Starbucks Pink Drink Copycat
This homemade Starbucks Pink Drink recipe is even tastier than the original—made with real fruit, 100% fruit juice, & no added sugar! The sweet & tart flavors of Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refresher, mixed with creamy coconut milk, served over ice with freeze-dried strawberries.
The Pink Drink is actually just Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refresher mixed with coconut milk, so it’s described as having strawberry, acai, & passionfruit flavors. It’s a gorgeous pink color. And it kind of tastes like a pink Starburst candy! But there’s very little actual fruit in the drink at Starbucks—most of its flavor comes from “natural flavorings.”
I, personally, always prefer the flavor of real fruit more than fruit flavorings. I’ve remade several Starbucks drinks like the Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade & Hibiscus Lemonade, and they taste better to me when I make them with real fruit! So I decided to make my own homemade Pink Drink recipe with real-fruit flavor—using fresh strawberries, passionfruit juice, & acai powder.
How much sugar is in the Pink Drink at Starbucks?
A grande (16oz) Pink Drink at Starbucks has 25g of sugar, whereas this homemade Pink Drink has only around 11g of sugar per serving. Which is significantly less sugar—and there are also no added sugars in this homemade version! The fruit juice makes the drink plenty sweet for me, but you can always add simple syrup or sugar to make it as sweet as you like it.
Homemade Pink Drink Ingredients
Fresh Strawberries
To add some real strawberry flavor, I simmered fresh strawberries in my Strawberry Acai Base mixture. (You’ll discard the strawberries after simmering, so it’s also a great way to minimize sugar.) If you want more sweetness & flavor, you could also use strawberry puree in this recipe—which has worked great in other drinks like my Strawberry Lemonade & Blueberry Lemonade!
Passionfruit & White Grape Juice
For the best flavor & lowest sugar content, choose 100% fruit juices with no sugar added. (Look for juices not from concentrate for a less-processed option.) If you have trouble finding passionfruit juice, you could substitute with another sweet-but-tangy juice like guava, pear, orange, or mango juice.
Green Tea
Instead of green coffee extract like at Starbucks, I used brewed green tea to give my homemade drink a similar flavor & a caffeine boost. But this is totally optional! If you want a caffeine-free Refresher, you can make your own Pink Drink without tea—just omit the tea bags & use plain water instead.
Acai Powder
This is a great ingredient to give your DIY Starbucks drink a boost of natural color, antioxidants, and real acai flavor! I order my acai powder online, but if you don’t have any (or don’t want to buy any), you can make the drink without it and it will still be totally tasty.
Coconut Milk
Combine your Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher with coconut milk, and you’ve got the Pink Drink! Use light coconut milk if you want a lighter beverage, or use full-fat coconut milk to get the smoothest, creamiest, most satisfying texture.
Freeze-Dried Strawberries
The freeze-dried strawberries are like colorful edible confetti on top of this summer drink—it’s so fun to sip! But if you don’t have any freeze-dried strawberries, you can absolutely still serve & enjoy the drink without them.
Ice
Serve your copycat Pink Drink over ice to make it a true Starbucks Refresher!
How much caffeine is in the Pink Drink at Starbucks?
A grande (16oz) Pink Drink from Starbucks has 45mg caffeine in it, from the green coffee extract used in their Strawberry Acai Refresher Base. Depending on the green tea you use, your homemade drink can have anywhere from 30-50mg caffeine (per tea bag). But unlike at Starbucks, you can also make your homemade Pink Drink without tea if you want it to be caffeine-free.
How to Make the Starbucks Pink Drink at Home
To make this DIY Pink Drink recipe, start by making the Strawberry Acai Refresher base mixture, then mix it with coconut milk before serving. That’s it!
- Boil Fruit & Juices. In a saucepan, bring strawberries, passionfruit juice, white grape juice, and water to a boil.
- Optional: Steep Green Tea. If desired, add green tea once the mixture is boiling, then turn down the heat to simmer. (Remove the tea bag after 2 minutes, and discard the strawberries after 5 minutes.)
- Add Acai. With the saucepan off the heat, whisk in the acai powder while the mixture is still hot.
- Chill & Add Coconut Milk. Refrigerate the Strawberry Acai Refresher mixture in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes. Once it’s cool, whisk in coconut milk until creamy & integrated.
- Serve. Add freeze-dried strawberries & ice into 2 serving glasses, then pour your Pink Drink Refresher mixture on top. Enjoy!
More Starbucks Refresher Recipes:
Try my copycat Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher—or combine it with coconut milk to make the Paradise Drink Refresher!
Starbucks Copycat Pink Drink
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled (160g)
- ⅓ cup passionfruit juice
- ⅓ cup white grape juice
- ⅔ cup water
- 1-2 green tea bags, (optional)
- ¼ tsp acai powder
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberries, chopped (for serving)
- 1 cup ice, (for serving)
Instructions
- Add fresh strawberries, passionfruit juice, white grape juice, and water to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add green teabag and turn down heat to simmer for ~5 minutes. Remove tea bag after 2 minutes and continue simmering another few minutes, until strawberries soften and begin to fall apart. (Option: You can omit the green tea if desired.)
- Remove saucepan from heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove tea bag and strawberry pieces, then discard.
- Whisk acai powder into the hot liquid until dissolved.
- Chill mixture in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until cool, then add coconut milk and mix well to integrate. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
- To serve, divide freeze-dried pineapple and ice into 2 glasses, then pour in Pink Drink mixture. Serve with straws & enjoy!