“If you like piña coladas and being caught in the rain…” goes the song by Jimmy Buffett… I think almost everyone knows the lyrics to this song. Even when I was a kid we would sing the words to this song and we had never had a piña colada before haha!
But the song sure made them sound good, didn’t it? I have to confess I never really liked regular piña coladas, I didn’t care much for their extra sugary, synthetic, milky flavour (or the alcohol).
What I have for you today is an exceptionally simple, yet amazingly delicious raw vegan AND much healthier version of a piña colada. It’s so good, you’ll never lament over those old creamy dairy based Summer beverages again. My piña colada is much better for you too!
photo credit: The Green Lean Bean
You can buy Thai coconuts at health food stores and Asian markets. These are young GREEN (not little brown) coconuts that have had their outer husks shaved off mechanically to reveal the white part surrounding the actual coconut. Thai coconuts contain a clear coconut water that is full of electrolytes and is very refreshing. They also contain either thin coconut jelly, or firmer coconut meat (this depends on how old the coconuts are, the older they are the thicker the inside coconut meat will be.)
Sometimes you can buy the coconuts with the very tips shaved off so you only need to poke a straw in the middle to be able to drink the coconut water. Others are full sealed so you will need to use a heavy knife to crack open around the top of the coconut.
Here is a youtube video showing just how easy it is to open a Thai coconut. (Not you do NOT have to buy a machete to do this, but you will need a heavy knife that has a sharp heel to it.)
I would say the recipe below can serve 2 people, but I’m not going to lie, I drank the whole thing! It’s that delicious. So I recommend buying at least 2 Thai coconuts if you plan on sharing your piña colada with others as well. 🙂
Raw Vegan Summer Piña Colada Recipe
Serves 1-2, yields about 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 medium Thai coconut – water and meat scooped out
2 cups pineapple chunks (about 1/2 small fresh pineapple)
1 large ripe banana (frozen is best)
1/2 cup of ice
Directions:
Place ingredients in the order listed into your VitaMix or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Add more ice if desired. Serve with a fresh pineapple wedge and a straw.
Enjoy!
*Note that this is a high fat recipe, coconut meat is high in fat and contains saturated fat. So enjoy this treat, but you don’t need to eat coconut based foods every day.
Have you ever had a Thai coconut before? Have you ever used them in recipes?
In Jamaica we call this a jelly coconut. Delicious to eat/drink right out of the natural container. Yum!!
Your Pina Colada smoothie is so delicious and so healthy. Thanks again.
That was the coolest video! I have never had one, but I do plan on finding one and cracking it open because that just looked so fun and easy! I cant believe mother nature provides us with such easy steps to getting into something so nutritious and just delightful! I feel so lucky!
Thank you for that wonderful video and recipe.
Megan
Hi Veronica,
I liked the look of this and because I need to put some weight on my kids, I added a few extras. I also wanted to make sure they were not going to turn their noses up. So, I also added 1/4 cup raw dark agave, 1/4 activated sunflower seeds, tablespoon Gubinge Powder and 1/4 cup purified water. A great dessert that was consumed without complaint.
I also found that opening a coconut the way you have shown has made life so much easier. It used to be the one reason I avoided coconuts but now, it is so much quicker and I love that I can give this to my children.
Thanks for the recipe!
Stay well, Eileen.
I LOVE anything with coconut! I’m lucky that where I live in Indonesia, they are abundant (and cheap!). I think I now also have the technique for opening them pretty much down pat 🙂
Here in the UK they are not common. Occasionally, I can find them at an Asian supermarket so I will buy 2 or 3 of them. My favourite way is to make it it into tropical smoothies and add some spinach (to offset the high sugar content). A real decadent treat…!
As a matter of fact, I have one sitting on my counter at the moment – awaiting my inspiration! It’s the first one I’ve ever bought – and to be honest, I have neither a heavy knife, nor the know-how to get that thing open…
Well, until now that is 🙂 Thanks for the video tutorial! Looks like I’m going to have to source a decent knife.
The recipe sounds sinfully delicious. Can’t wait to try it – though I think that in Sydney at the moment, we’re not too flush with sweet, ripe pineapples…