Coquito is a thick, creamy holiday drink with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, rum, and warm spices. This incredible recipe is eggnog’s sassy cousin with a tropical flair. Deliciously creamy, rich, and cozy!
Christmas isn’t complete without a boozy drink to set the mood. What makes this fantastic coquito recipe work? The condensed, coconut, and evaporated milks and warm spices balance the rum for a warming without being overpowering or too thick.
You’ll love making this recipe because it transforms simple ingredients into magical goodness. My friends lovingly call this the HHH drink (holiday happy hour drink) because it tastes amazing and warms you up! And the only equipment you need is a blender.🎉
What Is Coquito?
While it’s called Puerto Rican eggnog, it has no eggs. In Puerto Rico, people often drink it on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Each grandmother has her own recipe, but as long as you have the main ingredients, you can use your creativity to make your own recipe. 😍
Even better, coquito is so shareable! Increase your festive feel by bottling it and spreading cheer this holiday season. What an easy gift idea solution!
Recipe Ingredients
- Milk – Condensed, coconut, and evaporated milk combine for a creamy, thick, sweet wonder. Try my quick condensed milk and evaporated milk recipes if you don’t have a can in your pantry.
- Spices – Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are classic Christmas spices because they’re warm and cozy with a festive flavor! Ginger and star anise add more.
- Vanilla – The aroma really enhances this drink. And homemade vanilla extract is even better.
- White Rum – I prefer white rum for this drink because it keeps the creamy white color. However, you can use spiced or dark rum for a deeper color and bolder alcohol kick.
- Cinnamon Sticks – This is optional but recommended; they add a fresh, sweet touch and are great for garnishing. You could sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of each drink if you don’t have sticks.
How to Make Coquito
- Blend – Combine all your ingredients in a blender and blend for about a minute.
- Refrigerate – Bottle or place in a sealed container and then refrigerate. It stays good for over two weeks.
- Serve – Garnish with a cinnamon stick or sprinkle with cinnamon spice if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Coquito – Chocolate is pure comfort! Add cocoa powder or melt in a chocolate bar to make this drink a chocolate coconut-flavored delight.
- Alcohol-Free – Feel free to skip the alcohol; it’ll still be delicious and festive.❤️
- More Spices – Ginger, star anise, and allspice are fantastic additions. They also add a sensational touch to cocktails.
- Coquito Eggnog – Add two egg yolks and whisk them in until frothy. If you’re uncomfortable consuming raw eggs, you can temper them.
Tips and Tricks
- Shake your coquito mix before serving.
- Adjust the amount of rum to taste, or leave it out for a virgin coquito.
- Chill the ingredients before blending for a smooth and creamy coquito.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Coquito is best made ahead. Store it in a clean glass bottle with a lid in the fridge for 4-8 weeks. It makes great gifts and is so cute in personalized bottles. (The alcohol is a natural preservative.)
Serving and Storage Instructions
Store coquito in a clean glass jar or bottle. Alcohol is a preservative, so it will last in the fridge for 4-8 weeks or freezer for 2-4 months.
When ready to serve, run it in the blender for a creamy, refreshing drink.
FAQs
Yes. So please drink responsibly.
No. Though similar, they are different. American eggnog has eggs, cream, and whole-fat milk with rum. Coquito has coconut milk and no eggs (unless you want them).
Leaving coquito in the fridge for a couple of days before enjoying allows the flavors to meld beautifully. Because of the alcohol content, it should last 4-8 weeks. You can keep it colder and longer in the freezer, but leave room for expansion as it freezes. Storing it in a plastic bottle is safer.
What to Serve With Coquito
Coquito is a highly versatile drink. Keep things light and festive with beef empanadas or delicious shrimp and guac tostones.
For Christmas, serve it with arroz con gandules and pernil or picadillo. And flan makes an awesome dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
More Delicious Holiday Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Holiday drinks don’t get better than this fabulous, creamy coconut coquito. Are you planning to make it soon? I’d love to hear how it goes in the comments!
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Vq1TsSc8″ upload-date=”2019-12-03T23:46:48.000Z” name=”Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)” description=”Coquito, also known as the Puerto Rican Coconut Nog or Eggnog, is a thick, creamy holiday drink made primarily with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, rum, and spices. This is like the sassy cousin of eggnog with a tropical flair. Deliciously creamy, rich, cozy drink!” ]
This blog post was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can (350ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (480ml) coconut milk or cream (see notes)
- 1 12-ounce can (354ml) evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon (1g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ – 1 cup (120-240ml) white rum (more or less to suit taste buds)
- cinnamon sticks for garnishing
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for about a minute.
- Bottle or place in a sealed container and then refrigerate. Serve as soon as it's cold, but it will last up to 2 weeks.
- If desired, garnish with a cinnamon stick or sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Tips & Notes:
- Coquito is usually made with coconut cream (homemade is the best). However, I substitute it with homemade coconut milk. Feel free to go with thick coconut cream.
- Shake your coquito mix before serving.
- Adjust the amount of rum to taste, or leave it out for a virgin coquito. If you want to feel it on the back of your throat and warm you on the inside, go with 1½ cups of white rum.
