🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 43 (from laksa143)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa043.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.seriouseats.com/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.seriouseats.com/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163","crawl_time":1776280636,"first_indexed_time":1752865136,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,seriouseats!www,\/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163 s443","src_root_hash":"3385208949286065243","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Dalgona Coffee","meta_descriptions":["Made by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, watching dalgona coffee come together feels like magic. Here’s the science behind the foam."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Why It Works\nUsing instant coffee packs plenty of flavor without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam.\nWhisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam.\nLike much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee. \nMade by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the\nLos Angeles Times\ndescribes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day.\nSerious Eats \/ Amanda Suarez\nWhere Is Dalgona Coffee From?\nDalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was\nfilmed\ntrying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside [the] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the\nfrappe\n; and in Cuba, the café cubano. \nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\nThe owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the\nMacau Post Daily\nhe picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café.\nThe Science Behind Dalgona Coffee\nLet’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has\nwritten for us\n, is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote\nhere\n, forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them.\nWith dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of\nHow to Make the Best Coffee at Home\n, roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his\ndalgona coffee video\n, Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve. \nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\nThe melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book\nMolecular Gastronomy\n, are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps. \nThis would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this.\nHow to Make Dalgona Coffee\nHere are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer.\nCan You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee?\nDalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the\ninstant-coffee space\n, except with more delicious results.\nCurious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack. \nI can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue\nwon’t whip as well\nif there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules.\nIn a paper published in the\nTea & Coffee Trade Journal\n, Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.” \nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\nThat’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam. \nWhether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee. \nConvenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste.\nKeep Screen Awake\n1\/4\ncup\ninstant coffee granules\n(\n1\/2\nounce\n;\n14\ng\n)\n2\ntablespoons\ngranulated sugar\n(\n1\nounce\n;\n30\ng\n)\n1\/4\ncup\n(\n60\nml\n)\nhot water\nWhole\nor\ndairy-free milk\n, for serving (about\n1\ncup\n\/\n237\nml\nper serving)\nIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes).\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\nTo serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately.\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\nNotes\nThe coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes.\nSpecial Equipment\nStand mixer\nMake-Ahead and Storage\nThe coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to Content](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163#skip-to-content)\n\n[My Saves](https:\/\/www.myrecipes.com\/)\n\nbutton\n\nbutton\n\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/all-recipes-5117985)\n  - [Recipes by Course](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-course-5117906)\n  - [Recipes by Ingredient](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-ingredient-recipes-5117749)\n  - [Recipes by Cuisine](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-world-cuisine-5117277)\n  - [Recipes by Method](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-method-5117399)\n  - [Recipes by Diet](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-diet-5117779)\n  - [Recipes by Holiday & Season](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/holiday-season-recipes-5117984)\n  - [View all](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/all-recipes-5117985)\n- [How-Tos](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/how-tos-5118034)\n  - 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[Personal Essays](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/personal-essays-5118035)\n  - [View all](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/features-5118040)\n- [About us](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/about-us-5120006)\n- Newsletter\n- [My Saves](https:\/\/www.myrecipes.com\/)\n- Get fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more\\!\n- - [About Us](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/about-us-5120006)\n  - [Contact Us](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/about-us-5120006#toc-contact-us)\n\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/all-recipes-5117985)\n- [Recipes By Course](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/recipes-by-course-5117906)\n- [Drinks](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/drink-recipes-5117861)\n- [Coffee](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/coffee-recipes-5117845)\n\n# Dalgona Coffee\nWatching dalgona coffee come together feels like magic.