Pina Colada Recipe

The best classic Piña Colada recipe (pineapple coconut drink). The original recipe consists of only 4 ingredients but there are still many Piña Colada recipes on the internet. They call for different ingredients from pineapple juice to fresh pineapple, different kinds of rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and different ingredient ratios. I’ve tried many recipes before finding my favorite one. My Piña Colada is refreshing, not overly sweet, and tastes distinctly like coconut and pineapple. We love it and we could drink it all summer long!

Below you’ll find lots of information – basically everything you need to know on how to make the best Pina Colada and recipes for Malibu pina colada and fresh pineapple pina colada.

Origin of the drink

Piña Colada is a Puerto Rican pineapple coconut drink – in 1978 it was named Puerto Rico’s national drink. Its name means „strained pineapple” in Spanish, referring to the freshly pressed and strained pineapple used in the drink’s preparation.

Pina Colada Ingredients

Now I will talk a little bit about the ingredients. The original Piña Colada recipe consists of only 4 ingredients: pineapple juice, white rum, cream of coconut, and ice.

My perfect Piña Colada recipe is refreshing, not too sweet, and tastes distinctly like coconut and pineapple. I’ve tested many drink variations and below I will explain which ingredients I’ve chosen and why.

1. Pineapple

You can use either pineapple juice or fresh pineapple – I’m providing two variations of the recipe below.

Making the drink with store-bought pineapple juice is easier than with fresh pineapple. It requires less work (peeling and chopping the pineapple) and you can also enjoy the drink right away (the fresh pineapple needs to be frozen first).

The drink made with fresh pineapple is naturally thicker and tastes intensely of pineapple. To make the drink with fresh pineapple you need to freeze pineapple chunks. Add 3.2oz/90g (seven 1-inch/2.5 cm cubes) frozen pineapple chunks to the drink and blend with the other ingredients. Use only fresh pineapple, not canned pineapple, which is too sweet.

2. Coconut

This is the ingredient that causes the most confusion. Most recipes call for cream of coconut, but I used coconut milk.

What is the difference between coconut milk, coconut cream, and cream of coconut?

• Coconut milk: I used regular canned full-fat coconut milk. Do not use light coconut milk (low-fat). Natural coconut milk that doesn’t contain any stabilizers consists of two parts: a thick part on top (coconut cream) and a thin part at the bottom (coconut water). For this recipe, you need to stir these two parts together (or shake with the can prior to opening it). Adding coconut milk leads to a thinner drink and incorporates the coconut flavor without being overly sweet.
• Coconut cream: As mentioned above, this is the thick part of coconut milk. Pina Colada prepared with coconut cream is in my opinion too fatty. I do not recommend using it.
• Cream of coconut – This is a sweetened coconut cream that contains emulsifiers, stabilizers, and growth-inhibiting agents (its ingredient list doesn’t look very appealing). Its pros are: it’s thick and tastes intensely coconutty but there are also cons: it’s very sweet (plus the long ingredient list). One of the popular brands is Coco Lopez. To reduce the sweetness but retain the wonderful coconut flavor I used coconut rum. If cream of coconut is what you have on hand, you can of course use it in place of coconut milk. You can make a homemade cream of coconut without the weird ingredients where you can control the amount of sugar – here’s the recipe: homemade cream of coconut (Coco Lopez alternative).
• Some recipes also call for regular cream (heavy cream made from cow’s milk) which is, in my opinion, a huge misunderstanding. It does make the drink more creamy and thick, but doesn’t have any flavor and is just fatty. If you want your drink thicker without adding Coco Lopez I would recommend adding fresh frozen pineapple (instructions are in the note section of the recipe card).

3. Rum

The original recipe calls for white rum. I used coconut rum (Malibu) to incorporate an intense coconut flavor. Some recipes also call for golden rum. I find white rum more suitable as it tastes more neutral. Golden rum or any aged rum could be too bold-tasting for this drink.

If you want to use white rum instead of coconut rum it’s better to use cream of coconut (coconut flavor + more sugar) or just add simple syrup to the drink to sweeten it (combine equal amount of sugar and water, cook until sugar is dissolved then leave to cool).

4. Ice

I don’t like lots of ice in my drink, I find it dilutes its flavor. I’m using 15 small ice cubes per 1 large drink. Depending on the preparation method you’ll need whole ice cubes or crushed ice. You can make crushed ice yourself.

How to make crushed ice: Place some ice cubes in a thick ziplock bag, close it and pound the bag with a rolling pin or just the bottom of a rum bottle.

5. Lime juice

Adding lime juice is optional and not very traditional but this is really my secret ingredient. It brightens the whole drink, makes it refreshing, balances the flavors and sweetness of the drink, and makes it really amazing. I highly recommend adding it, even just a very small amount.

Proportions of the ingredients

The IBA (International Bartenders Association) calls for 5 parts white rum, 3 parts coconut cream, and 5 parts pineapple juice. This was my base recipe, with which I started my recipe tasting. It was good but not great in my opinion – it was too fatty, too sweet, and not enough boozy.

My proportions are easy to remember: it’s 3-2-1 (3 parts pineapple juice – 2 parts coconut rum – 1 part coconut milk). From the recipe below you’ll have 1 large drink – an amount that will fit in a big Hurricane glass.

Preparation methods

There are two methods of preparation of this drink:

1. SHAKEN Pina Colada – shaken with ice in a shaker (or really just in a jar if you don’t have a shaker). The drink can be also simply poured over ice. You need to shake the drink thoroughly, for a minimum of 30 seconds. Note that this version of the drink will be rather thin!
2. BLENDER Pina Colada (Frozen Pina Colada) – all ingredients are blended with ice in a blender, resulting in a slushie/smoothie (thicker) consistency. To make the blended drink you’ll need a blender or a good immersion (hand) blender, that is able to crush ice. This is the original version of the drink.

How to make blender Pina Colada (Frozen Pina Colada)

1. Measure out all the ingredients.
2. Add all the ingredients into a blender container and blitz until smooth. You can use either a stand blender or a good immersion (hand) blender.
3. Serve chilled and enjoy!

How to make shaken Pina Colada

1. Make crushed ice (this step is optional): Place some ice cubes in a thick ziplock bag, close it and pound the bag with a rolling pin or just the bottom of a rum bottle.
2. Measure out all the ingredients.
3. Add all the ingredients into a shaker or a big jar.
4. Close the lid and shake it thoroughly, for a minimum of 30 seconds.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Pina Colada variations

• Virgin Piña Colada – you can omit the rum completely and add more coconut milk and pineapple juice, or check out my pina colada lassi recipe!
• Chi Chi – replace the rum with vodka.
• Staten Island Ferry cocktail – add equal amounts of coconut rum and pineapple juice. Serve on the rocks (pour it over ice).
• Lava Flow – this drink is made with the addition of strawberry puree.
• Pina Colada Mule Cocktail – combines two favorite drinks (Piña Colada and Moscow Mule) into one delicious tropical cocktail.
• Mango Piña Colada

See our collection of fruity drink recipes!

How to serve this drink

Piña Colada is traditionally served in a tulip/Hurricane/highball glass. You can serve it with pineapple wedges and a maraschino cherry. You could also decorate the glass rim with shredded coconut (like you would do with a margarita).

What to eat with Pina Colada

Try pairing this delicious drink with tropical-flavored fish or seafood. I would especially recommend my fish tacos with mango salsa or maple orange salmon.

Other great options are Halloumi burgers with pineapple and avocado or Salmon burgers with pineapple and guacamole.

The perfect dessert to serve with Pina Colada is my Key Lime Pie recipe or Key Lime Pie Bars.