Coquito is a Puerto Rican drink similar to eggnog. It’s smooth, full of coconut flavor, and finished with a splash of rum. We’ve been making this recipe for years and it always disappears in a flash.
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Test Kitchen Review
Every holiday season, I look forward to making this coquito recipe. It was given to us by our friend Christina’s Puerto Rican dad. As soon as my husband (who’s also from Puerto Rico) took his first sip, we knew we’d found the one.
Over the years, we’ve experimented with all kinds of variations — coquito made with spiced tea bags, with eggs, without eggs, and even with melted ice cream. While each version has its charm, nothing comes close to the rich, thick, and creamy perfection of this recipe. There is no right or wrong way to make coquito… but to our family, this recipe really is the BEST!
What Makes This Coquito Recipe So Good?
- Authentic Puerto Rican Flavor: Made with classic ingredients like cream of coconut, coconut milk, and warm spices, this recipe captures the true essence of a coquito.
- Lusciously Creamy: Perfectly thick and rich, every sip feels indulgent and satisfying.
- A Crowd-Pleaser: This festive drink is a holiday tradition in our house. We make it for every get together and everyone always loves this rich and flavorful drink.
- Ideal for Gifting: Have a foodie in your life? Bottles of homemade coquito make thoughtful and delicious presents!
What Is Coquito?
Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink that’s served chilled. The name “coquito” means “little coconut” in Spanish. This festive sip is made with a blend of coconut milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg – plus some rum to finish it all off! Coquito is similar to eggnog, so sometimes people call it coconut flavored “Puerto Rican eggnog.”
Ingredients for Coquito
Here are some helpful notes about the key ingredients in this recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Rum: You can use whatever type of rum you enjoy. Many Puerto Ricans like to use a light rum, like Bacardi Superior or Don Q Cristal. A dark aged rum is also delicious and will boost the flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You can even use coconut rum.
- Cinnamon: You’ll need both cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can use traditional sweetened condensed milk, or sweetened condensed coconut milk, but do not swap this for any other type of milk. This is an essential ingredient for achieving the right sweetness and texture.
- Cream of Coconut: Cream of coconut is sold under a few different names. Goya makes one, but we prefer the Coco Lopez brand.
- Coconut Milk: Get canned coconut milk with a thick layer of cream on top. I prefer the Badia brand of coconut milk as it almost always has a thick layer.
- Evaporated Milk: You can also use extra coconut milk instead, but we like the flavor we get when we use evaporated milk.
- Ground Nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg will add the most flavor. I use a microplane grater to grate whole nutmeg.
Optional Garnishes
- Shredded Coconut: While not traditional, a little added shredded coconut will add more coconut flavor and help with the overall texture. We learned this trick from Christina as well and never make ours without it now! You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut, whichever you have on hand.
- Raisins: Yup, raisins! Don’t run away! When we first heard about soaking the raisins in rum to add to coquito, we weren’t sure how we felt about it. But after our first glass, we realized how much we love finding those little rum soaked raisins at the bottom of our glass. They are almost like an after cocktail snack! If you don’t like raisins, you won’t hurt anyones feelings by leaving them out, but if you do enjoy rum raisins, give it a try.
Can I Leave the Rum Out?
If you don’t drink alcohol or are serving this drink to minors, you can leave the rum out. I recommend adding a small amount of rum extract to compensate for the loss of flavor though. How much will depend on the brand you use and how strong you want the flavor to be. Start with a small amount, taste, then adjust accordingly.
How To Make Coquito
Alright are you ready to make the best coquito recipe ever? Let’s take a quick look at how to do it. Don’t forgot to scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions and a step-by-step video.
- Flavor your rum with cinnamon (do this in advance). We like to soak our rum with cinnamon sticks and raisins (if you are using them) for at least 24 hours. (You can soak them for up to a week). This is an optional step, but it helps to give your coquito a great depth of flavor!
- Blend everything together. Then we gather all the rest of our ingredients and puree them all together in a blender until smooth.
