Best Starbucks Refreshers You Won’t Want to Miss

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Best Starbucks Refreshers
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Are you keen to find out what the best Starbucks Refreshers are?

In this guide, we have categorized every Starbucks Refresher Drink on the official menu and ranked them by popularity.

If you want a refreshing, cool pick-me-up that gives you all the caffeine you need to get through your day, then these are great choices.

What is a Starbucks Refresher?

  • Starbucks Refreshers are caffeinated iced drinks made with real fruit juice, pieces of freeze-dried fruit, and green coffee extract. 
  • These pick-me-ups are one of the most popular Starbucks spring and summertime beverages. If you want a bit of caffeine without the coffee taste, these are the perfect cold drinks.
  • Refreshers are available in four drink sizes: Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces), Venti (24 ounces), and Trenta (30 ounces).
  • All refreshers are hand-shaken with ice.

How to Order a Refresher?

To order a Refresher on the Starbucks app, you need to visit the cold drinks section.

There are three refreshers types that you can order:

  1. Regular: Starbucks Refreshers are delicious on their own. They have a fruity base with freeze-dried fruits water and are hand-shaken with ice.
  2. With Lemonade: A Refresher can be mixed with lemonade to balance the fruit notes with the delightful zing of lemonade.
  3. With Coconutmilk: Order a refresher with creamy coconut milk if you want a tropical-inspired pick-me-up. 

The four base drink flavors that you can choose from:

  • Strawberry Acai Refreshers Base
  • Mango Dragonfruit Refreshers Base
  • Berry Refresher Base (Very Berry Hibiscus)
  • Kiwi Starfruit Refreshers Base

Caffeine in the Refreshers

  • All Starbucks Refreshers have caffeine that comes from the green coffee extract. All Starbucks Refreshers flavors contain an equal amount of caffeine. 
  • Starbucks Refreshers are lightly caffeinated drinks and contain 45 mg of caffeine in a grande size. In comparison, a grande Starbucks Americano has 225 mg, and a grande Cold Brew Coffee has 205 mg.
  • In case you ask: Can I get a Starbucks Refresher without caffeine? No, because the refresher bases are already pre-made with fruit juice and green coffee extract, and it’s not possible to get it caffeine-free.

Best Starbucks Refreshers

We ranked the best refreshers by popularity for each of the three types.

Regular Starbucks Refreshers

1. Strawberry Acai Refresher

The Strawberry Acai Refresher is the best Starbucks Refresher drink on our list!

  • Main ingredients: Strawberry Acai Base, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 16g, Grande 20 g, Venti 30 g, Trenta 41 g
  • Calories: Tall 80; Grande 90; Venti 130; Trenta 190

2. Mango Dragonfruit Refresher

  • Key ingredients: Mango Dragonfruit Refreshers Base, Freeze Dried Dragonfruit Pieces, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 15g, Grande 19 g, Venti 28 g, Trenta 39 g
  • Calories: Tall 70; Grande 90; Venti 130; Trenta 180

3. Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher 

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher is about the sweetness of natural fruit: whole blackberries hand-shaken with ice.

  • Key ingredients: Berry Refreshers Base, Freeze Dried Blackberries, Water, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 11g, Grande 14 g, Venti 20 g, Trenta 28 g
  • Calories: Tall 50; Grande 70; Venti 90; Trenta 130

4. Blueberry Acai Refresher

It tastes like a blueberry-acai berry and sparkling water mix.  Great drink for energy and the perfect afternoon or evening pick me up.

A Starbucks grab-and-go favorite that comes in a practical 12 ounces can, making it the only packaged drink on our list.

  • Key ingredients: Fruit Juices from Concentrate (Blueberry, Acai, White Grape, Apple), Carbonated Water
  • Caffeine: 50 mg in a 12 oz can
  • Sugars: 20 g
  • Calories: 90

5. Kiwi Starfruit Refresher

Kiwi and starfruit flavored juice with real kiwi fruit pieces, hand-shaken with ice. 

  • Key ingredients: Kiwi Starfruit Refreshers Base, Freeze Dried Kiwi, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 15g, Grande 19 g, Venti 28 g, Trenta 38 g
  • Calories: Tall 70; Grande 90; Venti 130; Trenta 180

Ready to play for free and win prizes: Play the Starbucks Summer Game

Starbucks Refreshers with Lemonade 

1. Strawberry Acai Lemonade

The Strawberry Acai Lemonade is a fruit and lemonade mix and a classic lightly caffeinated summer drink.

  • Key ingredients: Strawberry Acai Base, Lemonade, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 24g, Grande 32 g, Venti 47 g, Trenta 63 g
  • Calories: Tall 110; Grande 140; Venti 200; Trenta 280

2. Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade

A Caribbean-inspired refresher with sweet mango, dragonfruit, and lemonade combination. Hand-shaken with ice and served with real diced dragonfruit.

