You may have seen “whipped coffee” trending during the pandemic era — offering a way to use instant coffee to make a fancy barista-style coffee drink right at home. Though this form of whipped coffee became popular on social media in 2020, dalgona coffee has been enjoyed by many long before this. Once you look at a dalgona coffee, you’ll soon see it has a unique look compared to other coffee and espresso beverages. But what makes up this interesting whipped coffee drink? Learn all the answers to your “what is dalgona coffee?” questions in this overview.
What is dalgona coffee?
Dalgona coffee is also called whipped coffee or desi cappuccino (or “TikTok coffee in the world of social media). This type of coffee consists of made of four simple ingredients: any kind of instant coffee, sugar, hot water, and milk. Even though pictures of dalgona coffee might make you feel like it’s a complex drink, dalgona coffee is quite simple to make.
You take equal parts of instant coffee grounds, sugar, and hot water and then mix it (usually with a milk frother) until you get a fluffy and creamy texture. Usually, this cloud-like coffee gets put over cold milk and enjoyed iced but there are plenty of people that drink this hot as well.
Origins of dalgona coffee
The word dalgona, or “dalugna” refers to the name of a popular Korean candy that is made with melted sugar and baking soda and is served in the form of a cookie or on a stick. Dalgona coffee is inspired by this sweet treat, as melting down sugar creates a caramel color, and adding baking soda creates “bubbling” – similar to the color and texture of dalgona coffee.
However, there is no actual candy in the coffee drink. The candy originated in the 1960s, however, the drink did not originate until the 1990s when Leong Kam Jon, a former Macanese shipwright, crafted the drink. While the drink has been around since the 1990s, it became much more popular around January 2020 when a South Korean actor, Jung Il-woo, ordered the drink on a TV show called “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant.”
Can dalgona coffee be enjoyed unsweetened?
Sugar is an important component of dalgona coffee’s ingredients, and not just for its sweet and enjoyable nature. You can make dalgona coffee without sugar, but it may not fluff up as easily. Dalgona coffee made with sugar tends to stay fluffy and “whipped” for longer. With sugar added, you can keep dalgona coffee in its whipped state for a few hours, but expect only a few minutes without sugar until it begins liquidy.
The good news, however, is that zero-calorie sugar substitutes can be used instead. Sugar substitutes like powdered or granular monk fruit or stevia will help create a fluffy dalgona coffee to enjoy without all the added guilt. The results could vary depending on the type of sweetener and how much you use, so you might need to do a bit of experimentation. Brown sugar and coconut sugar are also great substitutes in Dalgona coffee.
How to make dalgona coffee
If you’re looking to make dalgona coffee on a whim, chances are you already have these ingredients in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP instant coffee
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 1 TBSP hot water
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup of milk, chilled or heated (based on preference)
- Optional: iced cubes
Coffee and milk substitutions
You might have wondered if you can substitute standard ground coffee for instant coffee. Although this might be tempting,
Method
- Start by mixing your instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a handheld kitchen mixer, whisk on high speed until you begin to see stiff peaks form. This may take between two and four minutes.
- Add ice cubes to a mug, if enjoying cold. Pour over milk. (Milk can be warmed beforehand if enjoying as a hot drink)
- Scoop the whipped coffee on top of the milk.
If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can whip the coffee by hand using a hand whisk (which could take up to 8 to 10 minutes) or using a milk frother to make your whipped coffee.
