Dalgona Coffee
달고나커피
Whipped instant coffee, thick enough to hold a peak, floated on cold milk. The whole thing is a 1:1:1 ratio and about five minutes of whisking.
At a glance
- Coffee : sugar : water
- 1:1:1
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 tall glass
- Serve
- Iced or hot
- Kit
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
Note: White sugar whips into the most stable foam. Brown sugar works but slumps faster, and sugar substitutes will not foam at all, because it is the sugar structure doing the work rather than the sweetness.
Method
-
Combine the base
Put the instant coffee, sugar and hot water in a medium bowl. Equal parts of each, because that balance is what makes the foam hold.
-
Whip to soft peaks
Beat for three to five minutes with a hand mixer, or about ten minutes by hand with a whisk. It goes from dark liquid to glossy caramel-coloured cream.
It is ready when a lifted beater leaves a peak that folds over slowly.
Whip 3 to 5 minutes -
Fill the glass
Pour milk to about three-quarters of the way up. Add ice for the cold version, or warm the milk first if you want it hot.
-
Spoon the foam on top
Pile the whipped coffee over the milk. Leave it floating for the two-tone look, or stir it through. Stirring makes it taste noticeably stronger and less sweet.
Why this works
Instant coffee is freeze-dried brewed coffee, so it dissolves completely and brings along the proteins and melanoidins that let a liquid hold air. Ground coffee never dissolves, which is why it will not whip no matter how long you beat it. This is the single most common reason the recipe fails.
The sugar does the structural work. As you beat, it dissolves into a syrup thick enough to trap the air bubbles you are forcing in, in much the same way sugar stabilises a meringue. Drop the sugar and the foam collapses within a minute. Hot water matters for the same reason: it dissolves both the coffee and the sugar fully before whipping starts, so there are no undissolved crystals puncturing bubbles.
Foam is at its best right after whipping. It will hold in the fridge for an hour or so, but it weeps and deflates from the bottom, so whip it last.
Variations
- Mocha dalgona: add 1 tsp cocoa powder to the bowl before whipping.
- Vanilla: stir ½ tsp vanilla extract into the milk rather than the foam, which keeps the foam stiff.
- Vegan: oat milk gives the closest body to dairy. Almond and soy both work.
- Spiced: dust the top with cinnamon, or a pinch of chilli powder for heat.
Made it?
Ratings are the most useful thing you can leave. They tell me which recipes need another pass.
No ratings yet. Be the first.
Questions
Can I use ground coffee or espresso instead of instant?
No. Ground coffee does not dissolve, so there is nothing to build a foam from. Brewed espresso is mostly water and will not hold air either. Instant coffee is the one non-negotiable ingredient.
Why will my dalgona coffee not get thick?
Usually one of three things: you used ground coffee, you reduced the sugar, or you have not whipped long enough. By hand it genuinely takes about ten minutes, and the mixture stays liquid for most of them before thickening quickly at the end.
How much caffeine is in it?
Two tablespoons of instant coffee is roughly 120 to 180 mg of caffeine, so about the same as a large mug of drip coffee, though it varies by brand.
Can I make it in advance?
The foam keeps in a covered container in the fridge for about an hour. Beyond that it separates, and re-whipping does not fully recover the texture.