Ultimate Homemade Strawberry Acai Refresher (Starbucks Copycat) (2024)

This refreshing homemade copycat Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher tastes better and fresher than your favorite coffee shop at a fraction of the price. It’s fruity, sweet, and tart with a nice caffeine boost. After mixing the strawberry acai base with the rest of the ingredients, it turns into a vibrant pink color that I couldn’t resist sharing it on instagram!

The next time you’re craving strawberry acai refresher, save yourself a trip to Starbucks and make it at home instead! Fruity and refreshing, it’s my go-to drink on a hot summer day! I also like to serve it at summer parties, get-together brunches, and celebrations thanks to its festive pink color.

It’s so simple to make, too. After a few experiments, I’m completely satisfied with this homemade version! You can easily turn this popular drink into a Pink Drink by adding coconut milk, or make a strawberry acai lemonade refresher by substituting lemonade for water.

Watch Strawberry Acai Refresher Video

What’s Special about this Homemade Strawberry Acai Refresher

• Fresher – The strawberry acai base is made with FRESH strawberries instead of freezer-dry strawberries, giving this drink extra fruity and refreshing flavors.
• Cheaper – I had a costly obsession with Starbucks Strawberry Acai, but this homemade drink has saved me a lot of money.
• Easy – It takes less time to make than driving to Starbucks near you.
• Customizable – You can make it healthier and customize how much sweetness or caffeine you prefer.

Strawberry Acai Refresher Ingredients

Want to try this strawberry acai refresher? Here’s what you’ll need:

• Fresh strawberries – Add the refreshing fruity flavor and a bright pink color to the drink. I find that fresh ripe strawberries taste best. Alternatively, you can use freeze-dried strawberry powder or freeze-dried whole strawberries.
• Acai Berry Powder – Adds a wonderful berry flavor.
• White Grape Juice: Adds a refreshing, sweet, and crisp flavor. It’ available at your local grocery stores. You can substitute other fruity juice such as apple juice. Just make sure to avoid the ones with dark color.
• Simple syrup: I like simple syrup for easy mixing. You can also substitute honey or sugar.
• Green Tea or Green Coffee Extract : Starbucks uses green coffee extract, but if you don’t want to buy the expensive green coffee bean powder, substitute green tea to keep it simple. You can also skip this ingredient to make a caffeine-free version.

The full recipe with measurements is at the bottom of the post.

How to Make Strawberry Acai Refresher

This strawberry acai refresher is super simple to make, and here’s how it goes.

• First, prepare the green tea or coffee. Let it chill in the refrigerator.
• Make the strawberry acai base. Blend strawberries until smooth and then strain them through a fine mesh. Then, whisk together acai berry powder and water until dissolved. Tip: Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove the tiny black particles from the acai powder. Mix the strawberry juice with the acai mixture and you’ll get a delicious strawberry acai base.
• Finally, make the refresher. Add white grape juice and chilled green tea or coffee to the strawberry acai base. In a large pitcher with ice cubes, pour in the mixture. Add simple syrup or sugar to your desired sweetness. That’s it!

I like to serve it in clear glasses and garnish with fresh strawberries to showcase the beautiful color!

Variations

• Strawberry Acai Refresher with Lemonade: Replace water with lemonade for an extra fruity and flavorful drink.
• Pink Drink: The popular pink drink is actually a strawberry acai refresher made with coconut milk. You can substitute soy milk or almond milk, but I would give coconut milk a try first because it adds creaminess and depth to the drink, making it absolutely amazing!

Tip: Coconut milk beverage works better than canned coconut milk for this recipe, as some canned coconut milk contains solid chunky lumps of white stuff that could be unsightly in the drink.

More Favorite Starbucks Copycat Recipes

If you love this strawberry acai refresher recipe, try one of these Starbucks’ copycat recipes next:

• Mango Dragon Fruit Lemonade Refresher
• Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
• Iced Golden Ginger Drink
• Pineapple Matcha
• Very Berry Hibiscus