\n\nBy\n\n[Genevieve Yam](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/genevieve-yam-6830491)\n\n![Genevieve Yam headshot]()\n\n![Genevieve Yam headshot](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/elDz5jjDdgluXEAywsdU6dbSozY=\/200x200\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/GenevieveYam-Headshot-dc379a803b494183a3a6e8edfc20d8cd.jpg)\n\n[Genevieve Yam](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/genevieve-yam-6830491)\n\nSenior Editor\n\nAfter graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.\n\nLearn about Serious Eats' [Editorial Process](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/about-us-5120006#toc-editorial-guidelines)\n\nPublished July 18, 2025\n\nSave\n\n[WRITE A REVIEW](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163)\n\nClose\n\n![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee with ingredients surrounding it ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/x5dQAByuE9saNvybQ4sjTU1dHG8=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hero-e6a0eb179a2d457fb40c059d91594c35.jpg)\n\n![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee with ingredients surrounding it ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/x5dQAByuE9saNvybQ4sjTU1dHG8=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hero-e6a0eb179a2d457fb40c059d91594c35.jpg)\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nJump to recipe\n\n### Why It Works\n- Using instant coffee packs plenty of flavor without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam.\n- Whisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam.\n\nLike much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee.\n\nMade by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the [*Los Angeles Times*](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/food\/story\/2020-03-13\/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation) describes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day.\n\n![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/0hqDtH24W7IQ9Ls34EqkugbS2WM=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote-b683ddb6bd3b4e3b91c249c05b61bfc4.jpg)\n\n![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/0hqDtH24W7IQ9Ls34EqkugbS2WM=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote-b683ddb6bd3b4e3b91c249c05b61bfc4.jpg)\n\nSerious Eats \/ Amanda Suarez\n## Where Is Dalgona Coffee From?\nDalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was [filmed](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rIpvOdIsN1o) trying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside \\[the\\] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the [frappe](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/frappe-foamy-greek-iced-coffee); and in Cuba, the café cubano.\n\n![Whipped coffee on standmixer whisk](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/e7fbMhKg-ymr3TrUh2o18DFbpWE=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote2-d43847af06bb4403bcbc7656d7b5f0a2.jpg)\n\n![Whipped coffee on standmixer whisk](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/e7fbMhKg-ymr3TrUh2o18DFbpWE=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote2-d43847af06bb4403bcbc7656d7b5f0a2.jpg)\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThe owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the [*Macau Post Daily*](https:\/\/www.macaupostdaily.com\/article9061.html) he picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café.\n\n## The Science Behind Dalgona Coffee\nLet’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has [written for us](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/cocktail-science-foam-eggwhite-gomme-dry-shake-beer-foam-eggwhite-alternatives), is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote [here](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/bread-and-batter-foam-bubble-science-6755222), forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them.\n\nWith dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of [*How to Make the Best Coffee at Home*](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Make-Best-Coffee-Home\/dp\/1784727245), roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his [dalgona coffee video](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WHmpgMsW-aA), Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve.\n\n![A look inside the standmixer as brown foam as formed](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/5d4dc7n0q41S_tbky2NRcAbuQ4I=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote3-478b8788491e4d1fa8cdc804b4dbf669.jpg)\n\n![A look inside the standmixer as brown foam as formed](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/5d4dc7n0q41S_tbky2NRcAbuQ4I=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote3-478b8788491e4d1fa8cdc804b4dbf669.jpg)\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThe melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book [*Molecular Gastronomy*](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives\/dp\/0231133138), are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps.\n\nThis would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this.\n\n## How to Make Dalgona Coffee\nHere are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer.\n\n## Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee?\nDalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the [instant-coffee space](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/best-instant-coffee-7506045), except with more delicious results.\n\nCurious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack.\n\nI can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue [won’t whip as well](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/is-it-true-not-to-get-yolk-in-egg-whites) if there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules.\n\nIn a paper published in the [*Tea & Coffee Trade Journal*](https:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Greece+in+an+instant%3A+Greece+is+often+regarded+as+the+cradle+of...