This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.

This Pina Colada is a sweet, creamy, frozen drink bursting with fruity flavors from pineapple and coconut.  The flavors are so vibrant that they will transport you from your porch to a lounge chair at a tropical beach!

Summertime is the perfect time of year for quick and easy frozen refreshments like this pina colada.  Try Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, Watermelon Peach Cooler, or Chic Fil A Copycat Frosted Lemonade for more sweet drink recipes you’ll fall in love with!

Pina colata garnished with cherry and pineapple slice.

Pina Colada

On summer days the best way to beat the heat is with a cold, refreshing drink.  Mix fun lemonades and play around with sparkling limeades.  This creamy frozen pina colada has to be my all time favorite though!  The coconut and pineapple combine to make the perfect fruity flavor.  These are flavors your family will love and they just don’t get old!!

This frozen delight is great as an after dinner treat or as a late afternoon perk up.  It is so easy to make that there is no wrong time to mix one up!  Simply toss your ingredients in the blender and in a few minutes your smooth, tropical drink is ready!  I could drink this dreamy treat every day!

What’s In a Pina Colada?

The ingredients this pina colada are easy to find and easy to store.  When blended together their flavors remind me of a warm beach vacation!  Keep these items on hand to ensure you can have a taste of summer any day of the week!

  • Cream of Coconut: Different varieties may be confusing.  You need cream of coconut, not coconut cream or coconut milk.  This will make your drink creamy and give that amazing coconut flavor.
  • Pineapple juice: Save time and use a canned!
  • Ice: Adding the ice makes this a frozen drink.  Blend well so your drink is creamy not icy.
  • Frozen Pineapple chunks: Use fresh pineapple and freeze it yourself.  Freezing canned pineapple will work too but may be overly sweet.  Store bought frozen pineapple may lack flavor.

How to Make a Pina Colada:

Mixing up a pina colada is so quick and easy and impossible to mess up!  Grab your ingredients and blend until creamy.  It takes just minutes to create this cold refreshing drink, and you and your family are sure to love it!

  1. Fill the blender: In a blender add cream of coconut, pineapple juice, ice, and pineapple chunks.
  2. Blend: Allow ingredients to blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Enjoy!

Pina Colada ingredients in a blender ready to be mixed.

Variations of the Pina Colada:

A great way to relax without ever having to leave your back porch is to whip up this sweet drink.  It smells so delicious and the cold, creamy texture is heavenly!

  • Garnish: Add whipped cream to the top of your drink for an extra sweet and smooth drink.
  • Super sweet: To make your pina colada even more sweet, add cherry syrup.  It will give a more dynamic flavor too!
  • Alcohol: Add a splash of rum to turn this into an adult beverage.
  • Lime Juice: Try putting some lime juice in the mix.  The vibrant citrus-y lime flavor will add a special hint of lime that will set your drink apart from all other pina colada’s you have had!

Recipe Critic Pro Tip:

Presentation of this tropical drink is half of the fun! Use a unique glass and garnish with maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge for the full experience of the pina colada.

Blending a pina colada.

Can you Freeze Pineapple?

Luckily, frozen pineapple freezes very well and can stay good for 1-2 months.  Freeze fresh pineapple in large batches and save yourself time later when you are craving a pina colada.

  • Do not freeze in the can: If you are using canned pineapple you will want to be sure to remove it from the can before freezing.
  • Pre-Freeze: You want each pineapple to be frozen individually, not in chunks.  The best way to do this is to lay them out on a baking sheet that’s lined in wax paper and freeze for about an hour.  Then, remove the frozen pineapple from the freezer and transfer to a freezer-safe bag until you are ready to use.
  • Pineapple cubes: Use an ice cubes tray to freeze pineapple before moving cubes into a freezer safe storage bag.

Areal view of a finished pina colada.

More Refreshing Drinks:

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Pina Colada

By: Alyssa Rivers
This Pina Colada is a sweet, creamy, frozen drink bursting with fruity flavors from pineapple and coconut.  The flavors are so vibrant that they will transport you from your porch to a lounge chair at a tropical beach!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 Drinks

Ingredients 

Instructions 

Notes

*Alcohol optional 1/4 cup rum 

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 36mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 3gSugar: 57gVitamin A: 59IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Caribbean
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

 

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

More Ideas

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. Looks yummy but what is cream of coconut?
    I’m in Canada so that also makes a difference on where to find it.

    1. Cream of coconut comes in a can and its s coconut mixed with cream to help make this drink sweet and creamy.

  2. great idea, haven’t had one of these in so long, why not npw? thank you for the reminder and the recipe (I’d forgotten how to make them)