Dalgona coffee guide: FAQs & recipes

Forget banana bread – the latest culinary lockdown trend has only three ingredients (+ water) and could be on your newsfeed in a matter of minutes.

All you need is:

• Instant coffee
• Sugar
• Milk
• Water

What is dalgona coffee?

Aka: Whipped coffee, fluffy coffee, frothy coffee.

If you have no idea what dalgona coffee is – you’re not alone. This frothy drink has not been on radars long.

It emerged as a ‘lockdown trend’ from South Korea around February 2020, with self-isolating citizens competing to make the most stunning versions.¹

It’s made from simply instant coffee, sugar, milk and water + a splash of artistry! The fluffy coffee top needs to sit distinctly from the creamy milk below.

Soon, social media was flooded with aesthetically pleasing coffee creations from across the globe. It’s easy to see why this trend took off.

With minimal effort, you can produce a professional-looking drink that you can enjoy at leisure.

Even better, you can enjoy the dalgona coffee iced or hot.

What makes dalgona coffee different?

Dalgona coffee contains the same ingredients as your regular latter or cappucino, but it is made differently.

It’s like an inverted cappuccino – the milk goes on the bottom and the coffee is whipped into a dreamy foam and spooned on top. The two distinct layers are important to achieve if you want the most beautiful dalgona coffee.

Why is it called ‘dalgona’ coffee?

Dalgona coffee is a popular coffee-flavour sweet from South Korea. It can be likened to honeycomb, like the inside of a Cabdbury’s Crunchie bars.

In fact, when you serve up dalgona coffee in a glass, you will see that it’s dotty texture looks a little like honeycomb too.

Summary

• Dalgona coffee is made with instant coffee, sugar, water and milk
• Turning the cappuccino on its head – the froth on top is coffee and the milk stays below
• It’s called dalgona coffee as it’s named after a coffee-flavoured sweet from South Korea

3 dalgona coffee types

1. Hot dalgona coffee: a warm milk base with the signature coffee froth
2. Iced dalgona coffee: an iced milk base with the coffee frothy top
3. Mocha dalgona coffee: simply add cocoa powder to the coffee top to make your dalgona a mocha

How to drink dalgona coffee

The dalgona coffee can be a little difficult to drink: if you drink it through a straw you will only get the milk layer, and if you drink it straight-up, you’ll probably end up with some sort of coffee moustache… what to do?

Our advice is to mix your dalgona coffee before drinking. Some people will quite rightly query why you would waste the time making such an elaborate frothy drink when you’re just going to mix it up after.

Well, that’s because the meringue-like coffee froth mixes with the ice cold milk to create a thicker, Frappuccino-like coffee, or warm milk for thick velvetty goodness, and they both taste amazing!

What does dalgona coffee taste like?

Said to resemble the traditional Korean sweet dalgona - a golden, toffee-like candy - this drink is at once familiar and innovative.

It’s made with ingredients we all recognise, yet it somehow tastes different to the coffees we’re used to.

The best way to describe it would be milky iced coffee with a layer of foam like you get in a cappucino, which results in a Frappuccino-like drink.

There’s only one way to find out the taste for real – and that’s to make it yourself.

How is dalgona coffee made?

Dalgona coffee is very easy to make, simply:

1. Combine the sugar and instant coffee using a hand whisk or stand mixer, adding in the hot water after
2. Get whisking immediately until the ingredients get whipped up into a cream, which should take around 1-2 minutes using an electric mixer or 3-5 minutes whisking by hand.
3. Scoop out the coffee cream and put it into your glass of iced milk or warm milk
4. Serve it up with a straw/spoon and stir it up when you’re ready to enjoy (and are ready to destroy the beauty!)

Summary

• You can enjoy dalgona coffee cold or hot, it’s up to you – add in some chocolate too if you like!
• It’s best to mix your dalgona coffee to get the most out of the unique, yummy textures – if you can bear to ruin its beautiful appearance
• It tastes like a sweet, frothy coffee – kind of like a Frappuccino if you use iced milk

How to make dalgona coffee

Here’s a shopping list for your dalgona coffee:

• Instant coffee
• Table sugar
• Milk of choice (it works well with almond, oat and soya milks)
• Ice cubes (if you’re having it iced)

FAQs about the ingredients

Can you use ground coffee instead of instant coffee for dalgona coffee?

Apparantly, dalgona coffee just wont work with ground coffee, making instant coffee essential. This is thought to be because instant coffee contains emulsifiers that is better for frothing up.

Can you use instant espresso instead of instant regular coffee?

Yes, instant espresso will have gone through the same dehydration process as regular instant coffee, so it should froth up in the same way.

