Skip the sugary Blue Curacao — this creamy keto Blue Hawaiian uses coconut cream, rum, and a natural blue dye, at just 0.7g net carbs. If you like pina coladas, it tastes like a tropical vacation without the sugar crash.
I started making this Blue Hawaiian after realizing how much sugar is hiding in a traditional one. Blue Curacao alone packs in more sugar than I want in a full day of eating, so I figured out how to get that same citrus-forward, tropical flavor without it. This version uses orange extract (or fresh orange zest) instead, and I think it tastes brighter and more natural than the liqueur version.
A Blue Hawaiian is basically a keto pina colada with a citrus twist and that signature blue color. I use Ultima Replenisher's Coconut Pina Colada mocktail mix as the base, which gives you that pineapple-coconut flavor with zero carbs and zero sugar. Then I add coconut cream for that thick, creamy texture that makes a frozen cocktail actually feel like a cocktail and not a watered-down slushie.
For the blue color, I use Blue Butterfly Pea Powder, a plant-based dye that turns everything this gorgeous deep blue without any artificial junk. I keep a jar in my pantry because I use it for drinks all summer long. Reader Katie nailed it when she said half a teaspoon is the sweet spot. Go heavier and the color turns almost purple with an earthy flavor. Regular blue food coloring works too if that is what you have on hand.
The rum is optional. I have made this as a sugar free mocktail plenty of times by just adding extra water or a splash of coconut water in place of the alcohol. My friends who do not drink actually prefer the mocktail version because the coconut and citrus flavors come through even more without the rum competing. If you are making cocktails, stick with a white rum. I use Bacardi Superior because it is zero carb and blends clean.
If you are hosting, this is one of those drinks that looks impressive with almost no effort. I have made a big batch by quadrupling the recipe in my Vitamix and pouring them out for a backyard party. Serve it in a hurricane glass with sugar free whipped cream and a lime wheel for the full tropical look. If you want more keto cocktail ideas, I rotate through my strawberry daiquiri, keto mojito, and keto margarita all summer.
One more thing: if you have leftover coconut cream from this recipe, use it. I have thrown it into coffee, whipped it for dessert topping, or saved it for my next batch of frozen drinks. It keeps in the fridge for about a week.
Keto Blue Hawaiian Cocktail (Sugar Free)
This is a blue, citrus-forward pina colada that I make using Ultima Replenisher’s Coconut Pina Colada mocktail mix as the base. To turn it into a low carb blue hawaiian cocktail, I add coconut cream, rum, and orange extract instead of sugary Blue Curacao. That orange liqueur is loaded with sugar, so I get that citrus flavor from a few drops of orange extract or fresh orange zest instead. For the color, I use Blue Butterfly Pea Powder, a natural plant-based dye that turns this frozen drink that deep blue without anything artificial. You can also blend it with ice for the frozen version or shake it over crushed ice for an on-the-rocks pour. I have made it both ways, and the shaken version is lighter and more refreshing while the blended one gives you that full slushie texture. If you want a mocktail, just swap the rum for water or coconut water. I have tested both and the mocktail holds its own.
Can You Drink Alcohol on Keto?
You can drink alcohol on keto as long as you choose a zero-carb distilled spirit like vodka, gin, or rum. I stick with white rum for this cocktail because it blends clean and does not compete with the coconut and citrus. Vodka works too if that is what you prefer. The original 1957 recipe actually used both vodka and rum, so either base spirit is fair game. That said, I keep it to one or two drinks because your body prioritizes metabolizing alcohol over burning fat. I have noticed that if I go overboard on cocktail night, my progress stalls for a day or two. One of these on a Friday night? No problem. A whole pitcher? Maybe pace yourself. If you want another keto cocktail that uses vodka, my vodka lemonade is a good one.
The History Behind This Cocktail
The original was invented in 1957 by Harry Yee at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Bols asked him to create a drink featuring their new Blue Curacao, and he came up with a mix of vodka, Puerto Rican rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. The original was lighter and less sweet than what most bars serve today. It was traditionally served in a hurricane glass, which is still the classic choice if you want the full presentation. Modern versions lean creamy with coconut cream and skip the vodka, which is closer to what I make here (minus all the sugar). I love knowing the history behind what I am drinking, and this one has a good story.
