Snowy Apple Drink {Starbucks Copycat}

The Starbucks Snowy Apple Drink is the coconut milk version of the holiday Apple Pomegranate Refresher and has the same green apple base and pomegranate pearls. This copycat recipe is so easy to make at home!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why this recipe works
• 🗒️ Ingredients
• 🍎 Recipe tips
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🥣 More ways to use base
• ⏲️ How to store
• 🥥 More Starbucks coconut milk Refresher recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Everyone is talking about the 2026 holiday Apple Pomegranate Refresher. And somehow the Snowy Apple Drink from the new holiday Refresher lineup is even more delicious!

This drink swaps the water for coconut milk in the Refresher. It's the same idea as the Pink Drink (which is the coconut milk version of the Strawberry Acai Refresher), but with a sweet and tart green apple flavor and the addition of popping pomegranate pearls in the cup.

If you've already made my apple Refresher base, you're just one ingredient away from this drink. It uses the same base, the same pearls, and just a splash of coconut milk instead of water.

Though it's not made with "traditional" holiday flavors, the name is so perfect and it really is a fantastic holiday drink. And with my copycat recipe, you can make it long after the holidays are over.

Hopefully this will help take away a little bit of the sting of Starbucks not bringing back the Cran-Merry Drink.

❤️ Why this recipe works

It's made just like the Starbucks version: this is a relatively simple drink and I make it just like Starbucks does with a green apple Refresher base, sweetened coconut milk, ice, and pomegranate pearls (AKA popping boba). It tastes just like the drink you'd get in the coffee shop!

It uses the same base as the Apple Pomegranate Refresher: since one batch of the base makes about 4 drinks (and it's easy to double the recipe), you can switch between that Refresher, the Snowy Apple Drink, and the lemonade version.

It's creamy, but still light: though it's made with coconut milk, it's the refrigerated kind in a carton, so it's still nice and light and refreshing, while just softening the tart apple flavor a bit.

You can add caffeine or skip it: since the caffeine is added to the drink with green coffee bean extract, you can skip it if you want (or add extra!)

🗒️ Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make the Snowy Apple Drink at home (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Apple Refresher Base: I share this recipe with you in this post
• Sweetened coconut milk: the kind in the carton in the refrigerated section
• Ice
• Pomegranate pearls or popping boba: if you can't find pomegranate, use another pink/red pearl, like strawberry or raspberry

And here's what you need for the apple base:

• Apple juice
• Water
• Green apple syrup
• Lemon juice
• Green coffee bean extract powder: optional for caffeine

🍎 Recipe tips

• The base of this drink is so easy to make with just apple juice, water, green apple syrup, lemon juice, and green coffee bean extract powder (if you want caffeine). I like to keep my base in a large mason jar and sometimes double the batch since it keeps fresh for about a week in the fridge.

• Be sure to shake the base well before using, especially if you added the green coffee powder since that may settle.

• The green apple drinks are pretty sweet. If you want a drink that's a bit less sweet, you can cut the green apple syrup and bump up the water in the base, but note this will make your Refresher a paler color green and it won't taste as strongly of apple.

• Of course, you can also use unsweetened coconut milk if you want less sweetness to your drink.

• You'll use equal amounts of the base and coconut milk (I use ½ cup of each) in an ice-filled shaker and shake really well to get it nice and frothy.

• Add the pomegranate pearls, along with their liquid, into your cup first.

• And pour everything from the shaker, ice included, into the cup with the pearls.

• A regular straw works fine, but a boba straw is even better for drinking the popping pearls!

Is it possible I like this drink even more than the Apple Pomegranate Refresher? Don't quote me on that though because they're both so delicious!

In this version, the coconut milk softens the tartness a little bit and, of course, makes the drink creamier. Basically, a creamy green apple Jolly Rancher!

The pomegranate flavor all comes from the pearls, which you can get in almost every sip.

The drink is festive (without being in your face holiday), refreshing, and fun to drink!

🎉 Variations on recipe

The Apple Pomegranate lineup is definitely the easiest line of Refreshers ever. But there are also lots of ways to customize them to your own tastes. Here are some ideas:

• Use oat milk or almond milk if you don't want to add more sweetness and/or coconut flavor.
• If you don't want to get pomegranate pearls but want to keep the flavor, you can use pomegranate arils instead.
• Add a pinch of blue spirulina powder for an even more vibrantly green drink.
• Swap some of the apple juice with white grape juice to add more sweetness and flavor dimensions (Starbucks does use white grape juice concentrate in all their Refreshers, but I don't think it's necessary here to match the flavor).
• Swap some of the apple juice with apple cider for a more festive/spiced flavor.
• If you want even more pomegranate flavor, add a splash of pomegranate juice to the drink.
• Top the drink with some sweet cream cold foam. You can also swap the vanilla syrup in the sweet cream to apple syrup or pomegranate syrup.
• If you want a less tart drink, use apple syrup in the Refresher instead of green apple syrup.
• Put the drink in the blender with ice to make a slushy version.

🥣 More ways to use base

Once you have the Apple Refresher base made, there's a lot you can do with it.

You can make the standard Apple Pomegranate Refresher by simply mixing the base with water instead of the coconut milk.

You can also make an Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher, which is just this base combined with lemonade instead of water. The lemonade adds both more tartness AND sweetness.

⏲️ How to store

You can keep the Apple Refresher base in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. Be sure to give it a good shake before using.

Wait to mix the drink up until you're ready to enjoy it.

🥥 More Starbucks coconut milk Refresher recipes

Starbucks takes all their Refresher bases and mixes them with coconut milk to create new drinks. And oftentimes, they're even more popular than the standard Refreshers! Here are some of my favorite recipes:

The Midnight Drink and Butterfly Drink are two other discontinued drinks fans still miss!

If the standard Apple Pomegranate Refresher is a bit too tart for you, you may like the Snowy Apple Drink better. So far, Starbucks customers are raving about it and I have a feeling it will be missed when the holiday season is over.

With my copycat recipe, you can make it at home all year long!

📖 Recipe