20 Starbucks Refreshers, Ranked Worst To Best

Given that Starbucks is primarily a coffee house, you probably expect that there will be an abundance of popular drinks like iced coffees, cold brew, and the iconic Starbucks Frappuccinos. You may have even enjoyed some of the iced teas Starbucks has created. But have you tried any of the Refreshers? In the blistering heat, they may be just what you need to cool off with a fruity pick-me-up.

If you haven't heard of or experienced any of the Starbucks Refreshers, here's the rundown: They're fruit drinks that are a bit lighter and more delicate than fruit juice. Like an agua fresca, but fancy. Each flavor is typically made with a similar "base" of water, sugar, white grape juice concentrate, and natural flavors and colors. While these drinks don't pack as strong of a caffeinated punch as a nitro cold brew, they all include green coffee extract, so some caffeine is present.

From there, your base flavor of choice can be mixed with one of three different drinks: water, lemonade, or coconut milk. There are also plenty of additional combinations you can make, and you can get them in a size tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), venti (24 ounces), or trenta (30 ounces). To give you an idea of what to order, here's the deets on every current Starbucks Refresher, ranked worst to best.

The Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher was released in late June of 2022 — just as intense summertime heat waves began in earnest across the country. While we think all of the Refreshers are warm weather drinks, there's no mistaking this bright yellow drink as a summery stand-out. It certainly looks like an icy cup of sunshine, but we'll admit that it didn't quite meet our expectations.

We had visions of freshly squeezed pineapple juice that's both intensely sweet and mouth-puckeringly acidic, plus that tingling sensation on the tongue from the acids and enzymes. Then the passionfruit would provide a sweet, citrusy, and slightly musky punch. What we actually got was more of a platonic impression of those flavors, watered down and mellowed out. That's not an inherently bad thing. Drinking harsh pineapple juice spiked with bitter passionfruit in large quantities would probably wreak havoc on your stomach anyway.

Not only is this particular Refresher more subtle than we expected it to be, but it's not especially sweet. It's more like a slightly more complex lemonade with not enough sugar in it. There are 100 calories, 19 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine in the grande size of this drink.

For each of the three Refreshers flavors, one of the drink mix options is coconut milk, and each of the coconut milk-based Refreshers has a special name that differs a little bit from the rest of the Refreshers. The Dragon Drink is made with the mango dragonfruit base. 

It pains us to rank the Dragon Drink low, because the mango dragonfruit flavor is a delight. But with the coconut milk base, we just thought it was the most boring version of the coconut-based Refreshers. We still drank the entire thing, and it was nice, but not impressive. The vibrant fuchsia color is appealing to look at, though. The coconut milk doesn't overwhelm the tropical flavors and blends nicely into the dragonfruit and mango. And, honestly, if you try some of the other variations and they're all too much for you, maybe come back to this one for a more subtle option. The Dragon Drink boasts 45 milligrams of caffeine, 23 grams of sugar, and 130 calories.

Instead of releasing an all-new Refreshers flavor in April of 2024, Starbucks introduced a spicy upgrade option to the existing three Lemonade Refreshers flavors — literally. Luckily for us, the choice was made to keep the names simple, converting the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher flavor into the more direct "Spicy Dragonfruit." The drink is topped with a spicy chili powder blend, made with sugar, paprika, salt, ancho chili powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and natural flavor.

The spicy chili powder blend visibly sits on top of the drink, so there's no mistaking it for the non-spicy version. But don't fear, even if you don't give it a little stir to mix it into the drink, the spice level isn't so strong that it tastes like drinking hot sauce. It's definitely zesty, but not clear-you-out-five-alarm level spicy. (And this is coming from someone with a moderately low tolerance for heat.)

Luckily, the lemonade in the drink seems to help balance the peppery taste, although some of the more subtle fruity flavors of the dragonfruit and mango start to taste a bit washed out the more you drink it. The Spicy Dragonfruit would be fun if paired with some summertime foods that could help balance the spice a little more, but by itself, the 12-ounce Tall version of the drink was plenty to satisfy our curiosity.

The three existing Starbucks Refresher flavors were given the slushy treatment in 2023. The lemonade-based versions of each drink are blended into frosty beverages with a splash of strawberry purée syrup in each for a little visual magic and added flavor complexity. Each of the three flavors is even more amped-up than the iced lemonade versions, including the Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, which we still like more than the Dragon Drink version that's been on the menu for a few years longer. But, we also feel like maybe it's a little too much, depending on how intense of a drink you're looking for.

