A glorious cloud of whipped coffee: Dalgona Coffee made with espresso and NO sugar. Better tasting than the original and ready in 2 minutes! (dairy-free, sugar-free, keto, Paleo & Vegan)
What is Dalgona Coffee?
Ok I jumped on the bandwagon. After seeing images floating around the internet. It's everywhere. Tik tok, Facebook, IG. Have you seen it?? This breathtaking fluffy, whipped substance. I had never seen such a thing, much less heard the word Dalgona a few weeks ago!
Perhaps since the world is all at home right now, we're eager to try new recipes 🙂
Since I'm a serious coffee addict, I finally decided to see what all the hype is about, but with my own spin! VERDICT: It’s SO GOOD you guys!
What is it?? Dalgona Coffee is basically whipped coffee on top of milk.
It is NOT regular brewed coffee. This is *instant coffee* which is actually freeze-dried (and reconstitutes once mixed with water.)
You can drink it iced or hot, but my preference is iced and cold as an afternoon pick-me-up!
Light and airy, fluffy and foamy, rich and velvety. It's totally worth the hype!! As delicious as it is beautiful.
What does Dalgona Coffee taste like?
Tastes Like a Coffee CLOUD!
This reminds me of Starbucks COLD FOAM, but in reverse! Instead of having milk foam on top, Dalgona's top is a strong coffee-flavored foam.
I've heard from a lot of people that tried the original version that it's "intense," "strong" and "bitter". But MY version tastes better! Way less intense than the original recipe since I use half the amount of coffee. And I use espresso instead of instant coffee, which has a better flavor IMO.
When you take a sip, you'll get a bit of the soft fluffy whipped foam, the flavor of espresso, a little sweetness, along with the cold milk underneath.
It's a taste sensation like none other. Better than Starbucks (and way cheaper and healthier to boot!)
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Making Dalgona SUGAR-FREE/Keto
The original recipe has 4 Tbs of white sugar. (omg!) You know I'm not doin' that.
It turns out, the sweetener is totally *unnecessary* to the creation of the whip. It's for taste only.
So I tested it out with a sugar-free alternative and much to my delight, it worked PERFECTLY.
You can adjust the amount of sweetener to your own preference, or if you like black/STRONG coffee, completely leave out the sweetener if you dare 😉
How long does it take to make?
Coffee in less than TWO MINUTES
This version is quicker than the others I’ve seen, which say to whip for 5 minutes (or more!) Mine only took about 1 minute!
This recipe is easy to make and quicker than waiting for a cup to brew.
With just 3 simple ingredients (plus water) you don't have to have super barista skills to whip up this beauty! It's EASY and quick!
3 Simple Ingredients
You don't need a ton of ingredients to make Dalgona whipped coffee. Here's what I used to make my new and improved keto version:
- Medaglia d’Oro Instant Espresso
- I prefer the flavor of espresso over instant coffee which can taste old/stale/off to me.
- You can find it on Amazon as well as in some grocery stores in the coffee aisle.
- This is the same espresso powder I use in my Keto Frappuccinos, 10-Minute Tiramisu, Coffee & Cream Pie, and Cappuccino Cream Tart!
- Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Granules
- A delicious sugar-free sweetener with NO bitter aftertaste
- Use code PRETTYPIES to save 20% on your entire order
- Unsweetened Vanilla Cashew Milk
- This is my favorite milk to use in my coffee every day (both hot and cold!)
You also need a little water and ice, but do those count, right? 😉
Dalgona Coffee Substitute Ingredients
If you don't have instant espresso, you can sub Instant Coffee, just use a high quality brand for best flavor and freshness!
Side note, instant coffee supposedly makes the coffee whip creamy rather than foamy. I haven't verified this, but it may be a plus if you prefer a thicker cream rather than a light and airy foam 🙂
Any other granulated or powdered sweetener should work fine, such as:
- Swerve or Erythritol
- Powdered Monkfruit
- Coconut Sugar or Raw Sugar (I would blend this in a blender so it's not too coarse to dissolve)
Liquid monkfruit drops or stevia drops would probably work, too. I do enjoy these with my iced coffee, but for some reason the flavor isn't my favorite with hot coffee.
How to Make Whipped Coffee
It doesn't get much simpler than this:
Step 1: Place your sweetener and espresso into a large mixing bowl (the bigger the better because it does tend to splatter.
Use an electric hand mixer for best results. A stand mixer with a whisk attachment would work too (but I would double the recipe so there's enough in the bowl for the whisk to reach!)
Step 2:Â Whip with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. It should only take about 1-2 minutes on high.
You'll see the color turn from dark brown (basically coffee) to a light brown (fluffy foam) like below.
So foamy!Â
Once it's nice and thick, it's done. Grab a spatula to get ready to scoop that glorious foam 🙂
Step 3: Prepare a glass of iced milk of choice. Remember to leave room for all the foam!
Step 4: Spoon whipped coffee on top and gently stir milk to incorporate (I used a straw). You probably want to keep a straw or something handy to help stir in the foam so it mixes in. Otherwise it will just sit on top.
Then sip and savor the caffeinated deliciousness. 🙂
But wait! Wanna jazz it up a little bit?
Sprinkle some extra instant espresso on top. Or cinnamon. Or a drizzle of dairy-free keto caramel! Or what about chocolate?? That could be amazing!
With less than ONE net carb per serving, this is a delicious trend you need to try!
Don't forget to leave a comment below if you make it. I'd love to hear what you think!
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Keto Dalgona Coffee (with espresso!)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Medaglia d’Oro Instant Espresso - or instant coffee
- 1 Tbs Lakanto classic monkfruit granules - or any granulated sweetener
- 2 Tbs hot water
- ¾ cup unsweetened cashew milk - or almond milk, up to 1 cup
- 3 ice cubes
Instructions
- Add espresso, monkfruit and hot water to a large mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
- In a glass, add ice & milk
- Spoon whipped coffee on top and gently stir milk to incorporate (I used a straw)
- Sip and savor the caffeine deliciousness
jenny
I haven't tried this YET and I will be this afternoon, however, im gonna try it with my powdered dandelion drink! I can't do caffeine, especially in the afternoon! Oh, wait, how about Matcha???? IS it something with the coffee that it creates foam?? Thank you for just plugging me into some fun hours of concocting today!!! Yay!
Emily
It is something specifically about the coffee that causes it to whip like that. If you would like to try matcha or another tea/beverage, simply add 1 egg white instead of water to create the foam 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
JJ Hammond
So easy and delicious! I used raw sugar and sprinkled cardamom and nutmeg on top. Also used Starbucks instant single.
Emily
yay! Sounds great with the spices!