My Roommate And I Tried Making Dalgona Coffee And This Is How It Went

Sophie Muir | June 9, 2020

In the midst of a global pandemic, my roommate and I found ourselves struggling to pass time while in quarantine. After completing a puppy-themed jigsaw puzzle, making a Megan Thee Stallion Tik Tok dance, and painting enough watercolors to cover our entire refrigerator, we thought, what’s next?

We couldn’t help but be curious about the Whipped Coffee trend circulating on social media, and after a trip to Trader Joe’s to pick up the short list of ingredients, we were ready to see what all the hype was about!

What is Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona Coffee became popular in South Korea last January after making an appearance on the popular Korean show “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant.” Actor Jung Il-woo tried it for the first time and said it reminded him of Dalgona, a South Korean sponge candy made with sugar and baking soda. After the episode aired, Dalgona Coffee went viral in South Korea, ultimately receiving its name from Jung II-woo. 

How to Make Dalgona Coffee?

We used Trader Joe’s 100% Columbian Instant Coffee and Oatly’s Barista Edition Oatmilk to make our Whipped Coffee, but any granulated instant coffee or milk will work.

Step 1. We decided to make one drink at a time, combining 2 tablespoons granulated instant coffee, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons hot water in a small bowl. We saw a tip on Instagram that using equal parts works well, but this did make our drink especially sweet.

Step 2. We whipped the mixture together using a handheld electric milk frother as a whisk, which may have slightly sped up the process, but resulted in a messy clean up. We found splattered coffee in our kitchen for days afterward.

Step 3. We continued whipping the mixture together for around 15 to 20 minutes using a spoon. The TikTok videos and Instagram stories made this part look easy, but it required some serious wrist work. In fact, my roommate and I had to continuously alternate whipping duties because our arms felt like they were on fire.

Step 4. After about 20 minutes of non-stop whipping, we had reached our breaking point. The mixture had transformed from a thin puddle of coffee into a thicker creamy consistency, and that was good enough for us. We filled a tall glass with ice and oat milk, then poured the mixture on top. Although we did not achieve the amount of frothiness we had hoped for, we were confident that it would still taste delicious

Step 5. We stirred the mixture into the milk to combine everything, took a slip, and voilà! My first impression is that it tasted like coffee ice cream; sweet, creamy and delicious. I would not describe Dalgona Coffee as the most practical drink to incorporate into your morning routine, but it is a treat. Did I feel good about the amount of sugar I was consuming before noon? No. Did I convince myself that I may have burned some calories just by making the drink? Maybe. Would I make it again? Definitely.