These easy Pina Colada Dream Bars will give you a taste of the tropics! With juicy crushed pineapple, sweetened coconut, and fluffy whipped cream, these delightful bars are the perfect summer treat! Serve up a batch of these piña colada bars at your next get-together!
I love Pina Coladas in the summer! I know they are a bit old-fashioned, but I just love the combination of flavors. It’s such a fun, refreshing drink, and heaven knows my summer needs a tropical flair to keep it interesting!
These pineapple bars have all the classic flavors of a piña colada but in edible form! Serve it at grad parties and backyard barbecues, or just make it for your family to enjoy!
SAVE THIS RECIPE FOR PINA COLADA DREAM LAYER BARS TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
All about the Coconut
This dessert uses coconut flavor in several different ways. You’ll find it in the cookie crust, in the pudding layer, and on top of the dessert bars. I love to garnish these bars with toasted coconut. It’s super easy and enhances the flavor. If you don’t want that much coconut, then just omit it from the crust, and they’ll still be really delicious!
To toast the coconut: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread ½ cup of coconut on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and stir. Return to the oven to bake for another 2-5 minutes to bake until browned.
Watch carefully as coconut can burn very quickly. (Baking times are estimated as individual oven temperatures vary.)
Pina Colada Dream Bars Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this Pina Colada Lush dessert:
Cookie Crust
- Crushed Nilla wafers (about 45 cookies)
- Shredded sweetened coconut – this can be omitted from the crust if you’d like
- Butter
Pudding
- Instant Coconut Pudding
- Milk- I recommend whole or 2% milk.
Cheesecake Layer
- Cream cheese, room temperature
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Rum extract (or you can substitute vanilla extract)
- Shredded sweetened coconut
- Long stem or maraschino cherries- for a garnish
- Pineapple tidbits- for a garnish
Other Ingredients
- Canned crushed pineapple
- Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream
How to Make Pina Colada Dream Bars
It takes a bit of time to make these pineapple coconut bars, but they are so dreamy, it’s worth it!
Prepare
- First, place the pineapple into a strainer over a bowl to drain for 30 minutes. Then put the pineapple onto a plate lined with paper towels to remove additional excess liquid. Blot the top with a paper towel as well.
- Next, prepare an 8 X 8 square baking dish by lining it with parchment paper, leaving about a 2-inch overhang. This will make it easier to remove the whole pan of bars to slice. Alternatively, you can spray the baking pan with nonstick spray.
Nilla Wafer Crust
- Place the Nilla Wafer cookies and coconut into a food processor or blender to crush them into fine crumbs. In a microwaveable medium bowl, melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the cookie crumbs and blend well.
- Press into the bottom of the pan and place into the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to set.
Pudding
In a small bowl, mix the 1 1/2 cups milk with the coconut pudding using a wooden spoon or electric mixer. DO NOT use the two cups as directed on the package. We want a firmer pudding. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cheesecake
Place the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and rum extract into a large bowl. Cream on medium-high speed until soft and well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip, and mix.
Assembly
- Remove the crust from the freezer and with an offset spatula, place dollops of the cheesecake on top of the crust and spread.
- Scatter the pineapple over the cheesecake. Then cover the pineapple with the ¾ cup of the shredded coconut.
- Place dollops of the pudding over the pineapple and coconut, and gently spread to the edges with an offset spatula.
- Top with remaining Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving to set.
- To garnish, toast the coconut, the pineapple tidbits, and a long stem maraschino cherry.
How to Slice and Serve Dream Bars
Remove the bars from the entire pan by lifting the parchment paper out of the pan. Next, run a large knife under hot water, dry it off, and then slice through the bars, repeating with each cut. This will help make clean cuts.
Storing Leftover Pina Colada Bars
Keep these bars covered tightly or in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for an additional 2-3 days.
You can also store these in the freezer, tightly wrapped with aluminum foil, or in that airtight container. Just make sure to thaw it before you serve.
More Dream Bar Recipes
Dream Bars are some of my most popular recipes! Here are some more that are perfect for summer:
- Red, White, and Blue Dream Bars
- Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars
- Lemon Dream Bars
- Strawberry Lemonade Dream Bars
- Blue Raspberry Dream Bars
Pineapple and Coconut Recipes
These delicious treats have a tropical twist to keep your taste buds hopping!
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Pina Colada Dream Bars
Ingredients
- 16 ounces crushed pineapple
- 8 oz Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream divided, or my Stabilized Whipped Cream
Crust
- 1 ½ cups Crushed Nilla Wafer cookies about 45 cookies
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 5 tablespoons butter
Pudding
- 3.5 ounces instant coconut pudding *See note
- 1 ½ cups milk
Cheesecake Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons rum extract can substitute vanilla
- ¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut toasted for garnish, see Note
- long stem cherries for garnish
- 8 ounces pineapple tidbits for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place the pineapple into a strainer over a bowl to drain for 30 minutes. Then place onto a plate lined with paper towels to remove additional excess liquid, and blot the top with a paper towel as well.
- Prepare an 8 X 8 baking dish by lining it with parchment. This will make it easier to remove the whole pan of bars to slice.
Nilla Wafer Crust
- Place the Nilla Wafer cookies and coconut into a food processor or blender to crush into fine crumbs. In a medium microwaveable mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add the cookie / coconut mixture and blend well.
- Press into the prepared baking dish, and place into the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to set.
Pudding
- In a small bowl mix the 1 1/2 cups milk with the coconut pudding. DO NOT use the two cups as directed on the package. We want a firmer pudding. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cheesecake
- Place the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and rum extract into a mixing bowl. Cream until soft and well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip, and mix.
Assembly
- Remove the crust from the freezer and with an offset spatula, place dollops of the cheesecake on top of the crust and spread.
- Scatter the pineapple over the cheesecake. Then cover with the ¾ cup of the shredded coconut.
- Place dollops of the pudding over the pineapple and coconut, and gently spread to the edges with an offset spatula.
- Top with remaining Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving to set.
- Toast the coconut, and garnish with that, the pineapple tidbits, and long stem cherries.
Notes
- To toast the coconut: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the ½ cup of coconut on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Return to the oven to bake for another 2-5 minutes to bake until browned. Watch carefully as it can become burnt very quickly.
(Baking times are estimated as individual oven temperatures vary.) - If the amount of coconut in this recipe is a concern, it can be omitted from the crust and you can just use the cookies.
Comments & Reviews
I put the stars, as it simply looks like it deserves them. YUM I am certain it will be delicious!!