Making a frozen version of the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade is a welcome upgrade, but the additional strawberry purée syrup doesn't really do it for us. Instead of accenting the mango and dragonfruit, it almost seems like it's fighting with the existing flavors for attention. It's more sour and sweet than we were anticipating, like a sweet-and-sour candy if it was made with real fruit. But if that level of intensity is what you're looking for, this is probably the most intense drink in the entire lineup. 

The 16-ounce grande has 150 calories, 33 grams of sugar, and about 45 milligrams of caffeine. You might also want to ask for a straw since the top of the drink can be foamy from the blender.

In January of 2024, Starbucks debuted its Oleato olive oil-infused beverages at coffee shops nationwide, which had previously only been served at Starbucks Reserve locations. The exclusive Oleato Golden Foam was then added as an option to two of the three existing Refreshers drinks: the Dragon Drink and the Paradise Drink. It's unclear why the Pink Drink was excluded from the lineup, but either way, the olive oil and Refreshers pairing is a mashup we didn't anticipate.

With a little skepticism, we tasted the coconut milk-based Dragon Drink with Oleato Golden Foam, one of the additions to the Mango Dragonfruit Refreshers lineup — and were initially just relieved to find that it isn't gross. In fact, it's delicately fruity and lighter than we thought it would be. The olive oil flavor is subtle, the Golden Foam topping isn't greasy or overwhelming, and it adds a slight floral scent to the beverage. It's most apparent after you've had a few sips, and hint of olive oil lingers on little longer on the palate.

This version of the drink is still made with chunks of dragonfruit, but they're a little more difficult to get to, trapped under the foam topping. And for those who get the Dragon Drink specifically because it's dairy-free, the Oleato Golden Foam cancels that out. The additional creaminess is nice, but also dulls some of the overall fruitiness, making it less of an exciting drink overall.

Just when we thought we wouldn't be getting a new Refreshers flavor for the 2024 summer season, Starbucks surprised us with the all-new Summer-Berry Refresher. Not only is the blue hue a departure from the color palette of warm tropical colors we've seen before, but the drink includes boba-like raspberry popping pearls at the bottom of the cup, and a wide bubble tea-style straw for sucking them up while you enjoy your drink.

The blue color of the drink is naturally derived from blue spirulina, and cleverly makes the liquid look like a refreshing dip in the pool on a hot summer day. Since strawberry is already a flavor elsewhere in the refreshers lineup, it's left out of this particular berry mash-up, with raspberry taking the most obvious lead, backed up by blueberry and blackberry flavors.

With that said, this particular version of the drink isn't as intense as you might think. It's sweet, but not cloyingly so, and the blue raspberry flavor isn't nearly as strong or as fake as what you'd get from the Slurpee machine at 7-Eleven. Instead, it's just berry-flavored enough for people who want to hydrate, but don't want to drink straight-up water. The red raspberry pearls add a playful gush of sweetness to the drink with each pop, and look a little bit like pool toys hanging out in your drink.

Like the coconut milk-based Refreshers already on the menu, the Summer-Berry Refresher with coconut milk gets an ethereal name of its own: the Summer Skies Drink. And this one is aptly named, since it looks like a cool cup of pale blue summer skies, with the occasional puffy white cloud floating by. The berry flavors in this version of the drink are a little more muted, but come alive with bursts of raspberry flavor from the popping pearls on the bottom. The coconut milk also lends a subtle tropical note to the drink, which might appeal to anyone who likes berry-infused tropical cocktails. You might not be able to enjoy a berry colada at your desk during the workday, but this will do in a pinch.

While the popping pearls at the bottom of this drink aren't actually chewy tapioca boba pearls, the delicate creaminess of the coconut milk in this drink paired with the pearls might make it the most appealing version of the drink to boba tea drinkers. The 16-ounce Grande version of the Summer Skies Drink has about 29 grams of sugar, which is a little less than the average boba tea, for those who are looking for a less sweet alternative without sacrificing the fun of having a special drink.

While the water-based Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher left us feeling a little deflated in the sunshine, this version reinvigorated our enthusiasm for the flavor. You might not think that adding acidic lemonade to an already acidic drink would be a good idea, but it turns out that the lemonade base generously fills in the gaps where the pineapple and passionfruit flavors fell short. The sweetness of the lemonade instantly boosts the pineapple flavor, and the citrusy notes turn the flavor of the passionfruit up to a pleasing level.

