This is the best ever Red Lobster copycat Pina Colada dipping sauce! Just a few simple ingredients go into this copycat version of the popular pineapple coconut dipping sauce served at Red Lobster. Goes great with coconut shrimp, chicken, or even fish tacos!
My favorite entree at Red Lobster is, by far, coconut shrimp with pina colada dipping sauce. I always ask for extra sauce.
A few months ago, I figured out how to make a copycat of Red Lobster's famous coconut shrimp in my air fryer (so it's practically fat free!!!), but I hadn't yet perfected the pina colada sauce. That took a little longer.
Well, friend, I have perfected my coconut shrimp sauce. This comes out exactly like Red Lobster's, and I am delighted with it.
Why this is the perfect fried coconut shrimp dip
It takes less than 5 minutes to make!
With only 6 ingredients, this is a simple recipe, but it has a lot more depth and a richer flavor than those recipes you may have seen with just 3-4 ingredients.
You can buy piña colada sauce on Red Lobster's website, but it is loaded with preservatives and sugar, and this version is much healthier - and tastes just as good!
It's awesome on coconut shrimp (of course), but also great for steamed or buttered shrimp, chicken tenders, potato chips, grilled chicken skewers, fish tacos, and lots of other foods too.
What you'll need to make Red Lobster Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
Equipment
You'll need a small mixing bowl and a rubber spatula, along with measuring cups. I recommend using a citrus juicer for the lemon, but you could roll it on the counter (firmly) and then cut in half and squeeze with your hand if you had to. You won't get as much juice out, and you should probably measure to make sure you have enough if you do it that way. (You might need two lemons if you don't have a juicer.)
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Sour cream - You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, and the flavor will be the same. Greek yogurt has less fat and more protein than sour cream. You can also use plain yogurt or even vanilla flavored Greek or regular yogurt in this recipe.
- Piña colada mix - You'll use the non-alcoholic version of pina colada mix (unless you want boozy dip which would also be okay I suppose, but very different from the Red Lobster version).
- Crushed pineapple - Make sure you drain the pineapple or your dip will be liquid. I really like the texture you get with crushed pineapple. I would not recommend tidbits or chunks because you wouldn't get pineapple in every bite.
- Shredded coconut - I used unsweetened coconut, but if you only have sweetened, go ahead and use it anyway. You can also use coconut flakes if you have them, but the pieces are a bit bigger. (I'd probably pulse those in my food processor a few times to make the pieces smaller.)
- Fresh lemon juice - You'll use the juice of one medium lemon. Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not use lemon juice out of a bottle. Buy a lemon and squeeze it yourself. They cost less than a dollar a piece.
- Powdered sugar - I once tried to leave this out, thinking that the drink mix should be sweet enough. But the dip wasn't as good without it. There's not a huge amount of sugar, and you will miss it if you leave it out.
How to make the best Red Lobster Piña Colada Sauce recipe
- Combine sour cream and drink mix in a mixing bowl, and gently whisk together. Do not use an electric mixer, and do not over mix by hand as it will cause the sour cream to break down and make sauce too thin.
- Drain the crushed pineapple completely and fold that and the coconut into cream mixture.
- Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the coconut mixture.
- Gently stir in lemon juice.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator. I prefer to make this an hour or two before serving to let the flavors blend in the fridge.
How to store leftover piña colada sauce
Keep piña colada sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing the sauce.
Serve Pina Colada Dipping Sauce with these recipes:
- Copycat Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp (Air Fryer Recipe)
- Traditional Old Bay Steamed Shrimp Recipe - Peel & Eat Shrimp
- Buttered Old Bay Shrimp
- Homemade Air Fryer Potato Chips
- The Best Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken Skewers
Recipe
Red Lobster Copycat Pina Colada Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sour cream
- ¾ cups piña colada non alcoholic drink mix
- ½ cups crushed pineapple
- ½ cups shredded coconut unsweetened
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice juice of one medium lemon
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine sour cream and drink mix in a mixing bowl, and gently whisk together. Do not use an electric mixer, and do not over mix by hand as it will cause the sour cream to break down and make sauce too thin.
- Drain crushed pineapple and fold that with the coconut into cream mixture.
- Gently stir in lemon juice and powdered sugar.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Joanne says
Nailed it! So close to original couldnt tell which was which from our take home leftovers! Needed more sauce and you came thru big time! Note to newbies, yes its that good and be careful its addicting. 🙂
SophieMae says
Where did you find a colada mix that doesn't have all sorts of unhealthy garbage ingredients?
Tara Gerner says
I just bought the one at the grocery store. It's probably not healthy at all.
L. Payne says
I'm curious what brand you bought, from which grocery store, what size of bottle, and what section in the grocery store did you find it.
Thank you for your help!
Tara Gerner says
I bought it at Walmart, in the back where the mixers are next to the fruit juices. No clue on the brand. It was a big bottle, probably a quart or maybe more.
Amanda says
Try using Coco-Lopez Cream of Coconut
Diane Potvin-Carrière says
It was great and easy to make. I did not add the powdered sugar…perfect sauce.
Kay Brooke says
This was delicious. I have a lot leftover since there’s only 2 of us. Do you think it can be frozen?
Tara Gerner says
I've never tried it, so I'm not really sure. The worst that can happen is that it will separate when it thaws and you won't be able to use it. But if you don't freeze it, it will spoil, and you'll have to throw it out anyway. So I would try freezing it and if it doesn't work, you're not out anymore than if you had thrown it away to start with.
Kelli S says
Me and my husband have been craving this now since we don’t have an open red lobster near us. He fried up the coconut shrimp and I made the sauce it’s pretty’s spot on. I think it does make a big difference between the shredded coconut and the flakes. But the taste is on point! Thank you so much!
Christine says
I made this recipe once and it was perfect. 2nd time I made it, my sour cream liquefied. If I were to make this recipe again, I would use full fat sour cream to mitigate the chance of a very runny sauce. I think making this the day before is best too, as it gives the shredded coconut, a chance to soften. This sauce is a perfect copycat recipe, just use full fat sour cream.