Starbucks Pink Drink
Updated
Updated
If you love the Starbucks Pink Drink, this copycat is about to become your new 5-minute habit. The Pink Drink is Starbucks’ wildly popular strawberry açaí Refresher, made with fruity berry juice, creamy coconut milk, and fresh strawberry slices served over ice. It’s light, slightly sweet, and a little tart, with a creamy coconut finish that tastes like a treat without being heavy. This homemade version gets you all of that with just 3 ingredients. No tea bags, no powdered mixes, no drive-thru line. It’s dairy-free, naturally caffeine-free, and costs a fraction of the café price. Perfect for hot summer afternoons, baby showers, or a fun drink the kids can help make.
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5 STAR REVIEW
The Drink My Family Couldn’t Tell Apart from Starbucks
If I’m not grabbing a coffee, I’m grabbing the Pink Drink when I’m at Starbucks. The strawberry açaí drink took the world by storm back in 2016, and I loved it immediately, but at $6-$7 a cup, my Pink Drink habit was getting expensive fast.
So I set out to recreate it at home, and it took a few rounds of tweaking the juice-to-coconut-milk ratio before my family genuinely couldn’t tell which cup came from Starbucks. Along the way, I also tried the popular copycat methods that call for brewing tea bags or stirring in powdered Refresher mixes. Honestly? They’re more work, cost more, and don’t taste any closer to the original. Three simple ingredients got me there. White cran-strawberry juice, sweetened vanilla coconut milk, and fresh strawberries. The result is slightly sweet but never overpowering, light, creamy, and so refreshing.
This Copycat Compares to the Real Thing
It’s remarkably close, but a few differences are worth knowing before you make it:
- The sweetness. The coconut milk is sweetened vanilla (Starbucks uses its own coconut milk blend), which adds a touch of sweetness. The homemade version runs slightly less sweet than the original (which most readers love), but the optional simple syrup lets you match Starbucks exactly.
- The base. Starbucks builds the Pink Drink on its Strawberry Açaí Refresher base. This recipe swaps in Ocean Spray White Cran-Strawberry juice, which I found gets you the closest flavor match without hunting down powders or concentrates. If you can’t find it, cran-raspberry works well too.
- The caffeine. Here’s a difference that’s actually a bonus: the real Pink Drink contains caffeine from green coffee extract (about 45mg in a grande). This copycat is completely caffeine-free, so it’s safe for kids and won’t keep you up if you’re sipping one in the evening. Want the caffeine back? A splash of brewed green tea does the trick.
- The strawberries. Starbucks uses freeze-dried strawberry slices that soften as they float. I use fresh strawberries, gently muddled to release their juices, and I think it tastes even better. Freeze-dried or thawed frozen berries work if that’s what you have.
Helpful Tips
- Shake the coconut milk like you mean it. The cream naturally separates in the carton, and if you pour it in unmixed, it hits the cold juice in little white clumps instead of blending into that smooth, milky pink. Give the carton a hard shake, then whisk it in the pitcher until it looks completely uniform before the juice goes in. If you spot white flecks after mixing, keep whisking. They’ll smooth right out. The drink will also settle a bit as it sits, which is totally normal. A quick stir brings it back together.
- Muddle gently, don’t mash. You only want to coax some juice out of the strawberries, not pulverize them. A few soft presses are enough. When you overdo it, the drink turns pulpy and cloudy, and the berries go limp instead of floating prettily in the glass the way the freeze-dried slices do at Starbucks.
Starbucks Pink Drink
Ingredients
- ½ cup stemmed and sliced fresh strawberries, (plus more for garnish)
- 2 cups Oceanspray White Cran-Strawberry Juice
- 1 cup sweetened vanilla coconut milk
- 4 tsp simple syrup, (optional, for added sweetness)
- small ice cubes
Instructions
- In a pitcher, add the sliced fresh strawberries. Very gently crush the strawberries by using a muddler. (The goal is to release some of the juices, not to smash them completely. The slices should still be intact.)
- Add white cran-strawberry juice, sweetened vanilla coconut milk, and simple syrup; stir to combine.
- Pour over ice in glasses to serve. Add additional strawberry slices for garnish, optional.
