‘Tis the season for holiday cocktails! This homemade vegan coquito recipe is easy, delicious, and 100% dairy-free. It’s also the epitome of creamy and rich, thanks to blend of canned coconut milk, non-dairy milk, and cream of coconut.
If you’re unfamiliar with coquito, it’s a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink that’s similar to eggnog. The word “coquito” translates to “little coconut” in Spanish, as it calls for a base of coconut.
However, classic coquito is not vegan, as it also includes evaporated milk and condensed milk. But luckily, you can easily make it dairy-free by using plant-based versions (which you can also make at home, by the way).
Once you’ve whipped up homemade vegan coquito, enjoy it with gingersnap cookies or pumpkin pie for a tasty holiday treat.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Canned coconut milk. This ingredient is the base of this recipe. Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk for a rich and creamy drink.
- Vegan evaporated milk. It’s easy to make vegan evaporated milk using your favorite non-dairy milk.
- Vegan condensed milk. You can use coconut condensed milk or make your own vegan condensed milk at home.
- Cream of coconut. This is a sweet coconut product that contains coconut meat.
- Cinnamon. Cinnamon is essential for that classic holiday flavor.
- Rum. You can use white or dark rum, depending on your preference.
How to Make Vegan Coquito
Homemade vegan coquito is very easy to make. For the full ingredients list and step-by-step recipe, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. To a blender, add the liquid ingredients and spices. Blend until smooth and thick. (Keep in mind that your blender likely has a “maximum liquid” threshold. Depending on its capacity, you might need to work in batches or add the rum after you’ve blended the creamy liquids. Also, if you’re making the coquito in advance, wait to add the alcohol just before serving.)
Transfer the mixture to a cover pitcher. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
2. Just before serving, combine coconut flakes or shredded coconut with sugar and cinnamon. Spread on a plate.
3. Pour a small amount of coquito into a bowl or shallow plate. Dip the rim of your glass in the coquito.
4. Dip the glass rim into the coconut cinnamon mixture. Rotate to coat completely.
5. Fill each glass with vegan coquito and garnish with cinnamon sticks, if desired. Cheers!
Recipe Tips, Variations, and Substitutions
- Make it non-alcoholic. For a non-alcoholic, kid-friendly version, simply skip the white rum.
- Add the alcohol separately. For more customized drinks, make the recipe without rum and let your guests add it themselves. You’ll need about 1 shot per glass, but you can use more for a stronger drink.
- Use less coconut milk. This drink is very rich. To make it lighter, replace some of the canned coconut milk with coconut milk from the carton.
- Go for chocolate. Chop up a vegan chocolate bar, then place it in a bowl. Pour warm coconut milk on top, let it cool slightly, and blend as usual.
- Add peppermint extract. For a minty holiday twist, add a few drops of peppermint extract.
- Use other spices. Try adding other holiday spices like allspice, cloves, cardamom, or even pumpkin pie spice. You can also increase the amount of cinnamon or nutmeg, if you prefer.
How Do You Store Vegan Coquito?
If you’ve already added rum, this vegan coquito is best enjoyed immediately. That’s because the liquids will separate in the refrigerator. If you haven’t added the rum, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep it in an airtight container, like a covered jar or pitcher.
Serving Suggestions
- Vegan gingersnap cookies. The perfect holiday combo.
- Vegan avocado brownies. Wash down chocolatey brownies with rich vegan coquito.
- Vegan pumpkin pie. Because you can never go wrong with pumpkin pie.
Vegan Coquito
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans coconut milk full-fat
- ½ cup vegan evaporated milk
- 1 12-ounce can condensed coconut milk
- 1 15-ounce can cream of coconut
- 1 ¼ cups almond milk or other plant-based milk
- 1 cup white or dark rum omit for non-alcoholic drink
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Coconut flakes for garnish
- White sugar for garnish
- Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- To a blender, add the liquid ingredients and spices. Blend until smooth and thick. (If you’re making the coquito in advance, wait to add the alcohol just before serving.) Transfer the mixture to a cover pitcher and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Just before serving, pour a small amount of coquito into a bowl or shallow plate, and then combine coconut flakes or shredded coconut with sugar and cinnamon on another plate. Dip the rim of your glass into the coquito and then into the coconut mixture to garnish your glasses, rotating to coat completely.
- Stir the refrigerated coquito. Fill each glass and garnish with cinnamon sticks, if desired. Cheers!
Notes
- Keep in mind that your blender likely has a “maximum liquid” threshold. Depending on its capacity, you might need to work in batches or add the rum after you’ve blended the creamy liquids.
- The exact amount of servings depends on the size of each drink.
- Skip the rum for a non-alcoholic and kid-friendly version.
- For more customized drinks, make the recipe without rum and let your guests add it themselves. You’ll need about 1 shot per glass, but you can use more for a stronger drink.
- This drink is very rich. To make it lighter, replace some of the canned coconut milk with coconut milk from the carton.
- If you’ve already added rum, this vegan coquito is best enjoyed immediately. That’s because the liquids will separate in the refrigerator.
- If you haven’t added the rum, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep it in an airtight container, like a covered jar or pitcher.
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About the Author
Kirsten Nunez is a journalist who focuses on healthy food and cooking. Her vegan and plant-based recipes have appeared on VegNews, eHow, Shape, and more. When she’s not creating and photographing vegan recipes for Clean Green Simple, you can find her experimenting in the kitchen and sharing plant-based meals with friends and family. More articles by Kirsten.
