The summer of 2023 just got a cool off with the release of Starbucks’ Frozen Refreshers. Of course my immediate thought is… if the original Starbucks Refreshers are vegan, does that mean the frozen version is as well?
If you are not familiar, Starbucks began offering fruit juice based drinks called Refreshers back in 2012. Remember when their Pink Drink or Dragon Drink became a trend a few years ago? This is them. The flavors have changed periodically throughout the years. But what always holds true, is they are vegan, delicious and can be changed up by ordering them as is, with coconut milk or with lemonade.
(Starbucks Refresher drinks have their own section in our Vegan Starbucks Guide. You can see it, here
.)
Well, this summer of 2023, they have added a new fun aspect to them by making them frozen!
Let’s first answer the main question and then get into their flavors, ingredients and what our thoughts were on each. Before I go any further, I want to mention that each of these contains caffeine. I do share how many milligrams each have in a grande, along with their calories and grams of sugar if any of this is a concern for you.
Are Starbucks Frozen Freshers Vegan?
Yes they are! All Starbucks has done is taken their refresher drinks, added lemonade & ice and blended it. Voila! A frozen refreshing beverage.
What Are Starbucks Frozen Refresher Flavors and Ingredients?
Again, as I mentioned above, I share with you each flavor, their descriptions, ingredient list, calories, sugar, caffeine milligrams and what our thoughts were on each.
I also share other summer-style drinks, towards the bottom, if you do not prefer one that is frozen or even juice based for that matter.
All of this information, except for our opinions, were pulled from Starbucks’ website.
Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers® Beverage
“Tropical flavors of pineapple and passionfruit blended with real diced pineapple, strawberry puree and lemonade for a refreshingly frozen, vibrant escape in a cup.”
The Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher’s ingredients are:
ICE, LEMONADE [WATER, LEMON JUICE, SUGAR, LEMON OIL], PINEAPPLE PASSIONFRUIT REFRESHERS BASE [WATER, SUGARS (SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, GREEN COFFEE EXTRACT (FOR FLAVOR), BETA CAROTENE (FOR COLOR), REBAUDIOSIDE A], STRAWBERRY PUREE SAUCE [STRAWBERRY PUREE, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, WATER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID], FREEZE DRIED PINEAPPLE.
160 calories with 33 grams of sugar and approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
If you like a punch of pineapple flavor with tartness on the backend, this one is for you. This one happens to be Ryan’s favorite of the three and described it as tasting like summer. He really enjoyed the pineapple flavor.
Frozen Strawberry Açaà Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers® Beverage
“Sweet strawberry flavors and tropical açaà notes blended with real strawberry pieces, strawberry puree and lemonade for a refreshingly frozen, vibrant escape in a cup.”
The Frozen Strawberry Acai Lemonade Starbucks Refresher’s ingredients are:
ICE, LEMONADE [WATER, LEMON JUICE, SUGAR, LEMON OIL], REFRESHERS STRAWBERRY ACAI BASE [WATER, SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL GREEN COFFEE FLAVOR, COLORED WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE, REBAUDIOSIDE-A], STRAWBERRY PUREE SAUCE [STRAWBERRY PUREE, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, WATER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID], FREEZE-DRIED STRAWBERRIES.
160 calories with 33 grams of sugar and approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Ryan and I vary greatly in our opinions on the Frozen Strawberry Açaà Lemonade. Ryan said this one was too sweet while I thought it was the most subtle. Not sure our taste buds are going to help you here! 😉
Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers® Beverage
“Tropical flavors of sweet mango and dragonfruit blended with real pieces of dragonfruit, strawberry puree and lemonade for a refreshingly frozen, vibrant escape in a cup.”
The Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher’s ingredients are:
ICE, LEMONADE [WATER, LEMON JUICE, SUGAR, LEMON OIL], MANGO DRAGONFRUIT REFRESHERS BASE [WATER, SUGARS (SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL GREEN COFFEE FLAVOR, REBAUDIOSIDE-A], STRAWBERRY PUREE SAUCE [STRAWBERRY PUREE, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, WATER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID], FREEZE DRIED DRAGONFRUIT PIECES.
150 calories with 33 grams of sugar and approximately 45 milligrams of caffeine.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
If/when I order one of Starbucks’ Frozen Refreshers again, I am definitely choosing this one! In my opinion (in fact, both of our opinions), it is the most balanced in sweet and tart flavors. Personally, I think it tastes the best of the three. -Jen
Additional Starbucks Vegan Summer Drinks We Like
Pink Drink
I know we have mentioned Starbucks Refreshers enough in here but their Pink Drink is my favorite juice-based drink on their menu. It is a combination of their Strawberry Acai Base with Coconut Milk.
Iced Vanilla Blonde Latte with Soy Milk
Yes, I was specific on the milk in this one because I’m giving you my all-time favorite order, an Iced Vanilla Blonde Latte with Soy Milk. Starbucks’ Blonde coffee is what I even buy for our house… when it’s on sale. So when I discovered this option a few years ago, it quickly became my go-to. Smooth & creamy with a hint of vanilla–yum!
There is a similar drink you could order that has the blonde espresso but uses oat milk and toasted vanilla syrup rather than regular vanilla. And that is Starbucks’ Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. No modifications are needed to make it vegan.
Iced Coffee with Oatmilk and Chocolate Sauce
Since I gave you my favorite drink order, I might as well give you Ryan’s as well. It doesn’t matter where we order from, if the chocolate sauce or syrup is vegan, that is what he is getting. And he is always partial to oat milk whereas I like soy.
As I also mentioned above, a similar order at Starbucks could be their Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso. The difference is what your preference would be between a coffee drink vs latte style. Again, no modifications need to be made for the Shaken Espresso to be vegan. It already is!
Frappuccinos
Like Starbucks’ NEW Frozen Refreshers, their Frappuccinos are frozen and popular but most people do not know how to order them vegan.
I created a guide, which you can see here, that shares each of the frappuccinos on their menu that can be made vegan. The ingredients list is included along with how to special order it modified. There are extra details in there as well… like why certain frappuccinos cannot be ordered vegan. It is helpful if a frappuccino sounds good to you.
In Conclusion…
New vegan options have been feeling a bit stale lately so I’m glad to see this tiny addition of ingredients gives us a new way to enjoy a cold drink on a hot day.
We hope you are having a beautiful summer. Don’t forget that vegan sunscreen!
