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.
Yields 2 servings
Make it at home - copycat Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher.
5 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
15 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup white grape juice**(see note below)
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Green Coffee Bean Powder (the powder of about two capsules broken open)
- 2 tsp Acai Powder
- 4 cups cold filtered water
- ice
- freeze-dried or fresh strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the freeze-dried strawberries, sugar, white grape juice, green coffee bean powder and acai powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes.
- Pour the strawberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer, capturing the liquid in a wide lipped cup or bowl. Gently push the liquid out of the strawberries. Reserve the strawberry pulp for use on pancakes or baking. Allow the syrup to cool.
- Add a few strawberries (freeze-dried or fresh) to the bottom of two serving glasses and top with ice. Divide the cooled syrup among the two glasses, then two cups of cold filtered water to each.
- 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.
Notes
**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.
[bctt tweet=”How to make the Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher at home. #strawberryacairefresher #starbucks” username=”BeautyandBeets”]
***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.
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