Light Pina Coladas
Lighter Pina Coladas

I’m not gonna lie, I love me a good blended cocktail. They are so fruity, so refreshing, and so deliciously decadent. What I don’t love about blended cocktails? THE SUGAR. So. Much. Added. Sugar. I find that when I mix that much sugar with booze, it’s a recipe for a hangover. Yuck.

You guys know that I’m not a big sugar hater (life is too short to not have birthday cake, amirite?), but when you don’t *need* to add sugar to something—and can make it plenty sweet with fruit—I’m all about cutting out the white stuff. This Light Piña Colada is a perfect example of that. My recipe only has three ingredients, no added sugar, and is still super delicious!

Just to give you an idea, one three ounce serving of off-the-shelf piña colada mix registers a whopping 31 grams of added sugar. Psh. Save your sugar for some awesome, fudgy brownies – I promise you don’t need to add it to your cocktails.

I tend to like a less sweet cocktail, but if you like a dessert-like piña colada, there is a simple (and still healthy!) fix for this—just toss in a frozen banana. The banana meshes well with the tropical flavor of the pineapple and coconut, and adds just a bit of sweetness. Don’t like bananas or are allergic to them? I gotcha covered. Toss in one or two pitted Medjool dates to up the sweetness.

Light Pina Coladas

One last tip: standard piña colada recipes call for coconut cream—the fat from coconut milk is scooped out and sweetened with sugar. Instead, I like to use canned coconut milk.

To replicate the thick, creaminess of the coconut cream, I pour the coconut milk into an ice cube tray, freeze it, and then use those coconut milk ice cubes as the base of my piña colada. I may or may not keep a constant supply of coconut milk ice cubes in my freezer (they are also awesome for smoothies!).

Light Pina Coladas - Coconut Milk Ice Cubes

I will definitely be partaking in these Piña Coladas multiple times over the next few weeks, because I’m on summer vacation, friends! I’ll be taking the next month off to rest, rejuvenate, and spend time with my amazing family and friends. We even have a few weeks of traveling planned to head up to my beloved Lake Superior, and hang out with the Canadian side of our family. I’ll be back to sharing recipes toward the end of August. Have a great month, people (and promise me you’ll drink some piña coladas!). Enjoy.

 

 

Light Pina Coladas

Light Piña Coladas

Yield: 4 (4 ounce) cocktails
Prep Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours

Only three ingredients stand between you and Light Piña Coladas. No added sugar required!

Ingredients

  • 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4-1/2 cup white rum, optional
  • 1 banana, for added sweetness, optional
  • Pineapple wedges and maraschino cherries, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Pour the coconut milk into an ice cube tray, and freeze until solid, about four hours.
  2. In a blender, combine the coconut milk cubes, pineapple juice, white rum (as desired), and banana, if using. Blend on high until very smooth.
  3. Pour into cocktail glasses, and garnish with pineapple and cherries.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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9 Comments

  1. These are so quick and clever, Cassie! Never had I thought pineapple juice and coconut milk going so well together! Tried it this weekend and it tasted amazing!
    Thank you for sharing

  2. I made these for a bachelorette party this weekend and they were hit. There is no reason to ever make the froze sugar bomb ones again. These were just sweet enough and super refreshing an flavourful!

  3. I’m going to have to try the Pina Colada recipe; I haven’t found a good mix out there that isn’t too heavy so this sounds really good! Going to try it this weekend to beat the heat in Louisiana!

  4. Coconut milk is a MUST in pina coladas! You know in Mexico they also add a shot of Kahlua to their pina coladas? OMG. I want one now.

    It’s never fun coming back from a vacation! And I agree- calories do not exist on vacations (or birthdays!).