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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe (Copycat!)

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Made with the refreshing combination of sweet mango, nutty and creamy coconut milk, apple juice, and bits of dragon fruit, this vibrant Starbucks dragon drink recipe copycat is full of dreamy sweet flavors! This specialty pink drink is made with simple ingredients, is vegan, gluten-free, and is easy to make caffeine-free. Everyone will love this amazing drink!

starbucks dragon drink recipe copycat in a glass with a straw

In the mood for something sweet and refreshing with a little bit of caffeine? This Starbucks dragonfruit drink recipe is a fruity paradise packed in a beverage. Simple to make, this Starbucks copycat dragon drink recipe is a lightened up, better way to enjoy one of our favorite drinks at home!

Latest Recipe Video!

Whenever I’m near my local Starbucks, I love grabbing our usual treats: chocolate croissants, cake pops, and this delightful drink similar to the Starbucks mango dragonfruit refresher. What’s the difference between the two?

This dragon fruit Starbucks drink is sweeter and creamier than the refresher recipe! It’s vibrant and sweet, and you can easily customize it to satisfy your taste buds. Make it as sweet (or not) as you want, or make it with or without caffeine!

Instead of ordering this drink off of the Starbucks menu, I figured we could make our own pink drink that had less sugar but was still just as delicious as the original. And it did not disappoint!

This beverage is perfect for a hot day whenever you’re craving a cold drink. It’s also great for adding to a picnic or dinner party menu, for satisfying your sweet tooth, or for a delicious pick me up all year round.

If you’re into making cold drinks in the comfort of your home, you should also try our Honeydew Milk Tea, our Taro Milk Tea, our Strawberry Juice or Strawberry Milk Tea!

🥤What Is Dragon Drink?

This refreshing mango dragon fruit drink is a combination of mango juice, caffeine, a scoop of actual dragon fruit, and creamy coconut milk.

This popular iced drink was a secret menu item at Starbucks, but because people liked it so much, you can now find it as a permanent menu item anytime you’re craving something with a sweet tropical flavor! You can learn more about this new drink on the Starbucks website!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

  • Packed with delicious dragon fruit flavors
  • Budget friendly! One venti Starbucks dragon drink can cost up to $5. You can make this homemade dragon drink for 1/4 of that price!
  • Ready in just 10 minutes
  • Fruity paradise beverage
  • Way less sugar than the Starbucks dragonfruit refresher recipe or the other Starbucks refreshers
  • Super easy to make
  • Vegan & gluten free, and can be made kid-friendly
  • Best Starbucks dragon drink recipe ever!

🥘 Ingredients

This diy Starbucks dragon drink recipe has a simple list of ingredients. You can easily find these items online or at your local grocery store!

ingredients for copycat starbucks dragon drink recipe
  • Dragon Fruit: You will need freeze-dried dragon fruit powder. You can find this fruit powder online, at Whole Foods, or other well-stocked grocery store. As an optional ingredient for serving, you can use some freeze-dried dragon fruit pieces, or fresh or frozen dragon fruit as a garnish. Dragon fruit does have health benefits and contains fiber, antioxidants, iron, magnesium and vitamin c. One serving of dragon fruit has 7 grams of fiber, which you can get by making a dragon fruit smoothie along with this pink drink!
  • Green Coffee Powder: Also known as green coffee extract, this ingredient is optional. If you want some caffeine in the refresher, then you’ll want to add some green coffee powder to it. Green coffee bean extract is made from raw coffee beans (or berries) and is known to have health benefits such as regulating blood sugar levels. If the natural green coffee flavor is too strong for you, you can leave it out, use less of it, or replace it with green tea.
  • Fruit Juice: We used both mango and apple juices to make this refreshing drink taste as delicious as possible. This is a great way to squeeze in some Vitamin C!
  • Ice: Any kind of ice will do, but we like to use ice cubes.
  • Coconut Milk: I recommend using light unsweetened coconut milk, or an unsweetened coconut milk beverage vs. coconut milk from the can. Mixing dragon fruit with coconut milk gives this drink a beautiful pastel pink/purple hue.

📖 Variations

  • Turn It Into The Standard Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher Recipe: Substitute water instead of coconut milk. You can also add some soda water or sparkling water to this recipe to give it a natural fizz.
  • Change The Milk: Fans of coconut milk will love its creamy and nutty flavors in this drink but you can use skim milk or any type of dairy-free milk you prefer. For more decadence, try coconut cream, heavy cream, or a scoop of homemade ice cream!
  • Green Tea Dragon Drink: Instead of green coffee powder, use matcha or green tea bags.
  • Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade: Use lemonade instead of coconut milk!
  • Add Protein: If you want to amp up this Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refresher, add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder to this drink and blend it in a blender (instead of a shaker bottle!)
  • Low Sugar Version: To reduce the sugar even further, use sugar free apple juice and mango juice, or omit the juices altogether, add some whole apple and mango, and a dash of stevia or monk fruit if you want a sweeter taste.
  • For Kids: This mango dragon drink with coconut milk can be made caffeine-free, so it is suitable for toddlers and children! Just omit the green coffee powder and surprise your kids with this vibrant sweet drink in their favorite cup!

