Pina Colada Smoothie

This healthy and refreshing pina colada smoothie will transport you to a tropical island with each sip. Ready in 5 minutes, it’s loaded with delicious and nutritious ingredients.

Feel like being transported to a tropical island without leaving your home? Whip up this pina colada smoothie for a cool, refreshing treat! Unlike traditional pina coladas, this simple smoothie is made with no added sugar, whole food ingredients, and is actually nutritious!

This pina colada smoothie has the classic pineapple and coconut flavor profile of the frozen cocktail, but with some bonus nutrition-packed ingredients. As a Registered Dietitian, I love making healthy smoothies with vegetables, because they add such a boost of nutrition. There’s a whole cup of frozen cauliflower in this pina colada smoothie – but I promise you won’t taste it.

What is a pina colada?

A pina colada is a cocktail originating from Puerto Rico, made with coconut cream, pineapple juice, and rum. The ingredients are blended with ice to form a frosty beverage with serious tropical island vibes. You can also purchase pina colada mix to make the cocktail at home, which is more processed and has additional ingredients like sugar and milk.

My (virgin) pina colada inspired smoothie uses frozen pineapple instead of pineapple juice and light coconut milk to add fiber and reduce the saturated fat content. To add a boost of plant-based protein, I’ve added hemp seeds. Instead of ice, you’ll blend your smoothie with frozen cauliflower. It adds thick and creamy texture + lots of nutrients!

Pina colada smoothie ingredients

You need just four simple ingredients to whip up this smoothie:

• Light coconut milk in a can
• Frozen pineapple chunks
• Frozen cauliflower
• Hemp seeds

This smoothie is dairy free, vegan, gluten free, and nut free.

Swaps and substitutions for ingredients

• If you don’t have hemp seeds, try chia seeds, cashews, or a scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder.
• You can make this smoothie with full fat coconut milk instead of light coconut milk.
• If you don’t want to add frozen cauliflower, swap it out for a cup of ice. You can also swap another smoothie-friendly vegetable like spinach or zucchini, but the color will change.
• If you want to make this smoothie into a pina colada cocktail, you can certainly add rum!

How to make and serve pina colada smoothie

To make this smoothie, simply add everything to a blender and blend it up until smooth and creamy! This recipe makes two smoothies, so pour it into two cups and enjoy. I love to sip it with bamboo or metal straws and garnish with a slice of fresh pineapple.

Pineapple nutrition benefits

Pineapple is a healthy tropical fruit loaded with plenty of nutrients. One cup of raw pineapple contains:

• 2.3 grams of dietary fiber
• 1 gram of plant-based protein
• Over 100 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs

In addition, pineapple has small amounts of several other nutrients, including Vitamin B6, folate, copper, potassium, and magnesium. Pineapple also contains a digestive enzyme called bromelain, which can help improve digestion and absorption of certain nutrients from food.

Cauliflower nutrition benefits

This smoothie has a full cup of cauliflower blended in! Cauliflower is packed with nutrients. One cup of raw cauliflower has:

• 3 grams of dietary fiber
• 2 grams of plant-based protein
• An excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K
• A good source of folate and Vitamin B6

Cauliflower contains several different types of antioxidants, which help fight inflammation in the body, keep our cells healthy, and can help protect against several chronic diseases.

Cauliflower is also one of the best food sources of choline, a nutrient that promotes liver function, DNA synthesis, a healthy nervous system, cell integrity, and metabolism. One cup of cauliflower contains 50 mg of choline, about 10% of your daily needs. Other food sources of choline include eggs (in the yolk), cod, salmon, and broccoli.

Want to try more smoothies with cauliflower? Make my chocolate cherry smoothie, pineapple matcha smoothie, or almond butter and jelly smoothie!

Hemp seeds nutrition benefits

A scoop of hemp seeds adds plant-based protein and healthy fats to this pina colada smoothie. A three tablespoon serving of hemp seeds provides:

• 9.5 grams of plant based protein
• 1.2 grams of dietary fiber
• 15 grams of fat – most of which is heart healthy polyunsaturated fat

Hemp seeds are a complete protein, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids for muscle growth and repair. Hemp seeds have about double the protein as flax seeds and chia seeds.

Hemp seeds are also loaded with vitamins and minerals. A three tablespoon serving contains:

• 210 mg magnesium – 50 percent of of your daily needs
• 2.4 mg iron – 13 percent of your daily needs
• 3 mg zinc – 20 percent of your daily needs

More healthy smoothie recipes to try

• Pineapple Matcha Green Smoothie
• Vegan Golden Milk Smoothie
• Almond Butter and Jelly Smoothie
• Birthday Cake Batter Smoothie

Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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