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Best Starbucks Refreshers 2024: Starbuck Refreshing Drinks

If you’re ever at Starbucks and want something other than a coffee drink, the good news is that the international chain has a lot of options. 

One series of drinks that have received viral fame on TikTok and other platforms is the Starbucks refresher drinks line, with fruity flavors and vivid colors. 

The iced drinks offer a mild caffeine buzz with a fresh flavor, perfect for summer, or any time of year when you want something light and sweet and cold. But which Starbucks Refresher is the best? 

Read on to find your favorite from the line of Starbuck refreshing drinks.

refreshing starbucks drinks

What Is A Starbucks Refresher?

The Starbucks Refresher line of drinks is the company’s answer to the demand for a refreshing drink that contains caffeine but without tea or the usual roasted-coffee flavors. 

While each Starbucks Refresher drink contains caffeine, it comes in the form of green coffee extract, which pairs well with the fruity flavors of the beverages.

Starbucks Refreshers are hand-shaken drinks with real fruit juice and freeze-dried fruit pieces to add some texture, flavor, and aesthetic. These drinks are lightly caffeinated, with a grande size featuring about 35 mg of caffeine.

Related Reads: Starbucks Secret Menu, Starbucks Healthy Drinks

Starbucks Refresher Drinks Summary

If you’re looking for a refreshing drink with fruit flavors and not too much caffeine, the Starbucks Refresher line has a lot to offer. 

The caffeine content in Starbucks Refreshers is not enough to make you jittery; at 35 mg for the medium size, it’s less than a quarter of what you’d get in the same-size latte. 

One shot of espresso has, on average 63 mg of caffeine, for comparison. 

The Refreshers come in four base flavors, with variations that let you tailor your drink to your tastes. 

The four bases are:

  • Kiwi Starfruit
  • Mango Dragonfruit
  • Strawberry Acai
  • Very Berry Hibiscus

From the four bases, there are three basic varieties of Refreshers, based on what they’re mixed with.

  • Original
    • Original Refreshers feature one of the bases, filtered water, and ice.
  • Lemonade
    • Lemonade Refreshers feature Starbucks’ fruity bases, lemonade, and ice.
  • Coconut Milk
    • These Refreshers include a creamy coconut milk blend along with fruity bases and ice.

No matter which Starbucks Refreshers drink you choose, each recipe gets freeze-dried fruit pieces, called fruit inclusions, shaken into the beverage. Options include strawberries, blackberries, dragonfruit, and kiwi. 

You can even request extra fruit or different fruit inclusions from the standard recipes to customize your Refreshers order.

If you want to order your Refresher on the Starbucks app, simply go to “Cold Drinks,” and navigate to your favorite one, and follow the prompts for any extras you want to add.

Best Starbucks Refreshers

To avoid being too subjective, we’ve based our ranking of the best Starbucks Refreshers on popularity. 

After all, if more people prefer one or another of the Refresher drinks, that’s a pretty good indication of the best. 

But if you’re not sure, based on descriptions and information, you can request a sample of the ones you want to try from your barista and make up your mind personally.

1. Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refresher

The Strawbery Acai is the most popular Starbucks Refresher drink, taking the top spot by a landslide. 

The lightly caffeinated drink blends sweet strawberries, passionfruit, and acai into a slight, sweet drink that keeps customers coming back for more. 

The Refresher base contains no added sugar, and the blend of fruit juices and green coffee extract comes together for an easy favorite. 

  • Ingredients: Ice, strawberry acai Refresher base, filtered water, freeze-dried strawberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg, Grande: 45 mg, Venti: 70 mg, Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 16 mg, Grande: 20 mg, Venti: 30 mg, Trenta: 41 mg

2. Strawberry Acai Lemonade Starbucks Refresher

This twist on the Starbucks Refreshers adds a tart splash of lemonade to the strawberry-forward base and freeze-dried fruit. 

This does add more sugar to the stats, but most of the sweetness still comes from real fruit juice and a little from the freeze-dried strawberries.

  • Ingredients: Ice, Strawberry Acai Refreshers base, Starbucks lemonade, freeze-dried strawberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg, Grande size: 45 mg, Venti: 70 mg, Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 24 g Grande: 32 g Venti: 47 g Trenta: 63 g

3. The Pink Drink

One of the drinks that took TikTok by storm, The Pink Drink, is an official menu item with all the allure of a secret menu creation. 

Made by combining the strawberry acai Refresher base with Starbucks’ coconut blend of non-dairy milk, it’s creamy and sweet while keeping its refreshing core.

  • Ingredients: Ice, strawberry acai Refreshers base, Starbucks coconutmilk blend, freeze-dried strawberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 19 g Grande: 24 g Venti: 35 mg Trenta: 48 mg

Related Read: Starbucks TikTok Drinks

4. Mango Dragonfruit Refresher

With a more tropical flavor profile, the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher brings the tangy taste of mango together with a milder taste of dragonfruit, complete with real pieces of dragonfruit in the drink. 

There are variations, but the original is strong enough on its own.

  • Ingredients: Ice, mango dragonfruit refresher base, filtered water, freeze-dried dragonfruit
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande size: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 15 g Grande: 19 g Venti: 27 g Trenta: 38 g

5. Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher

If you prefer your Refresher to have more of a tang than sweetness, the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher is a good variation to check out. 

This version substitutes Starbucks lemonade for the water in the original to highlight the sweet-tart nature of the base.