Can you use tea instead of coffee?

Dreaming of a matcha dalgona hybrid? Unfortunately, using tea instead of instant coffee may not product the fluffy results that you desire. Maybe it’s best to stick to what you know there.

What instant coffee is best for dalgona coffee?

Any instant coffee should suffice when it comes to dalgona coffee. Here at H&B we have quite the selection of tasty instant coffees in a variety of flavours, including:

Little’s Coffee Colombian Origin Instant Coffee

Key benefits:

• Made with Colombian origin coffee
• Rich, high-quality taste
• No added sugar

What our customers think:

Grace W – Game-changer in the instant coffee world – 5/5 stars

“Amazing! This is a game-changer in the instant coffee world. WELL worth the money and better than cheaper percolated coffee which really speaks for itself.”

Nenco – Best Instant coffee I tried so far – 5/5 stars

“Great, the best instant coffee I tried so far. Don't have a coffee machine and urgently needed a GOOD instant coffee for my cravings while everything was closed during lockdown.

Little’s French Vanilla Flavour Instant Coffee

Key benefits:

• The best Arabica coffee
• Infused with natural French vanilla flavour
• Very easy to make

What our customers think:

Salmaa124 – Great sweet tasting coffee – 5/5 stars

“My go to coffee, if you don’t like the bitterness of regular coffee then this is worth trying as it’s got a subtle vanilla sweet taste without and added sugar, plus it’s only 4 calories per cup!”

Anabela Almeida – Fantastic flavoured instant coffee – 5/5 stars

“My go to coffee, if you don’t like the bitterness of regular coffee then this is worth trying as it’s got a subtle vanilla sweet taste without and added sugar, plus it’s only 4 calories per cup!”

Little’s Coffee Chocolate Caramel Instant Coffee

Key benefits:

• The best Arabica coffee
• Infused with natural chocolate caramel flavour
• Very easy to make

What our customers think:

Kitty M – Great Tasting Coffee – 5/5 stars

“I have tried a lot of different coffees and this coffee is delicious. It has just the right amount of flavouring - the flavour doesn't overwhelm the taste, it still tastes like coffee. I liked it so much I bought another one. I'll continue buying it and I totally recommend it.”

Eszt – Simply stunning – 5/5 stars

“This is honestly the nicest instant coffee you will ever buy, hands down. Gutted that it comes in such a tiny jar however it's so yummy I don't mind ordering multiple haha. The hints of chocolate in this is just divine!”

Do you have to use table sugar for dalgona coffee?

Technically, no, you could sweeten your dalgona in other ways, but it may not achieve the fluffyness that you want if you stray from plain old table sugar. It also tastes better according to popular opinion.

Try using one of the flavoured instant coffees listed above to get around this, as they are already sweetened and should froth up well.

Can you use sweetener instead of sugar in dalgona coffee?

Yes, you could use sweeteners like stevia but it may not froth up as well as using granulated sugar.

Do you need to use hot water for dalgona coffee?

Yes, the recipe below requires hot, freshly boiled water that can easily dissolve the sugar and instant coffee immediately for the throthiest, fluffiest dalgona coffee.

Do you have to use cow’s milk for dalgona coffee?

Most dalgona coffee recipes will list dairy milk as an ingredient, but is that your only option? No! you can use plant-based milks:

• Soya milk
• Oat milk
• Hazelnut milk
• Cashew milk
• Almond milk
• Pea milk
• Coconut milk

You should achieve similar results, just pick a flavour you like, e.g. coconut milk if you like coconut coffees. Here’s some plant-milk inspiration:

Minor Figures Oat M*lk

Key benefits:

• No dairy. No added sugar. Suitable for vegans and those with nut allergies
• Tastes amazing! Simplicity and clean label
• Formulated for use in coffee, great in tea, smoothies & cereal too

What our customers think:

Jadewyoot – Really enjoyed it – 5/5 stars

“I don't usually like oat milk but I think this one is lovely. It’s perfect to have in hot drinks or breakfast.”

Liz harden – Amazing!! – 5/5 stars

“Have been using this as an alternative to milk and have to say it was a great change the flavour is great and adds more taste/flavour the fact it’s vegan friendly and dairy free is a big bonus.”

Rude Health Organic Coconut Drink

Key benefits:

• Blended with naturally sweet rice and mountain spring water
• A refreshing dairy-free drink like no other
• Contains coconut oils for a creamy texture and tons of nutrition

What our customers think:

Ali DD – Better than milk! – 5/5 stars

“Excellent dairy substitute. Great addition to coffee and tea (although it tastes best with chai). I have used this as a substitute for milk. It makes great custard and ice cream!”

