Amazing! Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe [In Just 15 Minutes] (2024)

Whether it is summertime or spring break, I am always trying to find a way to entertain my kiddos. Often that means taking a trip to Starbucks, which can get pricey with 6 kids. Since we haven’t won Starbucks for Life, I decided we should start making some of our own Starbucks drinks as a fun way to entertain the kids and save some serious money.

You don’t have to be a skilled, fast-paced barista to craft the perfect drink. My daughter’s favorite drinks are the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher and (of course) Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos. We learned how to DIY both and make healthier options as well, which I think actually tastes better!

The cool thing is, once you’ve made the Strawberry Acai Refresher base you can store it and make tons of different drinks out of it. Let’s get to it, the best DIY Strawberry Refresher!

Make Strawberry Acai Refresher at Home in Less than 15 Minutes

Are you ready to learn how you can enjoy this classic summer beverage from the comfort of your own home? We’ll also throw in a healthier alternative. Let’s get into how this is possible, shall we?

My friend is a former Starbucks Barista, and Strawberry Acai Refreshers were one of her favorite drinks to make. It was a 3-step process for baristas. They would fill the Acai base to a line in a pitcher, add water, add a scoop of berries, and shake exactly 10 times.

Amazing! Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe [In Just 15 Minutes] (1)

Unfortunately, Starbucks does not sell a retail version of the Strawberry Acai base used in stores. However, you can make the base yourself at home!

Believe it or not, the best part about this recipe is it takes under 15 minutes to assemble! Plus, there are additional health benefits to this at-home strawberry acai refresher recipe. There are no necessary added ingredients. You also get to control how sweet you want your beverage to be by choosing to add less or more sugar.

Ingredients for the Strawberry Acai Base Syrup

Surprisingly, Starbucks Strawberry Refreshers are indeed caffeinated. While they don’t have nearly as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, it’s still enough to wake you up.

That makes this a perfect Starbucks Refresher drink to begin your day with if you’re not a coffee lover. The caffeine comes from the green coffee bean powder. Fun fact, ALL coffee beans are naturally green before they’re coated and flavored for production. I have seen some recipes also call for green coffee bean extract.

For the Strawberry Acai flavor base syrup, you’ll need:

Next, you’ll create your water mixture. For this, you’ll need:

Copy Cat Starbucks Acai Refresher Recipe

Serving: 16 oz

Serving size: 1 glass

Ingredients

Acai Syrup:

Concentrate

Directions to Make Your Strawberry Acai Refresher

  1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the freeze-dried strawberries, sugar, ½ cup filtered water, and Acai powder to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 8-11 minutes until a syrup texture is formed.
  2. Into a mesh strainer over a bowl, pour in the strawberry mixture to separate the syrup. Make sure all liquid is released and allow the syrup to cool down for 10 minutes.
  3. Fill a glass with ice, grape juice, and cold water. Then add in the green coffee bean powder. Shake to mix together.
  4. To finish, add the remaining freeze-dried strawberries.
  5. Enjoy!

Healthy Substitutes

We don’t like to give our kids too much sugar, so we made some subtle adjustments to the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher.

  • Substitute for 1/4 Cup Sugar – Two Tablespoons of Monkfruit Sweetener
  • Substitute 1/2 cup White Grape Juice for 1/2 cup Water

In-Store Starbucks Money Saving & Healthy Hacks!

Amazing! Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe [In Just 15 Minutes] (3)

Hey, sometimes we might still want to make a run to our favorite Starbucks. Here is how to get the most out of your Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Order!

  1. You can add extra of anything into your drink for free as long as it already comes in the drink. For example, if you order a Caramel Macchiato, you can add extra caramel drizzle for no additional charge. This means that you can add extra strawberry base for free! (when ordering this way, say “light water, extra base, please”).
  2. Order your drink with light ice to get more drink for your dollar. You can always order a cup of ice on the side.
  3. To embellish your order, sub lemonade for water. It’s delicious!
  4. The pink drink is the Strawberry Refresher with coconut milk instead of water. For a healthier alternative of the pink drink, order unsweetened iced passion tea lemonade, no water, sub coconut milk, add freeze-dried strawberries, and 2 packets of Stevia.
  5. Order a Strawberry Refresher with lemonade and ask to have it double blended for the BEST slushie of your life!

Thanks for taking the time to learn how to make your very own refresher at home for half the price! Enjoy the Starbucks hacks, and happy beverage crafting.

Let me know how your Strawberry Acai Refresherturned out in the comments!

If you enjoyed learning about our DIY Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher, you might also enjoy:

Super Simple DIY Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade

How to Make Starbucks Pink Drink (+ 2 Variations!)