- Add the rum. Once everything is pureed, pour the coconut milk mixture into the bottle with the rum and shake well to combine.
- Chill in fridge. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving, but overnight is best if you can wait. This will give the coquito time to thicken and will also help the flavors meld together.
- Serve and enjoy! Pour your chilled coquito into cocktail glasses, then start sipping!
Tips for the Best Coquito
- If you want to make it thinner: During the blending step, leave out the shredded coconut and add a little more evaporated milk. You can also use less of the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk or skip it altogether.
- Or, if you want to make it thicker: Use less evaporated milk if you want a thicker coquito. Keep in mind that coquito will naturally thicken as it chills in the fridge. If it’s already been chilled and is still too thin for your liking, grab a can of coconut cream (not coconut milk). Scoop out only the thick cream from the top (not the watery part at the bottom) and blend it with the coquito. Once blended, put it back in the fridge to chill again.
- Coconut Garnish: Want a festive shredded coconut rim like in the photos? Coat the rim of the glass in honey and them press it into shredded coconut! You can also sprinkle a little cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg on top!
- Shake Before Serving: Coquito ingredients can separate as it sits, so give it a good shake before pouring.
Variation Ideas
- Cinnamon Fireball: Want to add a lot of cinnamon flavor? Try swapping your rum, or just half the rum, for Fireball whisky!
- Pumpkin: If you want to try an Autumn-y twist, I have a great recipe for pumpkin coquito.
- Nutella: If you want to add Nutella flavor, start with 1 cup of Nutella and add it to the blender. Give it a taste, and add more if desired.
- Pistachio: Puree 2 cups of pistachios in a food processor until they form a fine paste. Add the pistachio paste to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
- Non-Alcoholic: You can completely skip the rum and it will still be delicious. We always make a batch this way so our kiddos can also enjoy it with us!
What Goes With Coquito?
So you’ve made some delicious coquito for your holiday party and are wondering what to serve with it? Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Main Dish: For the holidays, I highly recommend the traditional Puerto Rican holiday feast of pernil and arroz con gandules! You also can’t go wrong with this spiral ham or Thanksgiving turkey.
- Side Dish: Maduros, tostones, and ensalada de coditos make great holiday sides.
- Desserts: Try this easy tres leches cake, a batch of creamy arroz con leche, our favorite queso flan or cinnamon dusted tembleque.
How To Store and Make Ahead
- Make Ahead: Coquito tastes even better after sitting for a day or two, making it the perfect make ahead cocktail for a party. The flavors meld together beautifully, making it richer and creamier!
- Storing: Since this recipe is made without eggs and with canned milk, it can safely be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Just give it a good shake each time before serving.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend trying to freeze it. The rum will prevent it from freezing solid and when it thaws the texture and flavor will be different.
Coquito Recipe (Puerto Rican Eggnog)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rum
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, or coconut sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (15 oz) can cream of coconut, Coco Lopez or Goya brand
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 4 oz evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional additions:
- 4 oz raisins, optional for rum soaked raisins
- 4 tablespoons shredded coconut, optional for thickening
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Instructions
- OPTIONAL: In a large pitcher with a lid (or two large jars with lids – this will make about 56 oz of liquid total) add rum, cinnamon sticks, and optional raisins (if using). Let soak for at least 24 hours, or up to a week. (This will add an extra depth of flavor to your coquito.)
- In a blender, puree all the other ingredients (sweetened condensed milk, cream of coconut, coconut milk, evaporated milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract and optional shredded coconut) until smooth.
- Pour mixture into the bottle of rum and shake well to combine. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and for the coquito to thicken. The coconut cream will help it thicken as it chills.
- Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up 6 weeks. Shake vigorously each time before serving and enjoy! Wepa!
- Want a festive shredded coconut rim? Coat the rim of the glass in honey and them press it into shredded coconut! You can also sprinkle a little cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg on top!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
More Festive Holiday Drinks To Try
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This was not good. Followed the recipe exactly and it tasted overwhelmingly of cinnamon. Made a second batch without soaking the cinnamon sticks in the rum and adding zero cinnamon to the recipe to mix with the awful overly cinnamon concoction. It’s still nothing special. Save your calories for something more worthwhile. This recipe is a dud.
