Sugar-Free Dalgona Coffee

Dalgona coffee is instant and sweetener turned into a whip that you can then use to make impossibly creamy coffee.

I first came across this recipe when my friend posted a picture on Facebook. I 100% thought she’d put peanut butter in some milk, and didn’t give it much of a thought until I ran into a dalgona coffee recipe on Pinterest.

I decided to try it and got hooked right away. My husband is diabetic, and I generally make any kind of drink served in the house sugar-free if I can help it. So, I worked out how to make this without using real sugar.

The foam itself is quite bitter, but when you mix it into the milk, the sweetness gets a chance to blend into the cream and balance everything out. I like to place the foam on the bottom of my iced coffee mug then pour the milk on top of it.

About Dalgona Coffee

Dalgona coffee was popularised in South Korea when it went viral while people got stuck inside because of the pandemic. It’s said to resemble the appearance and taste of dalgona toffee.

Can I make it hot?

Yes! Just heat up the milk before adding the foam to it.

Can I make it iced?

Yes! This is the easiest, and my favorite way.

What ingredients are in the whipped coffee?

Instant coffee, sweetener, and hot water. That’s it!

Can you make it with drip coffee?

Kimchimari has a method for doing this. I tried it out and wasn’t able to get it to work, but it is possible. I think instant coffee is best for this, though.

My Tips

What sugar-free sweeteners can be used to make Dalgona coffee?

You can use just about any sweetener, but I recommend using powdered erythritol. This sweetener can act similarly to sugar in many recipes. You must find the powdered version to prevent the whip from becoming gritty. I use the Swerve brand and look for the purple confectioners’ bags. If you can’t find this, then you can grind granulated erythritol in a spice blender.

In my experience, people taste the sweetness of erythritol differently. I don’t think it’s nearly as sweet as sugar is, so I add a little Splenda to compensate. You can use stevia, or almost any sweetener really in its place. Just be careful not to add too much liquid.

Can you make it with something besides coffee?

Yes, I’ve seen recipes for this using cocoa powder or matcha powder. I attempted this with the cocoa powder and was unable to get it to whip, but it still made a great sugar-free hot chocolate.

I found this recipe for dalgona chocolate that uses chickpeas to help it whip and this dalgona matcha recipe that uses egg whites. So if you’re interested in trying other flavors then check out those recipes.

What types of coffee can you use?

You want to use plain instant coffee, not the kind with dehydrated milk and sweeteners already added. As I said, you could technically do this with drip coffee, but it’s challenging. At the very least you will want to attempt this with instant coffee the first time around so you know how it should come out.

What toppings can you use?

• Cinnamon
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Chocolate shavings
• Whatever else you like on coffee

Do you need to have a mixer?

I have tried this in both a stand mixer and with a handheld mixer. You could technically create this with a whisk, but it wouldn’t be a great use of your time. A handheld mixer is easier to clean up, but the stand mixer is best for making larger batches of the whip.

Can this be stored?

This one shocked me, but yes! I made up a quadruple batch of the foam then placed it in a closed container in the fridge. On the second day, the water started to separate a bit, but it worked well! So go ahead and make extra.