This Mango Dragonfruit Refresher brings your favorite Starbucks drink home! It tastes just like the real thing with an amazing sweet fruity flavor at the fraction of the price. It’s a perfectly refreshing mango and dragon fruit drink made with 5 ingredients. You can easily customize it with lemonade or coconut milk!
Featured on 15 Best Starbucks Refreshers
I’ve been obsessed with the Starbucks’ mango dragon fruit drink but I was never really sure what was in it. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, and I could customize the sweetness. It still has the same incredible flavor! This recipe is the real deal, as it tastes amazing with vivid magenta color!
It comes in 3 ways: regular refresher which is made with water; Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, which is made with lemonade; and Dragon Drink, which is made with coconut milk.
What Are Starbucks Refreshers?
Starbucks refreshers are lightly caffeinated iced drinks that are perfect for hot summer days. They’ll help you to cool down and re-energize. They come in different forms, but will mainly contain green coffee extract, fruit, ice, syrup, lemonade or fruit juice.
What Does Dragon Fruit Taste Like?
Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is juicy, sweet and has a mild taste that is similar to a melon. You will find that the pink dragonfruits have a slightly sweeter taste than the white ones.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dragonfruit Powder: I recommend using freeze-dried red dragon fruit powder which you can order from amazon. This ingredient will give your drink a beautiful and vivid pink color.
- Substitute: You can also use frozen dragon fruit pitaya packs (under the Pitaya Plus brand) at health food stores or Whole Foods next to acai packets. If you can find red-fleshed fresh dragon fruit, you can definitely use it too. Note that these subs will give your drink a nice pink color but not as clear.
Mango Juice: You can use bottled mango juice or freshly squeezed mango juice. Make sure to remove the pulp before adding it to the drink.
- Substitute: You can use mango puree, but your drink won’t have a clear look.
Green Tea: I used green tea to keep it simple. It adds caffeine to the drink.
- Substitute: Use green coffee extract, or skip this ingredient and it won’t affect the taste much.
Water: Regular mango dragon fruit refresher recipe calls for water and it’s a healthier option.
- Substitute: You can add other juice such as white grape juice or lemonade if you want your drink to have a more fruity flavor. Alternatively, you can use coconut milk to make it creamy with a softer pink color.
Simple syrup: I used simple syrup for easy mixing. You can adjust the amount to your desired level of sweetness.
How to Make Mango Dragon Fruit Drink at Home
1. Prepare the green tea and let it chill in the refrigerator.
2. Whisk together dragonfruit powder and a half cup of water until it’s completely dissolved.
3. Add the rest of the water and mango juice to a pitcher.
4. Add chilled green tea and dragonfruit blend. Mix to combine.
5. Add simple syrup (or sugar/honey) to your desired sweetness. Mix well.
6. Fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the mixture into the glass.
Serve and enjoy this beautiful and delicious mango dragonfruit drink immediately.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to chill your green tea until it’s very cold before making the drink.
- You can customize the sweetness of your drink. Taste and adjust the amount for the perfect subtle touch.
- Sub lemon juice for water and turn it into mango dragonfruit lemonade.
- If you don’t like the tiny black and white particles from the pitaya powder, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a coffee filter for a clear look.
Mango Dragonfruit Refresher with Coconut Milk: Dragon Drink
You can order this beverage with coconut milk at Starbucks. It’s called “dragon drink” when the coconut milk is mixed in. You can substitute soy milk or almond milk, but I would give coconut milk a try first because it’s pretty amazing!
To make a dragon drink with coconut milk, simply replace water with coconut milk beverage that you can buy in a carton.
How to Make Dragon Fruit Syrup
You can make dragon fruit syrup ahead of time and use it whenever you feel like a cup of dragon fruit refresher.
There are two different types of dragon fruit, one with a white interior and one with a pink interior. For the syrup, you will want the pink one, using about half a cup of pink-flesh dragon fruit, along with a cup of sugar and a cup of hot water. You can also opt to use frozen dragon fruit or powdered. Blend and strain any seeds out and enjoy!
How to Store a Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher
Mango dragon fruit refresher tastes the best when it’s freshly made. If you have leftovers, you can place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for a few hours. The tip here is to store without the ice so that it isn’t watered down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Refresher Healthy?
This drink is one of the healthiest options at Starbucks compared to most other iced drinks they sell. It has a vibrant bright pink color but doesn’t contain any artificial colors. You can make it even healthier at home by using high-quality ingredients and lower the sugar level.
