Pineapple Coconut Smoothie

A low FODMAP smoothie of pineapple, light coconut milk, lactose-free or almond milk, lime, and maple syrup.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeVegan-option

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140 g) fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) canned light coconut milk
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) lactose-free cow's milk or unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

Blend

1. Add the lactose-free milk and coconut milk to the blender first, then the pineapple, ice, lime juice, maple syrup, and vanilla.
2. Blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and frothy. Scrape down the sides once if any pineapple sticks.
3. Pour into a tall glass and drink right away. The coconut flavor is strongest in the first few minutes.

Tips & Substitutions

• Measure the canned coconut milk. Monash University testing puts canned coconut milk, light or regular, at 1/4 cup (60 g) per serve, so the rest of the liquid is lactose-free or almond milk. Skip any can that lists inulin, chicory root fiber, or "prebiotic fiber." Carton coconut milk from the milk aisle is a different product, low FODMAP up to 3/4 cup.
• Want it lighter? Use 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and top up with lactose-free or almond milk.
• Add a firm-yellow banana. For a thicker, creamier pour, add up to half a firm banana (about 50 g, yellow with no brown spots). Choose fruit that isn't brown-spotted, since riper bananas become higher-FODMAP at smaller serves. Weigh it, and look it up in the FODMAP Foods app to see how the rating changes with portion size.
• Frozen pineapple works one-for-one. One cup of frozen pineapple chunks is still the 140 g serve. Skip the ice and add a splash more milk if the smoothie is too thick to pour.
• Pick the milk. Lactose-free cow, unsweetened almond or macadamia (up to 1 cup / 250 ml), or rice milk (up to about 210 ml) all pair with the coconut milk. Oat milk is low only at about 100 ml and cashew milk is not low FODMAP. Avoid any milk with inulin, chicory root fiber, or added "prebiotic fiber."
• Skip the honey. Honey is low FODMAP only at about ½ teaspoon and agave is high FODMAP at recipe amounts, so the tropical "pina colada" recipes you'll find elsewhere often need a swap. Pure maple syrup is low at 1 tablespoon, and a teaspoon is plenty here with ripe pineapple. A few drops of pure stevia or sucralose also work; skip blends cut with xylitol, sorbitol, or mannitol.
• Make it a protein smoothie. Add 1 scoop of whey isolate, rice protein, or egg-white protein powder. Skip plant-protein blends that list inulin, chicory root fiber, or "prebiotic fiber" on the label. You'll see these ingredients on a lot of labels.
• Coconut water is not the same. A splash (under 100 ml) of coconut water is low-FODMAP, but it's a different product from canned coconut milk and won't give you the creamy body this recipe is built around.

Why This Works

Pineapple serve. Monash lists 1 cup (140 g) of fresh pineapple as low-FODMAP. Larger portions carry more fructans, so this is one serve per glass.

Coconut milk math. Monash lists canned coconut milk as low FODMAP at 1/4 cup per serve, and that is the amount here. The lactose-free or almond milk carries the rest of the volume.

Why lime, not lemon. Both are low-FODMAP, but lime pairs with pineapple and coconut the way a real pina colada does. A teaspoon is enough to brighten the sweetness without making the drink tart.

Sweetener rule. Pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 1 tablespoon, and it keeps honey and agave out of the glass. Most tropical smoothie recipes online default to honey; this one doesn't.

Storage

Blend and drink right away. If you need to hold one, cap it in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours at 40°F (4°C) or below. Shake or re-blend before drinking; coconut milk separates as it sits. To prep ahead, freeze the pineapple in a zip bag and add the milks, ice, lime, and maple at blend time.