Authentic Coquito (Coconut Eggnog)

4.83 from 89 votes

Authentic Coquito (Coconut Eggnog)

A traditional coquito recipe passed down to my husband from his late abuelito, Don Francisco. Rich, creamy, and absolutely decadent, this authentic coquito is the best coquito recipe made with two different types of rum, thick coconut cream, and warm holiday spice!

Prep Time7

Chill Time4

Total Time4 7

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Hispanic

Servings: servings

Calories: 115kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Ingredients

1 can 15 oz cream of coconut (Coco Lopez brand preferred)
1 can 15 oz coconut milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks optional
½ to 1 cup Brugal or dark spiced rum
½ to 1 cup Bacardi white rum or coconut rum
2 cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon sticks star anise, ground nutmeg for garnish

Instructions

Pour the cream of coconut, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, spices, vanilla, and egg yolks (if using) into the blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
Depending on your like of alcohol, start with ½ cup each of Brugal and Bacardi, give a good blend in the blender for about 30 seconds, and taste. If you like more, add another ½ cup of Bacardi or Brugal and blend. Taste again. I wouldn't suggest putting more than 2 cups of rum in the coquito.
Pour the coquito in a bottle with a lid that can make it air-tight with a couple of sticks of cinnamon, and let chill in the fridge at least 4 hours to overnight or up to three days before serving. This helps all the flavors blend together.
Serve cold in a glass with a cinnamon stick or sprinkled with ground nutmeg and an anise seed on top of each glass.

Video

Notes

Virgin Coquito

All you have to do is remove the rum and sub it with an equal amount of coconut milk and add a small amount of rum extract, no more than a teaspoon. Remove the egg yolks if you have little ones under the age of five, too.

Blend up the other ingredients until well combined. You can make a fun coquito milkshake by adding coconut ice cream and just a little (maybe ½ tsp) rum extract for flavor.

Can I Make Vegan Coquito?

Yes! Don't use egg yolks and replace the sweetened condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk. Same with the evaporated milk, just use more coconut milk!

Make Ahead and Storing your Coquito

The thing about coquito is that you'll find it stored in just about any container with a lid on it. Fat, including coconut fat, absorbs flavors so a lid is important. You don't want onion flavored coquito, do you?

Coquito must be refrigerated, since it's made with dairy (and eggs, if using), and the longer you let it rest the better the taste, in my honest opinion. So make the coquito ahead, at least a day and up to about three days before serving. It doesn't need more than three days to have all the flavors perfectly together.

Storing without Eggs

Storing Puerto Rican coquito without eggs last longer, up to 6 entire months in the fridge while the one with eggs lasts for about a week.

It will separate in the bottle after a while, and that's perfectly okay. Separation is natural, y'all. Give it a really good shake or whip it back up in your blender and it's good to go.

If you freeze your coquito, just know that it can go solid/mostly solid. I've had it happen even with the alcohol (not rock solid, but hard to pour).

How to Know if it's Gone Bad

Coquito should smell sweet, full of cinnamon, and delicious! When it smells or tastes like sour milk, welp your coquito's time is up! Toss it when it smells sour.

Nutrition