Authentic Coquito (Puerto Rican Coconut Rum Cocktail)
There’s nothing I love more during the holiday season than family and boozy drinks. Just kidding, I love the food too! 😜
But I gotta say… the first time I tried this creamy Puerto Rican coconut rum cocktail, I nearly cried tears of happiness.
It’s rich, smooth, and laced with warm, sweet spices—basically a party in a glass. This authentic coquito recipe without eggs has become one of my favorite easy cocktails to make ahead for parties.
I even prefer it over the traditional Cuban crema de vie (sorry, Abuela 👵🏼).
Coquito is often compared to eggnog, but let’s be clear—it’s not that. There are no eggs here, just coconut, warm spices, and enough rum to make your tia dance.
It gets its silky texture from a combo of coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk, and it only gets better after a night in the fridge. Let me show you how to make it!
🥥 Let’s Make Coquito
Coquito is made with two types of rum for maximum flavor: Bacardi white rum keeps things light and balanced, while Captain Morgan spiced rum brings in those cozy, caramel-y notes that just scream holiday cheer.
👉🏼 You can make this Puerto Rican holiday cocktail a few hours ahead or up to 3 days in advance, which makes it the ultimate make-ahead coquito. Just blend, bottle, and stash it in the fridge until party time.
🥥 Coquito for kids? Say whaaa? You can make coquito without rum! Skip the booze and you’ll end up with a thicker, ultra-creamy coconut drink that’s still full of holiday spice. It’s kid-friendly, party-approved, and bonus: the alcohol-free version freezes beautifully for later.
Recommended For This Recipe
High-Speed Blender
I use this high-speed Ninja Blender all the time. It’s perfect for making smooth soups, creamy smoothies, delicious dips, and awesome sauces. It’s also easy to clean!
Now listen… I know you’re gonna want to sip it straight out of the blender, but please chill it first. That rest time lets all the milks, coconut, and sweet spices meld together into one ultra-smooth, decadent drink.
Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
And no, do not serve this over ice. We are not watering down this silky, spiced, boozy masterpiece. Pour it into a pitcher, cover it tightly, and chill it in the fridge for 1–2 hours before serving. Thank me later.
🎁 By the way, coquito makes a GREAT holiday gift. It’s one of my favorites to give and receive. You can transfer the chilled coquito to a swing top glass bottle and wrap a red ribbon around it. Who wouldn’t want this as a gift?!
🥥 Coquito… but Make It Dessert
If you’re anything like me, coquito doesn’t just belong in a glass… it belongs in everything.
I’ve turned this creamy coconut rum cocktail into boozy donut holes (yes, with pipettes!), baked it into luscious coquito cheesecake bars, and even whisked it into a glaze for soft, chewy coquito sugar cookies that feel like Puerto Rican Christmas in cookie form.
Now go master this easy coquito recipe, call your primos, and roll up to Noche Buena ready to party!
Easy Puerto Rican Coquito (Coconut Rum Cocktail)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 15 ounces sweetened cream of coconut, (I recommend Coco Lopez)
- 13.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups white rum, (I recommend Bacardi)
- 1 cup spiced rum, (I recommend Captain Morgan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, sweetened cream of coconut, full-fat coconut milk, white rum, spiced rum, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until well combined.
- Listen, I know you want to enjoy it right out of the blender, BUT you want to chill it first before serving. Chilling the drink will allow all the milks and cinnamon to infuse together. Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait. You don’t want to serve it with ice and water down the drink, do you? No sir.
- Transfer the coquito to a pitcher and seal with plastic wrap OR transfer it to a large bottle with an airtight lid. Place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours to chill.
- When you're ready to serve, shake the bottle to break up the solidified milks (or stir really well if it's in a pitcher).
- Serve the coquito chilled in a glass with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Enjoy!
As far as I’m aware, we Puerto Ricans have 2 Christmas beberages: coquito and ponche. Ponche has the egg and coquito doesn’t. In my house we prefer coquito and some of my friends go wild and add pistachio to the mixture. Spices are something that varies from house to house, but the essentials are vanilla and cinnamon. As far as I’m aware, in my house the cinnamon is a free for all. We are cinnamon lovers and we add a lot more than it appears in the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe. :D
Glad you loved the recipe. I also personally prefer coquito over crema de vie (which is our version of ponche) but don’t tell abuela! ;)
Great recipe, thanks 🙏 I will make it today, didn’t know about 2 kinds of Rum Ummm! I can’t wait 😛 Feliz Navidad ! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🙏🙏🙏🙏💯
YAY! Come back soon and let me know how you like it! :)
You got it almost right. Our coquito (yes I’m puertorican) it isn’t eggnog it does not have egg, at least the traditional one. I know there are some people who like it with egg but that is not coquito. And we do not use nutmeg. That’s for eggnog, not coquito. But the rest you got queen! About the rum, use whichever you like. And of course you still can make it without alcohol for the kids and it’ll be delicious too.
Listen guy, as a Puerto Rican myself I have to disagree with the egg thing. Every family has a different way of making coquito, and weather you put eggs in it just depends on who taught you the recipe.
Eggs or no eggs is a massive debate, and everyone has one side that they’ll fight to the death for.
I’ve had a taste of both and can confidently say, egg or no egg, coquito is just as delicious.
However, it’s not eggnog so it shouldn’t be called eggnog and scare anti-eggnog people from trying it.
Looks like you missed the first line of the recipe description next to the photo which says “eggnog without the eggs”. :)
It is Puerto Rican Eggnogg..
Please…the word eggnog should never, ever be attached to Coquito. It’s Coquito and that’s it!!!
I would recommend using Don Q Cristal rum. It tastes better than Barcardi and is an actual Puerto Rican rum. Barcardi is really a Cuban rum. The family fled Cuba and went to PR in the mid 1900s. Don Q has been made in PR for over 100 years. So, to be really traditional, Don Q would fit that bill.
Wepa