(Editor: This Starbucks Pink Drink Copycat Recipe was originally posted on June 6, 2016 and was updated on May 21, 2020)
Do you remember back in the summer of 2016 when Starbucks introduced all these color drinks? It started with the Pink Drink, and then there was the Purple Drink, the Violet Drink, the Orange Drink, the Green Drink, and the Ombre Pink Drink. The Pink Drink made it on to the permanent Starbucks menu. It’s delicious, but it’s also easy to make at home. Here is my copycat version of the Starbucks Pink Drink copycat recipe.
What is the Pink Drink?
I am all about trying to copycat Starbucks drinks (check out my copycat Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher). Here is how the Pink Drink has been explained to me – it is the Strawberry Acai Refresher made with Coconut Milk instead of water.
My local Starbucks in Orlando is next door to both a Publix Supermarket and a Trader Joe’s, which made shopping for my Starbucks Pink Drink copycat recipe easy. I know all the refreshers are made with white grape juice and green coffee bean extract as a base. For the coffee extract I bought a bottle of green coffee bean extract in capsule form and just popped open the capsules, using the powder inside. I found mine at a health food store but Amazon sells the Green Coffee Bean Extract as a powder too. 
The Starbucks Pink Drink copycat copycatrecipe garnish
Start by making a strawberry simple syrup using freeze dried strawberries. The key is to push the solids gently with a spoon through the fine mesh strainer to get a thicker and more concentrated syrup. And then you can take the leftover solid and use it as a topping for ice cream or oatmeal.
Most Starbucks garnish the Pink Drink with freeze dried strawberries, and some stores used blackberries. I like it both ways, but I prefer adding fresh strawberries.
The Starbucks Pink Drink copycat recipe
- 1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Green Coffee Bean powder, or the powder of about four capsules broken open
- 1 tbsp Acai powder
- 1 cups white grape juice* see note
- 3 cups coconut milk
- ice
- 1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries, you substitute freeze dried
- blackberries
Add the freeze dried strawberries, sugar, filtered water, the green coffee bean powder, and the Acai powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer for ten minutes to create a syrup. (note: The sugar will dissolve while the green bean coffee powder and Acai powder will not)
Pour the strawberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer, capturing the syrup in a wide lipped cup or bowl. (optional: you can get extra liquid out of the berries by gently pushing the berries into the strainer with the back of a spoon)
Allow the syrup to cool, 30-45 minutes. You should have slightly over two cups of the syrup.
To a 2-quart pitcher, add the strawberry syrup** (see note), 2 cups white grape juice, and the 3 cups of coconut milk. Store in the fridge until ready to drink.
- Top with the fresh strawberries reserved for the garnish and/or blackberries, if using.
To be Starbucks authentic when serving, add some of the Strawberry Acai Refresher and some ice to a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake before pouring into the serving glass.
- Enjoy!
* I prefer substituting filtered water for the grape juice as the juice makes the drink very sweet.Â
** You can adjust the strawberry syrup depending on how strong or weak you want the drink to be.Â
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This sounds like a great thing – very delicious 🙂
1/4-1/2 what? Cup or tsp? Of green coffee?
AAAgh!!!! Sorry about that Amanda! Teaspoon- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of Green Coffee Bean Powder!!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try this it looks delicious !
Hey! Did you use sweetened coconut milk or unsweetened?
Thanks!
Hi Veronica! I personally used unsweetened plain coconut milk.
What brand of coconut milk did you use??
Any thoughts on how to make this sugar free, or lower sugar?
Hi Brooke!
I use coconut sugar to cut down on using white sugar, but a sugar substitute such as Splenda would work as well. I would probably not recommend using honey or agave syrup as I think that would affect the flavor too harshly. Hope this helps.
Doesn’t this drink have Acai in it?
Yes it does. You can use this recipe and change out the water for milk- https://beautyandthebeets.com/strawberry-acai-refresher/
Hi, this looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Do you think I can use stevia instead of sugar?
Absolutely!!!!!!! I prefer Stevia and Truvia to regular sugar. I personally used coconut sugar for this recipe when I make it now and I love it!
I use the 1 cup of strawberries and my drink didn’t can out pink and the picture. It can out brown. What did I do wrong
I use the 1 cup strawberries in the recipe and my drink didn’t come out pink like the picture. What did I do wrong
Hi Fabiola! Did you use the freeze dried or fresh strawberries? The fresh strawberries won’t make the drink as vibrant a pink while the freeze dried version will. It will taste the same though.
Is there any way to make a stash and save for continued use?
I have the same question.
Where do you buy the Tea? I can’t find it anywhere
I love your recipe Anna-Marie. I can’t wait to try it out.??
I can’t have full caffeine because of an irregular heart rate(I can have decaf )so I’d the green tea powder key to the flavor?
The green tea powder is only to add caffiene- if you omit it the flavor will not be affected. Thanks for stopping by Mary!
Is there a way to make a batch of this at one time and keep it for further drinks? I drink a trenta sized pink drink. What would I need to make to get the right proportion for that size?
This recipe makes enough for several trenta drinks. You can stash the leftovers in the fridge for the next day. I recommend you just shake it and go!
It’s a really good start but I followed the recipe to the letter and it was way more milky than the Starbucks drink. I don’t know if it’s because they do more acai tea and just splash some coconut milk or what. I might try and water it down some and I think that’ll help thin it out a little more. I think brewing the tea with some sugar and the dried strawberries and then mixing that syrup with coconut milk and a little water might make a closer copycat. But thank you for the recipe and giving me a way to make it at home! I will say, it looks very pretty!
lol I used canned coconut milk that is used for baking and now I am scared to try it. definitely not the right kind of coconut milk…………
Also used frozen strawberries…..
just trying to make it as cheap as possible.
Frozen strawberries would be fine, but not the cooking coconut milk!! Oh no, tell me how it tastes, if you try it. 🙂