Something strange has happened this summer…I’ve been switching from iced coffee drinks to Starbucks Refreshers in the afternoons. These ice cold, fruity drinks are the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day, plus they pack just a little bit of a caffeine kick, which gets me through the rest of the long days.
Now, don’t be alarmed, I still need my daily iced coffee or shaken espresso, but if you’re looking for a light, summery drink every once in awhile, don’t forget about the delicious Starbucks Refreshers. They’re available in lots of flavors that you can also customize and any drink without milk (or a milk substitute) is going to be lighter on your stomach in this heat.
So, without further ado, here are the Starbucks Refreshers that we have been drinking and loving lately. Then, after the drinks, I’ll answer some of your burning questions about the Refreshers.
Best Starbucks Refreshers:
1. Starbucks Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher:
Hands down, this is our favorite. It is so delicious. If you’re a fan of strawberry lemonade, it tastes very much like that, with just a little bit of that acai kick. This drink mixes their classic Strawberry Acai Refresher with their lemonade, instead of water, for a sweet and slightly tangy drink that is so addicting! If you are a fan of the classic Pink Drink, then you’ll love this, because the coconutmilk is swapped for lemonade.
2. Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher:
Don’t like lemonade or want to cut your sugar a little? The classic Strawberry Acai Refresher is our second favorite. It’s a refreshing, strawberry drink that is so delicious. Plus, it packs a bit of a kick, too. The grande size has 45mg of caffeine and a venti has 70mg. For caffeine comparisons in different drinks, check out this post.
3. Starbucks ICED DRAGON DRINK:
A great alternative to passion tea or strawberry acai refresher based drinks if you’re looking for something new.
4. Starbucks ICED MANGO DRAGONFRUIT REFRESHER:
Are you a mango lover? The place where I got married had this huge mango tree that was just dripping with mangos. It was so cool. I had no idea mangos even grew that way. Ever since then, I’ve found myself gravitating towards mangos more than before. This drink is another delicious, refreshing option with sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors hand-shaken with ice plus a scoop of real diced dragonfruit.
5. Starbucks ICED MANGO DRAGONFRUIT LEMONADE REFRESHER:
I personally like the lemonade based refresher drinks, because I like the sweet and tart flavor of lemonade. If you do, too, you’ll like how the lemonade compliments the mango and dragonfruit flavors here.
This one has lemonade, sweet mango and refreshing dragonfruit flavors hand-shaken with ice, plus a scoop of real diced dragonfruit.
6. Starbucks Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers:
Are you a fan of pineapple? I loooove pineapple. One of my favorite cakes is pineapple upside down cake. If you’re a fan, you will love this new blended refreshed that has pineapple, passionfruit and lemonade. It’s delicious!!
7. Starbucks Paradise Drink Refresher:
I had this the other day and forgot to take a picture, but wow, I loved it. It didn’t last long enough for me to even snap a photo! Think of the Pink Drink, then swap out the strawberry for pineapple and passionfruit. It’s like Hawaii in a cup. Really delicious.
8. Starbucks Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher:
Love the lemonade based drinks? Get the Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade but iced instead of frozen. The difference in texture can make the drink experience different. One feels more like an Icee and the other feels like a drink. Sometimes, when I’m swapping out coffee for a non-coffee drink, I like it iced, because it tricks my brain into thinking it’s my afternoon coffee.
9. Starbuck Frozen Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher:
On that note, get that strawberry lemonade in a blended version, like a lighter strawberry frappuccino! I like getting these for my older kids when they want a frappuccino, because it’s less sugar, less milk, less caffeine, but still special.
10. Starbucks ICED PASSION TANGO TEA:
While this is not called a Refresher, it has a similar flavor profile and is still delicious. If you don’t like lemonade based drinks or want to avoid the sugar, you can order an iced passion tango tea and get it sweetened or not. If you don’t ask for sweetener, they won’t usually add it.
The passion tango tea is a blend of hibiscus, lemongrass and apple hand-shaken with ice. If you sweeten, they’ll add their simple syrup.
11. Starbucks Iced Passion Tea Lemonade:
Another drink I absolutely love to order in the summertime is the passion tea lemonade. I get mine sweetened, otherwise it’s too tart. This drink uses the tea blend of hibiscus, lemongrass and apple hand-shaken with ice, and lemonade. If you ask for it sweetened, they add their simple syrup.
