I have been on this major Starbucks kick lately. I have never realized the enormous variety of drinks they offer- from highly caffeinated espresso lattes to coffee bean Frappuccinos to iced refreshers with barely any caffeine at all. Most recently I have made it a point to try (and recreate) all those colored drinks (see links at the bottom of this post) to all the special seasonal flavors like S’mores and Honey Cream. And people get so creative trying to find the next big thing to go viral at Starbucks (hence the pink, purple, orange, and green drinks). But what about those drinks that have already been tried and true on the menu? Those drinks that don’t require special instructions or upcharges? Are we no longer ordering straight off the menu anymore?
While I was trying to recreate the Pink Drink at home, I learned about one of the newer Refresher flavors. The Refresher craze started with the Cool Lime flavor, then Starbucks introduced the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher and the Valencia Orange variety. And now the only one left is the Very Berry Hibiscus and the newer flavor- Strawberry Acai.
I love these Refreshers- they are just so perfect in the summer – iced, cold and fruity. But I have a hard time ordering these at Starbucks because (a) they are fairly expensive and (b) I feel like they are just so watered down for the price. So what’s a girl to do? Make our own of course! So here is my version of the Strawberry Acai Refresher recipe.
I already tackled the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher, so now it is time to make the newest flavor- the Strawberry Acai. It’s very easy to make at home, but not as convenient as one may think. Mainly just because you have to go on a bit of a hunt for the freeze-dried strawberries, green coffee bean powder and Acai powder. Whole Foods or Amazon are my suggestions for a one stop shop (I included links to these ingredients on Amazon and yes, these are my affiliate links – no pressure!). However, once you find these, making the Strawberry Acai Refresher is very simple. And once you buy these products, you will many uses out of them, or at least many glasses of this Strawberry Acai beverage!
The first step is to make the Strawberry Simple Syrup – very easy. Boil 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of green coffee bean powder and one cup of grape juice. Strain the syrup, add water and garnish with fruit. Easy right?
*And by the way, if you want to make the pink drink, substitute the water for coconut milk.
- 1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Green Coffee Bean Powder, the powder of about two capsules broken open
- 2 tsp Acai Powder
- 1 cup white grape juice
- 2 cups cold filtered water
- ice
- freeze-dried or fresh strawberries, for garnish
Add the freeze-dried strawberries, sugar, 1 cup filtered water, and the Acai powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes to create a syrup.
Pour the strawberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer, capturing the syrup in a wide lipped cup or bowl. Gently push on the pulp using the back of a spoon to release all the liquid. Allow the syrup to cool.
Fill two serving glasses with ice. Divide the cooled syrup among the two glasses, then divide the white grape juice 1 cup of cold filtered water to each. Add in the green coffee bean powder and stir or shake to blend.
- To be even more Starbucks authentic, add everything to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously before pouring back into your serving glass.
- Top with the remaining strawberries reserved for garnish and serve immediately.
**I prefer regular water to the white grape juice as the grape juice is so sweet and makes the drink really sweet tasting. However, the Starbucks version does use the white grape juice.
Add more Green Coffee Bean powder for more caffeine.
***This post contains affiliate links. I only link to products that I use myself and believe in. Your support is greatly appreciated.***
Check out my other Starbucks copycat recipes- just click on any image for the recipe.
Helen Corbin says
July 20, 2016 at 3:23 pmAnother good-sounding one 🙂 Keep going and maybe we can eventually have a new drink every day of the year 🙂
Emily says
July 23, 2016 at 9:40 amI love that you make imitation recipes out of the Starbucks favorites. I haven’t had the refreshers, but those kinds of drinks are some of my favorites! I would love to try this, and I imagine it’s a bit cheaper than Starbucks. 😉
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Christopher says
August 20, 2016 at 11:45 pmInstructions mention white grape juice but it’s not in the ingredients list?
Anna-Marie says
August 21, 2016 at 1:25 pmChristopher- thank you SO MUCH for pointing that out- I added it into the ingredients list. So sorry about that!!
Alicia says
September 24, 2016 at 3:28 pmCould a batch of the syrup be made ahead of time and used throughout the week? If so, how long could it be kept in fridge?
