Vegan Coquito Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make coquito not clumpy? ›

It's because the fat from the coconut is solidifying. If this happens to you, I would pop it in the blender right before serving. That should dissolve any bits that might've solidified.

As your coquito chills in the fridge, it will thicken. If you have already let it chill in the fridge and it is still too thin that usually means the coconut milk you used was one without the thick coconut cream on top.

And swapping the evaporated milk was easier than I thought thanks to evaporated coconut milk. For the right sweetener, I explored nondairy sweetened condensed milk options, such as oat and coconut, aiming to match the traditional flavor.

Does Coquito Need To Be Refrigerated? Coquito should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator; kept that way, it can keep for anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. The ingredients may settle between servings, particularly if you used eggs, so be sure to stir before you pour.

Coquito should be smooth, but it can become chunky if you use coconut milk instead of cream of coconut. The fat in coconut milk can separate and solidify towards the top of the container. Returning it to the blender just before serving should resolve the issue.

After making several batches, I noticed that the cinnamon and other ground spices sink to the bottom and added a slightly gritty texture. Also, it seemed the spice flavor wasn't fully present, due to the viscosity of the liquid. Luckily, there's an easy solution — Spiced rum!

Adding all ingredients with ground spices to the blender makes a fast alternative with no eggs. This usually results in the drink separating after a few minutes and the fat from the coconut solidifying, causing a chunky coquito with lumps. Coquito is poured into glass bottles with one or two cinnamon sticks.

You can use cornstarch or all-purpose flour as a thickening agent. Dissolve some cornstarch or cornflour in a bowl with cold water to make a slurry. Then add the slurry to the coconut milk and boil until it reaches your desired consistency.

For authentic coquito, aim for *Puerto Rican* rum like Don Q, Bacardí, Ron del Barrilito, Palo Viejo, etc. *Fun fact, Bacardí is not at all Puerto Rican, but very much commonly used for this recipe.

There are plenty of plant-based products that can be used in place of evaporated milk, such as soy, rice, nut, oat, flax, hemp, quinoa and coconut milk.

What can I use instead of coconut cream in Coquito? ›

Vegan Coquito vs.

I recommend using sweetened condensed coconut milk and evaporated coconut milk as our vegan substitutes. I find that this makes the recipe lighter and also helps to amp up the coconut flavor.

Don't Substitute One for the Other

Thus, using condensed milk in a recipe that requires evaporated milk will yield an overly sweet dish.

Coquito, meaning “l*ttle coconut” in Spanish, is a traditional holiday drink that originated in Puerto Rico.

Traditional Coquito

In a blender, add evaporated milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Blend on high until mixture is well combined for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture into glass bottles and chill in the refrigerator until cold.

When coconut milk is heated up, the protein changes its shape and ability to react with water and oil, which is what scientists call 'denaturing of the protein'. The protein releases oil and water and contracts into a tight chain. These contracted protein chains are visible as the white specks or curds.

Sometimes in cold weather, even when kept in a pantry our Coconut Milk/Cream may solidify or curdle. To regain the liquid aspect, simply heat up in a pan, sit the can in a bowl of hot water or directly spoon into your food and stir well.

Inés calls for white rum here—ideally Puerto Rican rum, like Bacardí or Don Q—but you can swap in dark rum for more syrupy, spiced notes (just avoid coconut rum, which has a more artificial coconut flavor). If you have time, soak a few cinnamon sticks in the bottle of rum for a few days to infuse it with woodsy spice.

It's essential to watch for signs of spoilage as the Coquito ages. If you notice a change in color, smell, or texture, or mold appears, these indicate that the Coquito has gone bad and should not be consumed.