Pin for Later – Amazing! DIY Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher [In Just 15 Minutes]

Amazing! Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe [In Just 15 Minutes] (4)

Frequently Asked Questions about the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher

What is in a Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher

Ice, Strawberry Acai Base,Water, Freeze-dried Strawberries.
DIY Refreshers include:
Acai Syrup:
½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup filtered water
1 tsp Acai Powder
Concentrate
¼ tsp Green Coffee Bean Powder
½ cup white grape juice
1 cup cold filtered water
Ice

How much caffeine is in a Strawberry Acai Refresher

TheStarbucks Strawberry Acai Refresherdoes have caffein as green coffee bean powder is in the drink. The drink has anywhere from 45-55 milligrams ofcaffeinein a grande cup.

Are there other ways to make a Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe?

There are a lot of Starbucks copycat recipes that include other strawberry flavors, passion fruit, natural green coffee flavor and more.

Is the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher a refreshing drink?

If you enjoy fruity drinks, then this Starbucks drink is for you! It also is very refreshing on a hot day!

What’s the difference between a strawberry acai refresher and a pink drink?

The difference between the Strawberry Acai Refresher and the Pink Drink is that the latter substitutes the usual water or juice base for coconut milk.

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Michael Mamian

Mike is a dedicated father of six and an entrepreneurial spirit at heart. He is the master of practical travel tips and hacks, especially when it comes to Disney travel!

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Amazing! Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe [In Just 15 Minutes] (2024)

FAQs

What is in a strawberry acai Refresher from Starbucks? ›

Ingredients. Ice, Strawberry Acai Base [Water, Sugar, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Green Coffee Flavor, Fruit And Vegetable Juice, Rebaudioside-a], Lemonade [Water, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Lemon Oil], Freeze-dried Strawberries.

How to order a healthy strawberry acai Refresher from Starbucks? ›

The infamous #PinkDrink is simply ordering the “Strawberry Acai Refresher” (on the menu), but instead of using water, you ask for coconut milk. They keep the stevia sweetened fruit juice and freeze dried strawberries.

Is there a lot of caffeine in strawberry acai Refresher? ›

Strawberry Acai Refresher

The flavor of strawberry is accented with hints of passion fruit and acai, which are shaken with ice and mixed with strawberry slices. This drink has 45 milligrams of caffeine and 21 grams of sugar.

Are Starbucks Refreshers healthy? ›

Are Starbucks refreshers healthy? Starbucks refreshers have less sugar than some of Starbucks' syrupy coffees, but there's still about 20 grams of sugar in each. The frozen ones have around 10 grams of sugar more, so Benson recommends sticking with a basic refresher and pairing it with a healthy snack on the side.

What flavor brings out strawberry? ›

Black pepper and balsamic vinegar

Black pepper and balsamic vinegar are both championed by chef Nigel Slater as giving strawberries more flavour: "You only need a little – and it does sound daft, but it works."

Is strawberry acai refresher better with lemonade? ›

Strawberry Acai Lemonade

The regular version of the drink is perfect in its simplicity, whereas the lemonade variation is perfect in its boldness.

What Flavours compliment strawberry? ›

Strawberry: Pairs well with other berries, almond, apple, banana, chocolate, citrus, coriander, honey, melon, mint, peach, pineapple, rhubarb, vanilla, and walnut.

What is the difference between a pink acai and a strawberry refresher? ›

At its core, the Pink Drink is a Strawberry Acai Refresher made with coconut milk instead of water, resulting in a creamy, fruity concoction.

How many calories in starbucks strawberry acai refresher with coconut milk? ›

Oz. Flavored with other natural flavors + coconutmilk 150 calories per bottle. Contains <5mg caffeine per serving.

What are the ingredients in Starbucks strawberry acai refresher? ›

Ingredients. Ice, Strawberry Acai Base [Water, Sugar, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Green Coffee Flavor, Fruit And Vegetable Juice, Rebaudioside-a], Freeze-dried Strawberries.

Is 45mg of caffeine a lot? ›

The Mayo Clinic recommends the following daily limits of caffeine: Adults: less than 400 mg/day. Adolescents: less than 100 mg/day. Children: 0 mg/day.

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

For the Pink Drink, baristas would use coconut milk instead of water, which the baristas add to the basic Strawberry Açaí Refresher. Coconut milk's inclusion in the Pink Drink offers the advantage of making it a dairy-free beverage, catering to customers with dietary restrictions or preferences.

What are the ingredients in the Starbucks Refreshers? ›

ICE, STRAWBERRY ACAI BASE [WATER, SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL GREEN COFFEE FLAVOR, COLORED WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE, REBAUDIOSIDE-A], COCONUTMILK [WATER, COCONUT CREAM, CANE SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, COCONUT WATER CONCENTRATE, SEA SALT, ...

Is pink drink from Starbucks healthy? ›

Is the Starbucks Pink Drink healthy? Well, it's definitely not the least healthy item on the menu. A 16-ounce grande Pink Drink made with coconut milk has 140 calories and contains 2.5 grams of fat and 25 grams of sugar.

Can you get a Starbucks refresher without caffeine? ›

Caffeine-free drinks at Starbucks

If you love the taste of coffee but don't want to throw off your beauty sleep, you can order decaf anything (with the exception of the Refreshers, which all contain green coffee extract).

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