Anna-Marie says
September 25, 2016 at 10:04 amHi Alicia! Oh yes. I make the syrup and use it throughout the week. The syrup will last at least 7 days, and I have used the last mine 10 days later. Hope that helps!!
Alicia says
September 28, 2016 at 1:00 amThank you!
sid says
October 26, 2016 at 8:26 pmDoes this taste exactly like Starbucks? There are a lot of copycat recipes but they taste off compared to Starbucks. Thanks
Sara says
July 25, 2018 at 10:03 pmNo it doesn’t 🙁 I made it and was so excited but something is completely off with the taste
Leslie says
November 14, 2016 at 2:34 pmReady to order these ingredients and try this ASAP! This has been my go-to drink, but they just raised the price AGAIN! I already felt guilty spending $4.45 for a trenta sized drink, but they’ve shot the price up to $4.75… Ridiculous!! Crossing my fingers it is at least a close comparison! Thank you!!
Debbie says
December 4, 2016 at 7:36 pmMe and my granddaughter love this drink and can’t wait to try it!
N says
December 4, 2016 at 7:46 pmI was so excited to try this. Have to say I am Very disappointed with this recipe 🙁 it tasted like dirt. I did everything the recipe said. Not pleased at all.
Keyana says
January 8, 2017 at 6:00 pmI think it is the white grape juice. It doesn’t taste very good. Any suggestions?
Anna-Marie says
July 19, 2017 at 6:29 pmWhile the Starbucks version uses the white grape juice, I personally prefer just regular water as the grape juice is just so sweet!
Belle Beiler says
December 17, 2016 at 6:31 pmIs the green coffee bean really necessary? Does it change the flavor if taken out of the recipe? Can the drink be caffeine free?
Anna-Marie says
December 17, 2016 at 6:48 pmThe green coffee bean powder is totally optional. it does not change the flavor, only adds caffeine. Leave it out and go caffeine fee!
Lisa says
January 14, 2017 at 10:19 amI tried this, as it is my favorite drink at Starbucks. This was disgusting, and tasted nothing like it. What a waste of money to get all those ingredients. Not impressed.
Kate says
April 5, 2017 at 9:34 pmI also thought this was pretty far off and changed it. I think it tastes much more like the real drink with these changes:
1cup freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup grape juice
1 cup water
1.5 capsules of green coffee bean powder
2tsp acai powder
2 tsp Stevia powder ( OR 3 TSP sugar)
Follow same instructions, except divide the mixture into thirds too make 3 drinks with added water and ice. ….
To me these mods make it taste pretty accurate…. Before I changed it, it was too sweet, I thought, but maybe that was the point… Some people think the store bought version is watered down.
Cassady Turregano says
January 22, 2017 at 6:27 pmThank you for sharing this! I attempted to make it and it didn’t turn out how I’d hoped, maybe you can help?? The drink basically tasted like sugar water… Any thoughts??? I followed the recipe correctly (so I thought) but maybe I didn’t do the sugar juice mixture right?
Shaun says
February 13, 2017 at 9:24 pmNot sure about the people that say it didn’t tasteven right. I just had a Starbucks refresher and this side by side and the taste was pretty spot on.
Amber says
March 14, 2017 at 8:03 pmCan the syrup be made with fresh strawberries? Or frozen ?
Anna-Marie says
March 14, 2017 at 8:17 pmYou could use fresh or frozen strawberries. With frozen, the syrup will be a little sweeter and thicker as the strawberries will break down quicker. The freeze dried berries work better as they are more concentrated. Fresh berries will work but they will take a little longer to breakdown. Thanks for stopping by Amber!
Hannah says
May 1, 2017 at 12:33 pmI could not get the acai powder to dissolve, it was in the drink any suggestions? And it was very darkly colored not bright reddish pink at all
Anna-Marie says
May 1, 2017 at 6:19 pmI am not sure. The acai powder should naturally dissolve as the water is boiling?
Hannah says
May 1, 2017 at 10:42 pmSo should I boil it longer??
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Kayla Matthews says
July 11, 2017 at 6:36 pmCan this be ore made in a big batch? I like having this in the morning before work and won’t have time to do this every morning..
Thanks
Ev says
April 1, 2018 at 9:55 pmI order the Acai with no water and no ice.
