Easy Starbucks Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink Recipe

Creamy coconut milk mixed with tropical pink flavors makes this easy iced Starbucks guava passionfruit drink recipe a tropical paradise bottled up in a refreshing drink. It will be love at first sip. 

When I first heard of Starbucks Refresher drinks, I didn’t really get it. I’m a coffee lover, a purist, so when non-coffee-related items started showing up on the Starbucks menu, I never gave them a chance. 

But when my friends and coworkers started talking about how amazing this iced drink was, I had to give it a try. And you know what? They are pretty delightful. I kept running into this guava passionfruit refresher when I was looking for Starbucks copycat recipes and I had to try it. 

Unfortunately, I am late to the party and the ice guava passionfruit pink drink is no longer available at any of the Starbucks locations near me. Sad day. 🙁  And I checked all of them (and by checked I mean scrolled through the app, obviously. 😉 ) 

Enter this copycat recipe. My husband and I love tropical fruit flavors—especially guava, so this was a must-try. And boy, was it worth it. While this may not be exactly like the Starbucks version, this is seriously one of the most delicious drinks I’ve ever had. 

It’s light and sweet and tropical and tangy all in one cup! The texture is thinner as it’s served over iced coconut milk. Perfect for a hot day. I will be drinking this all summer long no doubt. Still a coffee purist? I’ve also got you covered with the salted caramel cream cold brew recipe.

Love Starbucks copycat recipes? Try this chocolate cake pops Starbucks recipe!  

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Light and refreshing: This recipe leans a bit heavier on the unsweetened coconut milk rather than the guava juice to help cut the sweetness and leave you with a mild, but flavorful drink you can have any time of the day. 

Easy to make: Once you’ve made the simple pineapple syrup, the drink comes together in under five minutes. 

Tastes like summer in a cup: The flavors of guava and passionfruit give this drink a unique, tropical flavor. Plus, it’s pretty and pink which is just fun to drink. 

10x cheaper than Starbucks: Yep, that’s right. Save your Starbucks trips as you can buy all of the ingredients and make 10x the amount of iced guava passionfruit drinks right at home. That’s a win-win in my book. 

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Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Coconut milk: To have a light, creamy drink, I recommend using unsweetened coconut milk—not canned, but the kind you find in the refrigerator section. Canned coconut milk is much thicker and will produce more of a smoothie texture rather than a thin, light drink. 

Interested in dairy-free desserts? Check out this Key Lime Pie, Nutella Banana Cream Pie, or Berry Tart.

Guava nectar: Guava nectar is made from the pulp of guava fruit and is sweeter than 100% guava juice. It pairs perfectly with unsweetened coconut milk. Guava nectar also has a slightly thicker texture than juice. I used Goya guava nectar, which is available at most grocery stores.

Passion fruit juice: While not in the original Starbucks recipe, it adds a tangy, citrusy flavor to compliment the sweetness of the guava. I used Goya passion fruit cocktail, but any passionfruit juice will work.

Homemade pineapple ginger syrup: This unique syrup gives a spicy ginger kick paired with the sweetness and sourness of pineapple syrup. This also helps make taste like a less sugary drink. 

Variations & Substitutions

Guava juice: Feel free to swap the nectar for 100% guava juice. It will make the drink a little less sweet and still be full of the tropical flavors of guava.

Homemade pineapple ginger syrup: While in the original Starbucks recipe, it’s not that essential to the drink as the recipe only uses a few tablespoons of pineapple-ginger syrup. Once you know it’s in there, you recognize the flavor, but it’s still a delicious drink without it. If you don’t want to take the time to make a simple syrup (which takes about 20 minutes), simply remove it. Or you could use plain sugar syrup if you have it. 

Mix up the proportions: Love passionfruit? Add a bit more! Want to up the creamy coconut flavor? Reduce the amount of guava and passionfruit you use. I’ve added the proportions I believe have the best, blended flavor, but you do you based on your own tastes! That’s the beauty of this recipe!

Tart cherry juice: Other recipes will add tart cherry juice to help enhance the pink color, but I found that the pale pink the guava nectar provides is pink enough for me. 

Make it adult-friendly. ​You know what would take this up a notch? Adding some coconut rum. Talk about a next-level tropical pink drink. 

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Step-by-Step Instructions for Making the Drink

​This is a very easy recipe to create a gorgeous pink drink. Just grab your favorite tall glass and start measuring. 

Step 1: Grab two, 12oz glasses and fill them with ice. 

Step 2: Add the coconut milk, guava nectar, passionfruit juice, and pineapple ginger syrup. 

Step 3: Stir and pretend you’re sitting on a beach on a tropical island. 😎

How to Make Pineapple Ginger Syrup

Making a simple syrup is not as challenging as it sounds. Most of the work is hands-off, letting the juice simmer until it becomes a thicker syrup. 

First, peel a thumb of fresh ginger and chop it into small chunks. You’ll need ¼ cup of chopped ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder). 

Pour 1 cup of pineapple juice into a small saucepan. Add ⅓ cup sugar and bring to a low boil on medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 

Once boiling, add the ginger pieces, cover, and let simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the mixture becomes a bit thicker. It won’t be super thick because I’ve added less sugar, but it will still taste delicious. 

After 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and place in the fridge, Wait until the syrup has cooled before using it in the drink. 

Yield

This recipe yields two, 12oz glasses of iced guava passionfruit drink. Feel free to scale up if you’re serving a large group or down if you just need an afternoon treat. 

Storage Tips

I’d recommend making this as needed rather than letting it sit out, but it will keep in the fridge, covered for about a week. Just stir it again before you serve.

Frequently Asked Questions