2-Step Dalgona Coffee Recipe

Dalgona coffee, better known as whipped coffee, may be one of the easiest coffee drinks to make at home—so easy, in fact, that it only calls for four ingredients (three of which you probably already have) and doesn't even require a coffee maker! Read on to learn all about whipped coffee—including its origin and our best recipe for making it at home.  

What Is Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona coffee, also called whipped coffee, consists of equal parts instant coffee (yes, instant coffee!), hot water, and sugar, plus milk. 

Granulated sugar works best, but other sugars such as brown sugar and coconut sugar are okay to use. You can also use sugar substitutes such as Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener, SweetLeaf, Pyure, and Swerve; just know that the consistency of your Dalgona coffee probably won't be as thick and fluffy as it could be if you used regular sugar. 

Any type of milk or plant-based alternative works well for whipped coffee. 

Where Is Dalgona Coffee From? 

The chilled coffee drink—made popular by TikTok in 2020—is inspired by Dalgona, a street food in Korea. But Dalgona coffee doesn't actually have Dalgona in it, and instead tastes like the honeycomb toffee-like candy. 

How Do You Pronounce Dalgona?

It's pronounced "Dal-go-nah" in English and literally translates to "it's sweet." 

2-Step Dalgona Coffee Recipe

Cook Time: 10 minutes

What You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Whisk or mixer 

Expert Tip: Using a hand or standing mixer will speed up the process.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. instant coffee
• 2 tbsp. sugar 
• 2 tbsp. hot water
• Milk 

Directions

1. Combine sugar, instant coffee and water in a bowl and whisk until coffee is light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes with a mixer; 8 to 10 with a whisk). 
2. Fill a glass with milk (at least 1/2 cup) and ice, and pour the coffee mixture over top for a cold and creamy coffee treat!

If you decide to share a photo or video of the finished product on TikTok (or Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest), be sure to tag #BeanBox! Then stir up your drink and enjoy!

Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Ground Coffee? 

While we always recommend freshly ground, specialty coffee, Dalgona coffee requires instant coffee. And since ground coffee and instant coffee are very different—instant coffee dissolves in water, whereas ground coffee does not—ground coffee can't be used in this recipe. If you use single-brew pods such as K-Cups, note that these are considered ground coffee and won't work for whipped coffee, either.