Now, the drink still doesn't taste like it was made with fresh pineapple and passionfruit juices. And that's because it wasn't. The Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Refresher is made with a similar base as the other Refreshers, including sugar, white grape juice concentrate, natural flavors, citric acid, and beta carotene for coloring. None of these ingredients are unusual or unnatural, so don't let that deter you — just know before you order that this drink is pineapple passionfruit flavored, and has 140 calories, 30 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

Of course, this drink has already gotten the secret menu treatment on TikTok. Barista Tre Meullione suggests blending the Refresher with ice and pouring it over strawberry puree for the "Derek's Pineapple Sunrise," a refreshing play on the tequila sunrise cocktail.

So many strawberry drinks have a synthetic strawberry flavor that never quite tastes like the real thing. The Strawberry Açaí Refresher, on the other hand, tastes about as close to fresh strawberries as you're going to achieve without getting your own strawberries and making this drink yourself. Not only were we pleasantly surprised, but we were instantly in love. Considering this is the lowest-ranked strawberry açaí drink on this list, that's saying a lot for the variations yet to come. The current grande version has 100 calories, 45 milligrams of caffeine, and 21 grams of sugar.

When we think of a Mexican agua fresca, the Strawberry Açaí Refresher is what we've got in mind — a delicately sweet, ultra-hydrating, and satisfyingly fruity drink. The strawberry isn't overly syrupy or thick like a drink made with strawberry purée can be, and the açaí isn't overstated. We were a little surprised by how easygoing the flavors are, based on the vibrant color of the drink. While it's not quite as intense as the Mango Dragonfruit hue, it's still a bold reddish pink. At this point, we realize that Starbucks knew exactly what they were doing by creating refreshing drinks in fun summer colors, and we're here for it. The freeze-dried strawberry pieces floating in the drink rehydrate quickly and add nice little bites of strawberry to the experience.

Unlike the Spicy Dragonfruit Refresher, the Spicy Strawberry Refresher doesn't wash out the Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Refresher flavor. Interestingly, the spice transforms it into nearly an entirely different drink. It's definitely packing a little heat, but somehow, the addition of the spicy chili powder blend creates more of a fruity iced tea flavor — almost like you were enjoying a strawberry iced tea at a backyard barbecue, and your drink caught a shake of dry rub as you were walking by the grill. And it's surprisingly really good.

The combination of spice and a classic icy cold go-to summertime drink taste make this spicy Refresher one that we had the sneaking urge to wash down in big gulps. This rendition of the Strawberry Açaí Refresher flavor is unexpectedly luscious, turning what is essentially a fancy strawberry lemonade into the seasonal drink you never asked for or saw coming, but probably won't be able to stop drinking.

It's immediately clear what the regular version of the Summer-Berry Refresher is missing, upon tasting the lemonade version. The extra boost of acidity from the lemonade helps intensify the overall berry flavors, adds a little more sweetness to bulk up the fruity flavors, and generally just makes it more fun. Besides, what could taste more like summertime than berries and lemonade?

Contrary to what we had originally imagined, the lemonade doesn't turn the color of this shimmering pool blue-hued drink green. When looking at the lemonade version and the regular version of the drink side by side, it's next to impossible to tell them apart. But once you taste them, you'll be able to tell the difference, and once you try the lemonade version of the drink, you won't want to go back to the plain version. Unfortunately, this particular Refreshers flavor will only be on the menu until the end of summer, or while supplies last. We're betting it'll be long gone by the time Pumpkin Spice Latte season gets underway at the end of August.

While the Mango Dragonfruit and Pineapple Passionfruit flavors each have hits and misses depending on their preparation, we've established that the Strawberry Açaí Refresher flavor is pretty great in every iteration it's offered. The new Starbucks Frozen Strawberry Açaí Lemonade also gets an additional dose of strawberry purée syrup, which we thought would be a little redundant since it's already strawberry-flavored. And we weren't wrong, but it also isn't a total wash either. 

This Refresher packs a noticeably stronger strawberry punch. The extra strawberry purée makes for a potent mixed drink-style taste, as opposed to the regular iced version, which came across more like a boldly flavored water than a fruity drink. The flavor tastes like an actual strawberry, not artificial or candy-like. It's nice to also see the bits of strawberry fruit and seeds suspended in the drink. 

After the strawberry-forward notes (boosted by the lemonade) melt on your tongue, you start to taste the deeper earthy flavor of the açaí — but only if you're really looking for it. In its frozen and blended form, the drink gives playful resort bar frozen margarita vibes, leading us to think that if you've ever considered spiking a Starbucks drink with vodka or tequila (we have), this would be the one to do it with. The whole drink clocks in at 160 calories for a 16-ounce grande, 35 grams of sugar, and about 50 milligrams of caffeine.

