It’s August and we are melting over here. The air conditioning has been running non-stop, the kids have been taking advantage of the sprinklers in the backyard, and we are making the best of things by grilling or making dinners that require minimal cooking. Hence, non-alcoholic blender drinks and this easy piña colada recipe! We love fancy drinks at our house! If you do too, be sure to try our Non-Alcoholic Mint Julep, Homemade Hawaiian Punch, Easy Brazilian Lemonade, and Homemade Blackberry Lemonade! I don’t know about you, but I’m always exhausted by the end of the summer, to the point where even the idea of a vacation seems like too much work! But whipping up a couple of non-alcoholic piña coladas can transport me to a tropical beach without ever having to pack my bags or deal with the resultant laundry that comes with unpacking when you get back home. A few years ago when my oldest started elementary school, we started a tradition of having a Back-To-School Feast, after being inspired by Stephanie Nielson of NieNieDialogues. I always try to decorate and make something special so it can be a celebratory meal, and I’m thinking these kid-friendly non-alcoholic piña coladas will be the perfect beverage to serve at this year’s feast. My girls helped me with the recipe testing and loved the cold, frothy concoction with the cherries on top.
What is a Piña Colada?
The name piña colada is Spanish for “strained pineapple”, and it was created in Puerto Rico in the 1950’s. It has actually been the national drink of Puerto Rico since 1978! While the traditional cocktail is made with rum, cream of coconut, and freshly strained pineapple juice, we keep things non-alcoholic around here and skip the booze. Piña coladas can be made either blended or shaken with ice. Both are delicious, but we tend to favor the slushier blended version. Either way, they are so fun and pretty, especially when garnished with either a pineapple wedge, marachino cherry, or both.
How to make a non-alcoholic Piña Colada
This virgin piña colada mocktail recipe couldn’t be easier. It’s literally just a matter of pouring pineapple juice and cream of coconut into a blender, then adding enough ice to reach the level of the liquid and blending. We love our Vitamix blender and use it on a daily basis for protein shakes or smoothies, and it is excellent at making blender drinks like these piña coladas. I highly recommend getting one if you don’t have a good blender already. I really, really wanted to make this with just coconut milk or coconut cream, rather than telling you to go out and buy cream of coconut, which is an ingredient that you will find in the drinks aisle by the alcoholic beverages – a place I rarely venture since we don’t drink alcohol in our home. But I made a few different batches and recipes and shared them with friends we had over for dinner, and the version I’m sharing with you today was the hands-down winner. It’s not that the others were bad (I tried various combinations of coconut milk, crushed pineapple, sugar, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut), but the Coco Lopez cream of coconut imparted the best coconut flavor that couldn’t be matched by any other approach and balanced out the pineapple just right. Cream of coconut is just coconut milk that has been thickened and sweetened and it’s worth the extra effort of finding it in the store.
Pina Colada Tips
You can add more cream of coconut if you want a more coconut forward version of this beverage. Or use frozen pineapple in place of some of the ice cubes for a more pineapple-y approach. A squeeze of lime juice can be a really tasty addition too! Double or triple the recipe if you are throwing a party and have more than 4 people! This recipe divides perfectly for our family of 4 with each serving being around 10-ounces each. Prep your garnishes in advance for easy assembly before the pina coladas start to melt. Little cocktail umbrellas are a fun and inexpensive idea and they are easy to find at most party stores.
Looking for more non-alcoholic blender drinks? Try these!
Strawberry Mockarita (Strawberry Virgin Margarita) Strawberry Watermelon Slushie Homemade Frozen Lemonade Orange Julius Recipe
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