Vegan Piña Colada Smoothie (GF)

Lately I have been loving smoothies for breakfast and my newest obsession is this Vegan Piña Colada Smoothie! This simple 7-ingredient 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 stayed at a hotel that delivered drinks and food poolside. As a teenager relishing my independence, I always felt SO cool when I could tan by the pool and sip my virgin Piña Colada (that I ordered myself!) poolside. Even though I now love the "real" rum-filled drink, hanging by the pool and sipping those mocktails remains one of my favorite childhood memories.

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 & substitution ideas

Luckily, this pineapple coconut smoothie only contains 7 easy ingredients and is sweetened naturally with fruit! Here's a quick breakdown of the ingredients and some substitutions you can use just in case you don't have everything on hand.

• Frozen Pineapple 

Pineapple is the star ingredients in this recipe so there's not a great subtitute if you want that true piña colada flavor. However, this smoothie does work with any fruit and actually tastes SO good with other tropical fruit like mango or papaya too. 

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 gives this smoothie the most "authentic" flavor, it also has a lot of fat. To make this smoothie a bit lighter, I actually used oat milk in this recipe. However, any plant-based milk works like almond, rice, soy, hemp, or cashew! Also, if you want to make this smoothie even lighter, you can always replace ½ of the milk with coconut water.

• Lime Juice

The combination of fresh lime juice, pineapple, and coconut is really what makes this piña colada smoothie SO good! Don't skip the lime juice for this recipe.

• Salt

Adding just a bit of salt to this smoothie gave it more complexity of flavor. Just adding in ¼ tsp salt to this smoothie helps to bring out the sweet flavors in the pineapple and coconut.

• Hemp seeds (optional)

While this ingredient is optional, 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

Once you have all the ingredients prepped & ready, this smoothie couldn't be easier to make.

Simply add in all the 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. Sometimes, adding 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:

Are piña colada smoothies healthy?

While this smoothie is higher in calories/sugar, it's also full of healthy fats & 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!

Can I store this smoothie as leftovers?

Yes! 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 in the fridge up to 24 hours. It won't be frozen the next day, but it will still be thick and creamy.

Where can I get pineapple glasses?

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 and I always feel ready to take on the day when I fuel myself with healthy & fresh recipes like this. Can't wait for you to try this fresh pineapple coconut smoothie this week!

-TSG

Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes? Check out these SGTO favorites!

Cranberry Orange Smoothie Bowl

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie

Maple Almond Butter Granola 

Triple Berry Açai Bowl