Pineapple Party Punch

Made with Sprite, sugar, Kool-Aid, and pineapple juice, this refreshingly sweet party punch will transport you to the tropics and is a must at your next event.

Multiple glasses of Party Punch

A Quick Look At The Recipe

  • Recipe Name: Party Punch
  • Serves: 4
  • Main Ingredients: 46-ounce can pineapple juice, Sprite or Sprite Zero*, Splenda or sugar, packets flavored drink mix such as Kool-Aid
  • Why You'll Love It: Made with Sprite, sugar, Kool-Aid, and pineapple juice, this refreshingly sweet party punch will transport you to the tropics and is a must at your next event.

How do you make pineapple party punch?

In a punch bowl, stir together a 46-ounce can of pineapple juice, 2 packets of Kool-Aid drink mix and 2 cups of sugar (or Splenda) until dissolved. Gently stir in 2 liters of Sprite or Sprite Zero and serve over ice. Four ingredients, about 10 minutes.

This is the old-fashioned kind of punch you’d find on the fellowship hall table after church, at baby showers and at every holiday get-together from Thanksgiving straight through New Year’s, and it’s so simple that anybody can make it. My kids, our families, and our friends always enjoy this delicious punch whenever we have a get-together.

I’ve been making this pineapple punch since I was a teenager. One of my favorite things about it is that it’s so easily customizable. Our four main ingredients are Sprite, sugar, pineapple juice, and Kool-Aid. Today I’m going to show you how to make it using Splenda and Sprite Zero. This significantly cuts out the sugar and leaves the only remaining sugars to be the natural sugars in the pineapple juice. 

But let this quick and easy party punch recipe work for you. Want to use granulated sugar instead? Go ahead. How about ginger ale or 7-Up instead of Sprite? I won’t stop you! You can also change the flavor and color by changing just one ingredient (spoiler: it’s the Kool-Aid). 

So, how do you make my party punch? Oh, it’s hard, folks. You see, you have to pour the ingredients into a punchbowl, stir them together, and… yeah, that’s all there is to it. So you can spend your time celebrating instead of making a punch. Sounds good to me!

Delicious Party Punch ingredients

Recipe Ingredients

  • Sprite Zero
  • Pineapple juice
  • Splenda or sugar
  • Kool-Aid 

How to Make Party Punch

Add ingredients except Sprite to large bowl.

Pour your pineapple juice into a large bowl and add the Kool-Aid, as well as the sugar (or Splenda).

Stir ingredients together.

Stir well.

Add Sprite and gently stir again.

Pour in Sprite and gently stir again.

At this point, you can add an ice ring if you like. Instead of an ice ring, I just refrigerate all of my ingredients so the punch is good and cold. To make an ice ring, I’d make some Kool-Aid ahead of time in whatever flavor you are using for the punch and put it in a jello mold or bundt pan. Freeze until firm and then dip just the bottom into warm water for five seconds before releasing it into your punch bowl.

Party punch in a punch bowl.

 Can serve over ice, with an ice ring in it, or just serve cold.

Delicious Party Punch (Can be made Sugar Free!)

You can garnish it with fresh fruit if you like, as I’ve done with these pineapple wedges and maraschino cherries. Fresh berries would also work well. Otherwise, just serve it over ice or in punch cups.

Set out a stack of punch cups and watch the kids line up for seconds.

Storage

Because of the carbonated soda, you’ll want to serve this immediately and not store leftovers, as it’ll go flat pretty quickly.

Recipe Notes

  • Want to turn this into a party punch with alcohol? Opt for white rum, coconut rum, or vodka.
  • Lemon-lime Kool-Aid is also delicious in this pineapple punch and goes right along with to lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a lime slice to take it to the next level!
  • As mentioned, use any kind of carbonated drink you like, such as 7-Up, Sprite, ginger ale, or even club soda.
  • Instead of adding fresh fruit as a garnish, chop up fresh pineapple into large chunks and freeze them. Then you can use the frozen pineapple chunks in place of ice cubes. That way it stays sweet and doesn’t get watered down.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make a pineapple punch with sherbet?

For a sherbet punch, add up to 2 quarts of pineapple sherbet to your punch bowl and mix well.

You may also like these tasty tipples:

Tropical Pink Mocktail (Fun Fruity Summer Drink)

Old-Fashioned Lemonade

Hawaiian Iced Tea (Non-Alcoholic Punch)

Watermelonade

Wedding Punch (Non-Alcoholic Cranberry Punch)

Sugar-Free Peach Lemonade (2 Ingredients Only)

Planning a holiday spread? Set this punch out with classic Southern deviled eggs, a pan of cranberry crunch and a few Thanksgiving appetizers. If you’d like a second punch on the table at Christmas, our cranberry wedding punch is a pretty red one.

Party Punch final photo
Southern Plate Recipe

Pineapple Party Punch

Old-fashioned pineapple party punch made with pineapple juice, Kool-Aid, sugar and Sprite. Four ingredients, about 10 minutes, and it fills a punch bowl.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 16 (8-ounce) cups

Ingredients 

  • 1 46-ounce can pineapple juice
  • 2 liters Sprite or Sprite Zero*
  • 2 cups Splenda or sugar
  • 2 packets flavored drink mix such as Kool-Aid

Instructions

  • In a punchbowl, pour pineapple juice. Add drink mix and sugar/Splenda. Stir until dissolved.
    1 46-ounce can pineapple juice, 2 cups Splenda or sugar, 2 packets flavored drink mix such as Kool-Aid
  • Pour in Sprite and gently stir again.
    2 liters Sprite or Sprite Zero*
  • Serve with a fresh fruit garnish or simply over ice.

Notes

Chill everything ahead of time so the punch starts cold. Frozen pineapple chunks or an ice ring made from Kool-Aid keep it cold without watering it down.
Serve right away, since the soda goes flat. Change the Kool-Aid flavor to change the color for any holiday.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: kool aid punch, party punch, pineapple punch, punch

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

86 Comments

  1. Thanks for the punch recipe, I have never tried this one. We never know when the New Year comes in either, in the bed sound to sleep! Happy New Year!

  2. Love this Punch recipe! We drink mostly the generic brands of ‘Crystal Light’…whichever store brand you choose……so I am going to substitute 2 packets of one of those (omiting the KoolAid and Sweetener) when I host a large crowd (50) next month. Thanks for all the great recipes you share with us, and I wish for you and yours a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  3. I’m with you Christy – I’ll sleep the old year out and the new year in, if I can sleep. You younger ladies may find when you hit menopause that sleep is harder to come by, so sleep while you can. I’m inclined to agree with a statement my dear Daddy used to say too – “anyone up past 9 o’clock, is up to no good.” Lord knows I’m too old to be up to no good now. Some days it takes more energy than I have to get up to something good!

    Wishing each and everyone of you a joyful, healthy and happy new year.

  4. Thanks for the great recipe. I am going to be giving this one a try. I am right there with you about the alcohol for several reasons — we do not need it to have a good time, it makes you do stupid things, I have family members who are in recovery with years and years of sobriety, and most importantly, regarding my Christian faith, I would feel I am falling way short of where Jesus wants me to be. (I am just saying for me, what other folks do is between them and God). Anyway, thanks for the punch recipe. I will line this up on my island along with my Welch’s Sparkling Cider. 🙂 Happy New Year!

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