This Mango Dragonfruit Refresher is exactly like the one at Starbucks, and all its ingredients are extremely easy to find. You can ditch the chain’s calorie-rich version, make a healthier one at home with only a few ingredients, and save yourself some money. While this drink works wonderfully with soda water, you can make it with coconut milk for a creamy, fruity drink.
You can make a healthier version of Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit Refresher by brewing green tea, peeling and chopping mango and dragon fruit, adding all three items to a blender, and then serving over ice. If you want an exact Starbucks replica, replace the green tea with white grape juice.
A dreamy mixture of fresh dragon fruit and mango, this refresher is great for your metabolism. Besides being healthier, it also offers a light fruit flavor, which will refresh you. Let’s look at how you can make the Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit Refresher at home and whether you can make it without caffeine, so you can enjoy this drink whenever the mood strikes.
What You’ll Need

Starbucks’ Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher is a mixture of several different fruit juices, resulting in a refreshing summer drink that will hit all the right spots on a sweltering day.
The dragon fruit powder and freeze-dried pieces of dragon fruit are optional ingredients you can easily find online. Other than that, you’ll need a few simple items:
- 2 tbsp of fresh red dragonfruit pieces or freeze-dried dragonfruit pieces (on Amazon).
- 2 bags of green tea.
- ¼ cup white grape juice (if you’re not using green tea).
- ¼ cup lemonade.
- ¼ cup mango juice.
- Dragon fruit powder (on Amazon) (needed only for color).
- ¼ cup coconut milk (only required if you’re making dragon drink).
Ingredient Substitutions
If you can’t find any of the ingredients, there are a few things you can substitute them with:
Dragon Fruit
The popularity of fruity drinks has made it incredibly easy to find pieces of freeze-dried dragon fruit online. That being said, if you’re still unable to locate a local source or don’t want to order the fruit online, you can use fresh dragon fruit.
You’ll usually find fresh dragon fruit in the produce section of big grocery stores with other tropical fruits, such as mango and kiwi.
White Grape Juice
Perfect white grape substitutes don’t exist, but if you can handle a slightly different taste, you can use apple juice. Then, of course, you can add white wine and create a wonderfully refreshing mango dragon fruit cocktail!
Lemonade
If you want to reduce the amount of sugar in this refresher, try adding sugar-free lemonade. You can also use sugar-free lemon-lime or lemon soda pop.
Dragon Fruit Powder
Dragon fruit powder is completely optional and used only for color. You can leave it out entirely or add a drop of blue and red food coloring each to give the refresher a vibrant purple hue.
Coconut Milk
If you don’t like the taste of coconut milk or have a coconut allergy, you can use half-and-half or a mixture of heavy cream and your milk of choice.
However, this will result in a much higher calorie count. Leave the milk out if you want to enjoy a refresher, not a dragon drink.
Step 1: Brew Your Green Tea
Brew two bags of green tea in one cup of water. Let the tea steep for five minutes to completely extract its bold flavor. However, ensure you don’t over-steep, as this would result in a bitter taste. Let the tea cool before using it.
The Starbucks version is made with white grape juice and green coffee extract. Unfortunately, this adds a lot of unnecessary sugar, so if you’re looking for something healthier, you can replace the blend with green tea.
However, if you want an exact Starbucks replica and are planning to use white grape juice, skip this step.
Step 2: Peel and Chop Your Mango and Dragon Fruit
Peel and chop both fruits. Half a cup of each fruit will make two to three refreshers.
Step 3: Add Fruit and Tea to a Blender
Add the mango, dragon fruit, green tea, and dragon fruit powder to a blender. Add one to two tablespoons of lime juice or squeeze out one lime into the blender. Blend until you get a smooth mixture.
If you’re making the drink with grape juice, leave out green tea and add mango juice and grape juice instead.
Step 4: Add Puree to a Glass and Top with Ice and Liquid of Your Choice
Add a few ice cubes to the glasses and fill the glasses around 2/3s of the way with the blended puree. Top off the glasses with soda water, or mix in coconut milk if you’re in the mood for a delicious, creamy treat.
Party-Style vs. Solo
This recipe makes around three glasses, and depending on how you’re planning on enjoying it; there are two different ways you can make it:
Party-Style
If you’re having your friends over and are planning on serving the refresher all at once, you can pour the puree into a pitcher or bottle and then serve it over ice once your guests arrive.
Solo
If you’re planning on drinking the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher daily, you can prepare it ahead of time. This way, you won’t have to go through the trouble of making it from scratch every day.
It’s best to blend all the ingredients except the mango pieces first, pour the mixture into a large pitcher and keep it in the fridge.
When you’re ready to make it, fill your cup with ice, add the mango pieces and blend the mixture before adding it to your cup.
The mango puree tends to settle at the bottom of the pitcher, so add it before you drink the refresher. However, you can blend all the ingredients first and shake them before adding them to your glass.
Can You Make a Mango Dragonfruit Refresher Without Caffeine?

Although the Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit Refresher is made using green tea extract, you can also make it without caffeine by simply leaving out green tea or replacing it with herbal tea.
However, the refresher won’t be as sweet as the original version if you use herbal tea.
On the other hand, if you want more caffeine in the drink, you can consider adding a few caffeine tablets or some drops of green tea extract.
Other Variations of Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
If you want a light and refreshing drink, you can top off the refresher with sparkling water. This will result in a fizzy, slightly fruity beverage perfect for hot days.
However, if you’re in an experimental mood, you can try any of these variations:
Coconut Milk
Instead of soda water, you can top off the puree with ⅓ cup of a coconut milk beverage (usually available in a carton like this, on Amazon) or two to three tablespoons of canned coconut milk. This will make a deliciously creamy drink with a lovely soft pink color.
Date Syrup
If you prefer sweeter drinks and want something closer to the Starbucks version, add one to two tablespoons of date syrup (also on Amazon) to the mixture when blending.
This ingredient won’t raise blood sugar levels as quickly as the grape syrup used in the brand’s version.