✔ Updated · clear amounts, strained base and caffeine options
This copycat Starbucks strawberry acai refresher is bright pink, fruity and sweet without being syrupy, with a gentle lift from green tea.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Strain the blended strawberries through a fine-mesh sieve. It takes one extra minute and keeps the drink clear and jewel-pink instead of pulpy.
I keep a pitcher of the base in the fridge all summer, so a cold one is always 30 seconds away.
Why You'll Love This Refresher
- Bright and fruity, with real strawberries, white grape juice and acai.
- Light caffeine from green tea, or none at all if you skip it.
- Make-ahead base that keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
What's in a Strawberry Acai Refresher?
The coffee-shop drink is a fruit-juice refresher rather than a smoothie or lemonade: a light base built on white grape juice with strawberry and acai flavors, a little caffeine from green coffee extract, and freeze-dried strawberry slices shaken in with the ice.
My copycat uses ingredients that are easy to find. Fresh strawberries are blended with water and strained for color and flavor, a teaspoon of acai powder adds a deeper berry note, and two green tea bags stand in for green coffee extract. For more coffee-shop drinks, browse our Starbucks copycat recipes.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use white grape juice, not purple. White grape juice gives the clean, sweet base and lets the strawberry color shine. Purple grape juice turns it murky and much stronger.
- Strain the strawberries. A fine-mesh sieve removes the seeds and pulp so the drink stays smooth and bright pink. I press the pulp with the back of a spoon to get every drop.
- Make a paste with the acai powder. Acai powder clumps if you tip it straight into a pitcher. Whisk it with a little liquid first and it disappears.
- Don't over-steep the tea. Water around 175°F and 3 minutes keeps green tea mild. Any longer and it gets bitter.
- Sweeten at the end. Strawberries and grape juice vary a lot, so start with 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and taste. Equal parts sugar and water, warmed until dissolved, makes syrup in minutes.
- Shake it. Ten seconds in a lidded jar with ice gives that frothy, coffee-shop top. It's my favorite part.
Strawberry Acai Refresher (Starbucks Copycat)
4
drinks10
minutes5
minutes120
kcal15
minutesA copycat-style Starbucks strawberry acai refresher: a bright pink base of white grape juice, fresh strawberry water, acai powder and a splash of green tea, poured over ice with freeze-dried strawberry slices.
Ingredients
- For the Refresher Base
2 green tea bags (or 1/4 teaspoon green coffee bean extract powder)
1/2 cup hot water, about 175°F, for the tea
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon freeze-dried acai powder
2 cups white grape juice, chilled
1-2 tablespoons simple syrup, to taste
- To Serve
4 cups ice cubes
1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberry slices
Directions
- Make the Base
- Steep the green tea bags in the hot water for 3 minutes, then remove them and let the tea cool. (If using green coffee extract instead, simply stir it into the cold water in the next step.)
- Blend the sliced strawberries with the cold water until completely smooth, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing on the pulp. Discard the seeds. The color at this stage is gorgeous.
- In a small cup, whisk the acai powder with 2 tablespoons of the strawberry water into a smooth paste, then stir it into the pitcher so there are no lumps.
- Stir in the white grape juice, the cooled green tea and 1 tablespoon of simple syrup. Taste and add more syrup if you like it sweeter; I usually stop at 1 1/2 tablespoons. Chill until ready to serve.
- Serve
- Fill 4 tall glasses with ice and a few freeze-dried strawberry slices. For the frothy shaken texture, shake each serving with ice in a cocktail shaker or lidded jar for 10 seconds, then pour into the glasses.
- Top each glass with a few more strawberry slices and serve right away.
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Variations
- Pink Drink style: replace the cold water with coconut milk for a creamy, pastel version, like our Starbucks Pink Drink copycat.
- Strawberry lemonade refresher: replace the cold water with chilled lemonade for a tangier drink.
- Sparkling: top each glass with a splash of sparkling water just before serving.
- Caffeine-free: skip the green tea, or use decaf green tea bags.
- Less sugar: use a little more cold water in place of some grape juice, and sweeten with a sugar-free syrup or stevia to taste.
- Frozen: blend one serving of the base with 1 cup of ice for a slushy.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Mix the strained base without ice and keep it covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Shake or stir before pouring, since the acai settles. For parties, I double the base in a big pitcher and set out a bucket of ice and a bowl of freeze-dried strawberries so everyone can pour their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Starbucks-style strawberry acai refresher?
The drink is built on a fruity juice base, commonly described as white grape juice with green coffee extract and strawberry and acai flavors, shaken with ice and freeze-dried strawberries. This copycat-style version uses white grape juice, fresh strawberry water, acai powder and green tea.
Does a strawberry acai refresher have caffeine?
The coffee-shop version gets a light dose of caffeine from green coffee extract. My homemade version uses 2 green tea bags across 4 drinks, so each glass has only a small amount. Leave out the tea, or use decaf green tea, for a caffeine-free drink.
What is the difference between a strawberry acai refresher and the Pink Drink?
The Pink Drink is the same strawberry acai base mixed with coconut milk instead of water, which makes it creamy and pastel pink. To try it at home, replace the cold water in this recipe with coconut milk, or follow our Starbucks Pink Drink copycat recipe.
Where can I buy acai powder?
Freeze-dried acai powder is sold in many grocery stores near the smoothie and superfood products, in health food stores and online. A small amount goes a long way. If you can't find it, the drink still works without it, with a slightly lighter berry flavor.
How long does the refresher base keep?
Store the strained base in a covered pitcher or jar in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Stir or shake before serving, because the acai settles. Add ice and freeze-dried strawberries only when you pour, so the drink doesn't get watery.
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