🔪 How To Make Starbucks Dragon Fruit Drink

It’s super easy to make the dragon fruit drink from Starbucks at home! Here’s how:

Combine Ingredients, Stir: First, in a mixing bowl, combine both the dragon fruit and green coffee powder with a little bit of apple juice. Stir until smooth.

dragonfruit juice in a bowl

Add Rest of Ingredients: Next, in a cocktail shaker, add a scoop of ice, the dragon fruit mixture, remaining apple and mango juice, and coconut milk.

dragon fruit next to mango dragonfruit refresher drink

Shake! Attach the lid and shake until combined.

shaker bottle with dragonfruit in the background

Pour, Serve: Add ice cubes and dragon fruit pieces to a large glass. Pour this dragon fruit pink drink into the serving glass and serve immediately.

starbucks dragon drink recipe copycat in a glass with a straw

❓Recipe FAQs

Is starbucks Dragon Drink Healthy?

Although the pink dragon drink at Starbucks does not contain any added refined sugar, it does contain a ton of sugar from the fruit juice, which acts very similarly to added sugars in your body. A grande dragon drink has 23 grams of sugar, which is way too much to enjoy daily. So think of ordering this bright pink drink at Starbucks once in a while, when you feel like treating yourself!

However, making our diy dragon drink at home is much healthier than the Starbucks version, as it has only 14 grams of sugar, and you can reduce the sugar even further with a couple of substitutions!

How many calories are in a starbucks dragon drink?

A 16 ounce grande size Starbucks Dragonfruit Drink has 130 calories. It also has 3 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of sugar. It doesn’t contain much protein (only 1 gram) or fiber. The venti dragon drink 190 calories, and the trenta dragon fruit beverage has 270 calories. You can get all of the details about Starbucks’ dragon drink nutrition on their website.

But our Starbucks dragonfruit drink recipe has about 150 calories and 7 grams of healthy fats, but only 14 grams of sugar and 19 grams of carbs. That makes our recipe better for you than the Starbucks version because it doesn’t contain as much sugar!

What Does Dragon Drink taste like?

This specialty drink has a smooth, creamy, sweet and refreshing taste – like a fresh tropical fruit juice that also happens to be creamy! Our copycat Starbucks dragon drink refresher tastes just like the original, just slightly less sweet!

Is the dragon drink the same as the pink drink?

Although both are pink drinks, and contain coconut milk, they are very different. Here’s how the pink drink vs dragon drink compares:

The Starbucks dragon drink recipe is made with a refreshing combination of dragon fruit, mango juice, and apple juice.

But the pink drink recipe, also known as the strawberry acai refresher, is made with only coconut water, strawberry acai, white grape juice concentrate, and freeze dried strawberries. You can make a diy pink drink at home by just swapping out the dragon fruit for the freeze dried strawberries, and replacing the juices with the white grape juice and strawberry acai!

Does dragon drink have caffeine?

Both the Starbucks drink and my version have caffeine, but you can easily omit the green coffee powder and make it caffeine free! How much caffeine is in pink dragon drink? A grande size has 45 mg of caffeine.

🧊 How To Store

  • Chill: Make a large batch of this mango dragonfruit refresher with coconut milk and stick it in a glass jar or other type of airtight container and store it in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. It will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
  • Freeze: Easily turn this dragonfruit drink recipe into popsicles by pouring the liquid into popsicle molds and freezing with popsicle sticks. It will keep in the freezer for 3 months!

👨‍👩‍👧 Serving Suggestions

Enjoy this Starbucks dragonfruit drink with coconut milk with all types of foods and treats.

💭 Expert Tips

  • Make sure the apple juice is light in color or it will affect the appearance of the drink.
  • Taste as you go: This drink is already sweet enough on its own, but you can adjust the sweetness as you make it – If you need to add additional sweetener, then add some sugar or liquid sweetener to the shaker with the dragon fruit drink and mix.
  • To make this a caffeine-free drink, just omit the green coffee powder.
  • When mixing the dragon fruit and coffee powders, make sure they are mixed very well with no lumps of powder in the mixture before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  • How pink your drink gets depends on how much dragon fruit powder vs. coconut milk you have. The more coconut milk you add, the lighter pink color you’ll get.
  • The fresh or frozen dragon fruit garnish is optional.
  • If you have a tree nut allergy, you can use any type of milk in place of the coconut milk. You can use nonfat regular milk, or half and half. Just note – the calorie count will be higher than if you are using unsweetened light coconut milk from a box!
starbucks dragon drink recipe copycat in a glass with a straw

🍹 More Easy Drink Recipes!

