If you’re a fan of Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refresher, you’ll love these homemade Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipes (Starbucks copycat)! Once you make the base, it’s versatile and can be used in all sorts of other drinks.
I love making my own Starbucks drinks because they’re so customizable! I can always tweak them to have less sugar or more strawberry, and that means they taste even better than the originals.
Adding coconut milk makes this DIY Strawberry Acai Refresher drink into a Pink Drink, and making it with lemon instead of water gives you the Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher. All the ingredients for these drinks can be found at your local grocery store on online store.
You’re going to love these DIY Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipes (Starbucks copycat)! It tastes and looks just like the real thing, plus you can customize how much sweetness or caffeine you prefer.
Why You’ll Enjoy These Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipes (Starbucks Copycat)
If you’re a fan of Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refreshers, these recipes are perfect for you! You can easily make your own drinks at home with just a few ingredients.
After watching how a Starbucks Barista made the Strawberry Acai Refreshers, I did some experiments to see how it works. I’ve tried a lot of Starbucks copycat strawberry acai refresher recipes and these homemade version are the best! It tastes just like the real thing! Once you’ve made your own Strawberry Acai refresher base, you can store it in the fridge and make a delightful drink whenever you want!
What Are Starbucks Refreshers?
Starbucks refreshers contain fruit juice, green coffee extract, and scoops of fruit. They’re a perfect option for anyone who wants a Starbucks drink but isn’t a fan of iced tea or coffee. When compared to other Starbucks drinks, they’re also relatively low in calories.
Refreshers aren’t the same as tea. They’re listed under “cold drinks” on Starbucks’ menu.
Strawberry Acai is the most popular refresher flavor, but there are other flavors, such as mango dragonfruit and kiwi starfruit.
Refreshers are made by mixing the bases with water. But they can also be combined with coconut milk or lemonade!
Ingredients
To make this delicious drink, you only need a few simple ingredients that can easily be purchased online. If you don’t want to purchase all of them, I have some tips & tricks later in the blog post that will allow you to still make a delicious drink!
Here’s everything you need
Fresh Strawberries
Acai berry powder
White grape juice
Passion fruit extract powder
Green coffee extract powder
Lemon juice
Freeze-Dried Strawberries
Water
Green tea (optional)
My delicious recipes use some easily accessible ingredients to create a delicious flavor combination! Strawberries, acai berry powder, white grape juice, simple syrup, ice cubes and water are all used to create a delightful flavor. If you’d like to add some green tea for an extra boost of antioxidants, that’s also totally okay!
Strawberries
Adding strawberries to this drink gives it a bright red color and refreshing fruity flavor.
Strawberries are the best when fresh, but if you can’t get to them, you can use freeze-dried strawberry powder or freeze-dried whole strawberries.
Acai Berry Powder
Acai tastes amazing! It has a sweet and fruity flavor that is unique and makes the strawberry refresher recipe taste even better. You can also use acai juice to make this recipe! It is delicious and nutritious.
White Grape Juice
White grape juice is a great addition to your drink! It has a refreshing, sweet, and crisp flavor that can be substituted for other fruity juices. You can find white grape juice at your local grocery store.
Simple syrup
Use simple syrup for easy mixing. You can also substitute honey or sugar, but we’ve also tried using low-carb sweeteners like erythritol which works well. The key is to add some sweetness to the drink. Sugar, erythritol, honey or even maple syrup are all great options for sweetening your drink.
Green Tea
The price of the green coffee bean powder may be high, but the extract will not add any flavor to your drink so you can make it without caffeine if you wish.
You can also use green tea as a substitute. Brew green tea using these simple steps: Pour hot water over the green tea bag. Steep for 2 to 3 minutes, then let it chill in the refrigerator. You can skip this step if you use green coffee powder.
Recommended Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe
How To Make Strawberry Acai Base
Here’s the recipe to make Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai base!
Making the base is easy, and once you have it, you can keep it in the fridge for quick refreshes whenever you need them!
Combine white grape juice and sliced strawberries in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture boils.
Lower the heat to a simmer and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, until strawberries are broken down.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Press down on the strawberries with a wooden spoon to remove as much liquid as possible.
Return the syrup to the saucepan and set it back on the stove low.
