This easy recipe for Piña Colada Dessert Bars is your ticket to a tropical paradise! Enjoy the flavors of coconut, rum and pineapple and feel like you’re swinging in a hammock at the beach. Make a batch today for an instant vacation.

 dessert bars on a white plate with a blue fork

Why We Love Piña Colada Dessert Bars

This piña colada dessert starts off as a lemon bar because I was going for was a creamy, flavorful filling. The shortbread crust is sturdy and buttery all at the same time. Add a little rum flavoring, fold in some pineapple and coconut, and you’re in the tropics!

If you like Piña Coladas (and getting caught in the rain…) then you’ll love these bars. They have all of the flavors of the classic tropical drink all in one delicious dessert bar. I love making them for pool parties, summertime potlucks, or just when we need a little pick me up around the house. These bars are a tropical dream…..if you like piña coladas, you must try this pina colada dessert.

The shortbread crust for these bars is both sturdy and buttery, which is perfect for holding the creamy filling on top! The sweet powdered sugar and a maraschino cherry on top are the perfect garnishes to this fun, summer-loving dessert. When you make a batch, you’ll be able to enjoy the flavors of coconut, rum, and pineapple and make it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise. Yum!

3 dessert bars stacked on a plate with forks

Ingredients Needed to Make Piña Colada Dessert Bars

FOR THE CRUST:

  • butter, softened
  • all-purpose flour
  • powdered sugar
  • cornstarch
  • vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING:

  • large eggs
  • granulated sugar
  • lemon juice
  • heavy whipping cream
  • rum extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • crushed pineapple, drained
  • sweetened flaked coconut
  • powdered sugar, for dusting
  • maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)
Channel the tropics, lounging on a white sandy beach, with these Pina Colada Bars. Enjoy the flavors of coconut and pinaple and consider it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise. grab the recipe at TidyMom.net

How To Make Piña Colada Dessert Bars

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

Prep: Preheat oven. Line and spray an 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan.
Crust: Mix crust ingredients until crumbly. Press into the pan and poke with a fork.
Bake Crust: Bake until edges are lightly golden.
Filling: Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cream, and rum extract. Add flour, pineapple, and coconut.
Bake: Pour over crust and bake until set.
Chill: Cool completely, then refrigerate 3+ hours or overnight.
Serve: Dust with powdered sugar, slice, and garnish with cherries if desired.

Channel the tropics, lounging on a white sandy beach, with these Pina Colada Bars. Enjoy the flavors of coconut and pinaple and consider it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise. grab the recipe at TidyMom.net

Tips For Making The Best Piña Colada Bars 

Always make sure you read through any recipe before starting. It’s the golden rule (if you will) of baking. This will allow you to know ahead of time what needs to be done, so you’re not caught by surprise when you find out you need to chill, thaw, soak or rest something in the recipe. For example, this pina colada dessert should cool and chill at least 3 hours before serving. Great for a make-ahead dessert, but not so good for a last-minute dessert.

Accurately measure your ingredients! This is especially important when measuring flour and powdered sugar. Spoon the flour (or powdered sugar) into the measuring cup to measure it correctly.

Don’t skip lining your pan. Not only does this prevent the bars from sticking to the pan, but it makes it easy to remove the whole dessert from the pan. After lifting the cold dessert from the pan, discard the parchment paper (or foil) and place the dessert on a cutting board. You can now easily slice into even squares.

Although it’s pure torture, you have to let the bars refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving! I recommend letting them cool overnight in the fridge, though, because that really allows the bars time to settle and develop the perfect flavor and desired texture.

Really be careful to not overbake the crust. When you think of a baked crust, typically an image of a golden-brown crust comes to mind. For this recipe, however, you want a crust that is very lightly golden around the edges

overhead shot of a stack of dessert bars on a white plate

Storing And Freezing

How long will these tropical dessert bars stay fresh? If you happen to have any leftover bars, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze pina colada dessert bars? Definitely! You can freeze these bars in an airtight container for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to serve them, just let them thaw in the fridge overnight and they should be good as new.

Can I Double This Recipe?

You sure can double this pina colada dessert! Simply double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13 pan.  Bake times should remain the same, but keep a close eye on them.

Channel the tropics, lounging on a white sandy beach, with these Pina Colada Bars. Enjoy the flavors of coconut and pinaple and consider it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise. grab the recipe at TidyMom.net

More Summer Dessert Recipes To Enjoy

Enjoy the sunshine with some of my favorite summer-time dessert recipes!

Orange Dreamsicle Jello Poke Cake – Vanilla cake soaked in orange Jello and topped with whipped topping—just like a classic creamsicle.

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes – French vanilla cupcakes topped with fresh strawberry buttercream for sweet milkshake flavor in every bite.mpliment to the french vanilla cake beneath in these Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes!

Easy Fruit Trifle –  Layers of angel food cake, pudding, whipped topping, and fruit filling—an easy make-ahead dessert everyone loves.

No-Bake Lemonade Pie – Cool, creamy, and bursting with lemon flavor. This no-bake pie is the perfect easy summer treat.

3 dessert bars stacked on a plate

Originally posted in April 2015. UPDATED March 2021. We spiffed up this post with more info! No changes to the original recipe.

Channel the tropics, lounging on a white sandy beach, with these Pina Colada Bars. Enjoy the flavors of coconut and pinaple and consider it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise. grab the recipe at TidyMom.net

Pina Colada Dessert Bars

Yield: 9 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Minimum Chill Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Enjoy the flavors of coconut, rum and pineapple and consider it your ticket to a mental tropical paradise.

Ingredients

for the crust:

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the filling:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ teaspoon rum extract
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
  • ¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • confectioners' sugar, for dusting
  • maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
  2. Shortbread Crust - Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, cutting in the butter with a pastry cutter or wooden spoon until a crumbly mixture forms. Transfer dough to prepared pan and press dough into the prepared pan, using your fingertips. Randomly pierce crust with a fork about a dozen times so steam can escape while it bakes. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. The crust should still be white but crusted over. While the crust bakes, make the filling.
  3. Piña Colada filling - In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cream, rum extract, and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in pineapple and coconut. Pour mixture over warm crust. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until the center does not jiggle when shaken and edges begin to brown. Allow bars to cool completely at room temperature.
  4. Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least three hours, or overnight. Before serving, lift out of the pan with foil overhang, lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar, and slice to serve. Optionally, garnish squares with a maraschino cherry.

Notes

Store extra bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 2gSugar: 44gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.

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3 dessert bars with a cherry on top stacked on a plate