Tequila Pina Colada

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Our tequila pina colada is a bright and refreshing take on the classic rum cocktail that you’ll want to be sipping on all summer long.

A pina colada garnished with pineapple leaves in a clear glass with a blue rim.

If you’re wondering, can you make a pina colada with tequila? The answer is yes!

We love taking classic cocktail recipes and swapping out the liquor for a less traditional choice, like our tequila old fashioned. It’s a fun way to experiment with flavors and enjoy a unique spin on our favorite drinks.

This pina colada recipe with tequila is another twist on a classic cocktail that really hits the spot on a hot summer day. Whether you’re not a fan of rum or you’re just looking for a different take on a pina colada, you’re going to love our tequila pina colada recipe!

What To Expect


  • Great for: Summer days in the sun, whether you’re on the patio or by the pool. This cocktail also pairs wonderfully with seafood and tacos.
  • Ready in: 5 minutes
  • Makes: 1 cocktail, easily scaled
  • Flavor profile: A truly tropical drink that perfectly balances sweet, tart, and earthy.
  • How to make it: Add all ingredients to a shake with ice, shake to chill, and strain into a glass over ice. Garnish and serve.

If you give it a try, please let us know what you think by leaving a rating and review. We read and reply to every single comment!

Tequila Pina Colada Ingredients

A classic pina colada is made with rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and cream of coconut. We modified this recipe to make a delicious tequila pina colada using the ingredients below:

  • Tequila – A silver tequila (also known as “blanco” or “plata” tequila) works best for a pina colada. It’s unaged, so it has a more agave-forward flavor with bright notes of citrus. Our favorite brand to use for cocktails is Hornitos tequila.
  • Pineapple juice – We always have little cans of Dole pineapple juice on hand because we love using it in drinks. The little cans help us minimize food waste and mean we don’t have to drink a lot of pineapple juice all at once.
  • Cream of coconutPina coladas typically use equal parts pineapple juice and cream of coconut. However, we replaced a small amount of the cream of coconut with agave nectar to tie in the flavor of the tequila. This creates a more cohesive flavor profile than if you were to simply swap rum for tequila in a typical pina colada recipe.
  • Agave nectar – Agave nectar is a natural sweetener. You can usually find it near the maple syrup in the grocery store, or with baking supplies. Make sure to buy 100% pure blue agave for the best flavor.
  • Lime juice – A little extra acid helps to cut through the cream of coconut. Plus lime juice is one more tropical flavor to add to the mix.
  • Pineapple wedge and leaves (optional garnish) – Some garnishes are necessary while others are just for fun. This one is just for fun. But it sure helps you feel like you’re on a tropical island!

How To Make a Pina Colada With Tequila

Our tequila pina colada recipe is easy to make in just a few minutes!

Equipment: You’ll need a jigger or shot glass, a shaker, a strainer, and a bar spoon to make this tropical cocktail, plus a large rocks glass for serving. This set of bar tools has everything you need to make cocktails at home.

Here’s how to make a tequila pina colada:

  1. First, add a few large ice cubes to a shaker and fill a large rocks glass about three-quarters of the way with crushed ice.
  2. Next, add the tequila, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, and agave nectar to the shaker.
  3. Seal the shaker and shake to chill, about 15 to 20 seconds.
  4. Strain into the prepared glass and optionally garnish with a pineapple wedge and 2 pineapple leaves. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

  • Getting coconut cream out of a jigger – A wonderful secret tip I’ve learned from making enough cocktails with coconut cream, is if it won’t come out of the jigger, dunk the jigger into whatever liquid is in your shaker. This generally pulls out all or at least most of the coconut cream. Now you aren’t sitting there scraping it all out with a bar spoon!
  • Shake until chilled – There are two main ways to tell if a drink is shaken enough: 1. The shaker has become frosty and very cold to the touch. 2. The sound of the ice shaking changes, it starts off sharp, and will slowly change to a softer, more sloshy sound.
  • Agave nectar vs agave syrup – Agave nectar is pure agave, agave syrup is agave nectar and water. Buy the agave nectar.
A creamy pina colada made with tequila in a clear glass with a blue rim garnished with pineapple leaves and a pineapple wedge.

Serving Suggestions

You don’t need to be on a tropical vacation to enjoy a pina colada! Indulge in this creamy cocktail on a hot summer day for a refreshing treat. We love sipping on these after a long day in the sun.

You can also pair a tequila pina colada with Mexican food. This drink goes especially well with summer meals like fried fish tacos with mango salsa or chicken tinga tostadas.

Try our tequila pina colada recipe and let us know what you think by rating and commenting below. And if you love the classic combination of pineapple and coconut but want a lighter cocktail, check out our pineapple coconut margarita. Cheers!


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We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

Classic Comfort Foods Made Easy

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A pina colada.

Tequila Pina Colada

Nicole & Alex Langdon
Our tequila pina colada is a bright and refreshing take on the classic rum cocktail that you’ll want to be sipping on all summer long.
5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 1 cocktail
Calories 347 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 fluid ounces tequila silver
  • fluid ounces pineapple juice
  • fluid ounces cream of coconut
  • ½ fluid ounce lime juice
  • ¼ fluid ounce agave nectar
  • 1 pineapple wedge optional garnish
  • 2 pineapple leaves optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • Add a few large ice cubes to a shaker and fill a large rocks glass about three-quarters of the way with crushed ice.
  • Add the tequila, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, and agave nectar to the shaker. Seal the shaker and shake vigorously, about 15 to 20 seconds, until well mixed.
  • Strain into the prepared glass and optionally garnish with a pineapple wedge and leaves. Serve immediately.
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Notes

Tequila: A silver tequila (also known as “blanco” or “plata” tequila) works best for a pina colada. It’s unaged, so it has a more agave-forward flavor with bright notes of citrus. Our favorite brand to use for cocktails is Hornitos tequila.
Agave nectar: Agave nectar is a natural sweetener. We replaced some of the coconut cream in a traditional pina colada recipe with agave nectar to tie in the flavor of the tequila. It gives the cocktail a more cohesive flavor profile, so definitely don’t skip this ingredient! You can usually find it near the maple syrup in the grocery store, or with baking supplies. Make sure to buy 100% pure blue agave for the best flavor.
Measuring cream of coconut: Cream of coconut is thick and sticky, so it can be difficult to measure. It’ll be easier to work with at room temperature. You can also use the end of a bar spoon to help scrape it out of the jigger and into the shaker.
Shaken cocktails: Shaking a cocktail helps to mix the drink while chilling it. Generally, you want to shake until the ice sounds like it’s sloshing around – this means enough ice has broken down that the drink should be properly chilled. If you shake for too long, you risk diluting the drink too much as the ice continues to melt.
For a well-mixed pina colada, make sure to shake vigorously! This will help the cream of coconut become frothy.
Serving suggestions: You can sip on this cocktail by itself for a happy hour treat or a sweet after-dinner drink. It also pairs well with summer meals and Mexican food, like fish tacos!

Nutrition

Serving: 1drinkCalories: 347kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 0.2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 21mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.2mg
Like this recipe?Please leave a review below! We read and respond to every single comment.

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

Classic Comfort Foods Made Easy

Learn the 4 tips & tricks we use in our kitchen every day to make delicious meals, stress-free.

5 from 1 vote

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Recipe Rating




 

One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    We love tequila, it’s pretty easily our favorite spirit, so it only made sense to add it into a pina colada. And the agave nectar ties in the tequila with the tropical flavors so well. This may be my favorite way to enjoy a pina colada from now on.