Dalgona Coffee Recipe: Whipped Coffee Over Milk

By Robin Salvador, co-founder, Caffeine Brothers
Last updated: October 9, 2026

Dalgona coffee recipe quick answer: Whisk 1 tablespoon instant coffee, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon hot water until pale, thick and spoonable. Spoon the foam over 180–240 ml cold or warm milk. The recipe needs instant coffee because soluble coffee whips more readily than brewed grounds.

Dalgona Coffee Recipe Ingredients for One Glass

For this dalgona coffee recipe, keep the three foam ingredients at equal parts to start. The familiar 1:1:1 ratio is a starting recommendation. More sugar gives a firmer, sweeter foam; less sugar gives a softer topping that collapses sooner.

How to Make Dalgona Coffee

1. Add the instant coffee, sugar and hot water to a deep bowl. A narrow bowl reduces splashing.
2. Whisk by hand for 8–12 minutes, or use a hand mixer for 2–4 minutes, until the colour lightens and the mixture forms stiff peaks. Stop when it holds a ridge.
3. Fill a glass with milk and ice, or pour warm milk into a heat-safe mug.
4. Spoon the whipped coffee on top. Stir before drinking if you prefer an even coffee-and-milk flavour.

Nestlé Professional Philippines’ three-way Dalgona recipe also uses milk variations. For a stronger coffee note, use a little less milk rather than adding dry ground coffee to the foam.

Dalgona Coffee vs. Korean Dalgona Candy

The whipped drink became widely known as dalgona coffee, but it is not the same preparation as Korean dalgona candy. The Korea Tourism Organization’s dalgona guide describes candy made by heating sugar and adding a small amount of baking soda, then pressing a shape into the brittle foam. Its nostalgic dalgona article adds cultural context. Do not heat the coffee mixture in a pan; that changes the texture and can burn the sugar.

Coffee and Serving Ideas

This recipe uses instant coffee, so serve a brewed-bean product separately rather than stirring grounds into the foam. If you want a café-style milk drink with Caffeine Brothers beans, try the Arabica–Robusta Blend for a conventional iced latte and reserve the dalgona topping for texture contrast. The coffee-to-water ratio chart can help when you serve brewed coffee alongside the dessert drink.

Troubleshooting Dalgona Foam

• Foam stays runny: The water may be too cool, or the coffee may not be instant. Use a clean bowl and continue whisking.
• Foam tastes harsh: Reduce the coffee slightly or increase milk; do not add dry grounds.
• Foam collapses: Serve immediately or increase sugar toward an equal ratio.
• Lumps: Sift the instant coffee and sugar before adding hot water.

For café service, standardise the foam by weight and record whisking time. Include labour, milk, ice, cup and lid in the café menu pricing calculator rather than pricing the coffee dose alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make dalgona coffee with brewed coffee?

Not with the same stable whipped texture. Use instant coffee for the foam; serve brewed coffee separately if you want a fuller bean flavour.

How long does dalgona foam last?

It is best served soon after whipping. The foam gradually softens as it sits on milk, especially with less sugar.

Is dalgona coffee the same as dalgona candy?

No. Dalgona candy is heated sugar with baking soda, while dalgona coffee is whipped instant coffee, sugar and water.

Sources

• Nestlé Professional Philippines: Dalgona Coffee 3-Ways.
• Korea Tourism Organization: Dalgona.
• Korea Tourism Organization: Nostalgic dalgona.

About this guide: This guide draws on published Dalgona coffee recipes and Korean dalgona-candy references. Use the measurements below as starting points and adjust them to your taste and equipment.