-a0169924710), Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.”\n\n![Two dalogna coffees on a cutting board](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/hs6uscmu6tgAYiiVCTrwCSdxq44=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote4-0f3ebf5c8ed24b51beaf1524f145bf3d.jpg)\n\n![Two dalogna coffees on a cutting board](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/hs6uscmu6tgAYiiVCTrwCSdxq44=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote4-0f3ebf5c8ed24b51beaf1524f145bf3d.jpg)\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThat’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam.\n\nWhether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee.\n\nConvenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste.\n\nRecipe Details\n\n## Dalgona Coffee\nPrep 10 mins\n\nTotal 10 mins\n\nServes 2 to 4\n\nSave\n\nKeep Screen Awake\n\n## Ingredients\n- 1\/4 cup instant coffee granules (1\/2 ounce; 14 g)\n- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 30 g)\n- 1\/4 cup (60 ml) hot water\n- Whole or dairy-free milk, for serving (about 1 cup\/237 ml per serving)\n\n## Directions\n1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes).\n   ![Four Image Collage of whisking coffee mixture until fluffy foam forms ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/vNv6bic4nK_XuVAm0XRgvjypv5I=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step1-c9cb2d88ba374adf8f245aeb0c7cc154.jpg)\n   \n   ![Four Image Collage of whisking coffee mixture until fluffy foam forms ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/vNv6bic4nK_XuVAm0XRgvjypv5I=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step1-c9cb2d88ba374adf8f245aeb0c7cc154.jpg)\n   \n   Serious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n2. To serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately.\n   ![Two image collage of topping milk with coffee foam](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/xHfNr0ZbxCMrb5gcYy1q-ylT87U=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step2-eedb5d3281c846adb0703cba1a10ae18.jpg)\n   \n   ![Two image collage of topping milk with coffee foam](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/xHfNr0ZbxCMrb5gcYy1q-ylT87U=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step2-eedb5d3281c846adb0703cba1a10ae18.jpg)\n   \n   Serious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n## Notes\nThe coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes.\n\n## Special Equipment\nStand mixer\n\n## Make-Ahead and Storage\nThe coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead.\n\n- [Coffee](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/coffee-recipes-5117845)\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/all-recipes-5117985)\n- [Summer Drinks](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/summer-drink-recipes-5117937)\n- [Summer](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/summer-recipes-5117942)\n- [Drinks](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/drink-recipes-5117861)\n\n| Nutrition Facts (per serving) |   |\n|---|---|\n| 70 | Calories |\n| 1g | Fat |\n| 13g | Carbs |\n| 2g | Protein |\n\nShow Full Nutrition Label\n\n×\n\n| Nutrition Facts |   |\n|---|---|\n| Servings: 2 to 4 |   |\n| Amount per serving |   |\n| Calories | 70 |\n| % Daily Value\\* |   |\n| Total Fat 1g | 2% |\n| Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |\n| Cholesterol 5mg | 2% |\n| Sodium 31mg | 1% |\n| Total Carbohydrate 13g | 5% |\n| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |\n| Total Sugars 11g |   |\n| Protein 2g |   |\n| Vitamin C 0mg | 1% |\n| Calcium 78mg | 6% |\n| Iron 0mg | 1% |\n| Potassium 192mg | 4% |\n| *\\*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.* |   |\n\n(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)\n\n#### More Serious Eats Recipes\n[![Two glasses of iced mocha beverages on a tiled background](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/Fp9-nGYZiIjYkMaykcYfjfgX0u4=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20250630-SEA-MochaFrappe-MorganHuntGlaze-HERO-916ac774ea2e41a79a36626d39caa19d.jpg) ![Two glasses of iced mocha beverages on a tiled 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leches](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/v8QT2KrrQhs6c_ECm3L7SMaKBx8=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20250325-Mocha-Tres-Leches-Qi-Ai-hero-horizontal-angled-sliceonplate1-d28a688059d14c8faf44ba703b91475f.jpg) Mocha Tres Leches Cake](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/mocha-chocolate-tres-leches-cake-recipe-11921449)\n\n[![20150612-cold-brew-tea-vicky-wasik-1.jpg](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/ous4Ty7oTEqWsDvi4oV9snYaCSI=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__06__20150612-cold-brew-tea-vicky-wasik-1-de3494fbaa8241d4a33fda42e03d9911.jpg) ![20150612-cold-brew-tea-vicky-wasik-1.jpg](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/ous4Ty7oTEqWsDvi4oV9snYaCSI=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__06__20150612-cold-brew-tea-vicky-wasik-1-de3494fbaa8241d4a33fda42e03d9911.jpg) The Tea Lover's Way to Make the Best Cold-Brew Iced Tea](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/how-to-make-the-best-cold-brew-iced-tea)\n\n[![Side view of Aperol Granita ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/EkG5Bu7T534eF_V5wY0BAYujpRQ=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240809-SEA-AperolGranitaSpritz-DeliStudios-08-ae1c7184fd8b4e91a3e8e3e550dfabda.jpg) ![Side view of Aperol Granita ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/EkG5Bu7T534eF_V5wY0BAYujpRQ=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240809-SEA-AperolGranitaSpritz-DeliStudios-08-ae1c7184fd8b4e91a3e8e3e550dfabda.jpg) Aperol Spritz Granita](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/aperol-spritz-granita-recipe-11774769)\n\n[![Two sidecar cocktails in stemmed cocktail glasses with sugared rims and an orange