Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe

With our easy copycat recipe, you can enjoy a refreshing Starbucks Pink Drink at home any time! Just 4 simple ingredients!

mason jar with homemade Starbucks pink drink

Starbucks Pink Drink

Be your own barista with this tasty shortcut recipe to make Starbucks’ famous “pink drink” at home!

The original Starbucks Pink Drink started out as a secret menu item, but gained so much popularity on social media that it can now be ordered right off the main menu!

However, it’s so easy to make your own version of this refreshing drink with just 4 ingredients, so you might just decide to skip the drive through and DIY it!

What Is In A Starbucks Pink Drink?

The original “pink drink” is essentially the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher shaken in a blender cup with coconut milk. This creamy, strawberry-flavored, lightly caffeinated drink is a tasty pick-me-up when you want something that’s not coffee flavored.

Because it has green coffee extract, the original recipe isn’t kid-friendly…but our Starbucks copycat recipe is! I’ll also show you how to add caffeine if you DO want that extra energy boost. That’s why I love this homemade recipe…you can customize it to make it exactly how you like!

Did I mention that it’s easy?!

two jars of homemade Starbucks pink drink with dried strawberries

Ingredients

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  • Ocean Spray White Cranberry Strawberry Juice โ€” You can also use plain white cranberry juice, strawberry juice, or white grape juice for the base for similar flavor.
  • (1) packet of Crystal Light Wild Strawberry โ€” Or similar sugar free strawberry flavored drink mix. Crystal Light has both caffeine free and caffeinated options available.
  • Freeze Dried Strawberries โ€” Or fresh sliced strawberries
  • Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream โ€” The Starbucks original is actually non dairy, made with coconutmilk, but you can use dairy milk or heavy cream if you prefer.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Instructions

  1. Fill a tall glass at least halfway with ice cubes.
  2. Pour in the white cranberry juice, until the glass is about 3/4 of the way full.
  3. Stir in one packet of strawberry flavored Crystal Light.
  4. Top with freeze dried strawberries and coconut milk, then stir until well blended.

2 photo collage showing how to make a copycat Starbucks pink drink

Prep Tips

  • Yield – Our recipe makes enough for a 12oz glass with ice. However, you can always add a bit more juice or coconut milk to adjust to your own preference or make any size you like, from a grande to venti to a trenta! You can even make a pitcherful (and just add the strawberries to individual glasses when serving). Don’t worry, you really can’t “mess up” this recipe…it’s foolproof!
  • Juice – If you can’t find the white cranberry and strawberry juice blend, you can use regular white cranberry juice or even white grape juice. Since we’re adding strawberry Crystal Light and dried strawberries, you’ll still get plenty of that pink color and strawberry flavor.
  • You can also use white cranberry juice concentrate or white grape juice concentrate (from the freezer section) to make your own juice for this recipe.
  • Strawberries – If you don’t have dried strawberries on hand, you can substitute fresh strawberries for the garnish.
  • Milk – We used canned coconut milk because it is thick and creamy; be sure to shake well before opening the can to mix up the cream! If you prefer real dairy, you could use heavy cream instead.

close up of a homemade pink drink, Starbucks copycat

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There Caffiene In Starbucks Pink Drink?

Starbucks’ strawberry acai base is made with green coffee bean extract, which does contain caffeine. A Grande Starbucks’ Refresher (16 ounces, any flavor) contains 45 mg of caffeine, which is comparable to the caffeine content in a cup of brewed black tea. So even though it looks like a kid-friendly drink, it isn’t a good option for anyone that is sensitive to caffeine.

Our pink drink shortcut recipe does not call for green coffee extract, because we wanted to keep this recipe simple by using only ingredients that are available at mostย local grocery store options. But you CAN add caffeine if you like!

If you want caffeine, you have a few options:

  • Use Crystal Light with Caffeine (they have Wild Strawberry flavor!)
  • Take a green tea bag and steep in the white cranberry juice for a couple minutes before mixing up the drink.
  • Make our authentic Strawberry Acai refresher recipe (which does contain caffeine) for the strawberry base.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon green coffee bean extract to this recipe.

Can You Make This Recipe Sugar Free?

Starbucks Refreshers are sweetened and do contain added sugars. While it varies depending on the specific flavor, all refreshers contain at least 20g added sugars in a grande size beverage. Some contain upwards of 40g sugar per serving.

The great thing about making your own refreshers at home is that you can control the amount of sugar. Our recipe, as written, is similar in sugar and carbohydrates to the Starbucks original. The sugar comes from the juice and the strawberries. The sugar in the freeze-dried strawberries is natural fruit sugar, but many fruit juices do contain added sugar. If you find a no sugar added juice, you can reduce the amount of sugar in the overall recipe. It won’t be a totally sugar free drink, but it may be less than the drive-thru version!

mason jar with homemade "pink drink"

More Starbucks Copycat Recipes To Try

top down view of a strawberry pink drink, made like Starbucks'

Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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mason jar with homemade Starbucks pink drink
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe

With our easy copycat recipe, you can enjoy a refreshing Starbucks Pink Drink at home any time! Just 4 simple ingredients!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Copycat Starbucks, Starbucks, strawberry
Servings: 1
Calories: 254kcal
Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Tall Glass

Ingredients

  • 6 oz White Cranberry Juice or strawberry juice
  • 1 packet Crystal Light Strawberry
  • 2 oz Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream
  • 2 TB Freeze Dried Strawberries

Instructions

  • Fill a tall glass with ice, at least halfway full.
  • Pour in white cranberry juice, until the glass is 2/3 full.
  • Stir in Crystal Light packet until dissolved.
  • Top with freeze dried strawberries and fill remainder of glass with coconut milk. Stir to blend.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary based on exact ingredients used and serving size.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin C: 249mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 5mg

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Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
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