Mango Dragonfruit Refresher Recipe: Tropical Flavors To Remember
Exotic fruit lovers, this Starbucks mango dragonfruit refresher recipe is for you! A fruit that is hot pink with tiny black seeds: who on earth wouldn’t want to have a drink with it?
Besides dragon fruit, this drink contains mango puree and white grapes. It’s a perfect pick-me-up beverage to push through the summer heat, but feel free to have it year-round. Pinky color will surely brighten up gray winter days!
This recipe is challenging to recreate at home, mostly because of the drink syrup and dragon fruit base. We experimented with ingredients to make the process easier, and we created our perfect copycat recipe, which most closely resembles the Starbucks drink.
What You Need
- 1/2 cup mango dragonfruit base
- 1/4 cup white grape juice
- 1/4 cup dried dragon fruit
- Ice cubes
- Dragonfruit base
- 1/2 cup dragonfruit syrup
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup mango puree
- 3/4 teaspoon citric acid
- 1/2 teaspoon green coffee extract
- Dragonfruit syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup fresh dragon fruit pieces or 2 teaspoons freeze-dried dragonfruit powder
At a Glance
Prep time:
20 minutes, plus syrup chill time
Yield:
1 serving (16 oz)
How to Make Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
Starbucks refreshers are among the best drinks you can buy at Starbucks. These lightly caffeinated iced drinks are perfect for cooling down on hot summer days. Plus, they contain caffeine, so you’ll stay energized throughout your (business) day!
Refreshers come in many versions, and they resemble juice drinks and are a great choice when you want caffeine but don’t feel like drinking coffee. Starbucks has come out with several refreshers over the years, and the Starbucks Dragon Drink is definitely worth considering. However, the Mango Dragonfruit refresher became our new favorite go-to, and here’s how to make it yourself.
Step 1: Make the Dragonfruit Syrup
Make the dragon fruit syrup as the base. You can buy a bottle of pre-made syrup, but we always favor making our own with fresh ingredients.
If you’re using fresh dragon fruit, put it with water and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once the dragonfruit mixture starts to boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. You’ll know the syrup is ready when it thickens and the frozen dragon fruit pieces turn soft.
Once your syrup is done, strain it into a bowl. Press the dragon fruit to extract juice from the fresh fruit. And if you want your syrup to be pink, add dragonfruit powder. Let the mixture boil and simmer for five minutes before adding the powder. Next, let it simmer for five minutes and stir until the powder dissolves and the syrup thickens.
Let the syrup cool for an hour. The liquid will thicken further as it cools.
Pro tip 1: Use fresh or freeze-dried dragon fruit pieces.
Pro tip 2: Substitute sugar with healthier options like honey or stevia.
Step 2: Make the Dragonfruit Base
Combine the syrup with water, mango puree, citric acid, and green coffee bean extract (if using) in a large jar. Shake the mixture well to combine. Use green tea if you can’t find green coffee powder. We prefer the mango puree because it’s more pantry stable, but sweet mango juice also works. You can even use bottled mango or freshly squeezed mango juice, but remove the pump.
Pro tip 1: Use a tablespoon of lemon juice instead of citric acid. It creates a similar effect, although the citric acid is slightly stronger (1). For example, Starbucks uses this base with other refresher drinks, such as Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks or Pink Drink.
Pro tip 2: Wondering how to make Starbucks Mango Dragon fruit lemonade? Use lemonade instead of water in the base. Juice a few lemons, and add a cup of water and two tablespoons of lemon syrup. This will give the Mango Dragonfruit more tartness.
Step 3: Finish off The Exotic Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
Finally, it’s time to combine all ingredients. Add half a cup of the dragon fruit base, half a cup of water, 1/4 cup of dried dragon fruit, 1/4 white grape juice, and ice in a shaker. Shake this amazing mixture and pour it into a glass. Top the drink with dragon fruit pieces for decoration.
There are different kinds of dragon fruit (2), and we recommend you use either white flesh or red flesh dragon fruit.
Pro tip 1: Substitute white grape juice, apple juice, or even white wine for another fruit juice if you want more fruity flavors.
Final Thoughts
Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher is a refreshing beverage that combines tropical flavors of mango and fresh dragon fruit. The result is a vibrantly-colored, flavorful drink. Moreover, this is one of the healthier Starbucks drink options. It has less caffeine and calories than many other Starbucks drinks, so it’s a guilt-free option for those who need a delicious drink.
You can make it yourself following our recipe above and tailor the drink to your preferences. Make it with more or less caffeine or fruit juice, or add a touch of milk for a creamy drink.
Enjoy!
Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher recipe includes a dragonfruit base (made of dragonfruit syrup, citric acid, water, green coffee extract, and mango puree), dragonfruit syrup (made of water, sugar, dragonfruit powder), white grape juice, and dried dragon fruit. Despite its name, there’s no real mango in the drink. These Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher ingredients are perfect for experimenting with different fruit juices!
The Mango Dragonfruit refresher at Starbucks costs around $5. The smallest size (called tall at Starbucks) goes from $3.45 to $4.95. However, this depends on the exact size of the drink and the location. It’s best to check the exact price at your local Starbucks or visit their website for up-to-date information in your region
Yes, Starbucks Mango Dragon Fruit is healthy. Healthier than most coffees at Starbucks, this drink is low in fat and has less sugar than Frappuccino (for example). You can make it with sugar substitutes and sugar-free juices to cut down on Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher calories and make it even healthier.
Yes, Starbucks refreshers have caffeine. For comparison, some coffee beverages at Starbucks have over 300 mg of caffeine. The Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks caffeine amount is 45 mg for the Grande version, so it’s suitable for people sensitive to caffeine. Larger refresher sizes, such as Venti or Trenta, have around 80 mg and more caffeine.
The caffeine in Starbucks refresher drinks comes from the green coffee bean extract. You can’t order the refresher without it because it goes into the base. However, you can make your own caffeine-free version at home by omitting the green coffee bean powder, and you won’t notice any flavor difference.
Starbucks Dragonfruit refresher has 90 calories for the Grande version, 70 for the Tall, and 130 for the Venti. It is one of the drinks with the lowest calories in Starbucks. Mostly, calories come from sugar, syrups, and dragon fruit. The calories also come from other modifications to the drink, such as coconut milk, lemonade, and other customization options.The recommended calorie intake for a healthy adult is 2,000 to 2,500 calories (3). This means Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher is a good drink choice, especially compared to many other Starbucks coffees that can have a few hundred calories.
References
- Citric Acid: Why It Makes Your Cooking Better. (n.d.). WebstaurantStore. Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3350/what-is-citric-acid.html#:~:text=The%20difference%20between%20citric%20acid
- Emoha. (2022, April 27). Dragon Fruit, A Vibrant Superfood For Seniors – Demystified. Emoha Blogs. https://emoha.com/blogs/nutrition/types-of-dragon-fruit
- NHS. (2018, June 27). What should my daily intake of calories be? Nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be/