peel garnish ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/VeRXlq-5q1Uk2m6N-H3SYsyzxno=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240401-SEA-Sidecar-TwoBites-HERO-01-4e76a83d6d324c1a8d928ee736c1a491.jpg) ![Two sidecar cocktails in stemmed cocktail glasses with sugared rims and an orange peel garnish ](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/VeRXlq-5q1Uk2m6N-H3SYsyzxno=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240401-SEA-Sidecar-TwoBites-HERO-01-4e76a83d6d324c1a8d928ee736c1a491.jpg) Sidecar Cocktail Recipe](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/sidecar-drink-cocktail-recipe)\n\n[![Side view of thai iced tea](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/fB_Jzo0XrvgGFj83K-Xw8Wq9_Sg=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240628-ThaiIcedTea-AmandaSuarez-hero10-20560485c8c2468aab5c065afaa16018.jpg) ![Side view of thai iced tea](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thmb\/fB_Jzo0XrvgGFj83K-Xw8Wq9_Sg=\/375x250\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/20240628-ThaiIcedTea-AmandaSuarez-hero10-20560485c8c2468aab5c065afaa16018.jpg) Thai Iced Tea](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/thai-iced-tea-recipe-8670700)\n\nGet fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more\\!\n\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/all-recipes-5117985)\n- [How-Tos](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/how-tos-5118034)\n- [World Cuisines](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/world-cuisine-guides-5117177)\n- [Ingredients](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/ingredients-guides-5118013)\n- 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Whisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam.\n\nLike much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee.\n\nMade by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the [*Los Angeles Times*](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/food\/story\/2020-03-13\/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation) describes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day.\n\nSerious Eats \/ Amanda Suarez\n\n## Where Is Dalgona Coffee From?\nDalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was [filmed](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rIpvOdIsN1o) trying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside \\[the\\] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the [frappe](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/frappe-foamy-greek-iced-coffee); and in Cuba, the café cubano.\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThe owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the [*Macau Post Daily*](https:\/\/www.macaupostdaily.com\/article9061.html) he picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café.\n\n## The Science Behind Dalgona Coffee\nLet’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has [written for us](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/cocktail-science-foam-eggwhite-gomme-dry-shake-beer-foam-eggwhite-alternatives), is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote [here](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/bread-and-batter-foam-bubble-science-6755222), forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them.\n\nWith dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of [*How to Make the Best Coffee at Home*](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Make-Best-Coffee-Home\/dp\/1784727245), roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his [dalgona coffee video](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WHmpgMsW-aA), Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve.\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThe melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book [*Molecular Gastronomy*](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives\/dp\/0231133138), are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps.\n\nThis would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this.\n\n## How to Make Dalgona Coffee\nHere are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer.\n\n## Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee?\nDalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the [instant-coffee space](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/best-instant-coffee-7506045), except with more delicious results.\n\nCurious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack.\n\nI can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue [won’t whip as well](https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/is-it-true-not-to-get-yolk-in-egg-whites) if there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules.\n\nIn a paper published in the [*Tea & Coffee Trade Journal*](https:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Greece+in+an+instant%3A+Greece+is+often+regarded+as+the+cradle+of...-a0169924710), Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.”\n\nSerious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n\nThat’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam.\n\nWhether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee.\n\nConvenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste.\n\nKeep Screen Awake\n\n- 1\/4 cup instant coffee granules (1\/2 ounce; 14 g)\n- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 30 g)\n- 1\/4 cup (60 ml) hot water\n- Whole or dairy-free milk, for serving (about 1 cup\/237 ml per serving)\n\n1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes).\n   Serious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n2. To serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately.\n   Serious Eats \/ Lorena Masso\n## Notes\nThe coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes.\n\n## Special Equipment\nStand mixer\n\n## Make-Ahead and Storage\nThe coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead.","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Description	Made by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, watching dalgona coffee come together feels like magic. Here’s the science behind the foam.
