Are you looking for a caffeinated pick me up, but can’t seem to bring yourself to drink another plain jane cup of coffee? Look no further than this fancy coffee recipe, also known as dalgona coffee or whipped coffee.
Coffee is a daily necessity for many of us, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be mundane and lackluster.
That is where the whipped coffee comes into play. I kept seeing these frothier than frothy coffee on social media and decided I had to give the Dalgona coffee a try.
What’s So Special About Dalgona Coffee?
Whipped coffee is essentially a reverse cappuccino. Milk in the mug or glass with a fluffy, sweetened, coffee concoction on top and it is one heck of an eye-pleasing drink, to say the least.
What I found most interesting, is that its magic lies in instant coffee granules. Surprise! Regular ground coffee or coffee beans need not apply here. With four ingredients (not including fun toppings,) it’s a no brainer.
- Instant Coffee
- Boiling Water
- Sugar- either white sugar or brown sugar
- Milk
Apparently this new trendy drink was named after a Korean actor ordered a frothy cup at a coffee shop and thought the top looked like the Korean candy called Dalgona.
Ingredients for Making Dalgona Coffee
You are going to love how simple this ingredient list is!
- Hot water – You need to make sure the water is hot enough to dissolve both the sugar and the coffee granules.
- Sugar – Just regular white granulated sugar is the kind of sugar that will work just fine for this recipe.
- Instant coffee powder – The coffee mixture will not whip up properly if you don’t use instant coffee. Read the section above for specifics.
- Milk – I prefer hot coffee in the morning, so warm or hot milk is what I used. Feel free to use cold milk in ice cubes if you’d like to.
Variations
There are plenty of ways that you can make your morning coffee your own with this dalgona whipped coffee recipe.
- Milk – Traditionally this is made with hot milk or warm milk, but if you’d prefer to have iced coffee, cold milk will work just fine. You can also use a substitute like almond milk or coconut milk too. Use less milk if you want a stronger coffee taste.
- Toppings – I like to top mine with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, but you could top yours with anything you’d like. Sprinkles, raw sugar or even chocolate chips would be delicious.
- Spike it – To make it really over the top, you can spike it. A shot of something like Frangelico, Bailey’s, chocolate liqueur, Kahlua, or even bourbon in each cup or mug would be great whether you choose the hot or cold version and perfect for that after-dinner drink option and perfect for holidays.
- Caffeine free – You can certainly use caffeine free coffee, but also consider making Whipped Hot Chocolate or a mix of the two for a Mocha Whipped Coffee. Perfect for kiddos with all the frothy flavors and fun, but none of the ENERGY!
How to Make Dalgona Whipped Coffee
This beaten coffee drink is literally as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Combine ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together hot water, sugar and instant coffee powder. Water needs to be very hot for sugar to dissolve.
- Mix. Whisk with a hand whisk, hand mixer, electric blender or immersion blender until a pale brown, light and frothy and stiff peaks form.
- Add milk to glass. Pour milk into a glass and spoon frothy mixture on top.
- Top with garnishes. Garnish with a sprinkle of instant coffee granules, whipped cream or chocolate shavings.
Optional Toppings
You can customize your coffee drink with garnishes. Whipped cream if you want a little extra sweetness, a sprinkle of coffee crystals top, or even some chocolate shavings, will make this drink feel that much more of a treat.
- Turbinado sugar
- Coffee crystals
- Shaved chocolate
- Sparkling sugar
- Swizzle sticks
- Crushed peppermint
- Cocoa powder
- While coffee beans
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Dalgona Coffee
The fluffy and whipped consistency will only stay that way for a few hours. If you have leftover and would like to save it, just store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can whisk it up again when ready to use.
Can I Freeze This Drink?
Unfortunately I do not recommend freezing this dalgona whipped coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the names are interchangeable. Dalgona is just a Korean name for the trendy whipped coffee beverage.
This is the reason you need to use instant coffee granules. When mixed with the sugar, it makes that signature whipped texture.
It will go slightly faster if using an electric mixer rather than hand whisking, but it should take about 5 minutes.
Funny you should ask because me and one of my friends had totally different experiences. I like my coffee black, so dalgona tasted pretty sweet to me, but she thought it was a little bitter.
I think it really depends on how you usually take your coffee and also the flavor and intensity of your instant coffee crystals.
More Recipes That Use Coffee
If you’re in the mood for something different for your morning pick me up, here are some of our favorite recipes that use coffee.
Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Vanilla Mocha Biscotti
Tiramisu Cup Recipe
Dalgona Coffee (Whipped Coffee)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water, sugar and instant coffee powder. Water needs to be very hot for sugar to dissolve.
- Whisk with a hand whisk, electric blender or immersion blender until a pale brown, light and frothy.
- Pour the milk into a glass and spoon frothy mixture on top.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of instant coffee granules, whipped cream or chocolate shavings.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
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First time making Dalgona coffee, and it turned out fabulous! I love the texture. Thanks for the very easy-to-follow directions!
I think seeing this is my sign to finally try dalgona. I’ve seen it all over the internet over the past couple of years, so this recipe will be helpful for finally making it myself!