Piña Colada Breakfast Shake

This Piña Colada Breakfast Shake recipe is a perfect option for when you need a healthy breakfast on-the-go. It’s vegan and tastes like summer in a glass!

What Suntan Lotion Tastes Like

When I was 4 or 5, 7-Eleven had a Piña Colada slurpees for the summer. I remember getting one and thinking to myself, “This is what suntan lotion must taste like!” I always felt compelled to eat suntan lotion, you see, because it smelled like something that should be eaten. So this was very exciting for me. I have loved that combination of pineapple and coconut ever since. It always reminds me of summertime and the beach and happiness. In fact, I think it’s actually impossible to drink a Piña Colada and feel unhappy.

About the Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a breakfast shake, so I figured it was time to do another. Everyone loves an easy, healthy breakfast, right? And during the summer, breakfast in cold smoothie form is always a bonus. Well, at least for me, it is. The thing that makes this a breakfast shake instead of a regular smoothie is the oatmeal. (And fine, I could have called these oatmeal smoothies, but smoothies for breakfast are a yawn. Shakes for breakfast, that’s exciting! Rebellious, even!) I like to let the oats sit in liquid for a little bit to soften them up—if you’re making these shakes for breakfast, you can combine the oats and liquid the night before. There’s a little less oatmeal in this Piña Colada Breakfast Shake than there is in my other recipes, but only because I like my breakfasts a little bit lighter in the summer.

The coconut flavor in this smoothie comes from unsweetened coconut flakes. This is one of my new favorite ingredients to play around with. I love it in smoothies, muffins, overnight oats—whatever! You can even use it to make your own coconut milk. The reason I’ve used coconut flakes instead of canned or refrigerated coconut milk is that the flakes add much more of a coconutty flavor to the smoothie. And you want this to be coconutty!

I also used coconut water in this smoothie, but really, you can use any liquid you like—any kind of milk you have on hand (almond milk would be delicious!), juice, rum, whatever! I just happened to have coconut water on hand from Bestowed Box and since my husband and I don’t like drinking it straight, I usually use it in smoothies. Oh, and because people always ask, YES you can add protein powder to this! Go wild!

Want more breakfast shake recipes?

Here are the others I’ve posted:

Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake
Banana Chai Breakfast Shake
Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake

Piña Colada Breakfast Shake

A summery breakfast shake made with oats, dried coconut, and pineapple.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 shake

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• sweetener of choice, to taste, if desired

Instructions

1. Combine the oats, coconut water, and coconut flakes in a small container with a lid. Stir together, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours if you’re not having this for breakfast—this step helps soften up the oats).
2. Add the oat mixture and the frozen pineapple chunks to your blender. (A high speed one like the Vitamix works best! Please do not blame me if your blender does not blend!) Puree until completely smooth and add sweetener to taste if you need it (since the pineapple is so sweet, I skip adding any extra sweetener).

This recipe was originally published on 11 July 2013.