Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee)

If you haven’t tried Whipped Coffee yet, then now is the time! This fluffy, creamy treat made from instant coffee, sugar and milk is worth a try.

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Whipped Coffee recipe

Internet trends are kind of fun. Whether it’s balsamic mocktails or boozy gummy bears, there’s always something fun to try on TikTok and YouTube.

Whipped coffee is one of those recipes. If you didn’t try this whipped instant coffee drink in 2020, where were you?! Just kidding — you should totally try it now. It’s delicious!

This whipped coffee drink gained popularity during the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic when people all over the world were trying social media recipes they could make with pantry staples.

What is Whipped Coffee?

Also called Dalgona coffee or TikTok coffee, this whipped coffee drink is made by whipping instant coffee with sugar and boiling water to create a thick froth that is then spooned over any kind of milk.

The milk can be dairy milk or plant-based milk, and it can be warm or cold. When the froth is stirred into the coffee, it easily swirls in to make a tasty coffee drink.

The texture of the coffee is thick and frothy, but with all the flavor of a usual café au lait. It’s definitely worth trying just to see what the hype is about!

History of Whipped Coffee

Whipped coffee gained popularity during the global pandemic.

According to VICE, it all started with a Korean TV clip posted in January 2020 of the actor Jung Il Woo tasting a whipped coffee drink at Hon Kee Café in Macau.

The drink was called Dalgona coffee, named for the honeycomb-like appearance that resembles Korean dalgona honeycomb candy.

The recipe caught on like wildfire, with many people trying the viral recipe, perhaps while enjoying their latest sourdough bread.

Whipped Coffee Around the World

But the history of whipped coffee goes back even further — similar drinks have been enjoyed in other cultures, including India and Pakistan, for decades.

The drink goes by many other names, including Indian Cappuccino, beaten coffee, hand-beaten coffee, Phenti Hui coffee and Phitti Hui coffee, to name a few.

In Greece, a similar drink is known as a frappé. In Libya, it’s sometimes referred to simply as Nescafé (a brand name for instant coffee).

It’s also similar to a Café Cubano, or Cuban Coffee, which involves whipped espresso.

From country to country, the recipe is very close to the same, involving whipping instant coffee and sugar until it’s thick and frothy, and then serving it with milk.

It’s easy to see why Americans fell in love with the Dalgona coffee craze.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for whipped coffee is short. Here are the basic ingredients you’ll need:

Instant coffee

Instant coffee isn’t as popular here in the States, but I grew up drinking it with my family overseas. It isn’t as bad as people make it out to be! I always have it on hand to make my favorite homemade Irish cream liqueur.

Plus, you’ll be amazed at what it can do in this whipped coffee recipe. It’s a great alternative to coffee beans.

You can use any kind of instant coffee or instant espresso. It must be instant coffee for it to work!

I use Nescafé Clásico, which is a brand you can find in the coffee section of most grocery stores.

Granulated sugar

Use any kind of granulated sugar, such as white sugar, brown sugar or raw sugar. You can even use coconut sugar or monkfruit sweetener.

However, you don’t want to use a simple syrup for this recipe.

You can make this recipe without sugar if you’d like an unsweet option, but the foam won’t stay fluffy for as long.

Hot water

You’ll need to boil water for this recipe. I use my kettle on the stove, but you can use an electric kettle or even boil water in the microwave in a microwave-safe cup.

Milk

Though the frothy topping is so good you can eat it with a spoon, a proper whipped coffee involves spooning the foam over a cup or mug of milk. You can warm the milk or keep it cold, whichever you prefer.

Feel free to use whatever kind of milk you like, whether it’s whole milk or 1%.

You can also use any non-dairy milk, such as:

• oat milk
• almond milk
• soy milk
• cashew milk
• coconut milk

How to make Whipped Coffee

To make this Dalgona Coffee recipe, here’s what to do:

You will first need to make the froth. Combine the instant coffee crystals, sugar and hot water in a large bowl, then get to frothing.

This will take some time depending on what method you use. You have a few methods you can try:

1. By hand, with a spoon: You will be stirring for quite a while! But it can be done. You can also use a whisk or a small wire frother.
2. Milk frother: A battery-operated milk frother is a great way to create this foam, and it takes up little to no cabinet space! (It fits in a drawer.)
3. Electric hand mixer: A hand mixer will work much quicker to make the coffee foam, and it will be fluffy in no time flat. Use a mixing bowl for this one.
4. Stand mixer: Use the whisk attachment to whip the coffee and sugar together. This is a great method if you’d like to double or triple the batch.

Methods 2 to 4 will take about 5 minutes, but you can keep whipping.

When the foam is ready, it will be a light amber color. The foam should be creamy and will hold a stiff peak when you remove the whisk, similar to whipped cream or whipped egg whites. You can’t overbeat it, so if you want it fluffier, go for it.

Then, prepare your milk. You can make warm milk by steaming it, heating it on the stove or in the microwave. You can also keep it cold over ice. Pour milk into a mug or glass.

Lastly, spoon the coffee mixture over top, and stir to combine when you’re ready to drink it. Or you can leave a layer of foam on top if you prefer!

Flavored whipped coffee

There are a few ways you can flavor this frothy coffee to make it your own.

Vanilla whipped coffee — Stir ½ ounce vanilla simple syrup or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the cup of milk before adding the thick foam over the top.

Chocolate whipped coffee — Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the foam after stirring it together. Garnish the glass with chocolate syrup or use chocolate milk for the milk layer.

Caramel whipped coffee — Stir ½ ounce caramel simple syrup into the cold or hot milk before adding the Dalgona foam. You can decorate the glass with caramel sauce.

Cinnamon whipped coffee — After the foam is whipped, stir in a pinch of cinnamon. You can also flavor the milk with cinnamon simple syrup.

Brown sugar whipped coffee — Use brown sugar instead of white sugar when making the coffee foam. For a sweeter drink, use ½ ounce brown sugar syrup or demerara syrup to sweeten the milk before adding the foam.

Boozy whipped coffee — Stir in 1 ounce of coffee liqueur or cream liqueur into the milk before adding the froth.

You can use the fluff in so many ways beyond just a cup of coffee. I enjoy adding it to cocktails too. It works really well atop a White Russian.

More coffee drinks

If you’re looking for more ways to dress up your morning coffee, try one of these coffee drinks.

• Coffee Soda
• Iced Irish Coffee
• Classic Irish Coffee
• Pumpkin Spice Latté
• Spiked Iced Coffee
• Cinnamon Bun Latté