Simple Dalgona Coffee Recipe

Hello readers! How is it going? I hope y'all safe and sound wherever you are. I don't usually blog about recipes, but recently I managed to try something viral: DALGONA COFFEE! This DIY coffee has become a hype in Korea, as people are trying to keep themselves occupied during self-quarantine. Why is it called dalgona? Dalgona is a Korean candy that looks like honeycomb toffee, and the foam on top looks like dalgona candy. Consisting of only 3 main ingredients, dalgona coffee is a mixture of coffee, sugar and hot water served on top of cold milk.  It only takes 5 minutes to create! Now let me share my own rendition of dalgona coffee - guaranteed it is super easy to follow since I did it with my no-fuss style :P

Pic credit: The Jakarta Post

So, here are things that you need to make dalgona coffee:

Instant Coffee

Yes, it has to be instant coffee. I have tried using drip bag coffee (as shown in pic above) and it turned out miserably failed with no foam in sight, so I switched to Nescafe Classic. You can also use decaf coffee if you are sensitive to caffeine, not sure if it will be as frothy coz I did not try using decaf. I have a friend who had tried using Starbucks VIA coffee and it did not produce that much foam as well.

Sugar

Do use granulated sugar, not sugar block or sugar syrup. You can choose between white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, you name it. Don't like sugar in your coffee? You may create the sugarless version, but people said the foam would not stay fluffy. The sugar actually helps the coffee whip to a texture that holds its shape for a while. If you really dislike sugar, you can reduce it down, just that the result will not be as good.

Fresh Milk

I used full-cream milk from Diamond brand (there's no way this post is an endorsement haha). You may replace full-cream milk with skimmed milk or soy milk as you like. It does not have to be cold milk, you can also use hot milk, no worries.

Hand Mixer

I only use battery hand frother that I got from Shopee for just IDR20,000 haha. If you do not have one, you can use a whisk with your hand. I do not recommend using spoon since it will take forever unless you want some arm exercise lol. Some people succeeded doing it with hand though.  

In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of coffee and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then, add 2 tablespoons of boiling water.

Whisk or use a hand mixer to whip the mixture until it becomes light and frothy. It will take you at least 10 minutes to make a standard/acceptable dalgona foam.

Fill the glass with ice cubes and pour in the milk. Don’t forget to give some space for the foam.

Top the glass with the foam, and your drink is ready for a picture! Stir thoroughly before enjoying.

My dalgona coffee looks nothing like those you probably have seen on IG or YouTube - in fact it does not look picture-perfect at all haha. There was definitely something wrong with either my recipe, whipping technique or the ingredient I used. But I would not say it was a failure since it tasted good! My mom even praised me for making better coffee than cafe-made one *flattered*.

And here are some tips for you to fluff up the coffee foam so that it will not look as miserable as mine lol.

1. Try doubling the recipe (i.e. 4 tbs coffee + 4 tbs sugar + 4 tbs water) so that you have more volume which makes it easier to whip.

2. Use smaller bowl to whip. If you notice on my pic above, I moved the mixture to a melamine mug since I realized bigger bowl = more air = more difficult to whip.
3. Do not attempt using plain water; use boiled water! It helps dissolve the coffee and sugar quickly. When the sugar is fully dissolved, it will froth up the mixture more.

Talking about the taste, it is velvety, sweet and creamy. Kinda like frappuccino but not icy. If you don't mind having non-Instagenic dalgona coffee, you can reduce the amount of foam to reduce the sweetness, especially if you are used to drinking latte. Overall, it is good to try at home and is a good alternative for coffee lovers who (have to) temporarily refrain from getting a cuppa coffee from cafes. Stay safe and healthy at home guys! :)