How to Make Dalgona Coffee at Home (The Whipped One Everyone Was Making)

Ok so you have seen this coffee everywhere. That thick fluffy foam sitting on top of milk looking all fancy. People were making it during lockdown and posting it and honestly it looked too good to not try.

The good news is it is super easy. You only need 3 ingredients and probably 10 minutes of your time. The bad news is your arm might hurt a little if you do it by hand. But we will talk about that.

What is Dalgona Coffee Anyway

It is basically whipped instant coffee. You take instant coffee, sugar and hot water and you mix it really fast until it becomes this thick creamy foam. Then you pour it on top of milk. That is it. Fancy looking but very simple to make.

The name comes from a Korean candy called dalgona. The coffee looks similar to that candy so that is what people started calling it.

What You Need

Just three things for the foam:

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee (Nescafe works great, just make sure it is plain instant coffee not 3-in-1)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (normal white sugar is fine)
• 2 tablespoons hot water (just boiled is good)

And for the drink itself:

• A glass of milk (hot or cold, your choice)
• Ice if you want it cold

That ratio of 1:1:1 for the coffee, sugar and water is important. Try not to change it too much or the foam will not come out right.

How to Make It

Step 1: Mix the three ingredients together

Put the instant coffee, sugar and hot water in a bowl. Give it a quick stir so everything is mixed before you start whipping.

Step 2: Whip it until it becomes foam

This is the main step. You need to whip the mixture until it turns from a dark liquid into a thick light brown foam. It should look almost like peanut butter but fluffier.

How long this takes depends on what you are using:

• Hand mixer or electric beater — around 2 to 4 minutes. This is the easiest way honestly.
• Milk frother — also works well, maybe 2 minutes.
• Whisk by hand — it works but your arm will be tired. Takes around 8 to 15 minutes. Just keep going, it will get there.

You will know it is ready when the color becomes light brown and it holds its shape. If you lift the whisk and it makes a little peak that stays up, you are done.

Step 3: Pour your milk

If you want cold coffee, pour milk over ice in a tall glass. Fill it about 3/4 full.

If you want it warm, just heat up your milk first. Still tastes good this way.

Step 4: Spoon the foam on top

Take a spoon and scoop the whipped coffee on top of the milk. Just pile it on there. It will float on top and look really nice.

If you want to be extra about it, sprinkle a little cocoa powder or cinnamon on top. Totally optional but looks good for photos.

Step 5: Stir and drink

Before you drink it, stir it all together. This is important because otherwise you are just drinking plain milk with a blob of coffee foam. Once you stir it, it all mixes into this creamy sweet coffee drink. Really good.

Things to Keep in Mind

• It has to be instant coffee. Regular ground coffee does not work for this. Something about how instant coffee is made allows it to foam up like this. Ground coffee just will not do it.
• Use a bowl not a mug. You need space to whip. A mug is too small and you will make a mess.
• The sugar helps the foam stay fluffy. If you reduce the sugar too much the foam will be thinner and will not hold its shape as long.
• If you are making it by hand, do a zigzag motion. Back and forth instead of just circles. It helps the air get in faster.

Is it Actually Good?

Yes honestly. It feels good to have that. Some people might not like this version of coffee. But if you don’t have any thing like french press or mokapot or any other tools to make coffee. This one is the best for you

—Nayan Acharya