How to make dalgona coffee: the cool new drink from South Korea

Dalgona coffee was ‘invented’ in South Korea back in January, when actor Jung Il-woo assembled one on a popular TV show. The actor commented that the concoction reminded him of a South Korean honeycomb-based treat called ‘dalgona’ – hence how the drink got its name. After the show aired, the drink went viral in South Korea and beyond.

The drink is already popular in the US and, once coffee shops in London are back up and running, we'll soon see it added to menus across the city. The good news? You won’t have to wait until then to try one, because dalgona coffee is easy-peasy to make at home. In fact, you probably have all the ingredients and equipment in your kitchen already.

Here’s how to make the trendy new coffee while in lockdown.

Serves two…

Ingredients

2 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
2 tbsp sugar (or sweetener)
2 tbsp hot water
400ml dairy or plant milk (our preference is oat milk)

Method

1. Combine the coffee granules, sugar and hot water in a medium-sized bowl.

2. Whip the mixture by hand with a whisk or fork, or using an electric hand-held mixer. Continue whisking until the mixture turns from foamy to frothy and finally to creamy.

3. Prepare two glasses of milk with ice.

4. Finally, spoon the fluffy mixture on top of the milk. Voilà! Your dalgona coffees are made.

Tips:

Craving a hot drink? You could spoon the coffee mixture over hot milk instead. Celebrating the end of the week – or day? Make yours hard by adding 1-2 tbsp of coffee liqueur. Feeling indulgent? Top your drinks off with honeycomb, crumbled biscuits, chocolate sprinkles or a topping of your choosing.