M Zarrar – Best Coconut Milk – 5/5 stars

“After trying all the brands of coconut milk type products, I found Rude Health Coconut Drink to be by far the best coconut milk for coffee or drinking straight from the carton. And only natural ingredients! Highly recommended.”

Alpro Organic Unsweetened Soya

Key benefits:

• Naturally Organic
• Gluten free
• Easy to digest

What our customers think:

Heather CR – Taste and quality – 5/5 stars

“This product is really nice, not sweet, doesn’t separate in coffee and can be used in cooking too. Has no added ingredients, no salt, no preservatives. Strangely the fresh chilled version does”

Melanie st – Lovely and refreshing – 5/5 stars

“This product is very creamy and delicious, tastes great by its self or with cereal.”

Summary

• It is best to use instant coffee, as it seems to be great for getting all foamy
• Use whatever milk you like and play around with the flavours to find your favourite

Dalgona coffee recipe

Makes 2 x drinks²

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons table sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 250ml milk of choice (it works well with almond, oat and soya milks)
• Ice cubes (if you’re having it iced)

Method

1. First, select a cup. Part of the appeal of the dalgona coffee is admiring the merging layers of milk and whipped coffee, so you’re going to want to make it in a glass vessel such as a mason jar, latte glass or hi-ball glass (if you’re having your dalgona coffee iced, add the ice cubes to the glass).
2. Half fill the glass with milk. If you’re having your dalgona coffee hot, heat the milk in the microwave for one minute first.
3. In a large bowl, mix the coffee, sugar and water until it thickens. It should take on a whipped texture which does not drip from the hand mixer when you hold it above the bowl. When the mixture is thick and whipped, it should also be a light golden-brown colour. It’s ready!
4. Spoon it into the glass over the milk. Stir it with a long spoon very gently, so the layers just begin to merge, and you’re left with an ombre effect. You can add grated chocolate, cocoa powder, sprinkles or use your imagination.
5. Enjoy!

Dalgona coffee calories + other nutrition

If made sticking to the recipe above, 1 serving of dalgona coffee made using oat milk would contain approximately*:

Our top tips

1. Don’t try to make it using ground coffee beans. They may taste richer in your usual brew, but you need instant coffee to get the fluffy texture required to pull off this drink.
2. Full disclosure – it’s possible to make by hand using a whisk or fork – but it takes a lot longer, and your finished result won’t be as foamy.
3. You can use a sweetener as an alternative to sugar. Again, the finished result might not be as foamy.
4. Keep the coffee cream in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. It must be whipped into a consistency like whipped cream for it to keep its fluffy form!

Side effects of drinking dalgona coffee

If you’re a regular coffee drinker or general caffeine consumer, you shouldn’t experience any side effects from drinking dalgona coffees, because they contain the same ingredients.

General side effects of drinking coffee include:

• Insomnia
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Stomach upset
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Heart palpitations

These side effects often occur when consuming multiple coffees a day, so start off slow with your dalgonas and don’t go necking 9 of them one after another!

Is dalgona coffee suitable for everyone?

Moderate coffee drinking is generally safe for most adults – around 3 cups. The only people who should lay off the coffee include:

• Pregnant women – who should limit their caffeine intake to 200mg a day (1 cup of dalgona would contain around 61mg of caffeine).
• Children – their lower body weight and size means they can have a much stronger reaction to caffeine, so it’s best not to give it to them
• Those on certain medications – always check with your GP to find out if coffee is safe for you to drink

Summary

• Dalgona coffee has a similar nutrient profile to regular coffee
• It’s easy to make and a real treat for your morning drink
• As dalgona coffee is just like normal coffee, the same rules apply to who can drink it, e.g. most people with the exception of pregnant women and children

The final say

• Turning the cappuccino on its head – Dalgona coffee is made with instant coffee, sugar, water and milk, but the froth on top is coffee and the milk stays below
• It’s called dalgona coffee as it’s named after a coffee-flavoured sweet from South Korea.
• You can enjoy dalgona coffee cold or hot, it’s up to you – add in some chocolate too if you like!
• It’s best to mix your dalgona coffee to get the most out of the unique, yummy textures – if you can bear to ruin its beautiful appearance
• It tastes like a sweet, frothy coffee – kind of like a Frappuccino if you use iced milk
• It is best to use instant coffee, as it seems to be great for getting all foamy, but use whatever milk you like and play around with the flavours to find your favourite
• Dalgona coffee has a similar nutrient profile to regular coffee; It’s easy to make and a real treat for your morning drink
• As dalgona coffee is just like normal coffee, the same rules apply to who can drink it, e.g. most people with the exception of pregnant women and children

Last updated: 28 June 2021