This quick and easy virgin pina colada recipe is not only a delicious and refreshing drink, but healthy too!! No need to prep ahead, sweetener is optional, and it is completely vegan thanks to coconut milk! Just blend and drink!
This virgin Piña Colada is one of my favorite recipes for kicking back. I love the fact that this is practically a healthy piña colada smoothie with a whole serving of fruit (hello pineapple!) and healthy coconut milk!
Cheers!
How to make Virgin Pina Colada:
Pour one 20 oz can of pineapple chunks with their juice into a blender (Photo 1).
Next, add one can of coconut milk and the freshly squeezed juice of an orange and a lemon (Photos 2 & 3). Add sweetener if desired. Blend until completely smooth.
Now add the ice and pulse until all large chunks are broken up (Photo 4).
I absolutely love my blendtec blender for making super smooth, frothy, rich-tasting iced drinks. It crushes and and blends ice so easily!
Pour into glasses and serve immediately with a garnish of fresh pineapple or cherries if you like!
Can I substitute fresh pineapple in place of canned?
Definitely! Use 2 1/2 cups fresh pineapple to replace the canned pineapple. Depending on the ripeness/sweetness of your pineapple, you may find that you need a bit more sweetener when using fresh pineapple.
Can I use bottled orange juice and lemon juice instead of fresh?
You can, but it won’t taste as amazing as using freshly juiced citrus, which release a lot of fresh citrusy oils and makes everything tastes super fresh. This recipe requires the juice of one orange and one lemon, and it literally takes 1 extra minute to juice them using this citrus juicer.
It’s SO WORTH IT!
Why use canned coconut milk?
Canned coconut milk is thicker and richer than the kind you buy in a jug. It also has a stronger coconut flavor, which is essential for a good piña colada recipe. It makes a dreamy creamy piña colada drink that I think you’ll absolutely love!
If you want to use the coconut milk that comes from a jug or carton, you might want to add a drop or two of coconut extract to give this drink more flavor.
Just be careful because most naturally flavored coconut extracts contain alcohol – it’s what extracts all the delicious coconut flavor from the coconut. Depending on your reason for wanting to make a virgin piña colada, a drop may or may not be okay with you.
Here are several coconut extract options.
Can I make this Virgin Pina Colada drink into a smoothie?
If you’d like to try a thicker virgin pina colada smoothie as opposed to a cool drink, go ahead and replace the canned pineapple with 2 and 1/2 cups frozen chunks of pineapple and omit the ice! Add the canned coconut milk slowly until everything blends nice and smooth and reaches your desired consistency! Done!
You might also enjoy these other vegan drinks and recipes:
- Strawberry Lemonade Chia Drink
- Vegan Chocolate Milkshake
- The Ultimate Green Smoothie and How to Hide the Green Taste
- Benefits of lemon water (and how to make it)
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Vegan Avocado Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
If you’ve tried this Virgin Pina Colada or any other recipe on my blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!!
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Virgin Pina Colada
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz canned pineapple chunks, with juice
- 1 18 oz canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, takes about 1 small orange
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, takes about 1 lemon
- 3 cups ice cubes
- 2 tbsp agave nectar, or organic sugar, optional
Special equipment
- Citrus juicer
Instructions
- Pour one 20 oz can of pineapple chunks with its juice into a blender.
- Next, add one can of coconut milk and the freshly squeezed juice of two oranges and one lemon. Add sweetener if desired. Blend until completely smooth.
- Now add the ice and pulse until all large chunks are broken up. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with a garnish of fresh pineapple or cherries if you like! Total Yeild is about 6 cups.
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