.
  • Alcohol Free Version: To make a virgin Pina Colada, use coconut water in place of the rum.

Related Posts:

  • Rhubarb Lime Rickey CocktailRhubarb Lime Rickey Cocktail
  • Coconut, Orange, and Pineapple Rum PunchCoconut, Orange, and Pineapple Rum Punch
  • Simple Frozen Mango DaiquiriSimple Frozen Mango Daiquiri
  • Blueberry Mojito Pitcher for a CrowdBlueberry Mojito Pitcher for a Crowd
  • Refreshing and Summery Blackberry MojitoRefreshing and Summery Blackberry Mojito
  • Fresh Blueberry MojitoFresh Blueberry Mojito
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Filed Under: 10 ingredients or less, 15 minutes or less, 5 ingredients or less, beverages, cocktail, fruit, gluten free, recipe, summer, sweet treats, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: coconut, pineapple, rum

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Justalittlebitofbacon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Comments

  1. Cathy says

    April 21, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! Perfect for a hot summer day or a tropical trip. Hope you’re having a fantastic vacation!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      April 22, 2016 at 10:20 am

      Thanks! We’ve been enjoying it. And we are having a great time. Lots of fun and sun. šŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

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