The fool-proof recipe to make Dalgona coffee

You might have seen the trend on Instagram or Tiktok: Dalgona coffee. Dalgona coffee is a bit like an iced cappuccino, but it has a creamy coffee layer on top. I loved the way it looks, so I also wanted to make it. But before I got to take the picture at the top of this page, I had several failed attempts. So this page is for everyone who tried to make Dalgona coffee and it didn’t work, or for everyone that wants to succeed the first time. This is the fool-proof recipe to make Dalgona coffee.

What is Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona Coffee isn’t new at all, but it became a hit on Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok in the spring of 2020. I guess it’s because most people needed to stay at home because of the Covid-19 outbreak, that we all got more time on our hands and we often couldn’t go to our favorite coffee bar to buy a Latte Machiato or Iced coffee.
Dalgona Coffee originated in Korea, where it has been sold for years. You can make Dalgona Coffee at home and you don’t need anything fancy to make it.

What’s the recipe for Dalgona coffee?

The basic recipe for Dalgona Coffee is actually very simple. All you need is equal parts of coffee, sugar and hot water. For example 2 tablespoons of coffee, 2 tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of hot water. You mix those together. Fill a glass with ice cubes and milk and top it with the coffee foam.
To make 2 glasses of Dalgona coffee, you’ll need:
2 tablespoons coffee
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
400 ml milk
Ice cubes

Do you have the right ingredients for Dalgona Coffee?

The term ‘coffee’ in the recipe is a bit vague. You’ll need to know that you need ground coffee, and not a cup of coffee that you already made in a machine or by adding water.
The first attempt that I made failed because I was using the wrong coffee. I have a Nespresso machine so I cut open the cups and used that ground coffee. But it didn’t mix well with the water at all. So you’ll need instant coffee (in Dutch it’s called Oploskoffie). The kind of coffee that you’ll need to use is often sold in plastic pots like the one pictured below.

How to make Dalgona Coffee

Now that you have all the ingredients set, there’s another part where it can go wrong; in making the cream layer of the Dalgona Coffee. First I discovered that a high and small bowl works better than a low and broad one. I first used a mixing bowl but that doesn’t work well. As you’re only making a small amount, the bowl is too wide. It’s better if you have a long measuring cup or the cup of a stick-blender.

This is why your Dalgona Coffee fails

The most important thing why most Dalgona coffee attempts are failing is because of the whipping of the cream layer. I first tried it with a mixer but that doesn’t really work well. You see some videos on YouTube where people are using a whisk. Using a whisk to make Dalgona Coffee does work, but it’ll take you a long time before it’s whipped. What’s better is using an electrical whip if you have one. My stick-blender set had an electrical whisk and it was done in less than 2 minutes.
Another option if you don’t have an electrical whisk is to use a milk frother.

Now you’re all set to make this fool-proof Dalgona coffee recipe!