Add the acai powder, green coffee extract powder (if using), and passion fruit powder and stir until the powders have dissolved as much as possible.
Acai powder does not dissolve completely into liquid, so some granules will remain in your mixture. Don’t worry though, this is perfectly normal and you can always add a dash of acai extract if you’re uncomfortable with it.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, and pour mixture back into heat-proof bowl or large mason jar. Place in the fridge until it’s cooled.
Wow! Your base is ready to be made into the Refresher at any time!
How To Make Strawberry Acai Refresher
To mix together the base and water, pour half cup of the base and half cup water into an ice filled shaker. Shake before serving!
Serve this refresher over a glass filled with fresh, frozen or freeze-dried strawberries.
If you’re looking for a balanced drink, try mixing equal parts water and the strawberry acai base. Some people like sweeter drink, while others prefer it less sweet. Sip your drink and see if you like the taste.
Alternative Simpler Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe
Make sure the powdered products dissolve by using a small electric whisk. Add the powder to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and whisk together. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes so that the ingredients can mix well.
Once the slurry is made, you can transfer it into your large pitcher.
Quickly pour in the rest of the ingredients to the strawberry juice, then add the passion fruit puree, to taste.
Pour over some ice-filled glass and top with strawberries that are either fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried. Then, keep the leftover strawberry acai base in the fridge for later use.
10 Pro Tips About How To Make The Strawberry Acai Refresher
There are a few ways to make this tasty refresher recipe even more delicious. Here are some of our favorite twists on it!
- Regular strawberry acai drinks have a light red color when you use water, but if you use coconut water the drink will become creamy with a soft pink color.
- Mix the acai powder with water until it’s completely dissolved.
- Fresh strawberries are great, but some people prefer frozen ones. Frozen berries work just as well in a smoothie or shake, and they’re also convenient to have on hand. Plus, they contain more nutrients than fresh berries.
Strawberry powder and freeze dried strawberries can be found in most grocery stores. If you’re looking for a refreshing drink to enjoy on a hot summer day, give the freeze-dried strawberries a try. They add just the right amount of tart and fruity flavor to make your drink taste extra delicious.
If you don’t have any freeze-dried strawberries on hand, feel free to add some sliced fresh ones instead.
- Passion fruit juice is the perfect way to enjoy a tropical drink! These delicious fruits are perfect together! Passion fruit, strawberry, and acai are a great combination. You can never have too much fruit!
- A splash of sweetened coconut milk would taste perfect with this strawberry acai refresher.
- Some caffeine-rich green coffee bean powder will add a little zing to your drink. The Starbucks strawberry acai refresher is made with coffee powder, and it will give your refresher a unique taste that is reminiscent of the Starbucks version!
- Add a Sprite or other lemon-lime soda to your glass for perfect carbonation.
- Lemon or lime juice is a great way to add a bright flavor to your refresher. The citric acid in the juice makes it even more refreshing!
- If you don’t like the tiny black particles from the acai powder, strain it through a cheesecloth or coffee filter.
- You can customize the sweetness and caffeine of your drink. Start with less syrup and slowly add more to get the perfect flavor. Adding ½ cup sugar to your white grape juice and strawberry mixture will turn it into a thicker syrup that is sweet and delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions About Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipes (Starbucks Copycat)
Do Refreshers Contain Caffeine?
Some people think that because the drinks are juice-based, they’re caffeine free, but Refreshers actually contain a fair amount of caffeine (about 50 milligrams in a Grande) due to the addition of green coffee extract.
The green coffee extract doesn’t add any flavor to the drink, so if you’re making it at home and would like to make a caffeine-free drink, you can certainly leave it out.
What ingredients are in Starbucks Refreshers?
The refresher base includes white grape juice concentrate, fruit juice (such as apple juice), sugar, vegetable juice, water, natural flavors, fruit flavoring, and natural green coffee flavor to help you stay energized throughout the day.
It’s shaken with ice and topped with freeze-dried fruits.
What does the strawberry acai taste like?
The drink tastes just like a pink Starburst, and that’s saying a lot coming from someone who isn’t super into fruity drinks.
Sweet strawberry flavors combined with passion fruit and acai notes make this a delicious Starbucks drink. This light, refreshing strawberry acai drink is perfect for summer!