- Chill the ingredients before blending for a smooth and creamy coquito.
- If you want to thicken it up, add 2 egg yolks and whisk it in to blend thoroughly until frothy.
- Chill for 2-6 hours before serving.
- You can play around with your Coquito, add a spoonful of cocoa powder or a thinned chocolate ganache for a chocolaty version.
- Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Paige says
This was WONDERFUL! I made it for a family gathering and it was a hit! I also doubled the recipe, but kept the sweetened condensed milk to 14 oz. and it was still sweet and tasty! Thank you so much! I wish you and yours blessings and a love-filled holiday season!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Paige!
I’m thrilled to hear that the coquito was a hit at your family gathering! It’s always great when a recipe not only turns out well but also receives such positive feedback from loved ones. Your adjustment with the sweetened condensed milk sounds like a smart tweak to balance the sweetness to your preference.
Thank you for your kind wishes! Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, love, and, of course, delicious food. If you ever need more recipes or cooking tips, feel free to reach out. Enjoy your celebrations!
Lizeth Morales says
I was meeting my new boyfriend’s best friend for the first time and wanted to make a good impression. I’m a terrible cook so I was looking for a recipe that reflected my Hispanic roots but wasn’t gonna embarrass me. I made this for them and they just loved it!! It was super easy to make and delicious!!
Imma says
Thank you, Stay tuned for more amazing recipes.
Ed says
I made this with 1 1/2 cups of rum and coconut cream. It’s really good but the next time I’m going to use coconut milk instead or maybe half coconut cream and half coconut milk.
ImmaculateBites says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Pat says
This is my first time making at home, can you use can coconut milk? Also just to confirm it’s coconut cream & not cream of coconut right?
Janna says
I usually add 1/4 cup of water to the mixture and it makes it a little less thick when I use the cream instead of the milk.
Pat D says
This will be my first time making at home/ just to clarify, its coconut cream in the can and not cream of coconut right? Also if using coconut milk thats also in the can??
ImmaculateBites says
Yes 🙂
For the coconut milk, if you are using the coconut milk instead of the one in can, you can use same measurement.
Brandi B. says
I just made this, still chilling in fridge, but snack a sip after blending. Oh my God is it delicious! I only had spiced rum in the cupboard to use and I really like how it turned out. Next time I’ll get a white rum to try! Thanks so much for sharing this!
ImmaculateBites says
Glad it worked out well for you.
Roc says
This is good but…ha e you everest heard of another drinks just as good or maybe better, it’s called Kremas / Crémas a Haitian drink.ike egg nog, made without eggs. I served it last year to friends, and the consensus was, it better than coquito! It’s time that we share information about black cultures around the world. Are you with me? Want to know more. Please contact me. My mother makes the best Krémas!
ImmaculateBites says
Agree! Definitely need to try it .
Augusto Cesar Aquino says
Coquito has nothing to do with Eggnog the recipe is completely different.
Jacqueline Santos says
Really it does bc coquito is A nog NO not EGG but coco…happy New Year to you and your family
Regi says
Where can I find coquito jars I live them
ImmaculateBites says
They are also available at Marshalls, Micheals. or Homegoods, depending on your neighborhood. You can also get it on Amazon.
Lud Arvel says
In PR with egg is call punch, version de champola.
Coquito con huevo y era con Anis Canario , se daba en velorios ,velorios de reyes y so venian de parrranda de madrugada para quitarle la resaca y despues in asopao caliente.
Denise D Williams says
Where can I find those lovely bottles to store the Coquito?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Denise,
I got mine at Micheals. They are also available at Marshalls or Homegoods, depending on your neighborhood.
Lud Arvel says
Dollar tree,
Iris says
Sound delicious and looks like and easy to make. If you use coconut cream how much do you add and can I use spice rum
Iris says
Soory I just read everything and saw the amount of coconut milk or cream was included but is the spice rum ok
Lupe kenn says
I can’t find the note(s). Could you please tell me what they are? I want to make this for next weekend. Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
They are at the bottom of the introduction – just before the ingredients.
Gen says
Please tell me a serving is 32oz! 😉
ImmaculateBites says
Oh yes it is . LOL
Lisa Lunn says
I’m cooking for Christmas and I know how to make the rice and the beans with hammock but going to try the beans your way and the pork roast and coquito drink i’m excited haven’t cooked like that for a long time.
ImmaculateBites says
Wishing you all the best Lisa! Am sure you are going to have a blast. Merry Christmas !!!!!
Kim says
I am goi g to try this for Christmas this year. In Trinidad we make Pounche d Cream very simular but without the coconut milk. Will be trying your version for sure.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you. Happy Holidays !!!
sacha says
Yeah we make it in Barbados too minus the coconut milk. Will have to try this version for Xmas
imma africanbites says
Yes, please. I would love to hear how it turned out for you.
Nakum Vikramsinh says
I will try, being a Gujarati,, I am interested for something new from your recipes, nice ⏳
ImmaculateBites says
Oh WOW! Thanks for feedback Chris. So happy to hear this!!!
Happy Holidays!!!
Aca says
Thank you so much. Wow!
ImmaculateBites says
Glad you like it !!!