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 dalgona whipped coffee recipe.
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 coffees on social media and decided I had to give the Dalgona coffee a try.
I see it every place- it has to be good, right?
Dalgona Coffee
What is dalgona?
After a bit of research, I learned that it 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.
Instant Coffee
Did you know that instant coffee was invented in the late 1800s and that it first became popular during WWI because of the convenience? If you don’t have some of this lying around, don’t worry. It is easily purchased in the coffee aisle at the store.
Luckily, I always have a jar of coffee crystals up my sleeve. It is a remnant of a layered pie recipe that we made for every holiday growing up. They can also be used for these delicious Brownie Coffee Cheesecake Bars.
By dissolving them in some hot water and putting that liquid in the brownie mix before it baked, you were able to make something so much more than a simple brownie.
Almost as interesting as the granules part, is that you don’t need some new-fangled, fancy coffee machine to make one.
Ingredients
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 sugar 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.
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.
- 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.
Whipped Coffee 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.
Our favorite toppings:
- Turbinado sugar
- Coffee crystals
- Shaved chocolate
- Sparkling sugar
- Swizzle sticks
- Crushed peppermint
- Cocoa powder
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.
- 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!
Storage and Freezing
Storage: 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 refrigerator for up to a week. You can whisk it up again when ready to use.
Freezing: 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.
Recipes That Use Coffee
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Coffee Crusted Beef Tenderloin
- Irish Coffee
- Hot Chocolate Bombs with Coffee!
- More coffee drinks!
Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Vanilla Mocha Biscotti
Tiramisu Cup Recipe
Dalgona Whipped Coffee
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together 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 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!
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!
Wow! What a beautiful recipe!
I couldn’t agree more with you! As a coffee lover, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to jazz up my daily caffeine fix, and Dalgona whipped coffee has been a game-changer for me. It’s not only delicious but also so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. I love how the whipped coffee adds a frothy and creamy texture to the drink, making it feel like a special treat every time I make it.
This coffee recipe is so fun! I really enjoy it with rice milk. It’s definitely a nice treat on weekend mornings. 🙂
So good! The whole family loved it and we will make it again. Made the hot chocolate version for the kiddos.
The taste was great (I added about a tsp more than recipe called for) and perhaps that’s why I did not get any froth, certainly nothing like the picture. How long did you blend and how high, I had mine as high as it would go and blended for probably 3-4 minutes checking twice for “frothiness” but no froth appeared so I went ahead and poured it on top of my milk. Flavor was great but I was hoping for the beautiful froth as pictured.
Hi! I’m wondering if it was the brand you used or that you used a blender. We used a whisk or a whisk attachment. It is actually possible to over blend things and then you kinda hit the peak and come down the other side and it gets watery- like with over whipping whipped cream.
I’ve joined the crazed for dalgona coffee for a couple of weeks now. It’s so pretty and so delicious. Makes me feel like sipping a cup of fancy coffee in a coffee house somewhere. 🙂
I made this last evening. What a delectable little treat and so easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
I do love my caffeine fix and this sounds so delicious. I keep meaning to try this whipped coffee because I keep seeing it everywhere.
This Dalgone Whipped Coffee was sooo yummy and full of flavor. My first time ever trying this. Thank you for sharing!
I keep seeing the dalgona whipped coffee everywhere but I haven’t tried it yet. I love that I can use this recipe for a delicious pie too.