Hi Leslie, sorry to hear you didn’t like it, but I don’t think this recipe is dud… more like Coquito is not for you. It’s definitely a sweet cinnamon-coconut flavored concoction!
I’d love to make this and put it in a pitcher dispenser. Is that possible? Will it still hold up if i mix with a large wooden spoon and put in the refrigerator?
Absolutely! You can store it in any airtight container and can shake or stir it again just before serving!
I have evaporated coconut milk, can I use that instead of plain evaporated milk?
Yes! That will work just fine! 🙂
I’m not a huge fan of eggnog but have guests that are. This was sooo much better than eggnog in my opinion and everyone loved it. Without rum it was a bit too sweet for me, but extra evaporated milk helped with that. Thanks for a yummy recipe!!!
Do I add the whole can of cream of coconut?
Yes!
Looking forward to making this recipe! I am wondering if anyone used a plastic pitcher for soaking the cinnamon sticks and raisins. Does it have to be a glass container?
You can use plastic! Any container that seals (or you can cover with foil) is great!
In the first step when you allow it to marinate I placed it in the fridge by habit that won’t alter the drink in anyway when I finish making it right?
No it won’t hurt the rum/raisins to be refrigerated!
What should I do if I added to much star anise to my coquito
Hi! This recipe does not use star anise, so I assume you used another recipe? Once an ingredient is added, especially something strong like star anise, it is impossible to remove. You could add more other ingredients to try to balance it, but you can not take it out.
Can you provide the measurements or at least somewhere to start for the recipe?
Hi Dimitry! The recipe is posted in full at the bottom of the post. You can scroll through the post to the bottom or hit the “Jump To The Recipe” button at the top of the post. (The recipe is located right above the comments.) Hope this helps!
When you let it sit, is it on the counter or in the fridge? I was also wondering what kind of container you used? TIA!
Once the coquito is prepared, always store it in the fridge! You can use any kind of jar with a lid! A pitcher with a lid usually works well. Some people will also reuse orange juice cartons, etc.
Not when it’s prepared. She means when you let the cinnamon sticks and raisins marinate in the rum- is it on the counter or in the fridge?
Hi Michelle, I do it on the counter, but it can be done in the fridge too. It doesn’t matter either way!
4 oz evaporated milk or the entire 14 oz can?
Hi RL, just 4 oz!
Omg here we go with the raisins!? No no no. Not coquito reserve that for rum raisins ice cream but no matter what not in any island drinks like coquito or ponche none of them we don’t do that.
Yes! I was just saying that I ain’t ever heard of anyone putting raisins in coquito and my tía makes her own. Other than that the recipe looks good
I left out the raisin part and it’s still fantastic! Yum!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hi! I made this and it’s delicious! The only trouble I’m having is after chilling the coconut fat formed a firm later at the top of the jar. Should this shake up? Or do i need to re blend it?
You should be able to shake it up! If it doesn’t, you can reblend it, but we have always been able to shake it back together before serving!
How mych rum do you add?
1.5 cups, so 12 oz rum.
Do you use sweetened shredded coconut or unsweetened?
You can use either, it’s a small amount and the little extra sugar doesn’t change the taste much either way!
Do you take the cinnamon sticks out of the rum after marinating, or leave them in?
I leave them in! You can take them out, it works either way. Just make sure you don’t blend them in the blender when you blend everything else!
I made this, it came out perfect. Added Nutella for the nephews. Then I made a Vegan version for my neighbor by making the condensed milk out of coconut milk & maple syrup, and the evaporated milk out of macadamia nut milk…cooked on medium heat until reduced in half, then added it to the mixture. It worked great!
YUM!!
I made this with Goslings dark rum (gasp! horror!) and it was amazing.
I made this exactly as directed and we loved it. The raisins are different from previous recipes and it was a great ingredient. My husband and I fought over them at the end 🙂 Thank you!