Vegan Coquito Recipe

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!

Two glasses of vegan coquito next to an open coconut.

What’s A Coquito?

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.

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

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

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.

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

Pouring Vegan Coquito into a glass decorated with coconut

Place the cocktail in a glass bottle or jug and chill for 3-4 hours in the fridge before serving.

To make this cocktail faster, you can also chill the alcohol bottles and cans the day before.

Prepare the cocktail 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 cocktail 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 cocktails 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 cocktail 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 Cocktails

For more vegan cocktails recipes, try some of the below:

Skinny Spicy Margarita recipe

Vegan Horchata

Coconut Margarita Recipe

Raspberry Margarita

Did You Like This Recipe?

Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!