Dalgona coffee was said to have been created by a Macanese man by the name of Leong Kam Hon that made a drink at the request of some tourist visiting his coffee shop in 1997. (source) The drink didn’t gain much interest until 2004 when it started picking up traction under the menu name of “hand beaten coffee.” The “dalgona” name was given to this coffee concoction only after a famous South Korean actor ordered the drink during the filming of a tv show and likened it to the toffee-like honeycomb dalgona candy. After the episode aired, it blew up online and in popularity all over the globe. Fun fact: Since it was during Covid, dalgona coffee was also nicked-named “the quarantine drink.” See photo below for an example of a dalgona whipped coffee over dairy free iced milk.
Can you make dalgona coffee whip without using granulated sugar?
I finally decided to try making dalgona coffee whip and personally, I wasn’t a complete fan of the taste. However, I adore the look and texture of the light and creamy whip and find it visually appealing. The dalgona coffee whip is created using equal parts sugar, instant coffee and hot water and is added over top of iced milk, however I have found that if you substitute pure maple syrup for the sugar it works just as well and is healthier and also gluten free.
Since I wasn’t fond of the taste, but still found dalgona coffee whip intriguing, I truly wanted to transform it into something delicious that I would enjoy, but still had the dalgona flavor infused. After a few tries, I created the most delicious recipe for a Chocolate Peanut Butter Dalgona Smoothie made with the dalgona whip, dairy-free yogurt, gluten-free peanut butter, banana, cacao powder and almond milk. This recipe makes approximately 16 ounces.
Let’s begin!
How to make a dalgona smoothie
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Instructions:
How to make dalgona coffee whip without granulated sugar