The Virgin Piña Colada recipe
for your table
Put all the ingredients in the blender.
Blend for 20 to 30 seconds until smooth and thick.
Pour into a pineapple glass or hurricane glass.
Garnish generously: pineapple, cherry, little parasol. With a virgin, anything goes.
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Send the Virgin Piña Colada recipe to your own email, so you'll have it at hand when you make it. You'll also receive a €5 discount code on purchases of €50 or more, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
The 'Piña Colada', literally 'strained pineapple', already existed in Cuba and Puerto Rico as a non-alcoholic drink made with fresh pineapple juice before rum was ever added. So the virgin version is actually the original. With the worldwide rise of mindful drinking and premium 0.0 options being one of the fastest-growing drink categories, the Virgin Colada is back, although it never really went away: it now features as standard on children's menus and cocktail lists. Same blender, same glass, everyone happy.
The right glass
With a mocktail, the glass does the work: serve the Virgin Colada in a pineapple-shaped glass or a tall tropical glass of around 50 cl, and no one will ask where the rum is. Its thick, creamy texture calls for a wide straw and a sturdy glass. For children's parties and pregnant guests, this is the most appreciated serve on the menu. If you'd like a classic tropical shape alongside the pineapple glass, take a look at our hurricane glasses.
Pineapple Cocktail Glass 40 cl
Onis Tiki Long Drink Glass 53 cl Pineapple (6 pieces)
Together € 56,90.
The right tools
For a Virgin Piña Colada, besides the glass, use a jigger for precise measuring, glass straws, and cocktail picks. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glazenset (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 84,80.
Variations & twists
Add frozen banana to turn it into a tropical smoothie; a splash of lime juice makes it fresher and less sweet. Replacing some of the milk with coconut water makes it lighter. Toasted coconut flakes as a garnish add the finishing touch to the holiday feeling. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Use frozen pineapple chunks instead of some of the ice: this makes it extra full of flavor, and it will never be watery. A little lime juice balances all that sweetness.
Good to know
The difference from the Pina Colada with rum
The original contains 5 cl white rum, and that is the only difference: the 8 cl pineapple juice, 4 cl coconut cream, and 2 cl coconut milk remain exactly the same, as does the blending time of twenty to thirty seconds. What you miss is the slight sharpness that the rum provides against all that sweetness. A centiliter of fresh lime juice does much the same job. Historically, the alcohol-free version is actually the oldest: strained pineapple with coconut was already being enjoyed in Puerto Rico and Cuba before rum was added.
Coconut cream or coconut milk: which should you choose?
The two are not interchangeable. Bottled coconut cream is sweetened and contains around 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams; it provides the thickness and sweetness this mocktail relies on. Canned coconut milk is unsweetened and much thinner, with about 17 percent fat in the full-fat version. The recipe uses both: 4 cl coconut cream for body and 2 cl coconut milk or cream to keep it drinkable. Using only coconut milk makes it watery, while using only coconut cream makes it cloyingly sweet. Always shake the bottle well, as the coconut fat settles.
No blender: here's how to make it work anyway
Not having a blender is no problem. Shake 8 cl of pineapple juice, 4 cl of coconut cream and 2 cl of coconut milk vigorously with a handful of ice cubes for fifteen seconds, then strain it over a glass full of crushed ice. It will be slightly less thick than the blended version, but fresher. Even better: use frozen pineapple chunks instead of some of the ice and mash them first with a fork. An immersion blender in a tall cup works well too, provided you break the ice into large pieces beforehand.
Make it less sweet
This mocktail can easily contain up to thirty grams of sugar per glass, mainly from the coconut cream and pineapple juice. To reduce that, replace 2 cl of the coconut cream with full-fat coconut milk and add 1 cl of fresh lime juice; the acidity immediately reduces the perceived sweetness. Also choose pineapple juice without added sugar, or juice a fresh pineapple. A pinch of sea salt on the foam works surprisingly well: salt suppresses sweetness and brings out the coconut flavor.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Virgin Pina Colada?
A Virgin Pina Colada contains 8 cl of pineapple juice, 4 cl of coconut cream, 2 cl of coconut milk or cream, and a cup of crushed ice, blended for twenty to thirty seconds into a smooth, thick mixture. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cocktail cherry. Nothing else: rum is the only thing missing.
What is the difference from a regular Pina Colada?
Only the rum. The proportions of pineapple juice and coconut cream remain the same, and the blending time and garnish do not change either. The alcohol-free version is also the original form: in Cuba and Puerto Rico, strained pineapple existed before rum was added, see Pina Colada.
Can you make a Virgin Pina Colada without a blender?
Yes: shake the pineapple juice, coconut cream and coconut milk vigorously with a handful of ice, then strain it over fresh crushed ice. It will be slightly less thick than the blended version, but the flavor remains. Frozen pineapple chunks instead of some of the ice make it fuller again.
Which glass do you use for a Virgin Pina Colada?
A pineapple-shaped glass or a tall tropical glass of about 50 cl, with a wide straw: especially with a mocktail, the glass does half the work. Children feel grown-up with one, and pregnant guests can join in fully, drinking from the same glass as the rest of the table.
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