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    Home » Recipes » Drinks (Non-Alcoholic) » Starbuck’s Pink Drink (copycat recipe)

    LAST UPDATED: April 4, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: June 16, 2021 By Toni Dash 11 Comments

    Starbuck’s Pink Drink (copycat recipe)

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    homemade pink drink title image

    Sometimes getting to the coffee shop for a favorite drink isn’t possible. We’ve whipped up a homemade copycat version of Starbuck’s wildly popular Pink Drink. Made with ingredients anyone can find, it’s a refreshing homemade drink option.

    homemade pink drink title image

    Summer is full of iced tea, Arnold Palmer’s and cold brew. Sometimes it’s nice to have something different.

    And who doesn’t find the color pink refreshing? This version of the Pink Drink is a tea-based drink that’s easy and affordable to make at home.

    Is it an exact replica of the original? No, but it has all the key flavors and options to customize it to your own taste (which we love).

    Jump to:
    • What is in Starbuck’s Pink Drink?
    • Homemade Pink Drink
    • Recipe Ingredients + Notes
    • Variations
    • Does this taste exactly like the original Pink Drink?
    • How to Make a Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink – Step-by-Step
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More recipes you’ll love!
    • Recipe

    What is in Starbuck’s Pink Drink?

    The Strawberry Acai Refresher with ‘accents of passion fruit’ and creamy coconut milk.

    Diving a little deeper the drink includes:

    • White grape juice*
    • Water*
    • Sugar*
    • Natural Green Coffee Flavor*
    • Fruit and vegetable juice*
    • Coconut milk that is sweetened
    • Freeze dried strawberries
    • Ice

    *these are in the Strawberry Acai base

    Our goal was to replicate the drink as closely as possible with ingredients that are available to most people.

    Though Green Coffee flavor IS available on Amazon in various forms including green coffee extract in pill form, we decided to come at this a different way.

    Homemade Pink Drink

    Instead of making this by the drink, we make a tea-juice base that can be kept in the refrigerator. It makes the equivalent for 4 large drinks.

    The base can be doubled too.

    When you want to whip up the drink, pour the base over a glass full of crushed ice. Then add a splash of coconut milk (as much as you like), some strawberry simple syrup (for more strawberry flavor and sweetening) and sliced strawberries.

    Recipe Ingredients + Notes

    Strawberry Tea. Strawberry tea is used to deliver the strawberry flavor. I was able to get the tea from my grocery store but it’s available online too.

    I used Strawberry Fields tea.

    Passion Fruit Tea. This adds the accents of passion fruit in an easy to find form. I used Tazo Passion tea (regular tea bags not the iced tea version) which also includes hibiscus and orange peel for more fruity flavors.

    White grape juice. This is an ingredient in the original Pink Drink. It adds both flavor and sweetness.

    Coconut milk. This is splashed into the drink for the creamy coconut flavor.

    Strawberries. Instead of using freeze dried strawberries we used fresh sliced strawberries. Freeze dried strawberries can be substituted.

    Strawberry simple syrup. This adds more sweetness if desired and more pink color. You can make strawberry simple syrup at home and use it for lots of different things.

    Ice.

    Variations

    Change up the tea. Trying to get a similar flavor AND color can be tricky. For more of the acai flavor, add some acai tea to the mixture.

    Starbuck's pink drink comparison
    We found even when buying Pink Drinks from Starbuck’s they can vary in color and coconut milk amount. Here are two we bought at the same time that illustrate this.

    Does this taste exactly like the original Pink Drink?

    No. It’s not possible to completely replicate the flavor of Starbuck’s drink without using their ingredients.

    We’ve done our best to hit the right flavor notes with readily available ingredients.

    The flavor is milder than the Starbucks’s Pink Drink.

    We’ve left some flexibility for individual taste with the coconut milk, strawberry flavor and sweetness level. Our taste testers loved this, each liking different boldness of flavors and sweetness.

    How to Make a Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink – Step-by-Step

    Instead of making one or two drinks we like to keep the tea and juice base in the refrigerator.

    When wanting a drink pour some over ice, add a splash of coconut and strawberry simple syrup to taste.

    STEP 1. Steep the tea

    Combine 3 strawberry tea bags and one passion fruit tea bag with 3 cups boiling water.

    Steep for 5 minutes. Remove, squeeze the tea bags and discard them.

