“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?