This Keto Piña Colada is pretty much the ultimate summer and vacation drink. Not on vacation? Make Piña Coladas and fake it. Truly, making these takes the edge off the heat of summer or brings the sunshine in for you during winter.
Literally, the Piña Colada is translated to mean “strained pineapple” in Spanish. Born in Puerto Rico as a ‘signature drink’, the Piña Colada remains their national drink and celebrates Piña Colada Day every July 10th.
Me, I am marking my calendar as we speak going forward in celebration. I mean, the combination of the frothy blend of rum, cream of coconut and pineapple—you cannot go wrong.
A Piña Colada is “better than slapping Bette Davis in the face.” ~ Hollywood legend Joan Crawford
The better news is that if there is an ultimate fat bomb in a cocktail the Piña Colada is definitely it. It tastes fantastic and is loaded with good fat. The key to the perfect Keto Piña colada is to use coconut cream not simply coconut milk, as it has highest fat content. The one I used in this recipe is Let’s Do Organic Heavy Coconut Cream as it has the highest fat content I could find and is extra creamy. You don’t necessarily have to get a certain brand but you want a fat content above 20% and for it to be extra rich and creamy. Once you have that, success is within reach.
I always use a good quality stand blender to get the right smoothness and frothiness.
Next you do need a really good quality blender to really incorporate the ice and coconut cream. That way you get absolute smoothness with a good amount of frothiness. That’s why stand blender And you want to give it the time it needs to fully incorporate. If you find the drink is too rich, add another ¼ cup of ice.
Then, you use pineapple extract rather than using pineapple juice as in the non-keto version. This way, it is truer to its translated meaning than even the original recipe. It’s not a common thing to buy, but it is out there. Be sure to get one that is actually made from pineapples and not artificial since the recipe relies on a true pineapple flavour. I make my own, so if you’re feeling adventurous make your own Pineapple Extract. It does take some upfront prep but it’s super easy. All you need to account for is the time it needs to sit before it’s ready for use.
Living a low carb life makes you more susceptible to the effects when consuming alcohol.
To note, some like their Piña Colada with 2 oz of rum rather that just 1.5 oz. I don’t, simply because I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to living a low carb life and consuming alcohol. I am definitely more susceptible to the effects now than I was before, and I’d rather not be feeling like death the next day over another ½ ounce in a glass. Further to that, if you are using my homemade pineapple extract recipe, that 1 ½ teaspoons of extract is adding extra alcohol.
A little side story, about when I was developing the recipe with my husband, Douglas. Cocktails are his favourite when I develop recipes! I started off with the 2 ounce portion, plus the pineapple extract. Now we usually like to enjoy a cocktail before supper, most often once I have prepped the meal and the cooking is in process so we’re just waiting for things to be done—but not on this day.
This drink caters to those who want to finish their drink above the table. Still, Use food to right the ship.
He was so excited for his Keto Pina Colada, he begged, and I obliged, that I make it first, and then prep the tandoori salmon with roasted radishes after. How could I say no? Well, ¾ of the way through finishing said Piña Colada, I felt quite smashed and provided no guarantees on said, tandoori salmon with roasted radishes.
They turned out great thankfully, most of all because they are both easy as smoothies to make, and the food righted the ship. That being said, you’ve been warned! I’ll leave it to you to decide how much rum you like but my recipe is catered to the ‘I’m finishing my cocktail above the table’ demographic.
The recipe is below. Let me know what you think and post a picture showing how you dressed yours up!
Hope you enjoy this drink as much I do.
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