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The Best Low Caffeine Starbucks Drinks

Ryan Marshall
Last Updated: February 5th, 2024

While the majority of Starbucks customers are in search of a major caffeine boost when they enter the doors of their local coffee shop, there are others who prefer drinks with lower amounts of caffeine.

There are many health and personal reasons to cut back on caffeine intake, and many Starbucks enthusiasts find themselves in search of the best low caffeine Starbucks drinks.

Low Caffeine Starbucks Drinks

We have hand-selected five of the best low-caffeine drinks on the Starbucks menu and highlighted some of the most important features of each beverage. Keep this guide handy next time you are headed to Starbucks and don’t want to end up with an “overly-caffeinated” beverage!

 

Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refresher

mango dragonfruit starbucks refresher

The Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refresher is an extremely popular summertime beverage that is available in a variety of styles. This delicious and refreshing base flavor can be customized in a number of different ways to make a variety of high-quality beverages with low caffeine.

Substituting a Starbucks Refresher beverage for your afternoon coffee can be a fantastic way to enjoy a bit of a buzz during the day while still cutting back on your caffeine intake. The average eight-ounce cup of black coffee contains anywhere from 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine, while a Tall 12-ounce Starbucks refresher only contains 35 milligrams of caffeine.

Many people also report that drinking Starbucks refreshers allows them to hydrate better throughout the day, as they are able to consume significantly more fluid in a less concentrated drink. Caffeine is also known to dehydrate the body, making refreshers an even more appealing option.

The Mango Dragonfruit flavor of Refresher is one of the most recognizable and popular options on the noncoffee iced drink menu. It has a distinct dark red color which is significantly darker when compared to the lighter-colored Strawberry Acai Refresher.

One of the most popular variations of this flavor is the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher. Lemonade is simply swapped out for water as the base of the Refresher drink, and it contains a bit more sugar as a result.

The caffeine content is the same in Starbucks Lemonade Refresher drinks as with their original counterparts.

The Dragon Drink

the dragon drink

The Dragon Drink is an extremely popular Starbucks beverage that has gained massive amounts of attention from being shared on social media. It uses the Mango Dragonfruit Resreshers base mixed with coconut milk to make a creamy and beautiful iced drink.

The addition of coconut milk to the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher base creates a light pink and milky appearance that is both beautiful and appetizing. It is one of the sweeter drinks that Starbucks produces, making it a great option for those who do not enjoy coffee.

The Dragon Drink contains the same amount of caffeine as any other Starbucks Refresher beverage, and the 90 milligrams present in the largest size (the Trenta) is less than many small to medium cups of coffee.

Pineapple Passionfruit Starbucks Refresher

pineapple passionfruit starbucks refresher

The Pineapple Passionfruit Starbucks Refresher is the newest release in the Starbucks line of Refresher beverages, and its enticing bright orange and yellowish color make for a drink that is both beautiful and delicious.

A Grande serving of this sweet and bright refresher contains only 45 milligrams of caffeine, which is relatively low considering the sizable 16-ounce portion. The Pineapple Passionfruit Starbucks Refresher has become very popular in a short amount of time, along with its variations.

Many Starbucks enthusiasts have reported that their favorite way to enjoy this Refreshers base is in the lemonade version. The Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher is a sweet and tangy beverage that is tart, sweet, and extremely refreshing.

The Paradise Drink

the paradise drink

The Paradise Drink is a beautiful creamy orange and yellow beverage that reminds many people of a traditional creamsicle.

This is the closest thing to a Pina Colada that you can order at Starbucks, and the slight burst of caffeine makes for a great boost in the afternoons.

The Paradise Drink has become very popular across social media, and it is considered by many to be the ultimate Starbucks summertime beverage. This bright and creamy beverage contains enough caffeine to keep people awake while still containing significantly less than normal coffee.

Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refresher

strawberry acai starbucks refresher

The Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refresher is perhaps the most famous and well-known of all the Starbucks Refresher flavors.

It features the same amount of caffeine as the other flavor options, meaning that a 24-ounce Venti Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refresher contains slightly less caffeine than the average eight-ounce cup of coffee.

Like the other two flavors of Starbucks Refresher, this flavor base can be combined with water, lemonade, or coconut milk to make three different popular drink variations.

The Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher is one of the company’s most popular summertime drinks, and it contains a bit more sugar compared to the original refresher.

The Pink Drink

the pink drink

The Pink Drink was one of the first Starbucks drinks to “break the internet” and go more than viral. It gained traction very quickly, and soon Pink Drinks could regularly be seen on the stories and timelines of some of the most prominent social media influencers in the world.

It is made using a combination of the Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refresher base and coconut milk, which gives it a distinctly bright pink color that some people compare to candy or bubblegum.

This irresistible-looking drink also delivers flavor and is very light on caffeine compared to coffee.

Iced Peach Green Tea

iced peach green tea

While Starbucks offers a wide variety of green tea-based iced beverages, the iced peach green tea is by far the most popular, accounting for a large portion of the company’s sales each summer. This refreshing drink is both sweet and tart, making it easy to drink on a hot day.

A Grande-size iced peach green tea from Starbucks contains only 25 milligrams of caffeine, which is very low considering the 16-ounce serving size.

A Venti is 20 ounces and contains 40 milligrams of caffeine, while the Trenta is the largest option at 30 ounces with only 50 milliliters of caffeine.

Matcha Green Tea and Chai Tea Lattes

matcha green tea and chai tea lattes

 

The Matcha Green Tea and Chai Tea Lattes are both fantastic replacements for those who enjoy latte and cappuccino-style beverages but are trying to cut back on espresso. Both of these drinks substitute strongly flavored teas for espresso to make unique and delicious lattes.

These foamy tea-based beverages are a great placeholder for traditional lattes, as they showcase the same texture of frothed milk. A Grande Matcha Green Tea latte contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, while a grande Chai Tea latte contains 95 milligrams.

While both of these beverages contain more caffeine compared to the Starbucks Refreshers and other green tea-based options, they still contain less than half of the amount present in traditional black coffee, by volume.

Low Caffeine Starbucks Drinks – Conclusion

When it comes to Starbucks beverages that deliver on flavor while dialing back the caffeine, there are a wide variety of different options on the menu to choose from.

Starbucks refreshers are a great way to enjoy a slight caffeine buzz while still cutting back, and there are a number of different ways to customize these sweet and colorful beverages.

Green tea-based beverages like the Iced Peach Green Tea also make for great low-caffeine options, as well as Matcha and Chai lattes.

About The Author

Ryan Marshall

Ryan is a full time freelance writer who can most often be found on the disc golf course or local coffee shop when not behind a keyboard. He is an avid traveler and lover of all things sports and outdoors. Ryan is also a certified level one sommelier, and is endlessly curious about the world of high end beverages. Writing about wine, coffee, and other specialty beverages has given him a chance to take a deeper dive into his research, and he loves helping people find the perfect drink for their palates and preferences!

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