Video
Notes
- Whisk the coconut milk until completely smooth before adding. It separates in the carton and can clump when it hits the cold juice.
- Press the strawberries gently, just until juice releases. Over-muddling makes the drink cloudy.
- The drink settles as it sits, so stir before each pour. Great for making ahead for a crowd, assemble the pitcher earlier in the day and refrigerate.
- The optional simple syrup makes it taste closest to Starbucks-level sweetness. Without it, the drink is lightly sweet.
- Want the caffeine added back in? A splash of brewed green tea does the trick.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make the Starbucks Pink Drink Step by Step
Muddle the strawberries: Add ½ cup of stemmed, sliced fresh strawberries to a pitcher and press them very gently with a muddler, just a few soft pushes. You’ll know you’re done when a little pink juice pools at the bottom, but the slices still hold their shape. If they’re turning to mush, stop. You’ve gone far enough.
Mix the drink: Whisk or shake the coconut milk until smooth, then add 1 cup of it to the pitcher along with 2 cups of white cran-strawberry juice.
Sweeten if necessary: Add 4 tsp of simple syrup, if using. Stir well. Watch the color shift from deep berry red to that signature soft pastel pink. When it’s one even shade with no white streaks, it’s ready.
Pour and serve: Fill two glasses with plenty of small ice cubes (the more ice, the more it looks and sips like the real thing) and pour the drink over. Garnish with extra strawberry slices and serve right away. If the pitcher sits a while, give it a quick stir before pouring. The coconut milk settles naturally.
Variations
- Strawberries. Fresh gives you the best flavor, but frozen (thawed) or freeze-dried both work. Bonus with frozen, they chill the drink like ice cubes as they thaw.
- The juice. Ocean Spray White Cran-Strawberry gets you closest to the original, but cran-raspberry works great if you can’t find it.
- The milk. Sweetened vanilla coconut milk keeps it dairy-free and adds a touch of sweetness. Canned coconut milk or coconut cream works too (shake first!). Readers have also had success with vanilla almond milk, vanilla oat milk, and coconut almond vanilla creamer.
- Make it sweeter. Add simple syrup to taste, or toss the sliced strawberries with a little sugar and let them macerate before muddling.
- Want the caffeine back? A splash of brewed green tea or a pinch of strawberry energy drink mix (a reader favorite) gets you closer to the original’s gentle buzz.
Serving Suggestions
The classic way is exactly how Starbucks does it, ice cold in a tall, clear glass with plenty of small ice cubes and a few strawberry slices floating on top. The color makes it practically made for baby showers, bridal showers, and Easter brunch. When I’m putting together that kind of table, I pair it with my cucumber sandwiches, because those light, herby little bites balance the fruity sweetness of the drink without competing with it, and readers tell me all the time they make them for showers anyway. The two just belong on the same tray.
For a casual lunch, I love it next to my chicken salad sandwiches on a buttery croissant. The chicken salad is creamy and savory with cranberries and apples, so the light, fruity drink cuts right through the richness. It feels like a café lunch without leaving the house.
And if you’re serving it at brunch, slice up my lemon blueberry bread. The bright lemon and juicy berries echo the drink’s berry flavor, and a sweet glazed slice with a creamy pink sip is my idea of a perfect Mother’s Day morning.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in a covered pitcher or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Fish out the muddled strawberries after the first day if you can, because they soften and get a little mushy the longer they soak. Stir well before each pour, and expect the texture to be slightly less creamy than day one.
Make Ahead
This drink is at its best when made fresh, but it’s also a dream for parties because you can mix the whole pitcher ahead. Muddle the strawberries and stir everything together except the ice, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The coconut milk will settle as it sits, which is completely normal, so give the pitcher a good stir until the color is one even pink again before pouring over ice. Keeping the ice out of the pitcher until serving is the trick, since it melts and waters the flavor down.
More Copycat Drinks We Love
- Dirty Soda: The viral soda-fountain drink that swirls coconut cream into fruity soda, so Pink Drink fans tend to fall hard for it.
- Starbucks Caramel Frappe: If you’re saving money by skipping the Starbucks line for your Pink Drink, this copycat caramel frappe covers your coffee order, too. It’s the blended, caramel-drizzled treat for the days you do want caffeine.
- Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade: Another famous drive-thru drink you can make at home in minutes. It’s creamy and tart, whereas the Pink Drink is creamy and sweet, so I love offering both at summer get-togethers.
- Strawberries and Cream Agua Fresca: If the strawberries-and-creamy-milk combo is what won you over here, this agua fresca is its Mexican cousin. Same fresh berry flavor, same easy no-cook method, just as refreshing over ice.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Made this drink today. Spent $20 on all supplies (instead of $7 at Starbucks) and it was perfect, I used freeze dried strawberries instead, I think next time I’m going to opt for frozen strawberries as they work like ice cubes and also garnish!!! 100/10- perfect for being 35 weeks pregnant.
I made this fabulous recipe! I did not have any fresh strawberries on hand so I added freeze dried strawberries, and oh what a treat it was! Delicious!
It’s summertime and I’m making a gallon of this a week. Going to try adding lecithin to the coconut milk beforehand to see if it keeps the mixture from splitting when stored (granted, it comes back together, but I want to test.) Thanks for changing my life for the better when I found this last year
This drink was absolutely delicious and exactly like the real Starbucks version, and it was so easy! If you gave me this version and the real version side by side I’d never be able to tell which was which. I absolutely recommend.
I just made this AMAZING recipe, and it tastes exactly like a pink drink! I am going to the store right now to get more stuff.
I have been spending way too much money on the Pink Drink at Starbucks that it was actually getting embarrassing just how much money I’ve been spending. I actually modify my Pink Drink to have Vanilla Sweet Cream. I found the vanilla sweet cream recipe elsewhere and instead of pouring the coconut milk, I used the vanilla sweet cream and I honestly can’t tell the difference between this recipe and the Starbucks recipe. I also gave some to my husband and he also can’t tell the difference. Thank you SO much for this!!
This recipe saves me a lot of money!!
I have a teen and 7yr old who has recently discovered the famous pink drink and literally wants one every day. So instead ai found this recipe and made this. He said it was better than the original!!
Thank u for sharing this recipe!!!!
Holy crap!! This is so delicious!!!! I’m gonna save so much money. And it tastes better than the Starbucks version.
I did 64oz of the juice, 32 oz of So Delicous vanilla coconut milk, and 4 tsp of strawberry simple syrup, although it didn’t really need it. Make sure to whisk the cocknut milk so it does curd.
Tastes so much better than starbucks!!!!
this is an awesome resipe if I could this would be my no.1 drink of all time and would only drink this forever!
Thank you thank you thank you. ? This is the perfect recipe and taste just like Starbucks pink drink. It’s delicious
Great copycat recipe! I made this with two little girls that I babysit who say they love getting Starbucks pink drinks! I followed directions except I added vanilla extract to the coconut milk since the Aldi brand didn’t have the vanilla flavor. (Carton, not can)
Sooo worth it!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. SO GOOD! 10/10 will make it again. Love your videos and smile.
Tastes almost EXACTLY like the pink drink. Perfect alternative for a fun little treat.
So happy I found this recipe earlier. Before tasting it, I smelled it and immediately knew it was a carbon copy. This is absolutely my favororite drink at Starbucks, and now it’s only costing me $2 instead of nearly $7. Thank you so much!!
This is absolutely amazing! I am hooked on the pink drink and, wow! Thank you for putting out this cost effective copycat! Like other reviews mentioned, I got strawberry crystal light energy and put a small bit in so I can get the caffeine fix. If you haven’t made it, do it! I have gone through an entire gallon of the ocean spray.
This was absolutely wonderful! I love the pink drink and this is a great way to make it at home!
This is great! My boyfriend loves the Starbucks pink drink but wanted to try making it at home and this is so similar to the original. We are saving this in our recipe book! Thanks!
I I love this Pink Drink. It is as good as Starbucks ! I couldn’t believe it was so darn easy.My husband loves Starbucks Pink Drinks. I just made this so this is going to be a surprise. He is taking a nap. Thank You for your wonderful recipe.
Me and my friend tried this and it was great. We loved it! Thank you so for putting this up.