    Allow the tea to fully cool before making the Pink Drink.

    STEP 2. Add white grape juice

    Stir in the white grape juice and store in a jar in the refrigerator.

    STEP 3. Making a drink

    Fill a tall glass with ice. Fill the glass 3/4 full with tea mixture. Add a splash of coconut milk (or the amount you want) and some strawberry simple syrup for the amount of strawberry flavor and sweetness level preferred.

    Add some sliced strawberries and enjoy.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is my coconut milk gray?

    We found in our recipe testing that some types of coconut milk aren’t a brilliant white as seen in the Starbuck’s Pink Drink. They can have a gray tinge that can change the color of the drink (not the flavor, only the color). We learned this is due to the variability in coconut proteins. It can also mean the coconut milk has expired. Learn more here.

    How long does can this be stored?

    The tea-juice based can be kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. Make the pink drinks fresh since storing a drink with ice will become diluted as the ice melts.

    copycat pink drink single

    More recipes you’ll love!

    • Passion Fruit Margaritas recipe
    • Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso (Starbuck’s Copycat)
    • Salted Caramel Brulee Latte recipe
    Did you make it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
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    Recipe

    copycat pink drink

    Homemade Pink Drink

    This homemade riff of the popular Starbuck's Pink Drink is made with ingredients anyone can find. Strawberry, passion fruit and coconut milk flavors make this a refreshing drink to make at home.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes
    Tea chilling time (estimate): 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
    Servings: 4 estimated 4 large drinks
    Calories: 94kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 3 tea bags Strawberry tea
    • 1 tea bag Passion Fruit tea
    • 1 cup White Grape Juice
    • 1/2-1 cup Coconut Milk
    • Strawberry Simple Syrup
    • sliced strawberries for garnish in the drink

    Instructions

    • Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the 4 tea bags.
      Allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags.
    • Allow the tea to fully cool.
    • Add the white grape juice to the tea and place in the refrigerator to chill fully.
    • When ready to make a drink, fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Fill with the tea mixture (about 3/4 full). Add a splash of coconut milk to taste (the amount you like), some strawberry simple syrup and sliced strawberries.

    Notes

    The nutritional information is based on using 1/2 cup of coconut milk. The simple syrup is not included as that will be added ‘to taste’.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angela says

      April 03, 2022 at 7:28 am

      It turned gray as soon as I added coconut milk

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        April 04, 2022 at 11:05 am

        Hi Angela. Assume you read the FAQ about this in the recipe post? It’s due to the coconut proteins in the milk used. As you can see from the images it doesn’t happen with all types of milk. Hopefully it was still delicious!

        Reply
    2. Natalie says

      June 18, 2021 at 3:53 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow, this is so tasty and refreshing. It’s the perfect drink for summertime. Thanks for this lovely recipe

      Reply
    3. Sara Welch says

      June 16, 2021 at 2:56 pm

      5 stars
      I never realized how easy this was to make at home! This is going to save me a trip to the drive thru; love it!

      Reply
    4. Claudia Lamascolo says

      June 16, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing I never had a clue what was in this and now I realize why I love it so much with all those flavors in it. So glad you took the time to make a reproduction which I am sure I am going to love!

      Reply
    5. Jeri says

      June 16, 2021 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      I love Starbucks’ pink drink, but I haven’t had it in forever! I was so excited to come across this recipe! My daughter and I made this and it turned out so good! We will definitely be making this, again and again, this summer! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
    6. Mary says

      June 16, 2021 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this fun and tasty recipe!

      Reply
    7. Catht says

      June 16, 2021 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      I love the pink drink from Starbucks so much, and now being able to make this copycat myself! It is delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂

      Reply
    8. Alisha Rodrigues says

      June 16, 2021 at 10:36 am

      5 stars
      I love the way this looks. What a beautiful color to sip on and so easy to make as well.

      Reply
    9. Kirby says

      June 16, 2021 at 7:42 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was absolutely perfect! Now I don’t have to wait in the long drive thru line for my favorite drink. Thank you so much for creating this!

      Reply
    10. Gloria says

      June 16, 2021 at 6:50 am

      5 stars
      I will say I have not missed going to Starbucks in the last 18 months. It has saved me a lot of money. This looks so good, and perfect for the patio.

      Reply

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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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