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🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/d5LxhvPUhiI
starbucks dragon drink recipe copycat in a glass with a straw
Print Recipe
5 from 20 votes

Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe

Made with nutty and creamy coconut milk, sweet mango, apple juice, and bits of dragon fruit, this vibrant Starbucks dragon fruit drink recipe copycat is full of dreamy sweet flavors! This specialty pink drink is made with simple ingredients, is vegan, gluten-free, and is easy to make caffeine-free. Everyone will love this vibrant-colored drink!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 155kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon dragon fruit powder freeze-dried
  • ⅛-½ teaspoon green coffee powder start with ⅛ or ¼ tsp, gradually increase as the more coffee powder you add, the more bitter it will be! You can also omit the coffee powder if you don't like the flavor.
  • ¼ cup apple juice
  • ice cubes
  • ½ cup mango juice
  • 1 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
  • ¼ cup dragon fruit frozen or fresh; diced

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the dragon fruit powder and the green tea powder with two tablespoons of apple juice. Stir until smooth.
  • In a cocktail shaker, add a scoop of ice, the dragon fruit mixture, remaining apple and mango juice, and coconut milk.
  • Attach the lid and shake well until combined.
  • Add several ice cubes and diced dragon fruit pieces to a large serving glass.
  • Pour the drink into a serving glass and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Make sure the apple juice is light in color or it will affect the appearance of the drink.
  • If you need to add additional sweetener, then add some sugar or liquid sweetener to the shaker with the dragon fruit drink and mix. This drink is already sweet enough on its own, though!
  • To make this a caffeine-free drink, just omit the green coffee powder. Omitting the green coffee powder makes this a kid-friendly drink too!
  • When mixing the dragon fruit and coffee powders, make sure they are mixed very well with no lumps of powder in the mixture before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  • How pink your drink gets depends on how much dragon fruit powder vs. coconut milk you have. The more coconut milk you add, the lighter pink color you’ll get.
  • The fresh or frozen dragon fruit is optional.
  • Note: If you have a tree nut allergy, you can use any type of milk in place of the coconut milk. You can use nonfat regular milk, or half and half. Just note – the calorie count will be higher than if you are using unsweetened light coconut milk from a box!

Nutrition

Serving: 1drink | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g

Posted In…

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Who can resist a good snack? From easy, healthy vegetarian snacks, to kid-friendly finger foods, to perfect party dishes, my plant based snacks are an amazing way to pack a lot of flavor into a little bite.

Try my air fryer tofu nuggets, these peanut butter bliss balls, delicious corn fries, instant pot popcorn (or for a kid friendly twist – unicorn popcorn!)

Skip the pre-packed grocery store snacks! These healthy snacks are fun and easy to make at home with good-for-you ingredients.

26 responses to “Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe (Copycat!)”

    • Hi! You can get mango juice at most grocery stores actually! If you can’t find mango juice, you can also use mango nectar (which is also available at most grocery stores). And if you can’t find either one, apple juice will also work – it’ll just change the flavor slightly. Alternatively you can juice fresh mangoes yourself to make your own mango juice at home – so there are lots of options here!

  1. I became familiar with this drink unexpectantly. I ordered the pineapple refresher drink and Starbucks was out and she recommended this dragonfruit/mango refresher. I tried it with coconut milk and I’ve been hooked since. I go to Starbucks at least twice a week for it. I love your recipe and tips and hope to try to make this at home soon.

  2. I’ve never had a dragon drink at Starbucks (not sure they even have it here in the UK), so I don’t have a point of reference, but all I know is that it is now one of my favourite drinks ever! Not only picture-perfect, it’s so delicious with all the coconutty creaminess and dragonfruit powder! Not too sweet, but sweet enough for me!5 stars

  3. My son just loves this drink from Starbucks. I’m excited to surprise him with this after school today. Definitely going to be loved here and I love how simple this recipe is too!5 stars

  4. This is such a pretty drink…I love the color so much. I love how your version is healthier than the Starbucks one, that’s always a win!!5 stars

  5. What a lovely drink. Color is amazing. I didn’t see this in Starbucks yet, BUT I’m going to make it at home nevertheless.5 stars

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