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This coconut mojito is a creamy, refreshing tropical cocktail made with fresh mint, lime, white rum, and cream of coconut, topped with fizzy club soda and toasted coconut flakes. It comes together in about 5 minutes and tastes like something you’d order at a beach bar on vacation. I’ve included a mocktail version at the bottom so everyone at the table can enjoy one.
Quick Look: Coconut Mojito Recipe
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: None
- 🕒 Total Time: 5 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 1
- 📊 Calories: ~372 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: No cooking required
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: a tropical, toasted coconut drink made with rum, limes, and cream of coconut
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, perfect for summer!
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Why You’ll Love This Coconut Mojito Recipe
We took a trip to Florida recently, and I basically spent the entire vacation drinking these. Every restaurant, every pool bar, every happy hour. When we got home, I was determined to figure out how to make them myself, and after a few attempts, I finally landed on a version that tastes just like the ones I kept ordering down there.
The cream of coconut gives the drink that smooth, almost velvety finish you just don’t get from coconut milk or coconut water. The fresh lime and mint keep everything bright and balanced, so nothing feels heavy or overly sweet. The club soda keeps every sip light and bubbly. And those toasted coconut flakes on top add an irresistible golden crunch. This creamy coconut mojito is one I keep coming back to all summer long (along with poolside faves like my strawberry mojito mocktail and reader favorite skinny spicy margarita).
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fresh mint leaves: 6 to 8 leaves per drink, and please use fresh. A sad wilted bunch from the back of the fridge is not going to cut it here. The mint needs to smell bright and strong before it even hits the glass.
- Lime wheels: I slice the lime into rounds rather than just squeezing in the juice. Muddling the whole wheel gives you the juice plus a little of the oil from the pee, which adds to the flavor.
- White rum: This is what I use because it lets the coconut flavor come through cleanly without overpowering. You can absolutely swap in coconut rum if you want a stronger tropical flavor. I just find that white rum keeps things more balanced.
- Cream of coconut: This trips people up more than anything else, so I want to be really clear. Cream of coconut is sweetened and made for cocktails and desserts. It is not the same as coconut cream or coconut milk, which are unsweetened and used for cooking. Look for it in the cocktail mixer aisle. Most regular grocery stores carry it.
- Club soda: Add this right before you serve so it stays bubbly.
- Toasted coconut flakes: Toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring pretty constantly, until they turn golden. If you want that true toasted coconut mojito look, don’t skip this garnish.
Recipe Variations
- Coconut rum: Swapping in coconut rum turns this into a coconut rum mojito with a richer, more tropical flavor. Just know it will also get a little sweeter, so consider using slightly less cream of coconut.
- Frozen coconut mojito: Blend everything with about a cup of ice instead of serving it on the rocks. It ends up somewhere between a mojito and a piña colada and is honestly so good.
- Mocktail version: Skip the rum and replace it with coconut water or extra club soda. The mint, lime, and cream of coconut still carry all the flavor, and it is genuinely a great drink on its own.
- Pitcher version: Multiply the rum and cream of coconut by however many servings you need, muddle the mint and lime in batches in a large pitcher, stir everything together, and refrigerate until you’re ready. Add the ice and club soda right before serving so it stays fresh. If you're throwing a party, make a pitcher of these passion fruit margaritas-another delicious tropical drink.
How to Make Coconut Mojitos
Step 1: Add the mint leaves and lime wheels to a tall glass. Use a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon to press and gently twist a few times until you can smell the mint and see the lime releasing its juice.
Step 2: Fill the glass about three-quarters of the way with ice.
Step 3: Add the white rum and cream of coconut to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for about 30 seconds. You’ll know it’s ready when the outside of the shaker feels cold and frosty.
Step 4: Pour the mixture over the ice in your glass.
Step 5: Top with club soda, stir gently, and garnish with toasted coconut flakes, a mint sprig, or an extra lime wedge. Serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Coconut Mojito Cocktail
- Start with less cream of coconut than you think you need. This was my biggest lesson from testing this at home. Cream of coconut is sweet, and 1 ounce is the right amount for most people, but if you like a less sweet drink, start with a little less and adjust from there. It’s so much easier to add more than to try to balance out a drink that’s already too sweet.
- Don’t over-muddle the mint. Just like in my blackberry mojito recipe, two or three gentle presses are genuinely all you need. I know it’s tempting to really go for it, but over-muddling is the most common reason a mojito ends up tasting bitter instead of fresh.
- No cocktail shaker? No worries. Stir the rum and cream of coconut together in a measuring cup or small bowl until combined, then pour it over the ice. You won’t get quite the same level of chill, but it works perfectly well and honestly saves on dishes.
- Use crushed ice if you have it. It chills the drink faster and makes the whole thing feel more like what you’d get at an actual beach bar.
Recipe FAQs
They sound almost identical, and they are completely different products. Cream of coconut is sweetened and made specifically for cocktails and desserts. Coconut cream is unsweetened and used in cooking. For this recipe, you need cream of coconut. Coco Lopez or Real are widely available brands.
You can mix the rum and cream of coconut together ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready. Wait on the mint, lime, and club soda until just before serving so everything stays fresh and the bubbles don’t go flat.
More Easy Cocktail Recipes
Creamy Coconut Mojito Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 mint leaves, + more for garnish
- 2 lime wheels, (cut a lime into circle slices about ¼ inch thick and use two of these)
- 3 oz white rum, use coconut rum if desired
- 1 oz cream of coconut
- 3-4 oz club soda, for topping off
- Toasted coconut flakes, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the mint leaves and lime slices into a tall glass and muddle to release the juices and mint flavor.
- Add ice on top to fill the glass about ¾ of the way up.
- Combine the rum and cream of coconut in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds.
- Pour over the ice. Fill the cup up the rest of the way with the club soda.
- Garnish with toasted coconut flakes, additional lime wedges, or mint, if desired!
Notes
- Start with less cream of coconut than you think you need. This was my biggest lesson from testing this at home. Cream of coconut is sweet, and 1 ounce is the right amount for most people, but if you like a less sweet drink, start with a little less and adjust from there. It’s so much easier to add more than to try to balance out a drink that’s already too sweet.
- Don’t over-muddle the mint. Two or three gentle presses are genuinely all you need. I know it’s tempting to really go for it, but over-muddling is the most common reason a mojito ends up tasting bitter instead of fresh.
- No cocktail shaker? No worries. Stir the rum and cream of coconut together in a measuring cup or small bowl until combined, then pour it over the ice. You won’t get quite the same level of chill, but it works perfectly well and honestly saves on dishes.
- Use crushed ice if you have it. It chills the drink faster and makes the whole thing feel more like what you’d get at an actual beach bar.
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
