Copycat Starbucks Refresher Recipe at Home (Easy!)

Name: Copycat Starbucks Refresher Recipe at Home (Easy!)
Prep time: 3 min
Ingredients: 5 ounces white grape juice; 5 ounces water; 1 ounce passionfruit puree; 2 tbsp freeze dried strawberries; 1 tbsp frozen acai or acai powder (optional); green coffee bean extract (optional)

If you're looking for a refreshing drink on a hot summer day, look no farther than this Copycat Starbucks Refresher Recipe! This copycat is just as good as the real thing at a fraction of the price!

Jump to Recipe

There's nothing like a cold drink on a hot day, and as the weather starts to warm up here in the US, my thoughts are turning to this Copycat Starbucks Refresher Recipe. I'm not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, but I AM a fan of their refreshers. There's something so satisfying about a pink drink on a busy day that just makes you feel like you're on top of the world.

So when I can't or don't want to head out to my local Starbucks, I make one of my favorite Starbucks copycat recipes at home, and now you can too! I've played around with the recipe a bit, and while my version is not an exact dupe of the Starbucks refreshers, it IS a delicious drink and tastes exactly the same.

Other Drink Recipes You'll Love

Another one of my favorite drinks from Starbucks is the White Chocolate Mocha - give this copycat version a try!
If you're a fan of sweet strawberry flavors, give this Frosted Strawberry Lemonade a try!
And another one of my all-time favorite fruity drinks - this Pina Colada Mocktail is a delicious alcohol free perfect summer drink!

Ingredient List

This recipe is made with simple ingredients that you should be able to find at any grocery store (or liquor store).

White Grape Juice - Starbucks uses white grape juice concentrate, but for this at home version, regular juice works just fine.
Water - your drink is only as good as the water you use, so make sure to use filtered cold water.
Passion fruit Syrup or Passion Fruit Puree - you can find this in the drink mixers section of your local grocery store or liquor store.
Freeze-Dried Strawberries - honestly, these don't add much flavor to the drink, but they're so cute.
Frozen Acai Packet - Starbucks uses Acai powder, but that is very expensive, and again, it doesn't add any flavor to the drink. I use Trader Joe's Frozen acai puree packets, and add a little bit of the juice to my drink. It's okay to leave it out entirely.
Green Coffee Extract (missing from picture) - the reason it's missing from the picture is because I never use it. If you want to add it to your drink, you can add ¾ of a teaspoon of green coffee bean powder to your drink.

How To Make a Copycat Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher

Step 1: To a large mason jar or cocktail shaker, add white grape juice.

Step 2: Add your water to the jar as well.

Step 3: add passionfruit juice/syrup/puree and freeze dried strawberries. (if using, add the acai and coffee bean extract during this step)

Step 4: Put the lid on the jar or shaker, and shake the mixture until well combined.

Step 5: Fill a tall glass with ice, and pour the refresher over the ice.

Step 6: Stir and enjoy one of your favorite Starbucks drinks at home!

PRO TIP: for a fancier experience, garnish your drink with fresh strawberries.

Full quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

Substitutions, Alterations and Additions

My two biggest changes are not using the coffee extract and the acai powder. As I stated above, you can absolutely use those things if you want them - I just prefer to omit them because I don't think they add anything to the drink, and they're both expensive ingredients.

One thing I will cede on that front is that the drink is not pink in color without the acai powder. Passionfruit puree is very orange in color, and so my drink has a more orange hue than pink. To fix that, you can crush some of the freeze dried strawberries into a strawberry powder that will tint the drink pink.

Equipment

You really only need something to mix the drink in: I like a mason jar, but you can also use a cocktail shaker.

FAQ's

What is the most popular refresher flavor?

According the Starbucks website, the Strawberry Refresher is their most popular drink (as far as the refreshers go)

How much coffee is in a refresher?

A Tall refresher has 35 mg of caffeine, and a grande has 45 mgs (12 and 16 ounces respectively) Alternately, an 8 ounce cup of coffee has 95 mgs of caffeine, so if you're looking for an actual caffeine boost, you're better off with a cup of coffee. My version is a caffeine-free drink though.

What's the difference between a pink drink and a refresher?

The pink drink uses coconut milk in place of water. The coconut version is creamer, and also has more calories.

Is a Starbucks Refresher healthy?

Relatively, especially compared to some of their coffee drinks. The Very Berry Hibiscus refresher is the healthiest. It clocks in at 70 calories (when made without lemonade) and only has 19 grams of sugar. The Strawberry Refresher has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar.

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