This Vegan Piña Colada Smoothie is truly the best breakfast smoothie! With only 7 ingredients needed, this smoothie has all the flavors of your favorite cocktail, but without alcohol or added sugar. It's truly the best pineapple smoothie filled with healthy fats from coconut and also happens to be naturally sweetened & gluten-free too!
Believe it or not, I actually have teenage Megan to thank for this recipe. Growing up, we spent a few vacations visiting family in Arizona and I always felt SO cool when I could tan by the pool and sip my virgin Piña Colada (that I ordered myself!) poolside.
These days, my body can't handle drinking those sugar-filled drinks back to back. That's why I knew I had to develop a healthier recipe for a Piña Colada smoothie that still had all the traditional flavors of this pineapple coconut drink, but without all the added sugar or alcohol. Plus, this healthy smoothie recipe is great as a quick breakfast and even works as a summertime dessert.
Ingredients:
Luckily, this pineapple coconut smoothie only contains 7 easy ingredients and is sweetened naturally with fruit! Here are the ingredients you need for this recipe:
Substitution ideas:
- Frozen Pineapple: Since this is the main ingredient there isn't a great substitution if you want it to taste like a pina colada. However, you could sub for frozen mango or papaya if you want.
- P.S- this recipe calls for frozen pineapple because it is what makes this smoothie THICK. If you only have fresh or canned pineapple, that still works, but you may want to add in about ½ cup ice cubes to thicken the smoothie and make it nice and cold.
- Medjool Dates: I like to soak mine before blending if they're too tough.
- If for any reason you don't have dates, omit them for a less sweet smoothie or replace with 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup to keep this smoothie recipe refined sugar-free.
- Alternatively, adding in ½ cup fresh or frozen banana is another way to naturally sweeten this smoothie recipe. Just keep in mind, if you do add in banana to sweeten in place of dates, it will be thicker.
- Dried Coconut Flakes: This can also be replaced with fresh or frozen coconut flesh. It gives this smoothie a real coconut flavor, but can always be omitted if you do not have it on hand.
- Plant-based Yogurt: I used unsweetened Co-Yo coconut yogurt in this pineapple smoothie because I wanted to as much coconut flavor as possible.
- However, this can be subbed for any unsweetened plant-based yogurt or even greek yogurt if you are okay with dairy.
- Plant-based milk: While I do think canned coconut milk or oat milk gives this smoothie the most "authentic" flavor, any plant-based milk works like almond, rice, soy, hemp, or cashew wiill work.
- Also, if you want to make this smoothie even lighter, you can always replace ½ of the milk with coconut water.
- Lime Juice: Can be subbed 1:1 for lemon juice.
- Salt: Adding just a bit of salt to this smoothie gave it more complexity of flavor. Just adding in ⅛ tsp salt to this smoothie helps to bring out the sweet flavors in the pineapple and coconut.
- Hemp seeds: I added in hemp seeds for protein to make this a more filling smoothie.
- If you don't have hemp seeds, you can also add in chia seeds, flax seeds, an unflavored protein powder, or just skip this ingredient altogether.
How to make a pineapple coconut smoothie
Simply add all the pina colada smoothie ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
I will say, this smoothie needs a fair amount of blending time to really break down the coconut and dates. I used my Kitchenaid K400 blender and it worked perfectly!
Also, if for any reason you are having trouble blending your smoothie, you can always add in more plant-based milk or coconut water to make it thinner. Adding a little more liquid can help the smoothie blend better if your blender isn't super powerful.
P.S- Another fun idea is to turn these pineapple smoothies into...Pina Colada Popsicles! Just check out the instructions for my Tropical Papaya Lime Popsicles and try this fun idea for a healthier dessert.
Smoothie FAQ:
While this smoothie is higher in calories/sugar, it's also full of healthy fats and vitamins.
At the end of the day, you have to decide what healthy means to you, but I consider this to be a healthy breakfast because of the nutrients I get from one 16 oz glass!
Plus, it's also dairy-free and naturally sweetened!
I find smoothies do taste best the day you make them.
However, I have made this smoothie in batches of two and saved one for a quick grab-and-go breakfast the next day.
To do this, add any leftover smoothie to a closed container or to a glass covered in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. It won't be frozen the next day, but it will still be thick and creamy.
A lot of you have been asking where I got these glasses from- so here's the link to the Pineapple Tiki Glasses!
Between this homemade Piña Colada smoothie and my favorite Green Breakfast Smoothie, I am truly on a smoothie for breakfast kick these days. It's such a refreshing way to start the morning. Enjoy!
-TSG
More smoothie & smoothie bowl recipes you will love:
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Piña Colada Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen pineapple
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups oat milk or any plant-based milk/ canned coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut yogurt or any plant-based yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut
- 2 medjool dates soaked and pits removed
- 1-2 Tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- dash of salt no more than ⅛ tsp
- 1 Tablespoon hemp seeds optional, for added protein
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Start with 1 ¼ cup milk and add more milk if necessary.
- Pour the smoothie into 2 16 oz glasses and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Frozen pineapple works best, but if you can only find canned use 2 cups but add in about ½ cup ice cubes to make the smoothie thick.
- Medjool dates are best if soaked before use. They can also be substituted for 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or ½ banana.
- Coconut milk can be subbed 1:1 with any plant-based milk, but it will change the flavor of this smoothie.
- To make this smoothie lighter/lower in calories replace plant-based milk with coconut water and omit the medjool dates.
- Smoothies are best enjoyed the day they are made. However, leftover smoothies can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. They just need to be stirred before eating.
- These are the pineapple glasses I used to serve this smoothie.
Juliette says
Thank you for sharing! We added one extra date and used vanilla unsweetened coconut yogurt. Instant family favorite!
Jen says
I first used this recipe as inspiration and just threw the ingredients in the blender for a quick fix.
It was good BUT I came back to use Megan's exact recipe and it was SO GOOD! I wouldn't have thought to combine the salt and lime with this smoothie but it really does take it from basic to exotic. I'll be making this regularly.
The best part is, these are ingredients I regularly have at home and can blend together for something fun. Its a perfect base to add avocado, chia, hemp, etc. too.
Jen says
I first used this recipe as inspiration and just threw the ingredients in the blender for a quick fix.
It was good BUT I came back to use Megan's exact recipe and it was SO GOOD! I wouldn't have thought to combine the salt and lime with this smoothie but it really does take it from basic to exotic. I'll be making this regularly.
The best part is, these are ingredients I regularly have at home and can blend together for something fun. Its a perfect base to add avocado, chia, hemp, etc. too.
Megan Horowitch says
So glad you liked it Jen!! 🙂