Today is National Pina Colada Day!!! I think I am in love with this holiday! What better thing to celebrate than a frosty, cold, amazing, wonderful and lovely Pina Colada! Can you tell that I like Pina Coladas just a bit? 🙂
Pina Colada Recipe
We love National Pina Colada Day! What better thing to celebrate than a frosty, cold, amazing, wonderful, and lovely Piña Colada? Can you tell that I like Piña Coladas just a bit? 🙂
John and I heard this great Aloha Friday song during one vacation in Hawaii. We had to stop what we were doing and listen to the music. We started talking about our love of Hawaii and the relaxed feeling we get in Hawaii. We wanted to find a way to bring the island life, relaxation, and fun back home.
We are kicking it off this week with my favorite, the Piña Colada! We visit a tiki bar called Don the Beachcombers on the Big Island every time we are there. They have fantastic happy hour specials that coincide with watching the sunset over the ocean. There is nothing quite like sitting back with a Piña Colada in hand, watching the sunset, dolphins swimming in the sea, and spending time with your husband.
The Piña Colada reminds me of beach vacations in Hawaii, Cruising the Caribbean, and relaxing in Mexico. There is nothing like kicking back on the beach with a frosty Piña Colada and watching the world go by.
I always feel like we are on vacation when I get a cold frozen Piña Colada and sit in a beach chair. While I sadly can't be in a beach chair quite as often as I would like to, I can make amazing Pina Coladas at home with our favorite Piña Colada Recipe! This recipe is super easy to make and tastes fantastic!
Did you know the Pina Colada was invented at the iconic Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico? How cool would it be to enjoy a frozen Pina Colada at the original resort it was created at!
I am adding this to my travel bucket list.
Here is our favorite Piña Colada Recipe!
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic Piña Colada Drink! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Rum
- Cream of Coconut
- Pineapple Juice
- Crushed Ice (enough to fill the serving glass).
Garnish: Fresh Pineapple Wedge and Maraschino Cherry, you can also use pineapple leaves for the garnish.
Equipment Needed
- Blender
- Hurricane Glass
How to Make a Piña Colada
I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.
- Add crushed ice, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and rum to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a Hurricane Glass and garnish.
Preparation and Storage
Make Ahead + Storage + Freezing/How to Freeze:
This blender cocktail has enough alcohol to freeze beautifully and maintain its slushy texture, even with the coconut cream it contains.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to a month, then thaw at room temperature or blend until you can transfer portions to serving glasses; you want a slushy and not a melted cocktail pool. Regardless of how you prepare your frozen cocktail for service, you may need to stir the mixture to get it to your desired consistency.
Recipe Variations
Substitutions: White or dark rum are interchangeable in Piña Coladas. White rum is more neutral in flavor and lets the tropical fruits shine, while dark rum is aged and has a more complex profile.
A shaken Piña Colada can be made with a shaker to create a lighter drink that is not frozen.
Vegetarian + Vegan Options: This tropical cocktail recipe is vegetarian and vegan-friendly!
Gluten-Free: Whether this recipe is gluten-free depends on whether the rest of your ingredients are also gluten-free, so check each product label to confirm.
Alcohol-Free Option: Use any NA rum substitute or remove the rum to make a Piña Colada Mocktail/virgin pina colada.
Make it Spicy: Use a spiced rum for a warmly spiced and more complex Piña Colada. We’ve also seen versions that add muddled jalapeños for a tropical drink with a kick.
Larger Group/More Servings: Since this cocktail freezes well and comes together in your blender, making large batches for groups is easy! Scale the written recipe to your desired yield.
Sugar-Free: This recipe contains 43 grams of sugar per serving. Replace the pineapple juice and cream of coconut with sugar-free substitutes to make it sugar-free.
Tips for the Best Piña Colada
- Do you love pineapple? Add frozen pineapple chunks to give your Piña Colada an even icier consistency and more pineapple goodness.
- If you want to spice up your Piña Colada, check out this recipe for a Lava Flow! It is a piña colada with a strawberry twist that is quite amazing! We also have other piña colada recipes featuring fruits!
What to Serve with a Piña Colada
This classic tropical cocktail is a must-have for your next summertime gathering or tiki cocktail night! Here are some menu pairing suggestions.
Sides: Pineapple Stuffing, Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn, Watermelon Salad, CrockPot Jamaican Jerk Wings, Hawaiian Mac Salad, CrockPot Spicy Mango Jerk Wings
Main Dishes: CrockPot Teriyaki Chicken, Funeral Sandwiches, CrockPot Hawaiian Chicken, CrockPot Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies, CrockPot Pineapple Salsa Chicken Tacos, CrockPot Hawaiian Pulled Pork
Desserts: Pig Pickin' Cake, Mandarin Orange Jello Salad, Pineapple Angel Food Cake, CopyCat Sonic Coconut Cream Pie Shake, 2 Ingredient Coconut Macaroon Cookies, Bahama Mama Popsicle, Piña Colada Poke Cake, Key Lime Bars, Coconut Pineapple Drop Cookies
Drinks: Vodka Sunrise, Malibu Sunset, Carnival Rum Jumper Cocktail, Carnival Ting Mojito, Pineapple Upside Down Cake Shot, Blue Shark Cocktail, CopyCat Carnival Caribbean Breeze Cocktail, Dirty Banana Cocktail, Mai Tai, Guavaberry Colada, Coral Reef Cocktail
When to Serve a Piña Colada
- Summer Parties
- Tiki Parties
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
Great Cocktail Recipes
Kiss on the Lips Carnival Cocktail
We have an entire section of our favorite cocktail recipes! We love being able to make our go-to cocktails at home! They’re the perfect way to spend a summer evening on the deck together.
Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.
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Pina Colada Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ounces rum
- 2 ounces Cream of Coconut
- 2 ounces Pineapple Juice
- Crushed ice enough to fill the serving glass.
Instructions
- Add ice, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and rum to the Blender, Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a Hurricane Glass and garnish.
Kitchen Tools
- Blender
- Hurricane Glass
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on July 10, 2013. Updated December 2020.
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