We are in love with this DIY copycat Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe made with fresh ingredients. This tasty drink is made with coconut milk and blended dragonfruit for a homemade sensation.
The original Dragon Drink has caffeine in it when you buy it at Starbucks, but this recipe is caffeine free. This is a great cool and refreshing drink perfect for the spring and summer months.
If you love this tasty drink, try our other copycat drinks like Pink Drink, and Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. Or try our Pink Beetroot Latte, and Angel Milk. For another Starbucks copycat drink, try this Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe.
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Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- Dragonfruit- The main ingredient for this drink is dragonfruit. We tested this recipe with fresh, frozen and freeze dried dragonfruit. We found that they all worked great. Frozen was the easiest for me to find at a reasonable price.
- White Grape Juice- This adds a great base adding a slight flavor but not taking away the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Mango Nectar-The perfect way to add that mango flavor. It's not watered down, so it adds a lot of flavor along with a pleasant texture.
- Coconut milk- This vegan based cream is what makes this drink so popular, because it's plant-based. It makes the drink so creamy. You can also try other nut milks like almond, or oat. But we love the coconut flavor you get with the coconut milk.
- Lemon Juice- A tart flavor to help balance out the sweetness of the other fruit.
- Sugar- You can use granulated sugar to give the drink the same sweetness you would get from Starbucks, but 90% of our taste testers liked it without the added sugar just as much as with.
- Water- This will get the right consistency of the drink.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Starbucks Dragon Drink
Use these process shots to help get the results you are wanting. The pictures can help with texture and be a visual guide for best results.
- Add dragonfruit, water and sugar in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the mango nectar and the white grape juice with the blended dragon fruit.
3. Next pour in the lemon juice. It's a great compliment to the dragon fruit flavor.
4. Pour in that tasty coconut milk to give it a creamy look and taste. Mix and drink a refreshing cup!
Hint: You'll want to use a high speed blender to make this drink as smooth as possible.
Substitutions
This drink is naturally gluten free and vegan. Below are some suggestions to mess around with the flavors to make it just right for you.
- Frozen Strawberries- add a splash of strawberry flavor by blending in frozen strawberries of fresh strawberries, use frozen strawberries. You may want to skip the ice if you use this option.
- Almond Milk- We love how this drink is vegan. Keep it that way by using a vegan milk like almond milk instead of coconut milk.
- Oat Milk- Another great vegan milk that you can use is oat milk. Oat milk has a wonderful creamy texture that pairs great with this drink.
Helpful Hints
- Add extra fruits like strawberries, blackberries, or even fresh cut mangos to add to the flavor profile.
- If you aren't particular if the drink is vegan, you can use heavy whipping cream, or any style of milk you would like.
- You can easily use fresh, frozen or freeze dried dragonfruit to make this drink. The original Starbucks drink uses freeze dried dragonfruit but we love the juices that fresh adds.
- Add a splash of flavor like coconut syrup, or strawberry syrup to mix things up.
- This doesn't have the original green coffee extract but it can be added in if you want it.
- This makes a single serving but can easily be doubled or tripled for multiple people. The single serving makes a large portion and can be divided into smaller servings.
How to Serve
- Have a copycat night by serving with our other copycat drink recipes like our Pink Drink, and our Mango Dragonfruit Refresher.
- We love a good girls night and this drink just adds to the fun. Serve it with deviled strawberries, and chocolate covered blueberries.
Storing Dragon Drink
If not drinking right away be sure to stir before serving. The milk will begin to separate from the juice. You'll also want to store in the refrigerator if not drinking right away.
It's best to drink right away or soon after making. This recipe does not freeze well. You can place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes then give it a quick blend for an icy treat.
Top tip
Make sure to blend the dragon fruit mixture up until it's completely smooth or run it through a fine-mesh sieve. Otherwise you'll have little bits and pieces in your drink.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Dragon Drink
Equipment
- Starbucks Cup optional
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dragon fruit, frozen or fresh I used frozen
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup mango nectar
- ⅓ cup white grape juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup coconut milk more or less, to taste
Instructions
- Place the dragon fruit, sugar and water in a high speed blender. I like to use the smoothie cup attachment for this recipe. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. It's important to blend it long enough to make it nice and smooth. If you don't have a high speed blender, run the liquid through a fine mesh sieve to strain out any chunks or bits.
- Pour the dragonfruit mixture into a cup and add the mango nectar, white grape juice and lemon juice. Give it a stir, then pour in the coconut milk. Add a bunch of ice and/or some frozen dragonfruit cubes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to use whipping cream, milk, almond milk, or oat milk in place of the coconut milk, if desired.
- Make sure to blend the dragonfruit mixture until completely smooth or run through a sieve for a smooth drink. I found while making it that the blender got it smooth enough, as long as I blended it long enough.
- The taste testers loved the frozen dragonfruit cubes instead of ice cubes in the drink, they thought it added a nice touch.
- Make it into an icy drink by adding extra ice then blending it.
- I tested this recipe with fresh, frozen and freeze dried dragonfruit. I didn't have a preference for which one was better, so just get whatever is available to you.
- Be warned if you use fresh dragonfruit that a lot of dragonfruit is white on the inside, so you may end up with a white one and your drink may miss that vibrant pink color.
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes, the Starbucks Dragon Drink does contain caffeine. The drink is made with a base of Starbucks' Refreshers, which are drinks that include caffeine from green coffee extract.
Add fresh cut Dragonfruit into a high speed blender with water and sugar. Blend until smooth, then add mango juice and white grape juice to the blended fruit. Then add a touch of lemon juice. Last stir in coconut milk and enjoy.
Sweet mango and real dragon fruit pieces are inside. The main components of the drink are coconut milk, Starbucks' Mango Dragonfruit Refresher base, and ice. There is sugar and a touch a lemon juice in the Refresher base.
A summertime drink made with a base of Starbucks' Mango Dragonfruit Refresher, the drink has a combination of real fruit pieces and sweet mango flavors. The beverage is then mixed with creamy coconut milk and ice. It's bright pink and gives a boost of energy with green coffee extract.
The official Dragon Drink description is “tropical, crave-able combination of fruity and creamy refreshment.” I think it tastes like a strawberry starburst, a Pina Colada starburst and half of a lemon starburst all squished together.
Yes, the Dragon Drink is often described as delicious by many Starbucks customers. Its unique blend of mango flavors, real fruit dragonfruit, and creamy coconut milk are blended with ice to make a vibrant pink drink, making it very popular.
Andrea says
This is such a great copycat/DIY Starbucks drink! I love this dragon drink and that it's homemade.