This summer try Strawberry Pina Coladas for a wonderful twist on a great classic. I have a few surprise ingredients that make this extra nice.
I remember my first pina colada. I was having lunch with my dad at a little Mexican restaurant next to the Willamette River and he ordered a virgin one for me.
I was all of 9 years old and totally hooked for life! It was cool and creamy and icy and sweet and cloying but SO good.
Years later I was excited to have one of my favorite treats with rum only to discover I didn’t like it with rum. At all. I tried several times in several countries and never could get one to taste like that childhood treat.
In the end I decided I liked my rum in cherry coke and my pina coladas unsullied by alcohol. It might be unsophisticated but I was happy.
How to Make the Best Strawberry Pina Colada
These days I do a lot more with coconut rum which is a favorite of mine for cocktail making. Being curious I just had to see how that turned out in a pina colada. Low and behold, it was excellent!
With some tweaking and experimenting I finally had the perfect pina colada recipe. My secret ingredient (besides coconut rum) is just a touch of frozen orange juice concentrate. It really does add a little something extra.
Enjoy Strawberry Season with a Strawberry Pina Colada!
This version is for Strawberry Pina Coladas because it is May and strawberry season is kicking into high gear. Strawberry is a perfect companion for pineapple and coconut. Now all you need is a hammock and a warm day!
Exactly one time I tried to hollow out a pineapple with a knife. It was a epic fail and something I will never, ever do again. This handy, cheap tool does the job in a jiffy and makes pineapple cutting a breeze. If you eat several fresh pineapples a year this is well worth it. I don’t have a favorite brand, but I do think that buying stainless steal instead of plastic makes sense. You can see multiple options on Amazon.
Summertime Strawberry Pina Coladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups pineapple diced
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
- 3/4 cup cream of coconut
- 4 oz coconut rum chilled
- 1 cup crushed or nugget ice
Instructions
- Combine everything except the ice in a blender and puree until smooth.
- Add ice and blend until you reach the desired consistency.
- Serve immediately in chilled glasses or a hollowed out pineapple.
Notes
Nutrition
I read each and every comment and I try to respond to questions asap, so ask away! If you’ve made a recipe, I would love to hear about it! Please come back and share your experience and give the recipe a 5-star rating so other people will know how much you loved it!
Originally published May of 2015. Updated April of 2021
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire
I love virgin pina coladas too! The rum kinda messes with the flavor haha. I need to test out your version though, maybe it will change my mind as well!
Mirlandra
I’m glad I’m not the only one! Coconut rum is so different and it seems to just add to the fruity, island flavor. I hope you like it!
Josie
Love that you served this inside a pineapple! Looks yummy! 🙂
Mirlandra
Thanks!
Jerusha (@TheDisneyChef)
I had a drink like this at Disney, but I like that this has a lot of fresh ingredients in it. I really have to try this! Thank you!
Mirlandra
Some of my favorite things at Disney are the drinks. I hope you enjoy this one!
Thao @ In Good Flavor
This pineapple makes a stunning presentation, but I would have no problem drinking these pina coladas in a paper cup. It sounds delicious. I like your use of frozen orange juice concentrate.
Mirlandra
Thanks! It really gives it an extra something. The pineapple is fun but I would even drink these from a cereal bowl 🙂
Brenda
This looks wonderful! Can’t wait to try it. If we want to serve a plain pina colada, do we just leave out the strawberries?
Mirlandra
Yep! That makes a wonderful drink. You can blend in any other fruit you like too and play around with the idea.
Lisa
This sounds delicious. Can you use can pineapple? Also, can this be made in a larger amount for a summer party? And if so, what would the measurements
Mirlandra
Hi Lisa! Thanks for asking. You can use canned pineapple. The flavor is a little bit different but still really good! Sometimes you just gotta use what you got 🙂 You can make a bigger batch if it will fit in your blender. A low powered blender won’t be able to handle it but a stronger blender like a BlendTec or similar can probably handle doubling if it is big enough to hold the quantity.
Lidia
Hi looks delicious! But what is cream of coco?
Mirlandra
Hi Lidia – Great question! Cream of Coco is another name for cream of coconut. I’ve put a link to the ingredient in the recipe so you can see it on Amazon for an example. Most grocery stores carry it in the section with cocktail mixers. This is a link to the kind I usually buy: https://amzn.to/2CXPzKL Enjoy that pina colada!