Dalgona Iced Coffee + 5 Easy Variations

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• Dalgona coffee is versatile it can be made into a hot or cold drink.
• You can easily adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes.
• This is the perfect recipe to make if you are craving a special coffee and can’t get to the coffee shops.
• The whipped coffee foam can be prepared in advance making it an easy drink to serve on special occasions like a bridal shower, birthday party or a casual gathering.
• Dalgona iced coffee is budget friendly.

What Is Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona coffee is made with instant coffee, sugar, and hot water. It is beaten until it becomes a thick dense foam similar to stiffly beaten egg whites.

The texture of the foam is light, creamy, and velvety smooth. This coffee foam is floated on top of hot or cold milk then mixed in before drinking.

Dalgona iced coffee is a South Korean coffee recipe that has gained popularity around the world, by a trend that was started by a TikTok iced coffee recipe in early 2020.

What Does Dalgona Coffee Taste Like?

To tell you the truth the first time I made a dalgona iced coffee, I hated it. I made it by using the original dalgona recipe and found the coffee foam too strong.

I also found it awkward to drink because I didn’t stir it properly and was trying to drink through a thick wall of foam.

After that first experience, I adapted the recipe to something that we like.

With our version, we find dalgona iced coffee tastes similar to a milk iced coffee without the cream and ice cream and is just as creamy.

When made hot it reminds us of a coffee latte or cappuccino because most of the foam melts into the hot milk and you get a frothy layer of foam on top.

How To Make Dalgona Coffee?

If you have never tried dalgona before. Try the two versions listed below at least once to see which one you like better.

After that, you can easily adapt the coffee foam recipe and make it to your own tastes if need to.

Ingredients In This Recipe

You can download a printable version of this recipe below. It lists all the ingredients you need and gives clear, step-by-step instructions to help you make it.

The original recipe uses equal parts:

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

This is the recipe you will find on most blogs and can make a single serving of extremely strong coffee. If you are an avid strong coffee drinker this might be good strength for you.

This makes about 40 grams (1.4 oz) of foam enough for one or two large drinks depending on how strong you like your coffee.

Coffee Note: The recipe will only work with instant coffee and can’t be made with liquid coffee or ground coffee.

We don’t like it this strong. So, I altered the recipe and made a slightly weaker version using:

• 1 level tablespoon instant coffee
• 2 level tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

The amount of coffee used is still strong enough for coffee flavor to come through the milk.

This makes about 40 grams (1.4 oz) of coffee foam enough for one large single serve of iced coffee or, 2 standard 250 ml (8 oz) cups.

Water Note: Use very hot water it dissolves the sugar completely leaving you with a smooth velvety foam.

Step By Step Instructions

Place the instant coffee, sugar, and hot water into a deep medium-sized mixing bowl.

Use an electric mixer and start at low speed then gradually move to high. Beat until it becomes thick, glossy, and fluffy. This only takes a few minutes.

Can We Make Dalgona Coffee Without A Mixer?

Yes, you can!

If you don’t have an electric hand mixer or stand mixer you can use a hand whisk, it can take about 5 – 10 minutes or longer to whip up depending on your stamina.

How To Store Coffee Foam

The whipped coffee foam can be stored covered in the fridge for up to four days. After that, it will slowly breakdown.

How To Drink Dalgona Iced Coffee?

Place a few ice cubes into a glass. Fill the glass about ⅔ full of cold milk and then spoon on enough whipped coffee so that it fills the glass to the top.

You don’t want to overfill the glass with ice because it will make it difficult to stir the drink.

Give the drink a good stir so that most of the coffee foam dissolves into the milk leaving a small amount of loose coffee cream on the top.

Stirring the froth into the milk not only flavors the milk it breaks up the foam making it easier to drink.

You can drink it straight from the glass or serve it with a straw if you want to get fancy.

Use this a guide for any size glass or cup

Fill with 4-5 ice cubes + fill the glass ⅔ full with cold milk + spoon on enough coffee foam to almost fill the glass to the top.

Making Good Iced Coffee Drinks

This is how we make dalgona iced coffee, it will give you an idea of how much milk you will need and glass sizes.

If we use almost 1 cup milk, we use a 450 ml (15 oz) or 550 ml (18 oz) glass filled with 4-5 ice cubes and 40 grams (1.4 oz) a full single serve of our version of coffee froth.

At a glance (large size drink)
For 1 cup milk + 4-5 ice cubes + 40 grams (1.4 oz) coffee froth you will need a 500 ml (16 oz) glass or cup.

When we make a smaller drink and use almost ⅔ cup milk, we will use a glass size of at least 300 ml (10 oz) filled with 4-5 ice cubes and use 30 grams (1 oz) of coffee froth.

At a glance (medium size drink)
For ⅔ cup milk + 4-5 ice cubes + 30 grams (1 oz) coffee froth you will need a 300 ml (10 oz) glass or cup.

The above measures approximately fill each glass to about ⅔ full with milk and 4-5 ice cubes.

FAQ

5 Easy Dalgona Coffee Recipe Variations

Now that you know how to make iced whipped coffee why not try a few variations.

1. Dalgona iced coffee without milk

If you don’t like milky iced coffee, you can make one without milk here is how:
Place 4-5 ice cubes into a glass, fill the glass ⅔ full with cold water, spoon on enough dalgona coffee foam so it fills the glass, stir well and enjoy.

2. Dalgona chocolate drizzle iced coffee

Before making the drink, squirt some chocolate sauce onto the insides of the glass and allow it to run down the sides of the glass.

Tilt and rotate the glass as you lightly squirt on the sauce to give an attractive look.
To apply the sauce, use a piping bag filled with a small amount of chocolate sauce and cut the tip of the bag cut very small.

You could also use a small plastic squirt bottle with a small tip to apply the sauce.

Place 4-5 ice cubes into a glass, fill the glass ⅔ full with cold milk, spoon on enough coffee foam so it fills the glass, drizzle some chocolate sauce over the foam and serve.

3. Flavoured dalgona coffee

You can make homemade vanilla iced coffee, hazelnut iced coffee, or flavored hot dalgona coffees using coffee syrups.

For a standard 250 ml (8 oz) cup add the recommended amount of coffee syrup to the cup, fill ¾ full with hot or cold milk and stir well. Then spoon on enough dalgona coffee foam to fill the cup, stir well and enjoy.

4. Hot dalgona coffee

You can make a hot dalgona coffee by:

Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of coffee foam into a cup, add enough hot milk to ⅔ fill the cup, stir the milk well until the foam has dissolved. Add more coffee foam to fill the cup to the top, stir and enjoy.

Using this amount of froth and milk makes a hot coffee similar to a cappuccino.
If you want it more like a latte use ¾ cup of milk and less froth.

5. Mocha whipped coffee

Just before making the drink add 1 teaspoon of sifted unsweetened cocoa powder into a prepared single-serve 40 grams (1.4 oz) of coffee foam and mix well.

Place 1 - 2 teaspoons of mocha coffee foam into a cup, add enough hot milk to three quarters fill the cup, stir the milk well until the foam has dissolved. Add more of the mocha coffee foam to fill the cup to the top, serve and enjoy.

Party Idea

Dalgona iced coffee is a nice-looking and very easy drink to serve at small parties like afternoon tea, bridal shower, or birthday party.

The whipped coffee foam can be made the day before. Double or triple the recipe and mix it in a very large and deep bowl because it does increase in volume. Make as many batches as needed to serve the number of guests.

If you don’t have a large mixing bowl, make several small batches and combine them after whipping and store it covered in the fridge.

To work out how much coffee foam to make

Sometime before the day make a few iced coffees using different glass sizes, amounts of milk, ice, and coffee foam. Taste and take note of which combinations work best for the glass sizes you are using.

For example:

A single batch of foam made with 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee, 2 teaspoons white sugar, and 2 teaspoons water makes about 40 grams (1.4 oz) of coffee foam.

This amount is enough to make two standard drinks in standard 250 ml (8 oz) glasses filled with 2-3 ice cubes and ⅔ cup cold milk topped with about half the coffee foam.

If you use slightly smaller glasses or fill a standard cup with three-quarters of milk you will need less foam to fill the glass, so you make a single-serve of coffee foam serve 3 instead of 2.

Tip: Adding extra 2- 3 ice cubes to bigger glasses will reduce the amount of milk you use. But don’t overfill with ice because it will make it difficult to stir.

If you like this coffee recipe you might also like this blog post on How to make instant coffee taste better or this recipe for making cold brew coffee in a French press or these other easy non coffee drinks:

• Thai pink milk
• Strawberry peach smoothie
• Strawberry almond milk
• Watermelon banana smoothie
• Infused water recipes