Dalgona coffee

Dalgona coffee is equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water, whipped until it forms stiff pale peaks, then spooned onto cold milk.

Why it requires instant

Spray-dried instant coffee contains compounds that foam and hold structure when whipped with sugar. Brewed coffee will not do this — it lacks the solids to build a stable foam.

This is the same reason a Greek frappé needs instant.

The proportions

Two tablespoons each of instant coffee, granulated sugar and hot water. The sugar is structural, not optional — it is what stabilises the foam.

Whip for three to five minutes with an electric whisk, or considerably longer by hand.

Serving

Spoon onto a glass of cold milk, ice optional. Stir before drinking, or eat the foam.

The name and the moment

Named after dalgona, a Korean honeycomb toffee it resembles. It became a global phenomenon during the 2020 lockdowns, when people had time and only instant coffee.

The Indian relative

Phenti hui coffee — beaten coffee — is the same thing and predates it by decades.