This White Russian with Coconut Rum is one of those morning cocktails that is perfect for brunch. With a little Kahlua and some coconut rum, this easy recipe is ready in minutes!
When you call it brunch, drinking in the morning is totally acceptable. And there are certain cocktail recipes that just feel like they should be served in the A.M.
Anything coffee-flavored is essential. Of course, you can make Coffee White Russian with Cold Brew but this one is a little more subtle and a great recipe to pair with whatever else you are serving.
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Why This Recipe Works
Of course, I always think of the Big Lebowski when I drink a White Russian. Which is crazy since I haven’t seen that movie in about 100 years.
Kahlua (coffee liqueur) and rum make great easy mixed drinks. And because I decided to grab coconut rum, I decided that coconut milk would be a great substitution for regular milk or cream in this recipe.
Now the recipe is non-dairy and has this lovely touch of coconut flavor but has that great coffee flavor from the Kahlua. It is really SO simple. And only needs these three ingredients!
Of course, you can just call this a Coconut Rum White Russian. I call this one, “The Little White Lie.” Because it looks just like a regular old iced coffee. But it’s not. It’s more awesome.
And it’s perfect for brunch.
To be clear, I would not drink this and tell my kids it was iced coffee. If I am responsible enough to drink a cocktail I am responsible enough to have those conversations with my kids.
And quite frankly, I don’t drink a lot of brunch cocktails because when you get old like me, they just make you sleepy.
Over the years I’ve made lots of variations of White Russians. Be sure to try them all!
- Cold Brew White Russian
- Large Batch White Russian (inspired from the Bad Moms movie – one of my faves)
- Boozy White Russian Cupcakes
If you’re looking for coconut rum drinks, this is a great one to start out with.
Ingredients
*The Coconut Rum was provided by Captain Morgan. If you’re wondering what good coconut rum mixers are, I’m going to show you my favorite below!
- Coconut Rum
- Kahlua
- coconut milk
You know I have a lot of vodka recipes and could have used it here. But a Kahlua cocktail with rum (in this case coconut rum) just felt right. I trust my gut when it comes to cocktails.
All you really need to know is Kahlua, coconut rum and coconut milk is super tasty.
How to make a White Russian without Vodka
To a glass filled with ice (or cute bottles (similar bottles)) add Kahlua.
Add the coconut rum. (So good, you guys).
Add in your coconut milk and then stir!
It couldn’t be easier to make this White Russian with coconut milk.
You don’t even have to exert yourself by shaking anything. And it totally doesn’t even matter what order you add it all in.
I love the way the coconut milk begins to mix with the Kahlua. I wish you didn’t have to stir it and could leave it all marbley and gorgeous.
The coconut rum gives it a slight sweetness. I see it being a big player in my summer cocktails.
Do you like a traditional White Russian or does this coconut milk cocktail sound better??
Kahlua and coconut rum are a match made in heaven in this non-dairy, vegan White Russian with Coconut rum!
Substitutions/ Variations
If you don’t have Kahlua, you can swap it out for any coffee-flavored liquor or something like Bailey’s that has a hint of chocolate.
You can also skip it and add a shot of espresso or a little bit of cold brew to add that coffee flavor.
If you don’t have coconut rum you can use regular light rum and add a splash of coconut extract.
Or to make it extra creamy use a little Cream of Coconut.
You can use whatever kind of milk you have on hand. Regular milk or cream is great. But you can also try another non-dairy alternative. This would be super tasty with almond milk too.
If you find White Russian cocktails a little boring, you could add a splash of this Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee Creamer! YUM!
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course you can! I know that a lot of cocktail recipes typically call for a specific liquor. But truly most can be interchangeable. Traditionally they are made with vodka but you can make them with anything you think would taste good. Here I used coconut rum, but dark or spiced rum would also be delish. You could even try bourbon.
No, coconut milk doesn’t curdle when you add alcohol to it. It has a high-fat content which helps it to stay creamy in mixed drinks.
Yup! Milk is good with rum. I’m not drawn to cocktails with milk the way I am to those with something like ginger beer, but they are super tasty. You can also make a Non-Dairy Milk Punch with bourbon! Give it a try sometime.
Yes, you can leave the rum out of this recipe. What you are left with is Kahlua and Cream which is a tasty 2-ingredient cocktail to sip!
More Easy Cocktail Recipes
- Having a party, make this Large-Batch White Russian inspired by the Bad Moms movie.
- Don’t like cream? You can make a Black Russian with just Kahlua and vodka.
- This Coffee White Russian is my favorite! This one is great when you are on vacation!
- If you’re a fan of Moscow Mules, try this White Russian Mule!
- White Russian Cupcakes are delicious! And use Bailey’s and vodka to make them boozy!
White Russian with Coconut Rum and Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz Coconut Rum
- 1 oz Kahlua
- 1 oz coconut milk
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients over ice.
- Stir and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on April 20, 2015 and has now been updated with better directions to make this tasty cocktail perfect every time.
Peter Smith says
Coconut is so tasty that it matches with a lot of things! Can’t wait to try this drink!!
Dinah says
Can’t wait to try this tasty drink!