A copycat Dole Whip recipe brings the Disney magic home

By Becky Krystal

The Washington Post

I’ve been going to Walt Disney World for most of my life, but it was only in recent years that I entered the fold of one of the theme park’s most beloved foods: Dole Whip. This dairy-free pineapple soft serve has been on the menu for more than 40 years in the Florida resort and nearly as long at its California sibling, Disneyland. (You can find it sold under different names elsewhere.)

Since then, Dole Whip has earned a cult following and inspired a cottage industry of unofficial (scented candles, T-shirts, art prints) and official (an annual celebration, apparel, alternative flavors) homages.

In 2023, Dole released a grocery store version of the popular treat, which my colleague Hannah Sampson deemed “tasty and reminiscent of the real thing,” if not a substitute for it. Because I’m the kind of person who wonders about these types of things, I asked myself whether I could create a recipe that would get closer to that in-park experience, especially with no trip of my own on the horizon.

Copycat recipes abound online, and even Disney has gotten in the game. I tried their recipe first, especially since it listed only three ingredients: pineapple juice, frozen pineapple chunks and nondairy vanilla ice cream. The result was greasy, and somehow both too sweet and too acidic. Clearly the nondairy ice cream was meant to lend the creaminess you find in the original, but it was not doing this version any favors.

Other dupe recipes lean on regular ice cream or even Cool Whip for stability and creamy texture, though the former would render the dessert no longer dairy-free and the latter, as much as I love it, seemed like just asking for trouble from recipe commenters.

Determined to craft my own formula, I started scouring Dole Whip product labels for intel and was surprised but not shocked when I discovered that the commercial mix used in the soft-serve machines lists no actual pineapple in the nutritional information, merely “natural & artificial flavor.” (The store-bought version’s first ingredient is, in fact, pineapple puree.) I suppose the claim of “true-to-fruit flavors” should have been a tip-off. That’s no knock on the final result, though. Count me among the many fans who love to kick back with a cup of Dole Whip while watching a bunch of animatronic birds sing Sherman Brothers lyrics in the Enchanted Tiki Room.

It was clear I’d have my work cut out for me to replicate a commercial product (other ingredients: dextrose, seven stabilizers and beta carotene for color, among others) with whole ingredients and standard home kitchen equipment, namely a blender and not an ice cream machine. Thus commenced a blur of recipe tests, with Sampson as my game taster. I pretty quickly settled on a relatively limited list of ingredients:

Ice: Duh.

Frozen pineapple chunks: No-brainer. Best left at room temperature for a few minutes to make blending easier.

Pineapple juice: A restrained amount to keep the acidity in check but enough to say “tropical.”

Coconut cream: For stability and creaminess. Not the same as cream of coconut of piña colada fame, but rather a thicker, more concentrated relative of coconut milk. You can buy it on its own, or scoop it off the top of a can of refrigerated full-fat coconut milk.

Nondairy milk: For more creamy texture and blendability. Oat milk is great, but soy or almond are fine, too. (Using canned coconut milk instead of the coconut cream and nondairy milk made the coconut flavor too prominent, though it works, if you don’t mind that.)

Agave: A vegan sweetener that can keep frozen desserts soft and creamy, not icy. Similar to the tapioca syrup found in the grocery store Dole Whip.

Confectioners’ sugar: My nod to all the powdered stabilizers in the commercial version, with the goal of buying the dessert a little more staying power before it separates or melts.

Vanilla: For a hint of floral sweetness to round out the flavors.

It was mostly the ratios I had to nail down. Once I was happy with where I was, I called in Sampson to try the final version, because the original was fresh in her mind just days after a trip to Orlando. Her verdict, with which I concurred: Just as good, if not better, than the parks’ offering. While plenty creamy, mine skews slightly more in a sorbet direction, unsurprising given my reliance on two forms of the fruit.

As I said, I don’t like to go easy on myself, so the last piece of the puzzle was attempting that signature, though optional, soft-serve swirl. I poured the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a star tip, briefly froze it and squeezed it into a pretty, if not social-media-perfect, ridged tower. Will I never again be tempted by a Dole Whip under the hot Florida sun? Hardly, but it was enough to bring that Disney magic home, no theme park ticket required.

Copycat Dole Whip

Dole Whip is a pineapple-flavored soft serve beloved by fans of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and this refreshing from-scratch version is just the thing to bring home a bit of theme park magic. Because we rely on standard kitchen equipment and whole ingredients for our take on this dairy-free favorite (the nutritional information on the commercial mix lists a variety of stabilizers and no actual pineapple, just “natural and artificial flavor”), the dessert may look somewhat different from what you’d get in the parks. But what it lacks in social-media-ready appearance, it makes up for in taste, with just the right blend of fruity and creamy, and sweet and tart, that may, in fact, surpass the park version. However, if you’d like to attempt your own swirled presentation for serving, we include that option as well. If you make ahead, the frozen pineapple needs to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes for easier blending.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Generous 1 cup ice cubes

1/2 cup nondairy milk, such as oat, soy or almond, plus more as needed

1/4 cup pineapple juice

3 tablespoons agave, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons coconut cream (see Notes)

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Generous 2 cups (10 ounces) frozen pineapple chunks, partially defrosted on the counter for 10 minutes

DIRECTIONS

1: Place the ice cubes in a blender, and crush or process until pebbly. Add the milk, pineapple juice, agave, coconut cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, then the frozen pineapple, and blend on high speed until smooth. If the blender stalls, tamp down and stir the mixture, then blend again, adding more milk, as needed. Taste, and add more agave syrup, if desired. If the mixture feels a little soft, transfer to a container or large bowl, and freeze until slightly more set, 15 to 20 minutes.

2: For extra theme park vibes, you can create swirled piles for serving; this works best if you’re sure the mixture is very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip, set the bag on a sheet pan and freeze until slightly firmer, 20 to 30 minutes. Pipe the mixture into bowls to form a swirled pile. (If the mixture has frozen too solid in the piping tip, carefully use a small paring knife to unclog it.) Otherwise, scoop into bowls and serve immediately.

Substitutions: Instead of coconut cream and nondairy milk, you can use 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk, plus more as needed, though the coconut flavor will be more prominent. Agave can be replaced with honey, though it will no longer be vegan.

Notes: Coconut cream is available in cans. (Do not confuse it with cream of coconut, which is a sweetened mixture often used in piña coladas.) If you can’t find it, refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Open the can and scoop the solids off the top — this is the coconut cream.

Variations: If you’d like to serve this as a float similar to one way they sell it at the parks, pour a bit more pineapple juice around each serving and garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge.

Per serving (1/2 cup): 134 calories, 27 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fat, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 2 g saturated fat, 18 mg sodium, 21 g sugar

Storage note: The dessert is best eaten right away but can be held in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Becky Krystal.