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Boilerpipe Text	Why It Works Using instant coffee packs plenty of flavor without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. Whisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam. Like much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee. Made by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the Los Angeles Times describes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day. Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez Where Is Dalgona Coffee From? Dalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was filmed trying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside [the] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the frappe ; and in Cuba, the café cubano. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the Macau Post Daily he picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café. The Science Behind Dalgona Coffee Let’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has written for us , is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote here , forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them. With dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of How to Make the Best Coffee at Home , roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his dalgona coffee video , Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book Molecular Gastronomy , are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps. This would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this. How to Make Dalgona Coffee Here are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer. Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee? Dalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the instant-coffee space , except with more delicious results. Curious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack. I can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue won’t whip as well if there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules. In a paper published in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal , Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.” Serious Eats / Lorena Masso That’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam. Whether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee. Convenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste. Keep Screen Awake 1/4 cup instant coffee granules ( 1/2 ounce ; 14 g ) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ( 1 ounce ; 30 g ) 1/4 cup ( 60 ml ) hot water Whole or dairy-free milk , for serving (about 1 cup / 237 ml per serving) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes). Serious Eats / Lorena Masso To serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso Notes The coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes. Special Equipment Stand mixer Make-Ahead and Storage The coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead.
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By [Genevieve Yam](https://www.seriouseats.com/genevieve-yam-6830491) ![Genevieve Yam headshot]() ![Genevieve Yam headshot](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/elDz5jjDdgluXEAywsdU6dbSozY=/200x200/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/GenevieveYam-Headshot-dc379a803b494183a3a6e8edfc20d8cd.jpg) [Genevieve Yam](https://www.seriouseats.com/genevieve-yam-6830491) Senior Editor After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats. Learn about Serious Eats' [Editorial Process](https://www.seriouseats.com/about-us-5120006#toc-editorial-guidelines) Published July 18, 2025 Save [WRITE A REVIEW](https://www.seriouseats.com/dalgona-coffee-recipe-11775163) Close ![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee with ingredients surrounding it ](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/x5dQAByuE9saNvybQ4sjTU1dHG8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hero-e6a0eb179a2d457fb40c059d91594c35.jpg) ![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee with ingredients surrounding it ](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/x5dQAByuE9saNvybQ4sjTU1dHG8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hero-e6a0eb179a2d457fb40c059d91594c35.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso Jump to recipe ### Why It Works - Using instant coffee packs plenty of flavor without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. - Whisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam. Like much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee. Made by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the [Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-13/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation) describes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day. ![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/0hqDtH24W7IQ9Ls34EqkugbS2WM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote-b683ddb6bd3b4e3b91c249c05b61bfc4.jpg) ![Two cups of Dalogna Coffee](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/0hqDtH24W7IQ9Ls34EqkugbS2WM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote-b683ddb6bd3b4e3b91c249c05b61bfc4.jpg) Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez ## Where Is Dalgona Coffee From? Dalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was [filmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIpvOdIsN1o) trying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside \[the\] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the [frappe](https://www.seriouseats.com/frappe-foamy-greek-iced-coffee); and in Cuba, the café cubano. ![Whipped coffee on standmixer whisk](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/e7fbMhKg-ymr3TrUh2o18DFbpWE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote2-d43847af06bb4403bcbc7656d7b5f0a2.jpg) ![Whipped coffee on standmixer whisk](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/e7fbMhKg-ymr3TrUh2o18DFbpWE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote2-d43847af06bb4403bcbc7656d7b5f0a2.