How I Make This Cocktail Keto
I make this sugar free Blue Hawaiian keto by using the Ultima Coconut Pina Colada mocktail mix, which is zero carbs and zero sugar. That mix replaces pineapple juice, which is one of the biggest sugar bombs in a traditional recipe. Instead of Blue Curacao (another sugar trap), I use orange extract for that citrus note and Blue Butterfly Pea Powder for the color. The coconut cream is naturally low carb and gives it that thick, frozen texture I want in a blended cocktail. The whole thing comes together in under 5 minutes.
Why I Use Ultima Replenisher
I have tried a lot of sugar free drink mixes and most of them taste artificial or leave a weird aftertaste. Ultima’s mocktini flavors are different. The Coconut Pina Colada flavor actually tastes like a real tropical cocktail mix without any sugar or carbs. Each packet is also loaded with electrolytes, minerals, vitamin C, and zinc, which is a nice bonus when you are drinking alcohol (since that tends to dehydrate you). I just add it straight to the blender with everything else. If you want to keep things simple for summer drinks, their mixes make it easy to build a cocktail or mocktail without measuring out five different ingredients. I also use them as a base for my hard seltzer slushy when I want something fruity instead of tropical.
Add ice, rum, Ultima coconut piña colada mix, sweetener, orange extract or orange zest, blue butterfly pea powder or blue dye to a blender.
2
Blend
Blend until smooth. Pour in your favorite cocktail glass. Garnish with sugar free whipped cream.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/2 of recipe
Calories
140
Fat
4.3g
Protein
0g
Total carbs
0.7g
Net carbs
0.7g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Blue Hawaii and a Blue Hawaiian?
I get asked this a lot. A Blue Hawaii uses both vodka and rum with no coconut cream, so it is lighter and more citrusy. A Blue Hawaiian swaps the vodka for coconut cream, making it creamy and frozen. I make the creamy version because I prefer that thick, frosty texture. If you want something closer to the original 1957 recipe, add an ounce of vodka alongside the rum and skip the coconut cream.
Can I make this on the rocks instead of blended?
I have made it both ways. For on the rocks, I shake everything (minus the ice) in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes, then strain it over fresh crushed ice in a hurricane glass. You lose the frozen slushie texture but the flavor is the same. I actually prefer this method when I am making just one drink because it is faster than dragging out the blender.
Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
I have tested both, and reader Travis confirmed the same thing I found. Coconut milk works but the texture is noticeably thinner. If you go that route, I would add a tablespoon of cream cheese or mascarpone to thicken it back up. That trick gets it closer to the coconut cream version without being too heavy.
Can I use blue spirulina instead of butterfly pea powder?
I have tried both. Blue spirulina gives you a vibrant blue and adds some extra nutrients (it is packed with antioxidants), but it has a slightly more earthy taste than butterfly pea powder. If you are used to adding spirulina to smoothies, you probably will not notice. I keep both in my pantry and reach for the butterfly pea powder when I want a cleaner, more neutral color without any flavor interference.
Can I use vodka instead of rum in a Blue Hawaiian?
Yes. I have made it with vodka and the drink still works, it just shifts the flavor profile. Rum gives you that warm, slightly sweet tropical backbone. Vodka makes the coconut and citrus sharper and more forward. If you use vodka and keep the coconut cream, you are technically making a hybrid between a Blue Hawaii and a Blue Hawaiian. I prefer rum, but vodka is a solid swap if that is what you have.
How do I make a big batch for a party?
I have quadrupled this recipe in my Vitamix for backyard parties and it works perfectly. Just multiply all the ingredients by however many servings you need. If your blender is on the smaller side, blend in batches. I do not add the ice until right before blending each batch so the earlier ones do not get watery while they sit.
Can I make this without a blender?
I have done it in a pinch by shaking everything with ice in a cocktail shaker. You will not get that frozen slushie texture, but it still tastes great over crushed ice. I just muddle or stir the butterfly pea powder in a little warm water first so it dissolves fully before adding it to the shaker.
Is Malibu rum keto-friendly?
Malibu has about 5g of sugar per serving because it is a coconut-flavored liqueur, not a straight rum. I avoid it for keto cocktails. If you want that coconut rum flavor, I use regular white rum (Bacardi Superior is my go-to) plus coconut cream, which gives you the same coconut taste with zero sugar. That is the approach I use in every keto rum drink I make, including my pina colada smoothie.
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This cocktail is stronger than it reads, my mom took one sip and asked if I doubled the rum. It’s 3 ounces for two glasses, so fair question. Annie, your drinks section is underrated.
