n this day and age, who can really afford to spend eight dollars on a latte? Add a lemon loaf to that (they are so yummy you almost have to), and you’re looking at a thirteen dollar snack. Now, I may be a Starbucks barista, but even I know it’s not worth spending close to fifteen dollars every morning. But fret not, my little caffeine addicts, I’ve got your inside scoop on some of your favorite recipes so you can save a (star)buck and still get your daily kick of caffeine and your favorite breakfast and pastry items to fill your belly.
Today I’m gonna give you the scoop on some of the best Starbucks dupes, including:
- Refreshers
- Chai Tea Lattes
- Toppings and Add-ins
- Pastry Items
- And Breakfast Items
Without further ado, let’s get into the kitchen!
The “Pink Drink”
Now, I’ve seen some dupes for this staple refresher but frankly, none of them are really hitting the same way. The pink drink is usually made up of three things: strawberry acai base, coconut milk, and freeze-dried strawberry pieces. The pieces don’t add much to flavor, and the secret with Starbucks coconut milk is that it’s actually sweetened. But it’s the strawberry base that becomes hard to dupe. It’s quite syrup-y in texture.
I’ve often seen White Cran-Strawberry juice as a great substitute for the base, however I recommend muddling some fresh strawberries and adding a splash of simple syrup to get that thicker texture the OG base has. Mix your home-made base in with some sweetened coconut milk and a handful of ice, and you’ve got your very own Pink Drink! Remember to stir the coconut milk so it doesn’t sit on top of your base and enjoy!
A Chai Tea Latte (Iced + Hot)
An iced chai tea latte is a personal favorite of mine simply for how utterly simple it is. Starbucks’ chai is another sweet, syrupy base that can be a little tricky to replicate. But, aside from the base, all an iced chai tea latte contains is milk and any flavorings or toppings you choose to include (more on those later). Now, our chai base is also lightly caffeinated (surprise!), but fear not, I have a tried and true dupe.
The TAZO chai tea concentrate (32oz) is probably the closest dupe on this list. Not only is it caffeinated, but it tastes amazing and has the perfect consistency to make your at-home chai taste just like the real thing. Just add about an inch or two of concentrate to the bottom of your glass and fill the rest up with milk for your perfect chai dupe! TAZO also makes tea bags if you’re craving a hot chai, or many brands have chai tea latte K-cups you can buy as well.
Vanilla Sweet Cream + Cold Foam
Sweet Cream and the cold foam you can make with it is, in essence, just half & half. However, the ratio of heavy cream to 2% milk to syrup is a 3:2:1 ratio. Meaning that when we batch our Sweet Cream, we use three liters of heavy cream, two liters of milk, and one liter of vanilla syrup. So, depending on how much you want to make, you just need to scale everything down using that ratio. For example, if you wanted to make something a little less industrial sized, try 300 mL of heavy cream, 200mL of milk, and 100mL of syrups or sweetener.
Making the foam is just as easy, however you will need a milk frother. All you have to do is take your Sweet Cream and froth until it reaches a thick, foamy consistency and will sit neatly atop your iced beverage without sinking or mixing in. Depending on your foamer, this process may take a while. If you have the option to use a high setting, it will really speed up the process. You can add any flavor of syrup to the foam to try new flavor combinations and really spice up your drinks!
Cake Pops
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the birthday cake cake pop is really just vanilla cake. Shocking, I know, but it’s the truth. This means it’s a really simple dupe though, so you should have no trouble recreating this Starbucks recipe dupe. Granted, I can’t give you the exact recipe for the cake batter and the icing, but I can give you a pretty scrumptious recipe that you can make using box cake mix and some store-bought icing. Plus, you can decorate them yourself, and isn’t that half the fun?
Essentially, all you need to do is follow the steps of a box cake recipe, bake your cake, and destroy it. Fun, right? Take your freshly baked cake and toss it in a mixing bowl. You’ll then tear apart the cake and leave it a mess of crumbling goodness in the bowl. Then, slap a heaping of icing into the bowl and mix until included. You want the consistency to be moldable, but not too dry or wet. You’ll roll them into balls, stick them onto skewers or toothpicks or whatever you decide to mount them on, and dip them into some melted chocolate. Decorate accordingly and let the chocolate dry before digging in!
Egg Bites
With Spring Launch introducing my favorite menu item (the potato chive egg bites), it feels only right to teach you guys this great Starbucks recipe dupe. Honestly, these egg bites are just glorified omelets, so all you really need is something to get them into that cute little round shape. To make this perfect morning snack, grab an egg, some cheese, milk, and whatever add-ins you want. The world is really your oyster here, and that means you can add whatever you want to these delicious little bites. Make sure all of your ingredients are whisked together thoroughly to ensure the bites have integrity and flavor throughout, otherwise they may fall flat or be undercooked.
Those Were Our Starbucks Recipe Dupes!
Now you can take a bit of the stress off your wallet and make some of your favorite drinks and food items from the comfort of your own home. These recipe dupes taste great and will leave your tastebuds happy and your pockets feeling full! Happy sipping!