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the [Macau Post Daily](https://www.macaupostdaily.com/article9061.html) he picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café. ## The Science Behind Dalgona Coffee Let’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has [written for us](https://www.seriouseats.com/cocktail-science-foam-eggwhite-gomme-dry-shake-beer-foam-eggwhite-alternatives), is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote [here](https://www.seriouseats.com/bread-and-batter-foam-bubble-science-6755222), forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them. With dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of [How to Make the Best Coffee at Home](https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Best-Coffee-Home/dp/1784727245), roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his [dalgona coffee video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHmpgMsW-aA), Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve. ![A look inside the standmixer as brown foam as formed](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/5d4dc7n0q41S_tbky2NRcAbuQ4I=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote3-478b8788491e4d1fa8cdc804b4dbf669.jpg) ![A look inside the standmixer as brown foam as formed](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/5d4dc7n0q41S_tbky2NRcAbuQ4I=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote3-478b8788491e4d1fa8cdc804b4dbf669.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book [Molecular Gastronomy](https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138), are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps. This would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this. ## How to Make Dalgona Coffee Here are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer. ## Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee? Dalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the [instant-coffee space](https://www.seriouseats.com/best-instant-coffee-7506045), except with more delicious results. Curious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack. I can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue [won’t whip as well](https://www.seriouseats.com/is-it-true-not-to-get-yolk-in-egg-whites) if there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules. In a paper published in the [Tea & Coffee Trade Journal](https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Greece+in+an+instant%3A+Greece+is+often+regarded+as+the+cradle+of...-a0169924710), Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.” ![Two dalogna coffees on a cutting board](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/hs6uscmu6tgAYiiVCTrwCSdxq44=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote4-0f3ebf5c8ed24b51beaf1524f145bf3d.jpg) ![Two dalogna coffees on a cutting board](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/hs6uscmu6tgAYiiVCTrwCSdxq44=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-hedenote4-0f3ebf5c8ed24b51beaf1524f145bf3d.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso That’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam. Whether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee. Convenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste. Recipe Details ## Dalgona Coffee Prep 10 mins Total 10 mins Serves 2 to 4 Save Keep Screen Awake ## Ingredients - 1/4 cup instant coffee granules (1/2 ounce; 14 g) - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 30 g) - 1/4 cup (60 ml) hot water - Whole or dairy-free milk, for serving (about 1 cup/237 ml per serving) ## Directions 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes). ![Four Image Collage of whisking coffee mixture until fluffy foam forms ](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/vNv6bic4nK_XuVAm0XRgvjypv5I=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step1-c9cb2d88ba374adf8f245aeb0c7cc154.jpg) ![Four Image Collage of whisking coffee mixture until fluffy foam forms ](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/vNv6bic4nK_XuVAm0XRgvjypv5I=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step1-c9cb2d88ba374adf8f245aeb0c7cc154.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 2. To serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately. ![Two image collage of topping milk with coffee foam](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/xHfNr0ZbxCMrb5gcYy1q-ylT87U=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step2-eedb5d3281c846adb0703cba1a10ae18.jpg) ![Two image collage of topping milk with coffee foam](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/xHfNr0ZbxCMrb5gcYy1q-ylT87U=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20230621-SEA-DalognaCoffee-LorenaMasso-Step2-eedb5d3281c846adb0703cba1a10ae18.jpg) Serious Eats / Lorena Masso ## Notes The coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes. ## Special Equipment Stand mixer ## Make-Ahead and Storage The coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead. - [Coffee](https://www.seriouseats.com/coffee-recipes-5117845) - [Recipes](https://www.seriouseats.com/all-recipes-5117985) - [Summer Drinks](https://www.seriouseats.com/summer-drink-recipes-5117937) - [Summer](https://www.seriouseats.com/summer-recipes-5117942) - [Drinks](https://www.seriouseats.com/drink-recipes-5117861) \| Nutrition Facts (per serving) \| \| \|---\|---\| \| 70 \| Calories \| \| 1g \| Fat \| \| 13g \| Carbs \| \| 2g \| Protein \| Show Full Nutrition Label × \| Nutrition Facts \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Servings: 2 to 4 \| \| \| Amount per serving \| \| \| Calories \| 70 \| \| % Daily Value\* \| \| \| Total Fat 1g \| 2% \| \| Saturated Fat 1g \| 4% \| \| Cholesterol 5mg \| 2% \| \| Sodium 31mg \| 1% \| \| Total Carbohydrate 13g \| 5% \| \| Dietary Fiber 0g \| 0% \| \| Total Sugars 11g \| \| \| Protein 2g \| \| \| Vitamin C 0mg \| 1% \| \| Calcium 78mg \| 6% \| \| Iron 0mg \| 1% \| \| Potassium 192mg \| 4% \| \| \The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.