Piña Colada: Recipe Makeover

Nothing says "escape" like a creamy, ice-cold piña colada: cocktail in hand, feet in the sand, music in the background (hopefully not that dreadful piña colada song, the last #1 hit of the 1970s, unless it's a guilty pleasure). Unfortunately, nothing says "better head to the gym" like a piña colada, too: 425 calories, 8 grams of saturated fat, most of which comes from the mysterious goo known as cream of coconut. We'll show you how we kept the vacation-worthy flavor while slashing fat and calories. At just 158 calories, it's all pleasure, no guilt.

Classic
• 425 calories per drink
• 9.4 grams total fat
• 8.8 grams saturated fat

Makeover
• 158 calories per drink
• 1.2 grams total fat
• 1 gram saturated fat

We make our own infused coconut milk to replace heavy, sugary cream of coconut. This cuts 176 calories and 8 grams of sat fat per drink. Save day-of prep time by doing this step (step 1) the night before.

Pineapple peaks in summer; it's sweet, slightly tart, and juicy. Sub fresh fruit for some of the canned juice and save 44 calories per drink. A splash of juice adds more acidity.

We opted for the darker variety, with its hints of caramel and molasses, which better complement the creamy coconut and tart pineapple.

Freezing the pineapple adds a velvety texture and keeps the cocktail frozen longer. The riper the pineapple, the more concentrated the flavor will be.