Pina Colada Smoothie
The first smoothie recipe of the Summer Smoothies series is this Pina Colada Smoothie. If you are a lover of the famous Puerto Rican cocktail, you will love this smoothie version. This used to be my go-to smoothie back while we were living in the Caribbean.
As it is in the signature cocktail, the two main ingredients are pineapple and coconut milk. However, as I was trying to keep things on the healthier side, instead of the sweetened canned stuff I used freshly cut pineapple and unsweetened coconut milk. To sweeten my smoothie, I used a few pitted Medjool dates, which I find to be the best sweetener for smoothies.
If I have time to plan ahead, I like to buy a big pineapple, cut it into big chunks, place them in plastic bags and freeze to use in smoothies. I find that having them readily cut into smaller pieces makes it so much easier and quicker. It also eliminates the need to use additional ice.
However, if you only have fresh pineapple feel free to add in some ice to make it cold and refreshing. As long as you are not using the canned (additional sugar added) pineapple, you should be fine.
Ingredients
For the smoothie:
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1-2 Medjool dates depending on your sweetness preference
- ½ cup ice
For garnishing:
- 1 small slice of pineapple as shown in the photo
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut as garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Place pineapple, coconut milk, nutmeg, dates and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth.
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Garnish with a wedge of pineapple, and if preferred, sprinkle it with shredded coconut.
Notes
Nutrition