Dalgona Whipped Coffee

Dalgona coffee is equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water whipped until it holds stiff peaks, then spooned over cold milk. It tastes of burnt sugar and toffee over cold milk, and it only works with instant coffee.

Origin & Story

Whipped coffee had a short, fast career. The drink comes from Macau, where it was served as whipped coffee. In January 2020 a South Korean actor, Jung Il-woo, tried it in a café in Macau and said it tasted like dalgona, the Korean honeycomb toffee that it resembles in color and flavor. After he talked about it on a television show, the name stuck.

Then the world went into lockdown. People shared the #dalgonacoffeechallenge online, with videos that went viral on TikTok in early March 2020, and the drink became known as the quarantine coffee. It needed only a whisk and things most kitchens already had.

The recipe is easy to remember: equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water, whipped until the mixture is thick, glossy and pale tan, and holds stiff peaks. It only works with instant coffee. Instant coffee is made by drying brewed coffee, and that process leaves coffee solids that hold air, and it is not possible to make the foam with ground coffee beans.

The foam goes on top of cold or hot milk. You can stir it in, or sip through the foam first. It is sometimes finished with cocoa, coffee powder, crushed biscuits or honey.

For one glass, whip 1 tablespoon each of instant coffee, sugar and hot water with a hand mixer or milk frother for three to five minutes, until it holds stiff peaks. Fill a glass with ice and about 200 ml of cold milk, and spoon the foam on top.

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