Dalgona Coffee (달고나 커피) – Whipped Coffee Foam on Cold Milk

For dalgona coffee you whip instant coffee, sugar and hot water in equal parts into a firm, light brown foam and spoon it onto a glass of cold milk. The name comes from the Korean sugar snack dalgona, whose caramel color the foam shares. In early 2020, people in South Korea shared videos of the drink, and soon after, people all over the world were whisking their coffee by hand.

By Laura Chen · November 4, 2026

10 Mintotal

2servings

205kcal

KoreanCuisine ›

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You only get the firm foam with instant coffee. Filter coffee and espresso carry too few dissolved coffee solids and hardly foam. With a hand mixer you need 3 to 4 minutes, with a whisk 10 minutes and strong arms. The sugar stabilizes the foam. If you use less, it sinks into the milk after a short time.

The snack of the same name, which you cut out with a mold, is in Dalgona. Coffee with sweetened condensed milk is what you drink in Vietnam as Cà Phê Sữa Đá and in Thailand as O-Liang. Without coffee, reach for a matcha latte.

Image: AI-generated.

Dalgona Coffee (달고나 커피) – Whipped Coffee Foam on Cold Milk

Name: Dalgona Coffee (달고나 커피) – Whipped Coffee Foam on Cold Milk
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 3 tbsp instant coffee; 3 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp boiling water; 400 ml cold whole milk; 8 ice cubes; Cocoa powder for garnish

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

5 minutes

Cook time

5 minutes

Calories

205

Cuisine

Korean

Ingredients

For the foam:

3 tbsp instant coffee
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp boiling water

For the glasses:

400 ml cold whole milk
8 ice cubes
Cocoa powder for garnish

Instructions

Put the instant coffee and sugar in a tall, narrow bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir briefly until the powder dissolves.
Whip the mixture with the hand mixer on the highest setting for 3 to 4 minutes. It changes from dark brown to light brown and holds peaks.
With a whisk, whip for 8 to 10 minutes, until the foam stands firm and no longer drips from the whisk.
Fill two glasses with ice cubes and pour 200 ml milk into each.
Spoon the foam onto the milk and sprinkle a little cocoa powder over it.
Stir before drinking so the foam and milk combine into a milky coffee.

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Dalgona Coffee (달고나 커피) – Whipped Coffee Foam on Cold Milk

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For the glasses:

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Dalgona Coffee (달고나 커피) – Whipped Coffee Foam on Cold Milk

Ingredients

For the foam:

For the glasses:

Instructions

Reviews

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