Special Menu Refresher Drinks:
If you’re looking for off the menu drink ideas, these are some ideas. However, most of these incorporate heavier syrups, such as the white chocolate syrup, as well as heavier milk options. In my opinion, that negates the light, fruitiness of the Refreshers, but these are also delicious, so get what you like.
12. Pink Drink with Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam:
This one is so delicious. The Pink Drink uses coconut milk, the strawberry acai refresher base, ice, strawberries and it’s topped with the vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
If you haven’t tried the cold foam yet, it’s a mixture of heavy cream, milk and vanilla syrup. It has a similar taste to their whipped cream, but the texture is softer and you get a little bit of it in every sip. Delicious.
13. Pink Drink with Chocolate Sweet Cream Cold Foam:
Do you love the new Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew drink? Get that malted chocolate cold foam and put it on top of your Pink Drink for a combo that is a little bit like a chocolate dipped strawberry. It’s good.
What’s in it: coconut milk, the strawberry acai refresher base, ice, strawberries, and it’s topped with the chocolate cold foam, which is a mixture of heavy cream, milk and malted chocolate powder.
14. Pink Drink with White Chocolate Macadamia Cold Foam:
Are you a fan of the new white chocolate macadamia cold brew? Put those hands together and make one drink with both. The pink drink base is complimented with the white chocolate cold foam that is delightful. Think: white chocolate covered strawberries. Yum.
15. Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam:
Okay, I may not be the biggest matcha lover, but I do like it. And, now you can get a matcha cold foam on top of your pink drink.
16. TikTok Pink Drink:
This one has been gaining serious popularity on TikTok. To order, ask for a Pink Drink with heavy cream instead of coconut milk, add 2 scoops of vanilla bean powder shaken in and top it with whip cream.
This sounds like a very sweet, thick drink that would be dessert in a cup.
17. Starburst Drink:
This is another secret menu creation that is increasing in popularity. You’ll likely need to explain it to your barista.
Here’s how to order: Order a venti pink drink and add 2 pumps white mocha sauce and 2 pumps of vanilla.
18. Strawberry Marshmallow Drink:
Another twist on a Starbucks refresher is the strawberry marshmallow. Start by ordering the iced guava passionfruit drink, top with vanilla sweet cream cold foam with strawberry puree added.
Your Starbucks Refresher Questions Answered:
What’s in a Starbucks Refresher?
The Starbucks Refreshers combine green tea extract based drink mixes with other flavors. A plain refresher is mixed with water, but other options, such as the Pink Drink, are mixed with their coconutmilk blend, and others are mixed with lemonade.
Do Starbucks Refreshers have caffeiene?
Yes, they do! They average around 45mg of caffeine in a grande and 70mg in a venti. This is about the same as black tea, but less than coffee. So, if you have kids, you may want to opt for caffeine-free drink options.
What are fruit inclusions?
You’ll see things like “fruit inclusions” or a barista may ask you if you want the fruit inclusions. This means the dried fruit that is added and often floats on top. One day, they were out of fruit inclusions, so the dragon drink was a creamy color, instead of the vibrant purple it’s known for. That’s the difference fruit inclusions can make. Some people like the chunky fruit and others don’t. You can always order it without fruit inclusions.
Customization options:
You can customize your Refresher based on flavor, size, iced or blended, with or without fruit inclusions, and you can even customize strength. Asking for less water/coconutmilk or lemonade will mean the tea flavor is stronger.
Why is my Starbucks Refresher flavor unavailable?
They do bring in special flavors that are for a limited time, like Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and other flavors will become so popular, they’ll run out. They are always willing to make suggestions for what you could order instead and sometimes I like the new flavors even better.
Can I get caffeine-free Refreshers?
The Refresher bases are made with green tea extract and it cannot be removed. You can ask them to make a tea-based drink that is similar with caffeine free tea, but it’ll take them longer to steep the tea and then shake it.
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Still looking for more Starbucks drinks to try? Check out some of these posts:
- 16 low sugar Starbucks drinks
- 9 Starbucks drinks under 100 calories
- 12 Starbucks Drinks Under 200 Calories
- The Starbucks Pup Cup: A Puppuccino for your Pet!
- 14 Best Starbucks Iced Coffee Drinks
- 18 Delicious Starbucks Drinks for Kids
Thanks for reading.
Get roasted,
A
