Cuban recipe

Cuban-Style Fresh Pineapple Refresco

Name: Cuban-Style Fresh Pineapple Refresco
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 medium ripe pineapple (about 1.2 kg), peeled and with the fibrous core removed; 4 cups cold water (1 liter); 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste (optional); Ice, for serving; A few drops of lime juice (optional)

A cold, pale yellow fresh pineapple refresco made only with ripe pineapple, water and ice. No milk, not fermented.

CiberCubaNovember 8, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation15 min
Total time15 min
Servings4 glasses (about 1 liter)
DifficultyEasy

Pineapple refresco is one of those homemade drinks that Cubans make without much thought when there is a really ripe pineapple in the kitchen and the heat gets intense. The fruit is blended with cold water, strained and served with plenty of ice.

Don't confuse it with other pineapple drinks: it is not garapiña, which is made with the peels and left to ferment, nor pineapple syrup, which is thick and very sweet. Here we are talking about a light, fresh refresco made right before serving, to be drunk the same day.

Ingredients

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1 medium ripe pineapple (about 1.2 kg), peeled and with the fibrous core removed
4 cups cold water (1 liter)
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste (optional)
Ice, for serving
A few drops of lime juice (optional)

Method

Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes and the hard, fibrous core, and cut it into small pieces.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Put half of the pieces in the blender with 2 cups of cold water and blend until well pureed.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Repeat with the rest of the pineapple and water. If you want to sweeten it, add the sugar now and blend a little longer until it dissolves.
Strain the refresco through a fine strainer into a pitcher, pressing the pulp with a spoon to extract all the juice. If you like it with more body, you can leave it unstrained.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Taste and adjust the sweetness. Add a few drops of lime juice if you like it fresher, and put it in the fridge until well chilled.
Serve in glasses with plenty of ice and stir before serving, because the pineapple tends to separate.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Tips and variations

Sweetness: the sugar is optional. A really ripe pineapple hardly needs it; taste before sweetening and add a little at a time.

Storage: keep it in a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to 2 days. It separates a little, so stir it before serving. Add the ice at the last moment so it doesn't get watered down.

How to choose the pineapple: it should smell sweet at the base and give slightly when pressed. In the US you can find it whole in any supermarket or Latin market; if you don't want to peel it, use the fresh peeled and cut pineapple sold in the fruit section. Avoid canned pineapple in syrup for this recipe, because it changes the flavor and the sweetness.

Variations: a few drops of lime or lemon juice add a fresh touch. For a finer refresco, strain twice; if you like it with body, leave it unstrained.

If you use other fruits such as caimito (star apple), níspero (sapodilla), anón (sugar apple), mamoncillo (Spanish lime) or guanábana (soursop) in similar refrescos, remove all the seeds before blending so they don't make the drink bitter or get crushed in the blender.