Julia says
April 26, 2018 at 11:22 amHow would you go about making a weeks worth of syrup and how much syrup would you use at a time? Don’t have time to do all hat in the morning before work
Anna-Marie says
April 27, 2018 at 9:41 amHi Julia! The current recipe will make several servings to fill a jug to keep in the fridge for the week. I make the whole batch then drink ti during the week. The recipe will make the whole drink, not just the syrup.
Ashley says
May 1, 2018 at 7:18 amMine tastes a lot like tea. I have no idea why. Anyone else have this problem? It’s no where near the real taste.
Ann says
May 14, 2018 at 2:22 pmRe: *And by the way, if you want to make the pink drink, substitute the water for coconut milk.
How does switching coconut milk for water make the drink pink?
Anna-Marie says
May 14, 2018 at 2:31 pmHi Ann! The Strawberry Acai Refresher and the Pink Drink are essentially the same drink, only one uses water and the other coconut milk.
whitney says
May 15, 2018 at 3:15 amstarbucks barista here! refreshers are way more caffeinated than anything else on our menu. obviously if you’re making them at home it doesn’t matter but for everyone thinking ordering them will cut back on caffeine, I’m sorry, but that’s the worst option at sbux for low caffeine.
Briana says
January 11, 2019 at 11:38 amHow you going to come on here and be a barista knowing how to make this yet not give us the recipe as it is made at STarbucks. Apparently this recipe isn’t true to the Starbucks taste of the drink. Could you possibly let us know how you do it at work?
Anna-Marie says
January 11, 2019 at 5:22 pmHi Briana! I am confused. At any time during my post, did I mention that I worked at Starbucks? I am not a barista not have I ever claimed to be. This is a homemade version of the recipe, not from an employee confused how you thought I was one?
kate says
January 15, 2019 at 1:34 ami think she was replying to whitney who said she was a barista… as in why did whitney not share the real recipe if she works at starbucks
Marisa says
July 1, 2018 at 4:24 pmIs the geeen coffee bean extract just for caffeine? Does it impact the taste at all? I’m very caffeine sensitive, so I’m looking to make this caffeine free! 🙂
Anna-Marie says
July 3, 2018 at 3:09 pmHi Marisa,
I really just use it for caffeine, the taste is not impacted at all by it.
Madison says
August 31, 2018 at 6:43 pmDoes the green coffee bean extract add to the flavor or is it just to add caffeine?
Anna-Marie says
August 31, 2018 at 6:57 pmHi Madison,
The green bean coffee extract only adds caffeine. If you leave it out the flavor will not be impacted.
Sierra says
September 12, 2018 at 8:31 amCould you see fresh Strawberries instead of freeze drided one? Which works better?
Anna-Marie says
September 13, 2018 at 6:20 pmHi Sierra,
Fresh strawberries will work well making the syrup. It’s an easy swap!
Missy says
October 5, 2018 at 9:24 pmCan I skip the step of using the mesh strainer and just add the ice and water?
Anna-Marie says
October 7, 2018 at 4:30 pmYou can skip the mesh strainer step but the syrup will be chunky with the strawberries instead of a pure syrup. The end result will end up with the chunky strawberry mush in it. It certainly won’t be like the Starbucks version if that is what you are going for.
Brandy says
October 28, 2018 at 8:13 pmI was thinking of using a hand blender at that step.
Amanda says
October 29, 2018 at 9:10 pmI found this to taste pretty decent, however not exactly the same taste. I can’t figure out what’s different about it though. Maybe I should try less water and more syrup. The good part is now I have the foundation of this drink and I can’t keep making batches different ways till I find just the right blend!
Btw I found the açaí and the coffee capsules both at Walmart not to hard to find thankfully!
Sierra says
November 4, 2018 at 10:28 amHow many ounces is each serving?
Pat says
February 7, 2019 at 12:15 amThank you for sharing. Anna-Marie. Sounds yum!!!
Cassandra says
February 18, 2019 at 5:29 pmMy first try did not come out well at all. Granted, I didn’t make the açaí syrup with berries, just with the açaí. And clearly I should have just used water, or less juice, cause it is soooo sweet. I’m also having problems with the green coffee powder. It is not dissolving well and the somewhat strange flavor of it is overpowering the drink
Jamie says
March 7, 2019 at 10:15 pmStarbucks version has stevia in it. That’s missing in the copycat recipe.