It only took one sip to sell us on the Paradise Drink, which is similar to the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher, but with a dairy-free coconut milk base instead of water or lemonade. After an audible, "Oh, that's nice!" we immediately realized that the pineapple and coconut combination was better than any blended piña colada we've ever imbibed (minus the rum, of course). The coconut flavor wasn't nearly as apparent in the other drinks we tasted, but paired with the pineapple passionfruit flavors, it was unmistakable.

A traditional blended piña colada recipe includes cream of coconut, which is thicker and sweeter than coconut milk. A few of those with a heavy enough serving of rum in the hot summer sun will have you well on the way to a hangover. In contrast, the Paradise Drink is light, mellow, predictably tropical, and truly refreshing. After several sips, the coconut flavor begins to recede, letting the brighter pineapple and subtle passionfruit flavors take over. We also noticed that the coconut milk itself looked a little broken in the cup, which might have been caused by the acidic nature of the drink. But its taste was still smooth and delicately creamy. We also enjoyed the addition of floating pineapple bits, which really bring the whole relaxed mixed drink vibe together. This grande drink comes with 140 calories, 23 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

It's easy to get excited just by looking at the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. The mango and dragonfruit flavors marry perfectly to bring a luscious and tropical flavor to the drink. The freeze-dried dragonfruit bits are slightly crunchy and sweet, and the seeds blend into the fruit pieces without being annoying. It might turn your tongue a little bit pink, but if you're as into it as we are, you probably won't mind.

We like the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher just the way it is, but we're also tempted to try the secret menu variation of it, called the Rose Gold Refresher. The drink is made with the mango dragonfruit base but without the dried fruit inclusions. Instead of water, ask for it to be mixed with peach juice, and then add one pump each of vanilla and raspberry syrup. The resulting jewel-toned drink is hard not to love, and the customizations are also very easy to make online or in the Starbucks app if you're worried you might forget part of the recipe when you get to the register. The grande drink has 90 calories, 45 milligrams of caffeine, and 19 grams of sugar.

When taking the inaugural sip of the Paradise Drink with Oleato Golden Foam, the first thing that came to mind wasn't how bizarre it was to be drinking pineapple and olive oil, but how much this tasted like drinking a Dole Whip float. Okay, it's not quite as intense, given that it isn't pure pineapple juice, but all of the creamy, tropical, and bright acidic notes are there. While pineapple and olive oil might not be one of the most obvious pairings, olive oil and lemon are one of the most common duos around — and the strong, lemony, acidic notes in passionfruit play well with the floral and slightly peppery olive oil notes. In fact, they harmonize so well here that you might miss the olive oil entirely if you aren't looking for it.

The thick and creamy Oleato Golden Foam, paired with the coconut milk-based refresher, made for a creamy, almost float-like drink. Dole Whip lovers will swoon, imagining a pineapple and vanilla swirl that cuts through the heat and emotional afternoon slump like no other (and might have you looking up tickets to your favorite magical theme park ASAP). The only strange part is that the foam and coconut milk begin to look a little broken as they settle into the drink. Given the drink's acidity, it's understandable that the fats in those ingredients might appear broken, but it doesn't affect the texture or the flavor of the drink in any way.

It was hard to choose which of the remaining Strawberry Açaí Refreshers we liked best. Both the Pink Drink and the Strawberry Açaí Lemonade were delectable, but for completely different reasons. But for now, we're going to start with the Pink Drink, even though our opinion may swing back and forth depending on what day it is. The classic grande pinkity drinkity has 140 calories, 25 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

Think back to your first bite of strawberry ice cream. Or rather, your first sip of a perfect strawberry milkshake. If that memory brings you joy, but the thought of drinking a rich and dense strawberry milkshake in the 95-degree heat is unappealing, you're absolutely going to want to grab a Pink Drink instead. The fresh and sweet strawberry flavor of the strawberry açaí base pairs beautifully with the delicate creaminess of coconut milk. It's a lighter version of a great strawberry milkshake — and it's so satisfying that we stunned ourselves by how fast we drank it. If you're looking for a smooth and light refreshment that still tastes like a beloved summertime indulgence, this is the Refresher for you. A 12-ounce Pink Drink also has 110 calories, which you're probably not going to find with any milkshake.

