15 Dunkin Refreshers Drinks for Summer

These copycat dunkin drinks refreshers give you the same fruity, green-tea-based fizz as the drive-thru version, made fresh in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost. Every recipe below starts from the same simple base of brewed green tea, real fruit and a light sweetener, so once you've made one you can riff on the rest with ingredients already in your fridge. They're naturally lighter than a milky iced coffee, which makes them the drink I reach for on a hot afternoon when I want flavour without the heaviness. None of these are official Dunkin' products; they're independent copycat recipes built to taste just like the originals at home.

This is the closest home version of Dunkin's most popular refresher, built on chilled green tea, strawberry puree and a splash of dragon fruit (pitaya) juice. Steeping a handful of crushed freeze-dried strawberries in the hot tea before it cools intensifies the fruit flavour far more than fresh berries alone, since fresh strawberries lose colour and punch once diluted with ice. Pour over a full glass of ice rather than adding ice to the jug, so the drink stays vividly pink instead of turning cloudy and pale. A few cubes of frozen dragon fruit dropped in at the end give it that signature magenta-to-pink gradient.

For the closest match to Dunkin's peach passion fruit flavour, blend 90 g (1/3 cup) frozen peach slices with 30 ml (2 tbsp) passion fruit juice or pulp before stirring it into chilled green tea, rather than just adding peach syrup on its own. Blending the peach first breaks it down into a light, drinkable puree instead of chunks that sink to the bottom of the glass. Passion fruit brings a tart edge that balances the peach's sweetness, so taste before adding extra sugar. This version keeps the tea-forward, slightly grassy backbone that makes the classic recipe taste authentic rather than like plain fruit juice.

Swap the strawberry for 60 ml (1/4 cup) mango puree and 60 ml (1/4 cup) pineapple juice, keeping the same green tea and ice ratio as the base recipe. Fresh or frozen mango both work, but if you use frozen, thaw it slightly and blend it smooth first so it doesn't leave stringy fibres floating in the drink. A squeeze of lime juice at the end sharpens the tropical flavour and stops it from tasting flat. This is the flavour combination most readers tell me tastes closest to what they remember from the counter.

For the creamy, dairy-free version Dunkin sells as a coconut milk refresher, replace the plain water in the base recipe with 120 ml (1/2 cup) full-fat coconut milk, shaken well before pouring. The coconut milk turns the tea a pale, milky colour and softens the tartness of whichever fruit flavour you're using, so it pairs especially well with strawberry dragonfruit or peach. Pour the coconut milk over the ice first, then add the tea and fruit mixture slowly so it swirls rather than mixes flat. Use canned coconut milk rather than the thin carton kind for the richest texture.

Blend 100 g (2/3 cup) seedless watermelon chunks with 60 g (1/2 cup) fresh or frozen raspberries, strain out the raspberry seeds if you prefer a smoother drink, then stir the mixture into chilled green tea. Watermelon is naturally sweet enough that you can usually skip added sugar entirely, which makes this the lightest-tasting flavour on the list. A few mint leaves muddled into the base before the ice adds a cooling top note that plays well with both fruits. Serve this one extra cold, as watermelon flavour fades fastest once the ice starts to melt.

This sunset-toned version leans on 60 ml (1/4 cup) pineapple juice and 30 ml (2 tbsp) orange juice stirred into the green tea base, finished with a spoonful of grenadine or dragon fruit syrup dropped in last so it sinks and blooms upward. Letting the grenadine settle rather than stirring it in creates the warm amber-to-red gradient the flavour is known for. It's sweeter and rounder than the citrus-forward refreshers, making it a good pick for anyone who finds plain green tea drinks too sharp. Serve in a clear glass so the layered colour actually shows.

Combine 60 ml (1/4 cup) pomegranate juice with 45 g (1/3 cup) fresh or frozen blueberries, lightly crushed to release their juice, then stir into the chilled tea along with a tablespoon of simple syrup. Pomegranate juice adds a natural tartness that keeps this from tasting like straight blueberry cordial, so hold back extra sugar until you've tasted the finished drink. Crushing rather than blending the blueberries leaves flecks of skin suspended through the glass, which looks great in photos. This is the deepest, most jewel-toned refresher on the list and a good match for a late-summer gathering.

Turn the classic flavour into a frozen slush by blending the cooled tea, strawberry puree and dragon fruit juice with 250 g (2 cups) ice instead of pouring it over cubes. Use a high-powered blender and pulse in short bursts so the ice breaks down evenly without the drink separating into slush and liquid. This version is noticeably thicker and best served immediately, since it melts fast once it hits room temperature. It's the closest thing to a Dunkin' frozen refresher you can make without a commercial slush machine.

