Pineapple Passionfruit Refreshers, 3 Ways!

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Starbucks Paradise Drink is part of their new Pineapple Refreshers. All three drinks are delicious, but the paradise drink stands out as the most tropical. Next time you want Starbucks' newest drink, skip the line and make it home with this copycat recipe. * All three pineapple drinks use the same base, I have included the recipes here.

"Sunshine in a cup" is how Starbucks describes its new line of refreshers made with pineapple and passionfruit. I have to admit; this drink is all that! The color is a vibrant yellow with a fruity and tropical flavor reminiscent of beach vacations!

Much like the mango dragonfruit refresher drinks, the new pineapple drinks are truly refreshing! So good, in fact, that I kept driving back to Starbucks for "testing" reasons.

After a few days of testing, I have a pretty close copycat recipe for you. While all three are included here, the Paradise Drink is by far my favorite! The coconut milk mellows out the sweet and tart flavors to create the perfect tropical fruity drink!

Jump to:

• What are the New Starbucks Pineapple Drinks?
• What Do the Drinks Taste Like?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Watch Refresher Recipe Being Made
• Mixer Recommendations
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Recipe

What are the New Starbucks Pineapple Drinks?

In June 2022, Starbucks released their Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher line nicknamed "Sunshine in a cup." As with previous refreshers, all three variations use the same base.

Starbucks describes the overall flavor as "tropical flavors of pineapple and passionfruit, hand-shaken by Starbucks baristas with real diced pineapple pieces and ice to create a delicious island escape that is 100 calories for a Grande."

What Do the Drinks Taste Like?

There are three drinks, all sweet with a slightly tart finish. However, depending on the variation, the refresher could be sweet, tart, or tropical.

All drinks have

• Base - Pineapple passionfruit concentrate
• Freeze Dried Pineapple Chunks

Three Variations

• Starbucks Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher -
  • Base + water + freeze-dried pineapple
  • Brightest, lightest, and sweetest of the three drinks.
• Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade -
  • Base + lemonade + freeze-dried pineapple.
  • This drink is perfect for people who love the tartness of lemonade.
• Paradise Drink -
  • Base + coconut milk (found in the diary section) + freeze-dried pineapple.
  • Can we say tropical beach vacation? One sip of the paradise drink, and you will feel like you are in paradise drinking from a coconut. It is THAT good! (yes, this is hands down my favorite!)

Ingredients

White Sugar- ½ cup - Use equal parts white sugar and water to create a simple syrup. For a vegan drink, use organic or vegan sugar.

Pineapple Juice - 1 cup - I tried several different types of pineapple juice and even pineapple powder during testing. Hands down, fresh pineapple or canned pineapple tasted like Starbucks. The other products have too many additional flavors that complicate the flavor (and not in a good way!)

Passionfruit Powder - ½ teaspoon - I ordered passionfruit powder on Amazon and found it works perfectly with this recipe. My only caution is that the powder is clumpy. I found that adding passionfruit powder while making the base on the stove worked the best in dissolving the powder.

Citric Acid - ⅛ teaspoon - Adds zip to the drink. Only a tiny amount of citric acid is needed.

Freeze-Dried Pineapple- - 1 tablespoon - I found freeze-dried pineapple on Amazon. The pieces are a little larger than the pineapple at Starbucks. If you prefer a smaller size, break the chunks down. That's if you still have some because I cannot stop eating the pineapple while making my drinks;)

Starbucks Ingredients Not Included

The label of Starbucks ingredients has white grape juice and green coffee bean powder listed. During testing, I felt that adding both ingredients altered the overall flavor too much, rather than recreating it. Below are more details about the omissions.

White Grape Juice - This is a popular juice found in many Starbucks refreshers. I found that the flavor changed significantly even with a slight amount (¼ teaspoon) during testing. For this reason, I omitted white grape juice.

Green Coffee Bean Powder - Starbucks uses "natural green coffee flavor" in its base. I find the smell and flavor overpowering. If you want to add caffeine to this drink, I recommend brewing one white tea bag. Once cooled, use the tea in place of water. The subtle flavor does not change the overall taste of the drink.

Instructions

Base

Combine water, white sugar, pineapple juice, and passionfruit powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently stir to help facilitate incorporating the ingredients and passionfruit powder. Once the sugar has dissolved into a liquid, remove it from heat. Allow the base to cool before adding the citric acid.

Refreshers

Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher
Mix one cup of the base with one cup of water. Pour over ice and top with freeze-dried pineapple.

Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade
Mix one cup of the base with one cup of lemonade. Pour over ice and top with freeze-dried pineapple.

Paradise Drink
Mix one cup of the base with one cup of coconut milk (found in the diary section next to other non-dairy milk). Pour over ice and top with freeze-dried pineapple.

Watch Refresher Recipe Being Made

Mixer Recommendations

All three refreshers are also perfect for cocktails. I am partial to the Paradise drink mixed with rum. It reminds me of beach vacations and fruity, creamy drinks (think pina colada). Here are my suggestions to turn a refresher into a refreshing cocktail!

Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher & Lemonade - Vodka perfectly complements both drinks' light and refreshing flavors.
Paradise Drink - The paradise drink is reminiscent of tropical poolside beverages. For that reason, I feel rum is the best choice.
Alcohol to Beverage Ratio - I recommend two tablespoons of liquor per 12 ounces of non-alcoholic beverage. The ratio is on the lighter side of a typical mixed drink. I prefer to add more later rather than have too strong of a drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe