Throwback to when the entire internet was obsessed with making whipped coffee at home, affectionately known as dalgona coffee. Video after video of people making (and sometimes hilariously failing) to make whipped coffee. Typically, you make dalgona coffee with regular sugar, instant coffee, and hot water, but this recipe adds a unique element: condensed milk!

This frothy condensed milk dalgona latte is creamy, smooth, and sweet. It’s perfect on a hot day when you want a quick and delicious iced coffee. Luckily, you only need five ingredients: milk, instant coffee, condensed milk, ice, and water!

Here’s how to make a quick iced coffee that requires no brewing!

What is Dalgona Coffee (Whipped Coffee)?

Dalgona coffee, or whipped coffee, is a coffee beverage originating from Macau that skyrocketed to popularity in 2021 after a Korean actor, Jung Il-woo, ordered it on a TV show called Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant while doing a mukbang in Macau.

It wasn’t called dalgona coffee at the time, just hand-beaten coffee. But the actor described it as tasting like the dalgona candy he had as a kid, and the name stuck.

Dalgona Candy

Dalgona (달고나) is a Korean street candy made from caramelized sugar and baking soda. It’s also known as honeycomb candy because it looks like honeycomb when baking soda is added to the sugar. Because of the baking soda, the caramel candy has a very distinct taste, and apparently, like whipped coffee!

It spread virally in South Korea and eventually flooded Tiktok. Dalgona coffee is affectionately known as the “quarantine drink” and is super popular for its easy recipe and deliciousness.

How Do You Make Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona coffee is equal parts instant coffee, sugar, and hot water that is hand whisked (or using an electric whisk or frother) until it creates a stiff foam.

Food Science Break: Dalgona coffee works because of the sugar and protein in the coffee powder! Similar to how sweet cream stabilizes, the protein or structures in the instant coffee trap air when whisked, and the sugar helps stabilize the foam. Without sugar, the coffee won’t hold its frothy texture!

You need to use hot water for your dalgona to dissolve the instant coffee and sugar. While you could use room temperature or cold water, hot water helps incorporate everything easily and quickly.

While cold water can dissolve instant coffee, the sugar won’t dissolve fast enough to make a stiff froth.

Does it Work With Condensed Milk?

Yes! Dalgona coffee works with condensed milk because there is still sugar. It probably works better with it because milk adds more protein to the mixture, so the foam stabilizes even more.

As long as you use the same ratio, your dalgona coffee will turn out just fine.

What does Dalgona with Condensed Milk Taste Like?

Whipped coffee made with condensed milk tastes like coffee candy! Or maybe more like a cappuccino candy (like the popular Kopiko candies). By itself, it’s quite strong since you’ve essentially made a coffee foam concentrate.

But when you mix it into milk, it’s a deliciously milky, yet strong, iced coffee. It adds a nice creamy texture and flavor to the iced coffee and is less intense than normal dalgona coffee due to the added milk.

What Instant Coffee is Best?

You can use any instant coffee you like, including the cheap instant coffee powders.

My personal favorite instant coffee is the UCC The Blend 114, which is a Japanese instant coffee that is so good. Japan is just on another level when it comes to instant coffee.

The UCC blend is creamy, a little smoky, and has a really great taste that makes it taste like nearly freshly brewed coffee. It doesn’t have that burnt aftertaste that a lot of American instant coffee has.

You can also use instant coffee with milk and sugar, but it can make it harder to adjust the sugar to create the perfect froth. For simplicity, use plain instant coffee so you don’t accidentally add too little or too much of one ingredient.

Equipment You’ll Need

To make dalgona, you’ll need either a hand whisk or an electric whisk and a shallow bowl with tall sides. You want to ensure that your coffee mixture won’t splash everywhere, so your cup or bowl should have tall sides.

You could also use a handheld frother and a tall cup.

The wider your bowl, the faster your dalgona coffee will whip because you have more surface area to incorporate more air.

I would not recommend hand-whisking unless you can whisk really fast. Dalgona coffee loses its structure fast; if you don’t whip it fast enough, you might never get to a nice foam. Your coffee mixture will dissolve back into a liquid before you even get a chance!

Tips

Here are some tips on making the best condensed milk dalgona latte:

• Make your dalgona coffee right before you drink it. If you let dalgona coffee sit too long, it will dissolve into a liquid, and you’ll lose the frothy texture of your drink.
• The longer you whip your coffee, the more frothy your drink! However, there is such a thing as whipping your coffee too long, so once you see a nice froth form, you’re done.
• Unfortunately, if you want your coffee to be less sweet, it won’t have the same texture. Sugar is crucial for dalgona coffee to achieve a soft, frothy foam. You can reduce the amount of sugar, but keep in mind that your dalgona won’t be as soft or fluffy.
• Before attempting condensed milk dalgona, try making regular dalgona coffee first! You can practice making the original whipped coffee first, then, once you’ve mastered that, come back and attempt this. It’s surprising, but a lot of people need to remake dalgona coffee because it didn’t work the first time.
• The best way to enjoy this drink is to mix all the dalgona coffee into the milk (I know, we worked so hard to make it) and drink it. The air in the coffee makes the entire drink super frothy and creamy.