Vegan Traditional Coquito

Coquito is a creamy coconut milk beverage that’s made especially for the holidays in Puerto Rico. The whole essence of this drink is coconut and rum, making this rich & creamy, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. Let’s just say the Puerto Rican Holidays aren’t the Holidays without a glass of cold coquito. Here’s how to make vegan coquito!

Vegan | Soy-free | Gluten-free

The Holiday’s are officially here! Did you know that Puerto Rico has the longest Christmas in the world? No joke, it starts the 1st of November and it ends mid-January. This means Christmas music, decorations & FOOD for 2 ½ months. Crazy right?

Well, I decided to start the season off with, of course, Vegan Coquito, [pronounced “koh-kee-toh”]. Our holidays can’t be complete without coquito! However, if you’re not Puerto Rican, you must be wondering what the hell is coquito? Coquito is a Puerto Rican eggnog-like alcoholic beverage that is made especially for the holidays out of coconut, different kinds of milk and sugar. Every single Puerto Rican, drinks this since the living in the womb, lol.

No, but seriously, I’ve had the non-alcoholic version all throughout my childhood. My grandmother used to make a small non-alcoholic batch for me and my neighbors to enjoy. Although I can’t deny that my parents might have poured me a tiny half-shot glass of it to taste.

Even though there are different variations out there, the base of the recipe is not vegan. It’s made with rum, coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, some people add eggs for some reason, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Since this is such a staple in our holiday traditions, I obviously had to veganize it. And yes, it’s way better than eggnog, #sorrynotsorry.

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Last year, I published on my Instagram, my first ever vegan coquito, with just the ingredients. It tasted good, yet I knew that the recipe still needed some work. Besides, this was after the hurricane, where I still didn’t have internet, hence I couldn’t upload anything to the blog. So I decided to leave it for this year, and work on a better version. Luckily for you, my readers, it turned out amazing this year!

So how did I veganized this recipe? First I worked on the condensed milk, it’s definitely the most tedious part of this recipe. This involves a combination of coconut milk, maple syrup, ground flaxseeds, and spices, over low heat. Let me tell you right now that there’s a lot of stirring involved and for about 30 minutes. Then after the condensed milk is completely cool, you’ll notice that it has a thicker consistency, and you can start working on the rest. To a blender add in more coconut milk, coconut condensed milk, some coconut cream, rum, and more spices. Feel free to add the amount that you wish of rum; I usually go with 1 cup, but you can to more or less, or just completely leave it out. This can be refrigerated for about 10 days, but let’s be honest, by that time it’s going to be waaaay gone.

Notes:

• This recipe is in no way meant to be healthy or clean; it’s literally a combination of coconut, alcohol & sugar.
• Don’t want this with alcohol? Simply leave the rum out for a kid- & preggo- friendly version. Making both, the alcoholic & non-alcoholic versions? Simply save a little bit of the condensed coconut milk to make a small non-alcoholic batch.
• Definitely, prepare this the day before consuming. The longer in the fridge the better consistency, and it helps to mend the flavors together.
• There’s no escaping the 30 minutes of stirring involved in the making of the condensed milk. However, vegan coconut condensed milk exists somewhere… it’s just not always available locally or online. Personally, I’ve never seen it in PR, but check out Nature’s Charm online. If you choose to use store bought condensed milk, omit 1 can of coconut milk and the maple syrup, then follow the rest of the recipe.
• After you master this traditional coquito, start playing around with other flavors. Pistachio (my fave), hazelnut, red velvet (?), chocolate, strawberry… get creative!
• Serve in smaller bottles, to have a bomb-ass gift for your friends & family.

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Vegan Coquito

Rating: 4.5/5

( 12 voted )

Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 3 (13oz) cans of full-fat coconut milk, room temperature
• 1 ½  cup maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
• 1 cup white rum
• 2 tbsp sweetened coconut cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seeds, 3 tbsp water mixed together)
• a handful of coconut flakes (optional)
• cinnamon sticks (optional)

Procedure

For condensed milk:

1. In a medium to large saucepan bring 2 cans coconut milk and maple syrup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, flax egg and 1 tbsp of the coconut cream. Keep stirring (or whisking), you will notice it reduce and will start to thicken. Keep in mind it will not be super thick, just thicker. Once it cools it’ll be way thicker.
3. After 30 minutes, remove from heat, place in heat-safe container, and store it in the fridge. Allow to completely cool.

For the Coquito:

1. Now that you coconut condensed milk is completely cool, place in a blender with the other can of coconut milk, the other flax seed egg, the other tbsp of coconut cream, coconut flakes, followed by the white rum. Blend until it's creamy. Feel free to add more of the spices.
2. Before placing it in the bottle, I like to add more cloves & cinnamon sticks at the bottom of the bottle.
3. Place the coquito in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge. I personally love to use glass bottles.
4. Shake well, served cold, over ice, and enjoy!

Notes

There’s no escaping the 30 minutes of stirring involved in the making of the condensed milk. However, vegan coconut condensed milk exists somewhere… it’s just not always available locally or online. Personally, I’ve never seen it in PR. But check out Nature’s Charm.

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