  • Key ingredients: Mango Dragonfruit Refresher Base, Water, Freeze Dried Dragonfruit, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 24 g, Grande 31 g, Venti 45 g, Trenta 61 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 110; Grande 140; Venti 200; Trenta 280

3. Very Berry Hibiscus Lemonade

Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus Lemonade is the ideal drink during the hotter months of the year. It’s refreshing and packed with an exciting combination of sweet and zesty flavors.

  • Key ingredients: Berry Refresher Base, Freeze Dried Blackberries, Lemonade, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 20 g, Grande 25 g, Venti 37 g, Trenta 51 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 90; Grande 120; Venti 170; Trenta 230

4. Kiwi Starfruit Lemonade

Starfruit- and kiwi-flavored juice, lemonade with real kiwi fruit pieces.  A delicious iced pick-me-up with caffeine.

  • Key ingredients: Kiwi Starfruit Refresher Base, Lemonade, Freeze Dried Kiwi, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 23 g, Grande 30 g, Venti 44 g, Trenta 61 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 110; Grande 140; Venti 200; Trenta 280

Starbucks Refreshers With Coconutmilk

1. Pink Drink

The Pink Drink is the most popular Refresher with Coconutmilk. Previously it was a secret menu item and was added to the official menu due to popular demand.

  • Key ingredients: Strawberry Acai Base, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Coconutmilk, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 19 g, Grande 24 g, Venti 35 g, Trenta 48 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 110; Grande 140; Venti 200; Trenta 270

2. Dragon Drink

A very unique and tasty refresher.

  • Key ingredients: Mango Dragonfruit Refreshers Base, Freeze Dried Dragonfruit Pieces, Coconutmilk, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 18 g, Grande 23 g, Venti 34 g, Trenta 46 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 110; Grande 130; Venti 190; Trenta 270

3. Star Drink

  • Key ingredients: Kiwi Starfruit Refresher Base, Freeze Dried Kiwi, Coconutmilk, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 18 g, Grande 23 g, Venti 33 g, Trenta 46 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 100; Grande 130; Venti 190; Trenta 260

4. Violet Drink

A mixture of Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher with creamy coconutmilk and ice. A refreshing violet-colored energizer.

  • Key ingredients: Berry Refresher Base, Freeze Dried Blackberries, Coconutmilk, Ice
  • Caffeine: Tall 35 mg, Grande 45 mg, Venti 70 mg, Trenta 90 mg
  • Sugars: Tall 14 g, Grande 18 g, Venti 26 g, Trenta 37 g
  • Calories: Calories: Tall 90; Grande 110; Venti 160; Trenta 220

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make Starbucks Refreshers?

Once you have the right ingredients, Starbucks Refreshers are easy to make at home. You just need to follow a few basic steps.

You can check out our best-tasting copycat recipes:

Do Refreshers have more caffeine than coffee?

No, Starbucks Refreshers usually do not have more caffeine than coffee. For example, a 16 oz grande size Refresher contains 45 mg caffeine. A typical 16 oz coffee drink such as iced coffee has 165 mg of caffeine.

Are Refreshers healthy?

Yes, Refreshers are healthy if you pay attention to your daily calorie and sugar limits. Some of the fruit ingredients are superfoods that can help you with a healthy diet.

Berries are high in fiber, and their rich colors mean they are high in antioxidants and nutrients. When berries are not in season, it is as healthy to consume them frozen. 

Acai berries are a Brazilian “superfruit” native to the Amazon region. They’ve recently gained popularity globally and are praised for being particularly beneficial to health and well-being. 

Kiwis are rich in Vitamin C and dietary fiber and provide various health benefits, including support to heart health, digestive health, and immunity. The kiwi is a healthy choice of fruit and is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. 

Can you get a sugar-free Starbucks Refresher?

You can’t get a sugar-free Starbucks Refresher because all the Refreshers fruit bases are already sweetened. You could ask for less of the base drink and freeze-dried fruit and ask for more water to reduce the amount of sugar.

Conclusion

Starbucks Refreshers are a popular and healthy alternative to coffee drinks. These colorful iced beverages are the perfect pick-me. They can kick-start your day and equally be enjoyed later in the afternoon. 

Refreshers have more caffeine in the form of green coffee extract than most iced tea drinks but less caffeine than Starbucks iced coffee beverages. 

Best of all, the fruit ingredients and the caffeine can supercharge your productivity!

What’s your favorite Starbucks Refresher? 

More Starbucks Drink Guides:

Featured image credit: Katelyn McKinney

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