* \| \| (Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.) #### More Serious Eats Recipes [![Two glasses of iced mocha beverages on a tiled background](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/Fp9-nGYZiIjYkMaykcYfjfgX0u4=/375x250/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20250630-SEA-MochaFrappe-MorganHuntGlaze-HERO-916ac774ea2e41a79a36626d39caa19d.jpg) ![Two glasses of iced mocha beverages on a tiled background](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/Fp9-nGYZiIjYkMaykcYfjfgX0u4=/375x250/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/20250630-SEA-MochaFrappe-MorganHuntGlaze-HERO-916ac774ea2e41a79a36626d39caa19d.jpg) 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Readable Markdown	### Why It Works - Using instant coffee packs plenty of flavor without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. - Whisking the coffee mixture with an electric mixer results in a fluffier, cloud-like foam. Like much of the rest of the world, I spent a lot of 2020 holed up at home. My core memories from that year are mostly made up of social distancing, intense hand washing, and cooking through the books that had long sat on my shelf. But there’s one recipe I remember making over and over again that year: dalgona coffee. Made by whisking instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together until the mixture resembles a fluffy meringue, the sweet beverage dominated social media feeds that year, piquing the interest of millions (including me) stuck at home. It’s no surprise the drink was such a hit. Dalgona coffee, which the [Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-13/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation) describes as “photogenic Instagram-bait,” was practically engineered for virality: It’s aesthetically pleasing, requires just three ingredients, and is as much like a magic trick as a recipe. In a moment when most of us couldn’t just wander down to our favorite café for a cup of joe, trying the coffee fad seemed…exhilarating. But unlike many culinary trends I tried during the pandemic, this one has stayed part of my repertoire, and I especially love a Dalgona coffee on a sweltering day. Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez ## Where Is Dalgona Coffee From? Dalgona coffee exploded in popularity when the Korean actor Jung Il-woo was [filmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIpvOdIsN1o) trying the beverage for the first time at Hon Kee Café in Macau and likened it to dalgona candy, a Korean sweet that tastes like toffee. “When I was in elementary school, they sold burnt sugar candy outside \[the\] school,” Jung says to the camera. “This tastes like a melted version of that.” Though many people associate the drink with being Korean, its roots are much murkier, as plenty of cultures around the world have their own version of whipped coffee. In India, there’s phenti hui; in Greece, the [frappe](https://www.seriouseats.com/frappe-foamy-greek-iced-coffee); and in Cuba, the café cubano. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The owner of Hon Kee Café, Leong Ham Kon, told the [Macau Post Daily](https://www.macaupostdaily.com/article9061.html) he picked up the technique for the drink in 1997 from a couple who visited Macau each year to attend the city’s Grand Prix, though he didn’t try his hand at making the beverage until 2004, when Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat visited the café. Eager to impress Chow, Leong made him a cup of the hand-whipped coffee. Chow loved it so much he told Leong it was better than some of the coffee he’d had at five-star hotels. Since then, Leong has been serving the beverage—which he reportedly makes by stirring the instant coffee and sugar mixture 400 times by hand!—at his café. ## The Science Behind Dalgona Coffee Let’s start with the basics: Dalgona coffee is a foam. A foam, as Serious Eats contributor Kevin Liu has [written for us](https://www.seriouseats.com/cocktail-science-foam-eggwhite-gomme-dry-shake-beer-foam-eggwhite-alternatives), is the dispersion of gas into a liquid, like beating air bubbles into egg whites to make meringue, heavy cream to make whipped cream, or a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water to make dalgona coffee. In the case of meringue, the bubbles are coated and suspended by egg white proteins. In whipped cream, the bubbles are held by the fat molecules of the heavy cream. Those protein and fat molecules act as surfactants, which, as Daniel wrote [here](https://www.seriouseats.com/bread-and-batter-foam-bubble-science-6755222), forms a shell around the bubbles, stabilizing them. With dalgona coffee, there’s minimal fat and protein. So what’s acting as the surfactant? If you’ve ever seen freshly pulled espresso, you’ve likely noticed the crema, a reddish-brown foam that forms on top of the shot. According to James Hoffmann, the award-winning barista and author of [How to Make the Best Coffee at Home](https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Best-Coffee-Home/dp/1784727245), roasting coffee beans produces melanoidins, a foaming agent responsible for crema and cappuccino bubbles. In his [dalgona coffee video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHmpgMsW-aA), Hoffman says he suspects these foaming agents act as surfactants—the caveat being that surfactants alone don’t make a perfectly stable foam. Leave espresso out for a few minutes, and you’ll see the crema start to dissolve. