Our copycat Starbucks dragon drink recipe is bright, light, refreshing, caffeinated and homemade.
If sitting in a drive-thru or paying six dollars for a daily caffeine hit isn't your idea of fun, consider making your own special drinks at home.
This popular iced drink on the starbucks menu. Made with fresh dragon fruit, fruit juice and has a bright pink color and is perfect iced creamy drink for a hot summer day.
This copycat recipe uses simple ingredients and is one of our fun easy beverage recipes you will want to bookmark.
Why Make This Recipe
Fast and easy recipe. It will take you less than ten minutes to make your drink. No drive-thru. No waiting. Just a cold drink to make you happy on a hot day.
Versatile. Unlike the official version from the restaurant, you can remove the caffeine from this drink if you want to. You can also change up the base to lessen the calories.
Delicious. There is a reason why this tropical drink is one of the top sellers day after day at the local Starbucks and also why the stores run out of ingredients so often. The dragon drink is THAT good. So are all of the other dragonfruit variations on the menu.
More Bang for your Buck. Making things at home is almost always cheaper than purchasing at a restaurant. In this case it will cost you more for the initial purchase but you will save money in the long run.
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Ingredients for the Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe
Mango Nectar. You can purchase this at your grocery store wherever the shelf stable juice is kept. It can also be purchased at Costco. Mango puree also works here.
White Grape Juice. This forms the base of the drink. Lower the calories by using water or a low sugar form of the juice.
Coconut Milk. This turns the drink into the dragon drink instead of the dragonfruit refresher. If you don't love coconut or prefer the refresher version, use lemonade or water instead. All of the other ingredients remain the same.
Dragonfruit. You can buy this frozen at the grocery store. It adds a floral note to the drink and that signature color.
Green Coffee Bean Extract. A lot of people don't realize that the Starbucks refreshers and pink drinks have caffeine in them. They do. If you don't want caffeine, leave this the green tea extract ingredient out. If you cannot find at grocery stores, you can find it here online. This recipe calls for less than 20 mg of caffeine so it is truly an optional ingredient.
Ice cubes. While I do recommend starting with cold ingredients, the ice will help get a solid chill for the drink so you can take it with you all summer long.
Refer to recipe card for amounts.
Substitutions and Variations
peach juice - can be a substitute for the grape juice for a fun twist.
sweet cream can be a substitute for the coconut milk in a pinch, but you will miss out on the coconut flavor.
Pitaya Powder (freeze-dried dragon fruit powder)- Can't find fresh dragon fruit? You can use this Pitaya powder , which is freeze dried dragon fruit.
How to Make your Copycat Starbucks Dragon Fruit Drink Recipe
Step 1 - Place ice into a tall glass and set aside.
Step 2 - Place all of the other ingredients for the drink in a shaker or mason jar except for half of the dragonfruit. Shake it really well until the flavors have mixed.
3. Pour your drink into the glass with ice and top with the remaining dragonfruit.
That's it - You're welcome. 🙂
Tips for Best Results
Shake the juices. Before measuring out the mango nectar or the grape juice, give the jugs a good shake. This helps make sure the flavors and sugars are evenly mixed in the juice.
If you can't find frozen dragonfruit, purchase freeze-dried dragonfruit online. You can also buy dragonfruit juice at Costco occasionally.
To get your drink colder right off the bat, shake it with the ice. It might be a little harder to mix but the extra ice action will chill it faster.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
Does the dragon drink at Starbucks have caffeine?
Yes. The good news is, its easy to leave out or include the caffeine in our homemade copycat version.
How do I make a dragon drink at home?
Shaken, not stirred. It's a real thing. Put all of the ingredients in a shaker, and give it a go. You are going to love the convenience and cost!
What is Pink Dragon fruit?
Dragon fruit is a vibrant and exotic fruit that comes from various species of cactus native to Central America. It is bright pink on the inside and has a subtle sweet flavor similar to a of a combination of pear and kiwi.
More Great Starbucks Copycat Recipe Ideas
- Salted Caramel Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat)
- Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher Recipe (Copycat)
- Starbucks Brownies Recipe
- Iced Caramel Macchiato Starbucks
- Chocolate Frappe Starbucks Copycat
- Paradise Refresher Drink
- Strawberry Acai Lemonade
- Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
- Dole Whip Frappuccino
📖 Recipe
Copycat Starbucks Dragon Drink Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mango juice
- ½ cup white grape juice
- 1 cup creamy coconut milk
- ¼ cup dragonfruit; frozen
- 1 teaspoon green coffee extract optional for caffeine
- Ice
Instructions
- Place ice in glass and set aside.
- In a shaker, add in two tablespoons mango nectar, one half cup white grape juice, one cup coconut milk, and half the dragonfruit. Add the one teaspoon green coffee bean extract if you want caffeine. Shake well.
- Pour into a serving glass.
Tamara
WOW! I would love to make my own and have more control over the tastes and ingredients that go in here. This looks so good!