  • Ingredients: Ice, mango dragonfruit Refresher base, lemonade, freeze-dried dragonfruit
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg 
  • Sugar: Tall: 23 g Grande: 30 g Venti: 44 g Trenta: 60 g

6. The Dragon Drink

While maybe not as Instagram-famous as the Pink Drink, the Dragon Drink definitely deserves a place of honor in any list of the best Refreshers. 

The Dragon Drink blends Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit base with the company’s in-house coconutmilk blend for a dreamy taste of the tropics. 

  • Ingredients: Ice, mango dragonfruit Refresher base, Starbucks coconutmilk blend, freeze-dried dragonfruit
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 18 g Grande: 23 g Venti: 33 g Trenta: 45 g

7. Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher

If you’re a fan of the classic Starbucks iced Passion Tea, the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher is a good alternative with a little kick of caffeine. 

Real fruit juice features highly in the Starbucks Berry Refresher base, along with hibiscus and green coffee extract. Shaken up with freeze-dried fruit and ice, it’s a berry-forward drink with a light buzz attached.

  • Ingredients: Ice, Berry Refresher Base, filtered water, freeze-dried blackberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 11 g Grande: 14 g Venti: 20g Trenta: 28 g

8. Very Berry Hibiscus Lemonade Refresher

Blending the deep blackberries of the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher with tangy lemonade, the Very Berry Hibiscus Lemonade Starbucks Refresher is a cup of summer. Fortunately, you can get this Starbucks Refreshers drink any time of year.

  • Ingredients: Ice, berry refresher base, Starbucks lemonade, freeze-dried blackberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 24 g Grande: 32 g Venti: 47 g Trenta: 63 g

9. Violet Drink

The Violet Drink, or the Purple Drink as it’s sometimes called, softens the tart edges of the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher with Starbucks’ own coconut milk blend, called coconutmilk. 

This transforms the tangy Starbucks Refreshers beverage into something softer and creamier and very Instagram-ready.

  • Ingredients: Ice, berry Refresher base, coconutmilk blend, freeze-dried blackberries
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 15 g Grande: 19 g Venti: 28 g Trenta: 39 g

10. Kiwi Starfruit Refresher

Another Starbucks Refresher drink with a tropical twist, the Kiwi Starfruit Refresher brings together tart and tangy kiwi with exotic starfruit sweetness for a pretty and colorful cup. 

It may not pack a lot of caffeine, but it provides a light, refreshing flavor unique among Starbucks Refreshers.

  • Ingredients: Ice, kiwi starfruit Refresher base, filtered water, freeze-dried kiwi
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 14 g Grande: 18 g Venti: 27 g Trenta: 37 g

11. Kiwi Starfruit Lemonade Refresher

Adding a familiar twist to the exotic flavors of the original, the Kiwi Starfruit Lemonade Refresher gains depth and tang with the addition of Starbucks’ own in-house lemonade. 

This drink mingles tart and sweetness with a delicate balance, lightly caffeinated just like other Starbucks Refreshers from the green coffee extract.

  • Ingredients: Ice, kiwi starfruit Refresher base, lemonade, freeze-dried kiwi
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 23 g Grande: 30 g Venti: 43 g Trenta: 63 g

12. The Star Drink

Another variation on the kiwi starfruit Refreshers base, The Star Drink blends in creamy coconutmilk blend by Starbucks to add a rich counterpoint to the tangy sweetness of the tropical base. 

While it hasn’t gotten as much social media attention as The Pink Drink or the Purple Drink, it’s definitely popular among Starbucks Refreshers.

  • Ingredients: Ice, kiwi starfruit Refresher base, coconutmilk blend, freeze-dried kiwi
  • Caffeine content: Tall: 35 mg Grande: 45 mg Venti: 70 mg Trenta: 90 mg
  • Sugar: Tall: 17 g Grande: 22 g Venti: 32 g Trenta: 45 g

13. Starbucks Blueberry Acai Refresher (Pre-packaged)

This pre-packaged, canned take on the Starbucks Refreshers drink line has more caffeine than the made-in-house variety and a few added supplements to round it out and bring it on par with canned energy drinks. 

It’s a good alternative to the handmade shaken cold drinks you can get on location, with a bigger caffeine kick, though no freeze-dried fruit.

  • Ingredients: Blueberry acai juice concentrate and other natural flavors (check the can for specific ingredients)
  • Caffeine content: 12 oz can, 50 mg
  • Sugar: 12 oz can, 20 g

Frequently Asked Questions

How much caffeine is in Starbucks Refreshers?

Starbucks Refreshers have less caffeine than standard coffee, with a caffeine content on par with green tea for a Tall size. 

In fact, to get close to the same amount of caffeine as in a regular Starbucks Iced coffee, you’d have to order a Trenta.

Which Refresher is best at Starbucks?

There are a lot of ways of determining the best Starbucks Refreshers, but for this article, we’ve used popularity as the gauge. 

By far, the most popular of the Starbucks Refreshers drink line is the Strawberry Acai Refresher, with the violet drink as another popular choice.

How much are Starbucks Refreshers?

The price depends on the size since Starbucks standardizes prices across the product line. Tall Starbucks Refresher drinks are about $2.95, Grande $3.45, Venti $3.95, and Trenta $4.45.
 
These prices may vary depending on local and state sales taxes and other factors, but that is the base price as of December 2021.