How to Make Coquito for the Holiday Season
Puerto Rican coconut eggnog is the holidays in a bottle.
It's not Christmas in Puerto Rico without a traditional coquito drink. Coquito [pronounced “koh-kee-toh”] is a creamy coconut milk beverage that’s made especially for the holidays. It is like a Puerto Rican eggnog, only better.
Did you know that Puerto Rico has the longest Christmas in the world? It starts on the first of November and ends in mid-January with our popular San Sebastián Street Festival, also known as “Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián or San Se” in Old San Juan.
Every Christmas my dear querida Abuela used to prepare her famous coquito recipe and the tradition has stayed with me. After I moved to New York, I found myself missing my family and culture. I was on a mission to find ways to reconnect with my Puerto Rican roots and when Navidad—or Christmas—came, I knew I needed to learn how to make my Abuela’s coquito recipe, but with my own vegan twist.
Even though there are different variations of coquito, the base of the recipe is traditionally not vegan, and is comprised of rum, coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
My version leans into the coconut flavor; I make a coconut condensed milk from scratch. This is such a staple in our holiday traditions, and I promise my vegan coquito recipe will not compromise the flavor.
Vegan Coquito Recipe by Kisai Ponce
Serves 6-10
Ingredients:
- 3 cans of coconut milk (Coco Lopez)
- 2 cans of cream of coconut
- 1 ½ teaspoon honey or sweetener of your choice
- 1 cup of white rum (Palo Viejo, Don Q, or Bacardi)
- ¼ cup of brandy (this is the secret ingredient)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- cinnamon sticks, for garnish
For the sweetened condensed coconut milk:
1. In a small or medium saucepan combine 1 can of coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and honey to a boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. After 30 minutes, remove from heat, place in a heat-safe container, and store it in the fridge to cool completely. Even if your coconut milk makes condensed milk that’s a little thin, it still works great in this.
For the Coquito:
1. In a blender, add the coconut milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed coconut milk, white rum, brandy, vanilla extract, and spices.
2. If you’d like your Coquito extra creamy, pour 1/2 a can of cream of coconut with the other ingredients.
3. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is well combined. Make sure there are no chunks of cream of coconut.
4. It’s best to chill the Coquito overnight or throw it in the freezer for an hour. Make sure to shake before serving as the cinnamon will settle.
5. Serve chilled with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a side of cinnamon stick.
Don’t want this with alcohol? Simply leave the rum out for a kid-friendly version.