Copycat Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher (2024)

Love Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refresher? Now you can make thisfruity, antioxidant-filled drink at home anytime with our easy copycat recipe!

Copycat Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher

You asked for it!

A while back I published a copycat recipe to make Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher at home. It quickly became a fan favorite and I’ve been asked many, many times if I could also create a copycat Strawberry Acai Refresher recipe.

The Strawberry Acai Refresher is one of the most popular items on Starbucks’ menu. It’s also surprisingly easy to make at home once you have all the ingredients! There are a couple specialty ingredients, but I will show you some substitutions in the “prep tips” and FAQ section to make this drink even if you don’t have those items.

If you’ve not tried a Strawberry Acai Refresher, the name explains it pretty well! This is a naturally sweetened drink made with a blend of fruit juices, strawberries, and acai berry powder…plus a little caffeine kick! It’s light, sweet, and refreshing! No wonder it is one of the most popular Starbucks drinks and I’ve gotten so many requests for a homemade recipe!

What Are Acai Berries?

Acai berries one of nature’s superfoods, providing more cell-protecting antioxidants than blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries. Antioxidants are said to help prevent cellular damage from free radicals. According to the Mayo Clinic, “free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or when you’re exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation.”

While ripe acai berries can be a little bitter tasting, you can use acai powder to get all those healthy benefits, in an easy-to-mix form. No blender needed!

Ingredients

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• Acai Powder — Provides antioxidants, a rich color, and richer flavor to this signature drink
• Green Coffee Bean Powder(optional) — Green coffee powder is made from raw coffee beans (berries) and may also be called green coffee bean extract. This is where the caffeine comes from in a Starbucks refresher.
• Water — For blending
• Fruit Juices — White Grape Juice, Passionfruit Juice provide natural sweetness
• Strawberry Syrup — Can be store-bought or you can make your own strawberry simple syrup (details in the Prep Tips section)
• Freeze Dried Strawberries — Or fresh strawberries, for garnish

Full ingredient amounts are available in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Kitchen Tools Used

• Small Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Quart Size Mason Jar or Large Pitcher

Instructions

1. Whisk together the açai powder and green coffee bean powder with 1/4 cup water until dissolved. This will create a slurry, or a thick liquid (that’s not quite a paste) similar to when you mix cornstarch and water.
2. Add fruit juices, slurry, remaining water, and strawberry syrup to a large mason jar.
3. Secure the lid and shake well to combine.
4. Pour mixture over ice and top with freeze-dried strawberries. Give a quick stir to mix in the fruit.

Prep Tips

• Make your own strawberry simple syrup — Don’t have strawberry syrup on hand? Don’t worry, it’s easy enough to make on your own! To make strawberry simple syrup, add 1 1/2 cups de-stemmed and slice strawberries to a small saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Simmer (but do not boil) until the liquid thickens and berries cook down, about 20 minutes, then strain to separate the berries from the syrup. You can use the strawberries as the mix-in for your drink (instead of dried berries) if you like, so there’s no waste!
• Make it a “Pink Drink” — To make Starbucks’ famous Pink Drink, all you need to do is fill a glass with ice and pour in strawberry acai base until the glass is 3/4 of the way full. Fill the remainder of the glass with coconut milk, then stir or shake to blend. Or you can try our super easy Starbucks Pink Drink Shortcut Recipe here!
• Use Fresh Strawberries — If you don’t have dried strawberries on hand or have fresh strawberries you’d like to use instead, go right ahead! You can totally use sliced fresh strawberries in this drink!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Starbucks Refreshers Made With Water?

When you order a refresher at Starbucks, they start with a concentrated drink base and add it to a drink shaker with ice and water. Just like Starbucks, our strawberry acai refresher base is concentrated. We added 1/4 cup water to our mason jar for mixing, which is probably similar to what Starbucks would add for a single serving (and our recipe makes 2-4 servings).

If you like a strong fruit flavor, enjoy our recipe as is. If you want it to be a little less strong, try doubling the amount of water that you add during the shaking step. Alternatively, you could add lemonade or black tea, which are options at Starbucks. My husband loves adding tea to his refreshers for a little extra kick! On the other hand, lemonade would make for a sweeter drink.

Do Starbucks Refreshers Have Caffeine In Them?

Yes, Starbucks refreshers contain caffeine – about the same amount as a cup of regular coffee. Starbucks Refreshers, and our copycat recipe, are made with green coffee extract, which provides caffeine without a coffee taste. It blends perfectly with fruity drinks!

If you don’t want caffeine, simply omit the green coffee bean powder from this recipe to enjoy a delicious and refreshing caffeine-free drink.

If you can’t find green coffee bean powder but still want caffeine, try adding 1/2 cup of strong brewed black tea to your mason jar when you mix the drink. You could even use green tea!

Can You Save The Leftover Strawberry Acai Base?

Our strawberry acai base is enough to make 2-4 servings, depending on the size of the glass you use. If you have leftovers, simply keep in the fridge in a pitcher for up to a week, until you’re ready to use. I do recommend waiting to add the dried fruit until you’re ready to serve, so it doesn’t get mushy.

More Starbucks Copycat Recipes To Try

If you’re a fan of Starbucks, be sure to try our other popular copycat recipes:

• Copycat Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Iced Skinny Mocha Recipe
• Copycat Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte
• Cranberry Bliss Bread
• Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Gluten-Free Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf

Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe (one of Starbucks’ secret “pink drinks”)

Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe