Korea’s whipped instant coffee, Dalgona, went viral on Tiktok at the beginning of quarantine. As a barista at a Korean cafe and a coffee addict, I knew I had to try making different Dalgona versions while I was stuck at home. These instant coffee recipes are both easy to make and a great way to save money for college students.
Before getting started, I recommend having at least a whisk. While you can mix with a fork, it’s easier to achieve the instagram-worthy fluffy consistency with an electric mixer or milk frother. But you don’t necessarily need those tools to just enjoy the drink. You can also play around with the measurements according to taste, but for best consistency I recommend a 1:1:1 ratio. It is also easier to mix in a small bowl to allow more air under the mixture.
I will be rating each Dalgona recipe out of 10 based on difficulty (5 being easiest) and flavor (5 being tastiest).
Basic Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass and pour Dalgona on top. Stir and enjoy!
I give the basic Dalgona a 5/5 for difficulty because it whips up the fastest out of all the recipes and has the least amount of ingredients. I give it a 3/5 for flavor because it is pretty basic and I prefer my coffee to be sweeter. I give the Basic Dalgona a 8/10.
Caramel Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-Melted Caramel or Caramel Flavoured Coffee Syrup
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass and pour Dalgona on top.
Add your caramel, stir and enjoy!
I give the Caramel Dalgona a 3/5 for difficulty because if you melt real caramel instead of using a caramel flavored corn syrup, it takes longer. I give the Caramel Dalgona a 4/5 for flavor because it just isn’t as tasty as a caramel latte where I work. Overall the Caramel Dalgona is a 7/10.
Mocha Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-1 ½ TBSP Hot Cocoa Powder
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, hot water, and hot cocoa powder in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass and pour Dalgona on top.
Stir and enjoy!
I rate the Mocha Dalgona a 4/5 for difficulty because it doesn’t whip up to be the instagram-worthy fluff due to the density of the hot cocoa powder. I rate it a 5/5 for flavor because it has a smoother taste than the plain Dalgona and I feel like it gives me more energy. The Mocha Dalgona gets a 9/10 and is my second favorite flavor.
Cinnamon Honey Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-¼ TSP Cinnamon
-Honey
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, hot water, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass and pour Dalgona on top.
Add your honey, stir and enjoy!
The Cinnamon Honey Dalgona is my personal favorite and give it a 5/5 for difficulty because it whips up just as well as the Basic Dalgona and the honey is easier to add than caramel. I give it a 5/5 for flavor because it’s delicious! Cinnamon Honey Dalgona gets a 10/10
Pumpkin Spice Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-¼ TSP Pumpkin Spice Powder
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, hot water, and pumpkin spice in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass and pour Dalgona on top.
Stir and enjoy!
The Pumpkin Spice Dalgona earns a 5/5 for difficulty because it whips up just as well as the basic Dalgona and cinnamon honey. However, I would rate it a 2/5 for taste because the spice on its own doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Overall, the pumpkin spice Dalgona is 7/10.
Blueberry Dalgona
Ingredients
-2 TBSP Instant Coffee
-2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
-2 TBSP Hot Water
-Blueberry syrup, or syrup of your choice
-Milk of your choice
-Ice
Directions
Combine instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a mixing bowl and mix for desired consistency.
Pour milk of your choice over ice into a glass, add a splash of syrup, and pour Dalgona on top.
Stir and enjoy!
I rate the Blueberry Dalgona a 5/5 for difficulty and a 2/5 for flavor. Overall, the mix of fruit and coffee isn’t for me, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy it. I also think this syrup Dalgona could get a higher rating if I used pure maple syrup or a syrup made specially for flavoring coffee. Blueberry Dalgona gets a 7/10.
The winner of this taste test is the Cinnamon Honey Dalgona. It is both super easy to make and tastes amazing. Overall, I enjoyed making these recipes and I find it therapeutic to whip up the Dalgona fluff to start my day. I recommend that my fellow college students try these recipes because they’re super easy, a lot cheaper than buying Starbucks every morning, and you don’t even have to leave your house or room to make it. These recipes make the perfect quarantine beverage.