Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink

If you can’t get enough of the colorful Refreshers at Starbucks, start making your own at home! That unmistakable Pink Drink can easily be whipped up in your kitchen any time of year. We’ll show you how to make a Pink Drink from Starbucks at home so you can beat the lines, cut back on the sugar and save a little money. Win-win-win!

What is the Pink Drink?

Starbucks Pink Drink combines the coffee chain’s Strawberry Acai Refresher beverage and creamy coconut milk. It’s garnished with freeze-dried strawberries for a punch of berry flavor.

The Pink Drink used to be on the Starbucks secret menu but has earned a place on the permanent menu.

How to Make a Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink

To make a copycat Starbucks Pink Drink, you’ll first need to cook down the strawberries, then blend them into a sauce. In a bowl, steep two berry-flavored green tea bags in boiling water for five minutes. Remove the tea bags, then add the strawberry sauce, coconut milk and a few tablespoons of simple syrup. Pour the mixture over ice in a glass and finish the drink with freeze-dried strawberries.

One of our favorite parts about making Starbucks copycat recipes at home is the opportunity to cut down on sugar. A grande size Pink Drink at Starbucks contains 140 calories and 24 grams of sugar! This copycat Starbucks Pink Drink recipe uses frozen strawberries for sweetness. It makes two drinks.

Ingredients for Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink

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• Strawberries: Thaw 1 cup unsweetened frozen strawberries before getting started on the copycat Pink Drink recipe. You can use fresh strawberries if preferred, but just make sure to clean and hull them first.
• Green tea: Berry-flavored green tea imparts fruity, earthy flavors into the drink that mix well with coconut and strawberries.
• Coconut milk: Coconut milk is the creamiest of all the dairy-free milks, and its touch of tropical flavor pairs gorgeously with the strawberries.
• Simple syrup: Prepare a simple syrup with a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. Simple syrup blends into cold drinks much more easily than granulated sugar.
• Freeze-dried strawberries: Find freeze-dried strawberries in the snack or baking aisle of most grocery stores. Keep them whole or crush them slightly in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin.

Directions

Step 1: Cook down the strawberries

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In a saucepan, cook the strawberries over low heat until they start to break apart, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the strawberries from the heat, and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Puree into a sauce

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Puree the strawberries using an immersion blender. Chill the strawberry sauce, covered, until ready to serve.

Step 3: Steep the tea

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Steep the berry-flavored green tea bags for five minutes in boiling water. Discard the tea bags. Refrigerate the tea until chilled.

Editor’s Tip: Set a timer so the tea isn’t over-steeped—if over-steeped, the tea will become very bitter.

Step 4: Mix everything together

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Stir the strawberry sauce, coconut milk and simple syrup into the green tea.

Step 5: Serve

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Divide the mixture between two glasses filled with ice. Garnish the drinks with freeze-dried strawberries.

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Recipe Variations

• Go caffeine-free: Forgo the green tea for an herbal or fruity blend. Lavender, blackberry, chamomile, lemon, peach, mint and, of course, strawberry are excellent, caffeine-free tea flavors for our copycat Pink Drink recipe.
• Use your preferred milk: No need to stick to coconut milk here. Try other nondairy milk alternatives, or use whole, 2% or skim milk.
• Add more sweetness: Bump up the sweetness with more strawberry puree, or mix sugar, stevia, extra simple syrup or agave nectar into the hot tea.

How to Store Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge. Try to fish out the ice with a spoon so the ice doesn’t water down the drink. Pink Drink can last up to a day in the fridge.

Can you make copycat Starbucks Pink Drink ahead of time?

Yes! To make this drink ahead of time, prepare the strawberry puree and steep the tea a day in advance. These can chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to drink. Hold off on mixing in the coconut milk and ice until it’s time to serve. The coconut milk could begin to settle, and the ice will water down your tasty treat.

Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Tips

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Can you double this copycat Starbucks Pink Drink recipe?

Yes, you can double, even triple, our copycat Starbucks Pink Drink recipe to feed a crowd. For easy hosting, prepare the strawberry sauce, simple syrup and green tea ahead of time, and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When ready to serve, combine all three components, plus the coconut milk, in a pitcher and pour over glasses filled with ice. Don’t forget to decorate with the freeze-dried strawberries!

Does the Starbucks Pink Drink have caffeine?

Yes, the Pink Drink contains caffeine. The base is made from the Strawberry Acai Refresher, which has 45 milligrams of caffeine in a grande (16-ounce) size. To compare, a grande iced coffee at Starbucks has 165 milligrams of caffeine.

Is this copycat Starbucks Pink Drink recipe caffeine-free?

No, our copycat version is not caffeine-free but it is low in caffeine. You can control the amount of caffeine in your copycat Pink Drink by changing the type of tea used.