The Piragua de Coco is one of the most delicious Shaved Ice flavor we have in Puerto Rico. A little taste of the tropics in a cup made in 10 minutes or less! With only 4 ingredients.
If there’s one flavor we know in the Caribbean is coconut, so of course we have the Piragua de Coco. The Coconut Shaved Ice is really good because the coconut flavor is very smooth.
The base for this piragua is the same as a blueberry shaved ice and even the Puerto Rican mint piragua. We just change the flavor profile.
The base of the homemade coconut syrup is made with water, sugar, and coconut milk. The flavor reminds me of the coquito drink. You can also use it as a base for a piragua, but keep in mind that coquito has rum.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Water & sugar- This is the base. I used white granulated sugar, but brown sugar goes perfectly with this recipe because it will add a distinctive flavor.
- Coconut milk- Besides adding the delicious coconut flavor, it will add thickness. It will help the syrup not be so watery.
- Coconut extract- The extract is just going to deepen the coconut flavor.
- White food coloring- For the case of the coconut syrup for piragua, the white food coloring is not necessary. I just really like to add it to get the liquid to a brighter color. So this is more a visual thing than a flavor thing.
- Ice- We need crushed ice. The quantity will depend on the size of the piragua you make.
Sugar-free Coconut Piragua
- To make the piragua sugar-free just substitute the white sugar for granulated stevia or splenda when making the syrup. Use only half of what the recipe calls for sugar.
How to Make Piragua de Coco
- Photo 1: In a small pot, add the water, sugar, and coconut milk to cook for 5 minutes. You need to stir for 2 minutes to help the sugar dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat and add the food color and coconut extract. Mix and let it cool.
- Photo 2: After the syrup has cooled, transfer it to the bottle or bowl. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
- Photo 3: You need to crush the ice. The finer you crush the ice, the more you’ll need. How much you crush the ice is more of a preference, but for a piragua, the ice shouldn’t be almost a powder. It should still have visible ice chunky pieces.
- Photo 4: Fill a cup with ice, and give it a shape you like on top. Add the syrup, and you’re ready to enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Coconut pieces- Even though this is not so common, you can add shaved coconut pieces to your piragua. It will add a little crunchiness to the drink.
- Buying the syrup- If you don’t want to make the syrup, you can buy a coconut flavor syrup online. My favorite brand is Poly Sirops that are made in Puerto Rico.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can just use coconut milk to make a piragua, but it will lack sweetness. But it will still have that unique coconut taste, just not sweet.
You can always add less sugar to make the coconut syrup. But it will result in a less sweet syrup and, more importantly, it will have a more runny texture.
More Puerto Rican Piragua Recipes
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Piragua de Coco (Coconut Shaved Ice)
Ingredients
Coconut syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons white food coloring
Coconut Piragua
- ice *see notes
- ½ cup coconut syrup
Instructions
Coconut syrup
- In a small or medium pot over high heat, add the coconut milk, sugar, and water. Cook this for 5 minutes while stirring. Stir constantly for the first 2 minutes, or until you can no longer feel the sugar at the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the food coloring and the coconut extract. Allow it to cool before storing. Use an airtight container to store it, like a glass bottle, and keep it in the fridge.
Coconut Piragua
- Add all your ice to a blender and crush it. Add the ice to your cup until you have a dome shape on top. Drizzle the syrup on top. ¡Buen Provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Sugar free piragua- You have to elimanate the white sugar when making the syrup sugar free. Use granulated stevia or splenda. You only need half the sugar of what the recipe needs.
- Ice- The amount of ice will vary depending on the cup you use. Just add ice to the cup you’re using and double it.
- Food coloring- It is really not necessary for the recipe, but I really like how it brightens the white of the syrup.
- Storing- You can store the syrup in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
*The nutrition information is automatically calculated, so this is only an approximation.
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