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso The melanoidin acts as a surfactant by helping to hold the air bubbles we introduce by whipping; the longer you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a more stable foam that’s able to hold its shape for longer. But the viscosity of the coffee, sugar, and water mixture is key, too, in helping dalgona coffee maintain its shape. Foams, writes gastronomist Hervé This in his book [Molecular Gastronomy](https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138), are “stabilized by increasing the viscosity of its liquid phase (for example, by adding sugar and glycerol).” The thicker the mixture, the slower your drainage. In short, that means it’ll take longer for any liquid to sink—which is what happens when a meringue weeps. This would explain why most dalgona coffee recipes call for equal parts by volume of instant coffee, sugar, and water. As you’ll see from my recipe below, though, you don’t actually need to use a 1:1 ratio of instant coffee to sugar. You just need enough sugar to increase the viscosity of the mixture. Here, I use 2 parts coffee to 1 part sugar by volume, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar beyond this. ## How to Make Dalgona Coffee Here are the basic instructions for making dalgona coffee: dissolve instant coffee and granulated sugar in hot water, whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until fluffy and doubled in volume, then dollop it over a glass of milk. While Leong Ham Kon, the founder of Hon Kee Café, makes his dalgona coffee by hand—stirring until it just foams—most people, including myself, prefer the speedier option of using an electric mixer. You can certainly make it by hand, but the resulting foam will be much softer. ## Can You Make Dalgona Coffee With Nicer Instant Coffee? Dalgona coffee calls for instant coffee granules, which make it possible to pack a lot of coffee flavor into the foam without introducing extra water that would thin the viscosity necessary to hold a somewhat stable foam. But instant coffee isn't exactly celebrated for its flavor. Now, though, there are a lot of serious coffee roasters getting into the [instant-coffee space](https://www.seriouseats.com/best-instant-coffee-7506045), except with more delicious results. Curious to see if specialty coffee would foam, Daniel gave my recipe a go with some instant coffee sourced from an artisan roaster. Even after whipping the mixture in the bowl of his stand mixer for 14 minutes, the mixture would not hold a stable foam, quickly collapsing into an un-aerated puddle. “I think we can safely say that specialty coffee won’t definitely foam like basic instant coffee,” he messaged me on Slack. I can’t say for certain, but I have a hunch about why it may not have worked. Nicer instant coffees are typically freeze-dried, which helps to preserve the oils that give coffee its rich aroma. Just as a meringue [won’t whip as well](https://www.seriouseats.com/is-it-true-not-to-get-yolk-in-egg-whites) if there’s fat in the bowl, it’s possible that the presence of these oils in freeze-dried specialty coffee make it more difficult to whip up. Cheaper instant coffees, on the other hand, are usually spray-dried: coffee is spritzed into hot air, which dries it via evaporation, leaving behind dehydrated coffee granules. In a paper published in the [Tea & Coffee Trade Journal](https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Greece+in+an+instant%3A+Greece+is+often+regarded+as+the+cradle+of...-a0169924710), Dr. Terry Mabbett notes that spray-dried instant coffee’s “low-coffee oil content” is what makes it so ideal for foam. While freeze-dried coffee may be more aromatic, the coffee oils present “can quickly stimulate and speed up the collapse of the foaming process.” Serious Eats / Lorena Masso That’s not to say that you couldn’t play around in order to make it work, though. It's possible some brands of higher-end instant coffee might work better than others. It's also possible that adjustments to the recipe might optimize any particular brand of coffee. Adding xanthan gum or gelatin, or manipulating the temperature of the coffee mixture, could help specialty instant coffee hold its shape. In his video, Hoffmann does manage to make his dalgona coffee work with nicer instant coffee by leaving his mixture in the freezer for several minutes to lower the temperature, making it more viscous and easier to whip into a foam. Whether experimenting in order to make one brand of specialty coffee to work is worth it will depend on how important the quality of the coffee is for you. If you’re just looking to make a fun caffeinated beverage that takes fewer than five minutes from start to finish, you’re probably better off just using plain old instant coffee. Convenience aside, I also think there's a flavor-based argument in favor of cheap instant coffee: It usually comes from much more darkly-roasted beans, which have a more acrid, burnt flavor. Mixed with lots of milk and sugar, that burnt flavor becomes much more palatable, like burnt caramel… similar to the very dalgona candy Jung Il-woo compared the drink to when he took that first viral sip. Maybe cheap instant coffee is how dalgona is supposed to taste. Keep Screen Awake - 1/4 cup instant coffee granules (1/2 ounce; 14 g) - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 30 g) - 1/4 cup (60 ml) hot water - Whole or dairy-free milk, for serving (about 1 cup/237 ml per serving) 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a hand-mixer; see notes), combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes (the foam will begin to form at about 4 minutes, but it's best to continue mixing until a much fluffier foam forms at about 7 minutes). Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 2. To serve, fill each glass three-quarters of the way full with your milk of choice. Using a spoon, top each glass with the coffee foam. Serve immediately. Serious Eats / Lorena Masso ## Notes The coffee foam can be made by hand, but will take longer and may not be as voluminous as a foam made with a hand or stand mixer. If making the foam by hand: In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee granules, granulated sugar, and hot water. Whisk until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 8 minutes. ## Special Equipment Stand mixer ## Make-Ahead and Storage The coffee foam is best enjoyed immediately; it will deflate and weep if made ahead.
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