Starbucks Pink Drink: Caffeine, Calories & Ingredients

Want to try a Starbucks Pink Drink but not exactly sure what's in it? Here's a close look at this super popular Refreshers drink, including what's in it and how much caffeine and calories it contains.

A Starbucks Pink Drink is a caffeinated iced shaken beverage that combines strawberry acai Refreshers base, coconutmilk, and real strawberries.

The Pink Drink is part of Starbucks Refreshers Beverages lineup of iced drinks. And, in fact, the only difference between a Pink Drink and Strawberry Acai Refresher is that coconutmilk is substituted in for water.

The mixture of the red strawberry acai juice and coconutmilk is what gives the drink its signature pastel pink hue.

What I love about Pink Drink is that it’s sweet, fruity and creamy. To me, it’s the ideal summertime sip.

But don’t think you can only get this popular drink during summer months. It’s always on the menu and my Starbucks barista daughter tells me people order it year-round.

Did you know? The Pink Drink is a customer & barista-created drink that rose to fame on social media. It was so popular, Starbucks added it to the regular menu way back in 2017. It’s been a top-seller ever since.

Ingredients

A Pink Drink at Starbucks has exactly 4 ingredients: strawberry acai juice, coconutmilk, freeze-dried strawberries and ice.

The amount of each ingredient added to the drink depends on the size you order. For instance, tall, grande and venti pink drinks get 1 scoop of strawberries, whereas a 30 oz. trenta is made with 2 scoops.

Strawberry Acai Base
Strawberry acai base is a caffeinated juice concentrate. It contains water, white grape juice concentrate, natural flavors and green coffee flavor.

Coconutmilk
Coconutmilk is plant-based so the pink drink is a non-dairy Starbucks beverage.

Freeze-dried Strawberries
The dehydrated real strawberries that Starbucks mixes into Refreshers are called fruit inclusions. When they’re shaken into a drink, they’re rehydrated and plump back up.

Ice
Triple-filtered ice cubes make all Starbucks cold drinks extra refreshing.

Does the Pink Drink have caffeine?

Caffeinated Starbucks Pink Drink. — A grande Starbucks Pink Drink is a lightly caffeinated Refreshers beverage that contains 45mg of caffeine.

One question Starbucks baristas are asked often is, “Does the Pink Drink have caffeine?”

In fact, the entire line-up of Starbucks Refreshers contain caffeine.

So, exactly how much caffeine is in a Pink Drink?

According to Starbucks, a 16-ounce Pink Drink has 35-45 mg of caffeine. It is a lightly caffeinated beverage. In fact, the caffeine content of a Pink Drink is less than 1/3 of a Starbucks iced coffee (165 mg) and under 1/5 of a cold brew (205 mg).

The source of caffeine is green coffee extract that’s in the Strawberry Acai Refreshers base drink. This extract provides a bit of caffeine energy without the coffee flavor. This is because green coffee beans are not roasted.

Pink Drink Calories

A grande Starbucks Pink Drink with pieces of real strawberry floating on top. — A grande Pink Drink from Starbucks has 140 calories and 24g sugar and 27g carbs.

If you’re wondering, is the Pink Drink healthy and are counting calories or watching sugar intake, you should know that the two main ingredients in a Pink Drink (strawberry acai base and coconut milk) each contain sugar.

Since the strawberry base comes to Starbucks already prepared, the barista cannot leave the sugar out of your drink. In addition, the boxes of coconut milk have cane sugar already added in.

Bottom line, it’s not possible to get a sugar-free Pink Drink at Starbucks. Although, you may enjoy the secret menu keto version of the Starbucks pink drink.

Here’s an easy recipe to make a keto pink drink at home.

Calories in Pink Drink by Size:

Tall (12 ounces): 110
Grande (16 ounces): 140
Venti (24 ounces): 200
Trenta (30 ounces): 270

RELATED: 21 Sugar-Free Starbucks Drinks

How to Order a Pink Drink at Starbucks

Since the Pink Drink is on the menu it’s simple to order. All you have to do is ask for a Pink Drink. It’s comes in sizes tall, grande, venti, and trenta.

To order using the Starbucks app, head over to the “Cold Drinks” section of the menu and you’ll find Pink Drink in the “Starbucks Refreshers” section. If you want to modify the drink, just click the customization button.

One popular customization is to get a Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam. This one you have to order in-person.

Price

Starbucks prices are subject to change and may vary by location.

A Pink Drink handcrafted Starbucks beverage currently costs about $4.65 for a tall, $4.95 for a grande, $5.65 for a venti and $5.95 for a trenta.

To compare, a grande iced tea costs about $3.45, iced coffee is $3.75 and a cold brew coffee is $4.45.

Questions You May Have

How much caffeine is in a Pink Drink?

Pink Drinks are lightly caffeinated Refreshers beverages. According to Starbucks nutrition data, a tall Pink Drink contains 35-45 mg caffeine, a grande has 45-55 mg, a venti has 70-85 mg and a trenta clocks in at 90-10 mg. For comparison purposes, a grande Starbucks iced coffee has 165 mg of caffeine.

Does Starbucks have a sugar-free Pink Drink?

It’s not possible to order a sugar-free Pink Drink. A Pink Drink contains Strawberry Acai Refreshers juice and coconut milk and both of these ingredients contain sugar.