Iced Golden Ginger Drink (Starbucks Copycat)

Make a delicious and beautiful Iced Golden Ginger Drink at home! This yellow tropical drink tastes just like the one from Starbucks and has the perfect blend of coconut milk, ginger, pineapple, and turmeric flavor. It’s a dairy-free fruity drink that takes less than 5 minutes to make.

Featured on 15 Best Starbucks Refreshers

Starbucks released some new iced drinks this year and I was immediately attracted by Iced Pineapple Matcha, Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink, and this caffeine-free golden ginger drink. I have been ordering it a lot at Starbucks, but finally feel it’s time to make this refreshing ginger drink at home. 

This homemade iced golden ginger drink tastes just like the real thing from Starbucks, with the same beautiful vibrant yellow color and delicious flavor. Plus, you can customize the sweetness and make a healthier version at the fraction of the price.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pineapple Juice – I like to use the pineapple juice which gives the delicious fruity flavor to this drink. This is what I used for this recipe.

• Substitute: Original Starbucks drink gets the pineapple flavor from the pineapple ginger syrup. If you prefer to use the syrup, you can order Pineapple Syrup online from Amazon.

Ginger – I used ginger powder, which is a quick and easy way to make this recipe.

• Substitute: You can also use fresh ginger or stem ginger if you wish.

Coconut Milk – It adds a silky richness and creaminess to this drink. Coconut milk beverage works better than canned coconutmilk, which contains solid chunky lumps of some white stuff.

• Substitute: You can sub soy milk or almond milk, but it changes the flavor quite a bit. I would give coconut milk a try first as it tastes amazing.

Turmeric Powder – It helps to create the bright yellow hue that the original Starbucks golden ginger drink has. Turmeric also has scents of orange and ginger.

• Substitute: You can sub yellow coloring to create a vivid yellow color for this drink or omit this ingredient, but your drink will have a pale yellow color.

Simple Syrup – I used simple syrup for this recipe for easy mixing.

• Substitute: Use sugar or honey. For a healthy option, use Stevia to sweeten your drink.

How to Make Golden Ginger Drink at Home

1. Add ginger powder and turmeric powder in a small bowl.

2. To make the golden ginger blend, add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice to the bowl and whisk until completely dissolved.

3. In a large pitcher, mix together coconut milk and the golden ginger blend.

4. Pour in the rest of the pineapple juice. Mix well.

5. Add syrup to your desired sweetness.

6. Fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the mixture into the glass. Serve and enjoy this yellow refreshing drink immediately.

Tips and Tricks:

• To make sure the powder dissolves properly, it’s best to mix with a small amount of liquid first. I used 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. Mix very well until there are no clumps of powder in the mixture.
• Turmeric powder gives your drink the bright vivid yellow color. If you don’t like the flavor of turmeric, you can skip this ingredient, but your drink will have a very pale yellow color. 
• If the ginger flavor from the original Starbucks yellow drink is too intense for you, feel free to reduce the amount of ginger powder. 
• You can customize the sweetness of your drink. Start with a small amount of syrup or sugar, taste, and gradually add more for the perfect subtle touch.

Review of Starbucks Iced Golden Ginger Drink

Since Starbucks unveiled this drink, there’s been a lot of hype across social media. To some Starbucks fans, the golden ginger drink has been living up to all the hype and they seem to love it as much as the popular Mango Dragonfruit Refresher and Strawberry Acai Refresher, but to others, they’re not so keen. Below are some major pros and cons:

Why People Love It:

• The gorgeous golden yellow color is a big hit, and I’ve seen it all over Instagram.
• Tastes less sugary than many other Starbucks drinks.
• Great combination of fruity flavor (pineapple and ginger) and creamy coconut milk.

From Those Who Are Not So Keen: 

• Some people feel the ginger/turmeric flavor is too strong. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does it Taste Like?

Golden Ginger Drink is very refreshing and has a strong ginger taste, especially compared to its sister drink Iced Pineapple Matcha. It’s also not as sweet as other Starbucks drinks, so if you have a sweet tooth, you might need to ask for an extra pump of syrup. 

Does Starbucks Golden Ginger Drink Have Caffeine?

This drink doesn’t contain any caffeine, so you can sip it at any time of the day. But if you’d like to have an energy boost, you can make this drink at home by adding some green tea or coffee.  

Is Starbucks Iced Golden Ginger Healthy?

Ingredients such as ginger, turmeric, and pineapple are good for you, and the calorie content of the golden ginger drink is not as high as many other Starbucks beverages, but a lot of the calories are coming from added sugar. If you want to make your golden ginger drink healthier, you and ask your barista to cut back on the number of pumps in the drink. 

If you’re making it at home, you can easily adjust the amount of syrup to lower the sugar level. Alternatively, use Stevia for a healthy drink.

How Many Calories Are in A Starbucks Golden Ginger Drink?

There are about 140 calories for a grande golden ginger drink. Other Nutrition Facts: 5 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 120 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 19 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein. (There are 100 calories for a tall-size and 200 for a venti-size golden ginger drink.)

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If you’ve tried this Iced Golden Ginger Drink, leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!

Editor note: Originally published June 13, 2020 and updated July 31, 2020.