Tips and tricks to prepare Dalgona coffee · I am a food blog I am a food blog

Dalgona coffee is having a moment. It's viral on TikTok, trending on Twitter, and blowing up my insta feed. It's pretty, it tastes good, and it's probably the best way to spend time while you're at home during the stay-at-home campaign.

The best part is that you only need three ingredients, two of which you probably already have at home, meaning there's no need to hand out a packing slip or go to the grocery store. If you have instant coffee, sugar, and milk, you are ready to have a smooth coffee. It's super simple: mix equal parts coffee, sugar, and hot water, then blend until it becomes a thick, creamy, silky foam. Pour it over iced milk (which is literally just milk with ice), then enjoy, no Starbucks run required.

Dalgona coffee, smooth coffee, frothy coffee, whipped coffee - whatever you call it, all your questions are here!

What is Dalgona coffee?
Dalgona coffee is a foamy coffee whipped with instant coffee and sugar, then milk is added. It's called dalgona because the smooth, creamy coffee resembles a dalgona candy, a South Korean candy that resembles honeycomb candy or sponge candy. You probably ate chocolate-covered honeycomb candy. I haven't had it in years, but it's okay.

Where does dalgona coffee come from?
The popularity of dalgona coffee comes mainly from South Korea, where it began to evolve due to social remoteness/isolation. Everyone was stuck at home and Instagramming their daily lives and drinking dalgona coffee, probably because you don't need much to make it and it's really nice. Whipped coffee also exists in other parts of the world: apparently it came into the Korean consciousness through a great Korean actor who discovered it in Macau, but they also have it in India and Pakistan. Apparently it comes from Greece, where a Nescafé guy understood that instant Nescafé was well prepared. They call it strikes!

Should I use instant coffee?
Yes, it must be instant coffee. There's something about instant coffee crystals that creates just the right foamy texture for whipping. You can also use decaf if you are sensitive to caffeine. I'm sure it will foam just as well, but I can't guarantee it because we don't have decaffeinated instant coffee in the house. I used Nescafé, apparently it was Nescafé that invented iced coffee, so it will definitely work better, but I have a friend who did it successfully. Maxwell House and Starbucks instant espresso (although the espresso wasn't as frothy).

Should I use sugar?
Short answer, yes. Long answer, not really? The sugar really helps the instant coffee to a smooth meringue texture that holds its shape for a while. But I also made it with raw stevia and it worked (I assume other granulated sweeteners will too), but it didn't. not so fluffy If you are really sensitive to sugar you can reduce it, just know that your fluff won't be as soft.

Should I use a hand mixer?
You can use your arm muscles and a whip, like I did. It didn't take me long, but I can have a lot of experience whipping the cream and meringues. If you have a hand mixer, stand mixer, frother, or whisk, you can make dalgona coffee.

Should it be ice milk?
You can use hot or iced milk, the choice is yours! I went with ice cream because it makes the milk go further and I have to stretch the milk as long as possible because I'm literally afraid to go to the grocery store. You can also use evaporated milk (which comes in cans, perfect!), slightly sweetened or not.

What does it taste like?
It's velvety and creamy and full of sweet coffee flavor. Something like an unglazed strawberry. It is full of strong coffee flavors and very sweet. But if you're not so worried about getting that perfect fluffy cap, you can reduce the amount of fluffy coffee you put in your milk.

I hope you try it. I really loved it when I made it with just 1 teaspoon of coffee and 1 teaspoon of sugar. As long as you go with equal parts coffee, sugar, and water, you can make the smooth coffee of your dreams. In the recipe below, I kept it at 2 tablespoons each and made 2 coffees, but feel free to adjust as needed.

UPDATE!
Because it does not work?
I got a lot of comments asking why the coffee wasn't fluffy. I have two tips for you guys:
1. Make sure your volume is sufficient. Having a small amount of something makes it harder to whip, because you have to work much harder to whip the air into a small volume. If you're having trouble whisking, try doubling the recipe, which will probably help. Also, don't use a bowl that is too big.
2. Use very hot water which will help dissolve the coffee and sugar instantly. Completely dissolving the sugar will help the mixture foam more.

Other frequently asked questions:

What is the best equipment for blending coffee?

1. Electric Hand Mixer – This is probably the easiest way because you can rest the whips against the mixture and you don't need to use arm strength.
2. Stand Mixer – These are hands-free, but you want to make sure you have enough liquid in the bowl for the whips to actually touch the mixture. You will probably have to make a triple or quadruple batch.
3. Small whisk or matcha whip – This is the cheapest way to whip and what I personally do. It works and works well and you don't need to get out a machine to do it. It takes a while, but hey, it's not like I'm working out much right now, so I think it's my #1 pick even if I do. ; put as number 3.
4. Manual Aerator – You can use a manual nozzle, but it has to be very powerful, you have to do it for a long time, and you will probably get frustrated. If you are using a tip, place the mixture in a jar or cup instead of a bowl, it will make things a little easier.
5. Jar: You can put everything in a jar and shake it. This is how they make iced coffee in Greece. It's not that thick but it gets foamy.

Can I put other things in it? Yes, here are some variations:

• Mocha: Whisk up the dalgona, but then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and you have a mocha.
• Matcha: I saw this online but it uses egg whites, I will look into it and get back to you.
• Maple: Use maple syrup instead of sugar for a maple dalgona
• Honey: use honey for a honey dalgona
• Less sugar: You can adjust the sugar content according to your preferences, if you like it sweeter, add more sugar, if you think it is too sweet, add less
• Keto: You can use a zero-calorie sweetener and drink it with sweetened cream instead of milk
• Vegan: Use alternative milks such as almond, oat, soy, etc.
• Caffeine-free – only use decaffeinated coffee
• Hot: Yes, you can have it hot or iced, depending on your preference!

Can I do it in advance?

Dalgona coffee can be stored for a long time, especially if you blend it well. I put a spoonful in the fridge to experiment and it's been there for four days, no joke and it looks exactly like the day I made it.

What else can I use it on?

It's so fluffy you can put it on anything! I made a small batch of brownies recently (recipe coming soon!) and topped one off with dalgona coffee. You can also put it in ice cream or pastries like cakes, breads, cookies, almost anything!

Let me know if you have any other questions! Let your dalgona be fluffy and thick!

Stay safe and healthy at home 🙂