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!
A coquito is a rum-based Puerto Rican cocktail 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.
Unfortunately, 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.
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Vegan Coquito Recipe
Ingredients
- 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 cocktail * 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 cocktail 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
- 1 cup white rum
- 1/2 cup coconut rum
- 1/2 cup golden/dark rum
Nutrition
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 cocktail 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 cocktails 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 cocktail.
- Rum – spiced rum or a combination of rums tastes better. See the note below on how to choose the best rum for coquito.
More Vegan Cocktails
For more vegan cocktails recipes, try some of the below:
Way too sweet. BUT delicious. I cut it half and added an extra can of coconut milk. Next time I’ll leave out the homemade condensed coconut milk. Plenty of sugar between rum and cream of coconut;) thank you for putting this recipe out there… I want to try chocolate and or hot;) thanks again!
This is the best dairy free coquito over ever made! Yum! I added about two tablespoons more almond milk to thin it out a bit and set aside 8 oz for my son. Them I added the cup and a half of good ol Barcadi white rum. Perfect! Very authentic like my mom used to make!
I am sorry you found it too sweet to your taste. You can always add more coconut milk to dilute the cocktail as you said. Thanks for the review, XOXO Carine
I love it, it was very sweet as an authentic coquito I used to drink before going dairy free. I used 1 cup white rum + 1/2 cup rum spiced rum. Thanks for sharing with us,