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By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 11/22/2020 - Last updated on 02/29/2024
4.87 from 110 votes
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You’ll love this easy Vegan Coquito Recipe with a creamy, sweet rum coconut flavor that is perfect for celebrating Christmas with a tropical touch!
What’s A Coquito?
A coquito is a rum-based Puerto Rican co*cktail with a creamy, sweet texture and tropical coconut flavor.
It’s also known as the Puerto Rican version of eggnog as it’s a traditional Christmas drink in Puerto Rico, just as eggnog is in the USA.
Is The Classic Coquito Vegan?
Unfortunately, no. The classic coquito recipe is not vegan as it’s made with evaporated milk.
To make your own coquito recipe, you need to tweak the original recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A vegan coquito is a dairy-free version of the classic coquito recipe. Since it’s dairy-free, it’s also perfect for anyone with lactose intolerance as it doesn’t include milk.
All the ingredients you need to make a vegan version of a coquito co*cktail recipe at home are:
- Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk – you will find this ingredient in a can next to condensed milk in most grocery stores. We recommend using Nature’s Charm’s condensed coconut milk.
- Cream Of Coconut – this is not the same as canned coconut cream. Cream of coconut is also found in a can, but it also contains sugar and thickeners that add flavor and texture to the drink. The best vegan brand for this recipe is Coco Lopez, a Puerto Rican brand that makes the co*cktails perfect.
- Unsweetened Canned Coconut Milk– I prefer unsweetened, because it makes it easier to adjust the sweetness.
- Almond Milk – prefer unsweetened almond milk to avoid adding unnecessary sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg – for classic winter flavors.
- Vanilla Extract – for taste.
- Shredded Coconut – this is optional, but I love the texture it adds to the co*cktail.
- Rum– spiced rum or a combination of rums tastes better. See the note below on how to choose the best rum for coquito.
How To Make A Vegan Coquito
Before you start, make sure you shake all the cans of condensed milk and cream of coconut and coconut milk.
In fact, canned ingredients often separate in the can, fat going on top and liquid at the bottom.
Shaking the cans makes sure that you don’t miss an important part of the product.
Blending Everything
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend on the high-speed setting until smooth.
Chilling
Place the co*cktail in a glass bottle or jug and chill for 3-4 hours in the fridge before serving.
To make this co*cktail faster, you can also chill the alcohol bottles and cans the day before.
Prepare the co*cktail 30 minutes before serving, chill for 30 minutes, then enjoy.
Swaps And Substitutions
If you can’t find the cream of coconut in the store, you can use the same amount of canned coconut cream.
However, you will have to add some maple syrup to the recipe to reach the sweetness and texture.
Usually, adding 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup is enough.
Storage Instructions
This vegan version of eggnog, also called coquito, doesn’t use egg yolks as classic eggnog.
It means it stores much longer and can be made ahead 2-3 days before.
Store your co*cktail in a glass bottle in the fridge and open it just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Alcohol Should I Use In Coquito?
The main alcohol used in a coquito recipe is rum.
But to make this flavorsome Puerto Rican eggnog recipe, we recommended using a combination of 3 rums.
– White rum
– Golden rum
– Coconut rum
– Homemade flavored rum
This said, it can be expensive to buy 3 bottles of rum, so another option is simply to use white rum that you infuse with cinnamon sticks and dried raisins.
To flavor your own rum, simply place the ingredients below into a sealed jar in the fridge. Let infuse overnight, filter, and use in co*cktails the next day.
– 1 1/2 cup of white rum
– 1/2 cup of dried raisins
– 2 cinnamon sticks
Is Rum Vegan?
Yes, most rum brands and spirits are vegan-friendly and don’t involve animals in their process.
The only liquors that are not vegan are the ones using honey or cream.
How Should I Serve Your Vegan Coquito?
This co*cktail must be served chilled with a pinch of ground cinnamon on top.
You can also decorate the glass with shredded coconut and add a stick of cinnamon to the glass for extra flavor.
More Vegan co*cktails
For more vegan co*cktails recipes, try some of the below:
Skinny Spicy Margarita recipe
Vegan Horchata
Coconut Margarita Recipe
Raspberry Margarita
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Vegan Coquito Recipe
A creamy vegan coquito co*cktail with sweet coconut flavor perfect to celebrate during the holiday season.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Chill: 4 hours hrs
Total Time: 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, puerto rican
Servings: 8 servings (7 oz/serving)
Calories: 448.6 kcal
Author: Carine Claudepierre
4.87 from 110 votes
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 1 can Coconut Condensed Milk - (11.2oz)
- 1 can Cream of Coconut - (13.5 oz) sweetened coconut cream, see note for unsweetened canned coconut cream option *
- 1 can Canned Coconut Milk - (13.5 oz)
- ½ cup Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 cup Dark Rum or Spiced Rum - or 1 1/2 cup for strong co*cktail * see notes for other options
Instructions
In a blender, add all the ingredients sweetened condensed coconut milk, cream of coconut, coconut milk, almond milk rum, vanilla extract, and spices and blend on high speed until smooth – about 1 – 2 minutes.
Chill the co*cktail in the fridge in a sealed glass bottle or jug, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, shake/stir. If too thick to your liking, thin with 2-4 tablespoons of extra almond milk, stir to combine, and serve.
Serve in a glass with a stick of cinnamon and a pinch of ground cinnamon.
Notes
Dark rum swap: you can use a combination of the 3 rums below to replace 1 1/2 cup of dark rum and create a much more flavorsome co*cktail:
- 1 cup white rum
- 1/2 cup coconut rum
- 1/2 cup golden/dark rum
Cream of coconut is a sweetened coconut cream made for co*cktails. If you can’t find this in your store, replace it with unsweetened canned coconut cream and add 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup into the blender to reach the correct sweetness.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1glass (7oz/200ml)) | Calories: 448.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.4g | Protein: 6.8g | Fat: 28.2g | Saturated Fat: 24.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 284.2mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 25.9g | Vitamin A: 97.7IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 179.7mg | Iron: 1.9mg | Magnesium: 31.5mg | Phosphorus: 107.9mg | Zinc: 0.8mg
About The Author
Carine
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, photographer, and published author of a cookbook and founder of The Conscious Plant Kitchen with my husband Damien.Learn more about us.