This drink is so much better than I expected for a first try, I’ve never made a cocktail at home in my life. I was nervous about the butterfly pea powder because I’d never even heard of it before, but a half teaspoon really is all you need and the color came out gorgeous. My blender is ancient so it took a minute longer to get smooth. Under 1 net carb for something that tastes like a vacation, I’m still a little suspicious
Well if you promise, then I guess I believe it. Under a carb still feels like some kind of trick. Making a batch for my sister when she visits next month.
Skeptical about the color holding in a pitcher? Mine stayed blue for two hours easy. I batch these for parties now, pre-mix the dry stuff in a jar ahead of time, and refills take about a minute.
Stealing that jar trick, Maria. I usually just tell people to batch-blend, but that cuts refills down to nothing. Two hours of blue was longer than I thought the pea powder to hold.
0.7 net carbs on a cocktail sounds like a typo, but here we are. Tip for anyone not getting that deep blue: bloom the butterfly pea powder in a teaspoon of warm water for 30 seconds before it goes in the blender. Got a washed-out lavender on my first two batches, switched to this and it comes out vivid. Now I keep a small jar of pre-bloomed powder ready when I know I’m making drinks for guests, 90 seconds of work and the color lands every time.
Lorraine, Blue Curacao is basically a sugar bomb. I switched to the pea powder, gets you that color without any of that. Prettier when the citrus hits it.
Used coconut rum instead of plain white and cut the orange extract to a quarter teaspoon. The coconut in the rum pushes the full half teaspoon too far, tips the flavor toward orange rather than tropical. At a quarter it sits in the background where it belongs. Color still comes through fine with the butterfly pea powder.
Makes sense that coconut rum throws the extract off. It’s already got that sweetness and tropical kick, so the orange only needs to hint. Quarter teaspoon noted.
I stopped ordering cocktails after going keto and just accepted that part of summer was over. Made this poolside last Saturday and something about watching the butterfly pea powder turn the whole thing that vivid blue made me feel like myself again. The coconut and orange together taste real, not watered-down real. I forgot how much I missed that.
Poolside was the right call for that color reveal. The coconut and orange ratio took more test batches than I want to admit to get to ‘real’ instead of just ‘pretty good for keto.’
I’ve been keto for four months and basically accepted that summer drinks were gone, so when I made this last Saturday and took it outside I wasn’t expecting much. One sip and I kind of just stopped. The butterfly pea powder turns it this incredible blue that you’d actually get at a beach bar, and it tastes so much like the frozen drinks I used to make every summer that I had to check the carbs again (0.7g, I still can’t). Making it for my first backyard cookout of the season and not telling anyone it’s keto.
Served these at a Saturday afternoon thing and three people squinted and asked if they were actually keto. The butterfly pea powder color is close enough to Blue Curacao that nobody guessed. Only feedback: bump the sweetener for guests not used to keto drinks.
Three people squinting is the whole point. For a party batch I add another half teaspoon of sweetener, or sometimes two Ultima packets. Gets it closer to what non-keto drinkers expect.
Kept scrolling past this one because butterfly pea powder sounded like a photography prop, not an actual ingredient. Made it last week. That blue is freaking real, and the coconut rum combo hits way harder than I expected from something with zero sugar. Still not sure if the slight aftertaste is the erythritol or just me being a snob about it.
That’s the erythritol. It has a cooling aftertaste for some people and nothing for others. Allulose swaps in 1:1 and has zero of that if you want to test it.
Squeezed half a lime in right before drinking and the whole thing went from deep blue to this crazy magenta-purple. Butterfly pea powder is pH-sensitive, which I knew but had never actually watched happen in a cocktail. Now I build it in the glass and let people add their own wedge. Watching them see it shift is honestly the most fun I’ve had with a cocktail in years. Recipe’s solid. But if you want a conversation piece for spring, that lime wedge is the move.
Making this for a spring get-together. One friend doesn’t drink, so I’m doing a mocktail version for her. If I skip the rum, do I just add more ice, or does it need something else?
More ice just dilutes it. I’d bump the orange extract to a full teaspoon and add a little extra coconut cream to fill the volume. If she’s not strict keto, a small splash of pineapple juice rounds it out really well.
Yeah, coconut milk will work but you lose that creamy thickness. If you want to try it again, I’d add a tablespoon of cream cheese or mascarpone to get it closer to the coconut cream version.