Tasting the regular Strawberry Açaí Refresher side-by-side with the Strawberry Açaí Lemonade almost isn't fair. The regular version of the drink is perfect in its simplicity, whereas the lemonade variation is perfect in its boldness. If you've ever had a strawberry or pink lemonade that you thought was awesome, just wait until you try the Strawberry Açaí Lemonade. It's bright and bursting with flavor, but not overly sweet or painfully lemony. The strawberry pieces floating in the drink really give it an authentically homemade summer feel, assuming your homemade lemonade is fresh-squeezed and floating with ripe strawberries. It doesn't matter what age you are, a cup of this will go down easy as you consider calling your friends over for an impromptu kickball game in the backyard. The grande size contains 140 calories, 32 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

Now, depending on how much you like lemonade, this might actually be too much. We think this drink also tastes great by cutting the lemonade with water, or even a tea (a strawberry Arnold Palmer sounds delicious to us). Given how popular these drinks are, it's no surprise that the Strawberry Açaí flavor has also gotten the secret menu treatment. The recipe that caught our eye is called the Gummy Bear Refresher. It's made with peach juice instead of lemonade and includes two pumps of raspberry syrup.

Of the three existing Refreshers flavors, the Pineapple Passionfruit is probably the most obvious pairing to withstand the addition of something spicy. After all, it's already a regular pairing when it comes to popular foods — al pastor tacos, anyone? And if any of the spicy Refresher flavors are a must-try, this one would be it. The spiciness doesn't wash out any of the tropical and citric tangs of the Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Refresher, nor does it make it taste like anything it's not. Instead, all of the flavors just seem to be amplified.

Of all of the spicier options, the Spicy Pineapple is the most seamless drink pairing, to the point that we'd even consider it effortlessly smooth-drinking. Even if spicy drinks like jalapeno margaritas, Bloody Marys, or micheladas aren't really your thing, this refresher might make you a convert. Even if it doesn't become your go-to order, it's an exciting drink to pick up on the way to a cookout or to add a hefty amount of zing to a day that needs a substantial amount of pick-me-up.

Somehow, every version of the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher feels like its own unique beverage. From the basic version that left us a little uninspired, to the lemonade upgrade that makes the sweet and acidic notes of each flavor really shine, and on to the smooth coconut-based Paradise Drink that tastes like a truly refreshing nonalcoholic piña colada — each one brings a new experience to the table. Likewise, the Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Refresher stands on its own and is quite possibly our favorite version of the drink so far.

It's got everything we loved about the iced lemonade version, with the addition of a strawberry purée sauce for an even juicier flavor, with a powerhouse sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the acidic pineapple, passion fruit, and lemon. And it's frozen, which makes the whole experience more reminiscent of sipping on a Dole Whip float. The additional strawberry purée sauce doesn't steal the show but adds another layer of flavor to the background while still allowing the tangy pineapple and lemon to take the lead. We'll still order the Paradise Drink when we're in the mood for a smooth tropical getaway, but if it's over 80 degrees out, we're ordering this one. 

The standard grande serving of this Starbucks drink has 160 calories with 33 grams of sugar and approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine — slightly more than the other versions of this flavor, but not by much.

At this point, you may be wondering how each drink just keeps getting better, but we think once you try them you'll understand. Although it should be known that once you have the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, you may never drink another Refresher flavor combination again. There's no other way to put this other than, it's just so tropical. The mango and dragonfruit flavors are already such a winning combination, but the addition of lemonade brightens the combo to a whole new level of juicy and invigorating. While each of the flavors is nice on its own, together they're more than the sum of their parts.

The 12-ounce size of the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade is 110 calories, and the 30-ounce size is 280 calories. Of course, there are a few secret menu variations of this Refresher, but one of the most popular versions floating around TikTok seems to be the Sunset Drink. According to Coffee at Three, the Sunset Drink is made with Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade (excluding the fruit inclusions) and peach juice, which goes into the cup first. After the peach juice and flavored lemonade, Starbucks' Iced Passion Tango Tea is poured on top, creating a gorgeous sunset effect with 140 calories, 31 grams of sugar, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

I began tasting the Starbucks Refreshers drinks in June 2022 and have continued to taste each new Refreshers release since. I've also covered seasonal Starbucks drink menu launches, and specialty drinks from the Starbucks Reserve collection for a wider look at the drinks offered by the coffee chain.

When tasting the Refreshers, I try to taste drinks with the same flavor profiles side-by-side, in order of intensity or creaminess, from lightest to strongest. The drinks that are hardest to put down, even when faced with tasting half a dozen drinks or more at a time, are the clear winners. When flavors are close to call, I taste them several times next to their competition, and consider what might appeal to a broad range of people, as well as which one I'd personally be more likely to pick up again if I had to choose only between the two. Ultimately, there are very few Refreshers I'd turn down if given the chance, but the top-rated drinks are the ones I'd go back to enjoy all year long.