For the fastest version, skip the tea entirely and use Dunkin's lemonade-base trick: combine 240 ml (1 cup) cold lemonade with 60 ml (1/4 cup) of any fruit puree from this list and a handful of ice. This is the one to make when you're short on time, since there's no tea to brew and cool first. The lemonade base is naturally more tart and less caffeinated than the green tea version, which makes it a good pick for kids or an evening drink. Strawberry or raspberry purees work best here, as they hold up against the lemonade's acidity.

Blend the mango pineapple mixture with 100 g (3/4 cup) frozen mango chunks instead of stirring it over ice, giving you a thicker, smoothie-style refresher with a spoon-thick texture. This version holds its shape better in a photo and travels well in a lidded cup, since it won't separate the way an iced version can. Add the coconut milk from the creamy variation here too if you want a piña colada-style finish. Blend just until smooth, about 30-40 seconds, since overblending melts the ice and thins the texture.

Steep a 2 cm (3/4 in) slice of fresh ginger in the hot green tea for the last 2 minutes of brewing, then strain it out before chilling and building the peach passion fruit base as usual. The ginger adds a warm, slightly spicy back note that cuts through the peach's sweetness and makes this the most grown-up flavour on the list. If fresh ginger isn't available, 5 ml (1 tsp) ginger syrup stirred in at the end works almost as well. This one is especially good iced on a humid day, when the spice cuts through the heaviness in the air.

Blue raspberry syrup, 30 ml (2 tbsp), stirred into the chilled green tea base gives you the bright, party-ready colour Dunkin' occasionally runs as a limited-edition flavour. Balance the syrup's sweetness with 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice, since blue raspberry syrup alone can taste one-note without the acidity. This is the flavour to make for a birthday or summer party table, since the colour reads as fun even before anyone tastes it. Layer it over a scoop of crushed ice for the most vivid electric-blue effect.

To get the layered pink-to-purple look, pour the dragon fruit mixture into the glass first, add ice, then slowly pour the strawberry-tea mixture over the back of a spoon so it floats on top instead of mixing straight through. The two liquids need to be roughly the same temperature and sugar level to layer cleanly, so make sure both are fully chilled before pouring. Letting the glass sit for a minute lets the layers settle, and serve it straight away without stirring so the bands stay distinct; only stir it through if you want the classic mixed pink drink instead. This technique works for any two-flavour combination on the list, not just strawberry dragonfruit.

For drinkers who want more tea flavour and less sweetness, brew the green tea a little stronger, about 2 tea bags per 240 ml (1 cup) instead of the usual 1, and pair it with straight passion fruit juice rather than a syrup. The stronger tea base gives this version a slightly grassy, tannic edge that stands up to the passion fruit's tartness instead of being drowned by it. Keep added sugar to no more than a tablespoon per serving, since the point of this variation is showing off the tea itself. It's the refresher to make if you find the classic recipes taste like fruit punch with a hint of tea rather than the other way around.

Combine the peach passion fruit base with 90 ml (1/3 cup) coconut milk instead of water, blending briefly rather than stirring so the coconut fat emulsifies fully into the tea instead of separating on top. This gives you the smoothest, most rounded texture of any drink on the list, closer to a light milkshake than a classic iced tea. Skip the passion fruit here and it becomes a simple coconut peach cream refresher, which is a good gateway flavour for anyone new to green-tea-based drinks. Serve immediately, since coconut milk drinks separate faster than water-based ones once they sit.

Always brew your green tea double-strength and let it cool completely before building the drink, since diluting hot tea with ice waters down both the flavour and the colour. Use fruit purees and syrups rather than plain juice where you can, since purees cling to the tea instead of sinking straight to the bottom of the glass. Taste every batch before adding the final sweetener, because frozen fruit, ripe fruit and juice all carry different amounts of natural sugar. Keep a bag of frozen fruit specifically for these drinks, since frozen chunks double as flavour and as ice that won't water the drink down as it melts.

Serve these in a tall, clear glass so the gradient or layered colours actually show, and always fill the glass with ice before pouring so the drink stays visually vivid rather than turning cloudy. A few pieces of the fresh fruit used in the recipe, skewered on a cocktail pick or dropped straight in, make the drink look store-bought without any extra effort. Freeze-dried fruit powder dusted around the rim adds colour and a hit of concentrated flavour with the first sip. For a party spread, set out small pitchers of two or three flavours side by side so guests can mix their own combinations.

Brew a large batch of green tea up to 3 days ahead and keep it chilled in an airtight jug in the fridge, since the tea itself is the only component that needs real lead time. Fruit purees can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge, or portioned into ice cube trays and frozen for up to 1 month so a single flavour cube flavours one drink at a time. Don't mix the tea and fruit together until you're ready to serve, since the combined mixture loses its bright colour and fizz within a few hours. For a party, set up a self-serve station with chilled tea, a few fruit purees and ice, and let everyone build their own refresher to order.