Pina Colada Dessert Cups with Grilled Fruit

These mini dessert cups will transport you to a tropical island in just one bite! Pina Colada Dessert Cups combine tropical flavors of the classic frozen cocktail with summertime freshness of grilled fruit. These no-bake bites come together quickly, and are certain to be your next crowd-pleaser!

You ever have those days weeks months where you just can’t seem to catch up? That’s totally been me the last six weeks or so. My family is adjusting to me working full time and my husband transitioning into his military retirement. Oh, and of course let’s not forget this new pandemic lifestyle! Sound familiar?

That’s why it has taken me weeks to share this pina colada dessert, but it was worth the wait! I am so excited to finally be able to share these no-bake dessert cups! My husband normally refuses anything coconut, however, that didn’t seem to be the case when he downed about eight of these at once! Ha!

Building the Pina Colada Dessert…

This was supposed to be a grilled fruit bruschetta… several weeks ago. When I (finally) went to put everything together this weekend, I didn’t have a baguette on hand. I opted for phyllo cups I already had in the freezer! I avoided heating up the kitchen by popping them in my air fryer for three minutes to thaw and refresh.

You can make your own shells with full phyllo sheets, like I did for our mini strawberry cheesecake bites! Or – go with my original plan and toast or grill up bread, pound cake, or any other similar item to build it on! There’s no bad choice here!

The Coconut Cream Filling…

The filling took me the longest to pin down. I wanted a thick spread with an authentic coconut flavor. My goal was to avoid using extracts or oils, keeping the flavor as natural as possible.

Through my research, I stumbled upon this Kaya Jam recipe. I loved that it had no extracts, and used coconut cream. (I was determined to include it as an ingredient in this!) This creamy jam was the perfect consistency and finally, had that pure coconut flavor I was looking for!

We doctored it up a bit to fit our recipe, and I promise you won’t be mad if you have extra leftover! Ultimately, it’s a simplified pastry cream (pudding) recipe. But, by keeping the ingredients minimal, the coconut cream is really able to shine through! Our addition of shredded coconut adds texture, and even more coconut flavor for our pina colada dessert!

Regular or Virgin Pina Colada Dessert…

I would much rather enjoy my alcohol in dessert form, and these pina colada dessert cups are a great opportunity for that! They can be made without the rum, but we enjoyed a splash in the filling!

If you want even more rum flavor, you can marinate the pineapple in some rum before you grill it. (Be careful of the flare up!) Or make a rum glaze like in these grilled rum-glazed pineapple wedges! Building layers of flavor is the goal, but be careful not to overwhelm the delicate coconut flavor!

The Grilled Fruit Topping…

This recipe goes with our Grilled Fruit series, which started with a complete guide to grilling fruit. We followed that with a savory grilled fruit pizza featuring grilled strawberries and peaches! Grilling the pineapple and fresh cherries adds an unexpected smoky edge! This also made it even more summery, if that’s possible!

My other professional taste tester (our neighbor) said they “had lightness with full-bodied texture” and a “touch of heaven”. Combining that rave review with my non-coconut-loving husband who couldn’t stop eating them, I knew these pina colada dessert cups with grilled fruit were finally ready to share! Enjoy!

How will you build your pina colada dessert cups? What would you use as your base? Will you grill the fruit, or skip that step? Will yours have a splash of rum, or will you keep it virgin? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Pina Colada Dessert Cups with Grilled Fruit

Mini phyllo cups with a coconut cream filling, smoky grilled pineapple and fresh cherries.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Assembly15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Grilled, no bake, Quick, summer dessert

Servings: 24 cups

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

BASE

• 24 mini phyllo cups

FILLING

• 75 grams white sugar
• 100 grams coconut cream
• 100 grams eggs
• 35 grams sweetened, shredded coconut
• 4 grams light rum of choice

GRILLED FRUIT TOPPING

• 240 grams fresh pineapple cored, sliced 1/4' thick
• 48 grams whole cherries (about 6-8)
• oil for spritzing

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350* degrees, or prepare air fryer as needed.
• Place phyllo shells on sheet pan and bake in oven or air fryer for 3-5 minutes. Remove, set aside.

FOR THE FILLING

• Combine sugar, coconut cream and eggs in small saucepan. Ensure to get only the very top of the thick cream. Try to avoid getting any of the milk. (See note below for tips)
• Whisk together continuously, over low heat.
• Continue whisking for 12-15 minutes. Mixture should be thick like pudding. Remove from heat.
• Stir in shredded coconut. Keep stirring to cool down slightly. For a smoother jam, blend with an immersion or stick blender in pan.
• Once mixture has cooled, stir in rum of choice, if desired. Place in bowl to continue cooling to room temp. If making in advance, store in refrigerator.

FOR THE GRILLED FRUIT TOPPING

• Preheat grill to high heat.
• Slice pineapple into 1/4' thick slices. Marinate if desired. Cut cherries in half, twist apart, and remove pit. Spritz fruit with oil of choice.
• Place fruit on hot grill. Leave undisturbed for about 1-2 minutes or until dark grill marks appear, then flip. Repeat then remove to cutting board.
• Finely dice pineapples into small pieces, roughly chops cherries. Set aside to cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

• Add about 8-10 grams or 1 teaspoon of filling to each (cooled) phyllo cup.
• Top with finely diced pineapple.
• Top with a few pieces of chopped cherry, per cup.
• Serve immediately. Will hold well for several hours at room temperature.

Notes

TIPS:

1. Refrigerate your coconut cream to easily skim the thickest part off the top, leaving the coconut milk underneath. 
2. Keep heat very low on coconut cream filling in order to gently cook eggs. 
3. Rum extract can be used in place of light rum in the filling.
4. Coconut filling can be made and refrigerated up to a month in advance. 
5. Pineapple can be marinated in rum prior to grilling, for extra rum flavor.
6. Maraschino cherries can be used in place of fresh cherries, just skip the grilling step.
7. This recipe can be made year round without grilling, if desired. 
8. Grilled bread, pound cake, or other similar items may be used in place of phyllo cup.
9. Chop fruit finely to match the delicate size of the phyllo cup.

If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment section below, or feel free to reach out to me directly via email

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Sodium: 17mg | Calcium: 4mg | Vitamin C: 5mg | Vitamin A: 28IU | Sugar: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 40mg | Cholesterol: 16mg | Calories: 58kcal | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fat: 3g | Protein: 1g | Carbohydrates: 8g | Iron: 1mg