Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher is now at your fingertips with this delicious copycat drink recipe. A homemade DIY vegan drink recipe made with ingredients you can trust, will be a go-to in no time.
This blended pitaya drink (another name for dragonfruit), is a simple recipe. The trickiest part is finding the dragon fruit! (Hint: It's in most grocery stores as a fun find but keep reading for more tips on where to find it).
Sip this poolside and it enjoy it in the summer time, or get your summer vibes fix during any other part of the year with this refreshing drink.
If you love this tasty drink then you have to try our other copycat Starbucks drink Pink drink. But also try our Pink Beetroot Latte or Strawberry Brazilian Limeade for a refreshing summer drink. For a night time beverage try Angel Milk.
Starbucks Drink
The original Starbucks drink is a delicious and refreshing beverage that is loved by many. One of the reasons why people are so fond of this drink is the combination of flavors.
The sweet and tropical taste of mango pairs perfectly with the exotic and slightly tangy flavor of dragonfruit. This unique blend creates a truly delightful and satisfying drink that is perfect for quenching thirst on a hot day.
It's praised for its vibrant and eye-catching appearance. The vivid pink color of the beverage is incredibly appealing and instantly catches the attention of anyone passing by. This vibrant hue is derived from the natural dragonfruit used in the drink, making it even more alluring.
It's no wonder that the mango dragonfruit refresher has become a popular choice for those looking for a refreshing and visually appealing drink at Starbucks. But with this recipe you can now DIY in the comfort of your home.
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- Cost: Making this drink at home can be a cost-effective alternative to buying it from Starbucks. Those prices are high but it's much more affordable when you make it yourself.
- Convenience: If you don't have a Starbucks location at home, this is a great way to get your fix.
- Customization: You can add extra fruits or try different juices to make it fit your taste, style, or budget.
- Health-conscious: Control what you put in your body by knowing the exact ingredients!
- Social media trend: Who doesn't love trying something that's trendy. This recipe will get you tasty results.
Ingredients
- White Grape Juice- This is the base of the drink and adds a subtle, not overpowering, flavor.
- Mango Nectar- Mango nectar can be found in many Hispanic and juice sections of a grocery star. It is so tasty and is a strong base to this refresher.
- Dragonfruit-Use fresh dragon fruit for this recipe. Starbucks uses freeze dried dragon fruit, but fresh works great and much easier to find.
- Water- This goes in the blender with the dragonfruit in order to mix it properly.
- Sugar- While blending the dragonfruit and water, sugar will help lightly sweeten the fruit and then the drink.
- Lemon Juice- A splash of lemon juice adds another level of flavor and that tropical taste you love.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Add sliced and peeled dragonfruit to a blender with water and sugar.
2. Blend until completely smooth. A bright dark pink liquid will form.
3. Pour in the grape juice and the lemon juice and mix it with the dragonfruit.
4. Add in the mango nectar and stir. Enjoy cold!
Hint: Make sure to use a high speed blender when blending the dragon fruit. You want to make sure it gets nice and smooth.
Where can I buy Dragon Fruit?
You can buy dragon fruit at various places, including:
- Grocery Stores: Many well-stocked grocery stores and supermarkets carry dragon fruit, especially those with a diverse selection of fresh produce. Look for it in the fruit section, often with other exotic fruits.
- Asian Markets: Dragon fruit is a common fruit in Asian cuisine, so you're likely to find it in Asian grocery stores or markets.
- Specialty Stores: Some health food stores or specialty food markets may also offer dragon fruit, particularly those that focus on organic or unique produce.
- Online Retailers: If you can't find the fruit locally, you can explore online retailers that specialize in delivering fresh produce. Just ensure they have a good reputation for delivering quality products.
When buying dragon fruit, look for fruit that is firm, evenly colored, and free from major blemishes or soft spots. The skin color can vary depending on the variety, but it should be vibrant and not overly wrinkled.
Substitutions
This Starbucks drink is naturally gluten free and vegan. Try out these suggestions to try different flavors.
- Frozen Strawberries- blend in frozen strawberries with the dragon fruit to add another flavor complex.
- Lemonade- Add lemonade instead of lemon juice and make it a lemonade drink. ADd 1 cup of your favorite lemonade. This will make a lot so you'll want to share this single serve drink with a friend.
- Coconut milk- If you are looking for a more Starbucks dragon drink inspired drink try our tasty Dragon Drink copycat recipe. This uses coconut milk!
Helpful Hints
A lot of other recipes use freeze dried dragonfruit. This recipe here is a great example. We don't use freeze dried fruit because it's a little trickier to find and we feel like fresh fruit does the trick. Starbucks themselves use freeze dried dragonfruit.
This recipe is also caffeine free while the original recipe does have green coffee in it.
If you don't have a high power blender, run the dragonfruit, sugar, and water mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get any chunks out. A high power blender makes it fine enough that this isn't necessary.
How to Serve
- Try sipping this while snacking on some tasty Mango Habanero Salsa and chips.
- Or make this for a fun girls night drink and then you can serve it with our tasty deviled strawberries, and chocolate covered blueberries.
Equipment
You will need a High Speed Blender for this recipe. If you don't have a high speed blender make sure to have a wire sieve to help get some of the fruit chunks the blender might have missed.
We loved buying these Starbucks Cup to make this drink looks official!
Storage
Store in the refrigerator if not drinking right away. This drink is best consumed right away but can be store for more than 2-3 days. Mix before drinking again.
This recipe can be frozen but the consistency may be altered.
Top tip
Keep it simple! You don't need fancy ice or freeze dried dragon fruit to make this recipe work. Everyone can enjoy this awesome recipe!
FAQ
FAQs: how to make, does the _ have caffeine? (yes... a small amount of green coffee), YES, what is in the _, is the _ healthy (sort of....:P),
Blend fresh or frozen dragonfruit in a high speed blender with water and sugar. Add white grape juice, lemon juice and mango nectar and mix together.
Yes the original recipe has a small amount of green coffee in it. This copycat recipe does not have any caffeine in it!
Yes! It has a great tropical flavor that's both refreshing and tasty. It's a tasty sweet drink that is perfect for a hot summer day.
While it uses fresh fruits to make this drink it also uses some juices and white sugar making the drink high in sugar.
The original Starbucks recipe has 90 calories. Our recipe has more at 244 calories for a 16 oz drink but it's not watered down like the Starbucks Recipe.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Mango Dragonfruit Refresher (Starbucks)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup dragon fruit fresh or frozen, I used frozen
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup mango nectar
- ¼ cup white grape juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- freeze dried dragonfruit optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the dragonfruit, sugar and water in a high speed blender. I like to use the smoothie cup that came with my NINJA blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. This will ensure that the mixture is nice and smooth. If you don't have a high speed blender, run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunks.
- Pour dragonfruit into a cup and add the mango nectar, white grape juice and lemon juice. Stir and top with ice and freeze dried dragonfruit or extra cubes of frozen dragonfruit. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to make a double, triple or even large batch!
- I found my frozen dragonfruit at Sam's Club in the frozen fruit section. Fresh dragonfruit can be found sporadically at grocery stores. Our Food Lion usually has some in stock.
- This makes a large serving (16 oz) feel free to share with a friend!
- To make it more true to the Starbucks drink, add ½ teaspoon green coffee powder. Add it at the same time as the dragonfruit, sugar and water and blend it up!
Andrea
Mango Dragonfruit Refresher diy recipe, I finally found one I love! This is so good and I love that I can make it homemade!