How Many Calories Does it Have?
According to Starbucks, a grande (16-oz) Mango Dragonfruit Refresher has 90 calories, a tall cup has 70 calories, and venti has 130 calories.
Does a Mango Dragonfruit Drink Have Caffeine?
Yes, this drink is lightly caffeinated. But if you make it at home, you can skip green tea and make this drink completely caffeine-free.
How Much is a Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher at Starbucks?
A Tall of the regular mango dragon fruit refresher is $3.75; Grande is $4.25; Venti is $4.75 and $Trenta is $5.25. The lemonade version and dragon drink version are more expensive. So it’s much cheaper to make it at home if you drink it very often.
More Starbucks Copycat Drinks You’ll Love:
If you are looking for a beautiful and refreshing treat with a touch of sweetness, you will love this Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. If you’ve tried this recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know. I love hearing from you!
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Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Copycat Recipe (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ teaspoons freeze-dried dragon fruit powder
- 4 cups water (divided, you can also replace with lemonade, which will give you a more fruity flavor.)
- 3/4 cup mango juice
- 4 tablespoons simple syrup (or sugar/ honey, you can adjust the sweetness by using more or less)
- ice cubes
- 2 tablespoons optional green tea (chilled, you can subsitute green coffee extract. This ingredient is mainly to add caffeine to the drink. You can skip it and it won't affect the flavor or color of your drink)
Instructions
- Place a green tea bag in a cup and pour in hot water. Steep the tea for 2 minutes and chill in the refrigerator.
- Whisk together dragonfruit powder and 1/2 cup of water until dissolved. It takes a few minutes for the powder to dissolve completely. (It's important to mix the powder with a small amount of water first so it's easier for the powder to dissolve.)
- Add the rest of water and mango juice and to a pitcher.
- Add in chilled green tea and dragonfruit blend. Mix to combine.
- Add simple syrup (or sugar/ honey) to your desired sweetness. Mix well. (Start with small amount, taste and gradually add more.)
- Fill each glass halfway with ice and pour the mixture into the glass.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to chill your green tea until it’s very cold before making the drink.
- If you don’t like the tiny black and white particles from the pitaya powder, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a coffee filter for a clear look.
- To Make Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher: Replace water with lemonade.
- To Make Dragon Drink: Replace water with coconut milk.
Video
Nutrition
Editor note: Originally published April 23, 2020 and updated July 31, 2020.
Abigail Raines says
I love mangoes and dragon fruit so this beverage is right up my alley! Not only is this drink so eye-catching, it’s also so refreshingly good and is the perfect thirst quencher!
izzycooking says
Thanks Abigail! Glad you like it!
Erica Schwarz says
This is a delicious recipe and it really is so refreshing. Easy o make too!
Laura says
Made and I’m glad I did. Next time I will add the lemonade.. I guess I like more of the puck.
izzycooking says
Thanks Laura. It’s a great idea to add some lemonade!
Michelle says
Hi! I’m going to use pitaya pack. How much dragon fruit should I use? I see your recipe only gives measurement to use the powder.
izzycooking says
Hi Michelle, use 1 pack for this recipe. Note that your drink won’t be as clear as the ones made with the powder.
Gina says
Thank you for this recipe! Taste delicious and just saved me a lot of money!!
izzycooking says
Thanks Gina. Glad you like it!
Ashley says
We love making this Starbucks version at home. So much better!
bill says
Love having this drink wit da kids on a Sunday after saving 15% or more in 15 minutes or less while talking to da lizard from Geico.
izzycooking says
Hi Bill, great to hear you like this recipe. Yes, we’ve saved a lot on making this drink at home!
Julia says
The instructions say to enjoy immediately. If I just drink one glas, can the rest be stored in the fridge and still taste OK later?
izzycooking says
Hi Julia, you can save the rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Give it a stir before drinking. It won’t taste as fresh, but it’ll still be quite delicious.
Gerri says
I love this drink! I just made it at home today, but I used freeze dried dragonfruit instead of powder, so I have the chunks in the drink like Starbucks… so good!!
izzycooking says
Hi Gerri, thanks for sharing your tips!
Dana says
Hi, what brand mango juice do you recommend?
Izzy says
Hi Dana, you can use any mango juice for this recipe.
Danielle says
The green tea? Is it preMade or powder?