Whipped Coffee

Yumna Jawad

Updated Mar 06, 2026

4.99 from 1989 votes

Whipped Coffee, also known as dalgona coffee, made with instant coffee, sugar, and hot water whipped into a fluffy foam and served over milk.

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 serving
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Adding the whipped coffee on top of iced milk in a glass mug
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whipped coffee is an Oldie Viral recipe, But a goodie!

I first made this whipped coffee recipe back in 2020 when everyone seemed to be trying it, and it’s one I still come back to. It’s just instant coffee, sugar, and hot water whipped together until thick and fluffy, then spooned over milk. Simple, but it somehow feels a little fancy.

That first week, it went viral, and I probably made five versions of it trying to see what worked best. After a lot of caffeine and experimenting, I figured out a few things that make a big difference when making whipped coffee. I’ve shared those tips and answers to common questions below so you get that thick, creamy foam every time.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Whipped Coffee Ingredients

  • Instant Coffee: Regular instant coffee works best. A medium roast will give the best flavor. You could use instant espresso but it does not whip up quite as well and tends to be more bitter.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar is best at producing the most stable foam. Caster sugar is even better if you have it since it is finer and will require less whipping. Brown sugar can add a nice flavor, but it won’t create as stable of a whip.
  • Water: Boiling water is best as it helps to dissolve the sugar and coffee.
  • Milk: This is totally optional! I prefer to mix the whipped coffee with milk, but you can serve it as is, too. Use whatever milk you prefer.

How to Make Whipped Coffee

Ingredients to make whipped coffee in a bowl before mixing.
Step 1:The ratio for whipped coffee is 1:1:1. You can make one serving, or 10, just be sure to start by combining equal parts of sugar, instant coffee and boiling water in a bowl. You want a large bowl than you’d think you would need to allow for expansion.
Ingredients to make whipped coffee in a bowl after mixing.
Step 2: When you first mix it together it will just look like a concentration of instant coffee.
After stirring the coffee, slowly making it thicker.
Step 3: After a few minutes of whisking, you’ll notice that the consistency will go from liquidy looking dark coffee to a lighter thicker consistency.
Whipped coffee showing lighter color and thicker consistency.
Step 4: As the mixture gets lighter in color, you are getting close, but keep whipping until you see a clear change in the thickness of the mixture.
Thickened coffee after continuous stirring,
Step 5: Continue whisking; you’ll soon notice that it will get even lighter in color to create a creamy, frothy whipped coffee. It will almost look like peanut butter.
Final whipped coffee in a bowl.
Step 6: You’ll know you’re done when you have formed peaks on the whisk. You’ll see it’s much thicker and keeps its shape. Spoon that mixture over milk or water, give it a stir and enjoy it. You can have it over iced or warmed milk. You can even serve it over iced water or warm water, similar to an Americano.
Whipped Coffee.

Whipped Coffee Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad
4.99 from 1989 votes
Whipped Coffee Recipe made with only 3 ingredients, all whipped together to make a frothy coffee, using instant coffee, sugar & water served over iced/warm milk.
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Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings2 serving

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 16 ounces milk for serving

Instructions

  • Place the instant coffee, sugar and water in a bowl.
  • Use a whisk, hand mixer or frother to combine. It will take about 5-15 minutes depending on the type of whisk you use. Look for a thickened consistency that's much lighter in color.
  • To serve, divide your milk of choice between two mugs or glasses. If you'd like to enjoy it warm, heat the milk first. If you'd like to enjoy it cold, place the milk over ice. Top each vessel with half of the whipped coffee mixture and enjoy.

Equipment

Notes

My Top Tip: Remember the ratio! This recipe serves two, but if you remember the 1:1:1 ratio, you can easily scale the recipe up or down.
Storage: If you make extra, you can store any unused whipped coffee in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can whip it again to make it more frothy and lighter in color. 
Equipment: The fastest way to make this is with a stand mixer. But you can also use a hand mixer or a milk frother (Amazon affiliate links). It helps ease the work on your hands.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 476mg, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 367IU, Calcium: 263mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
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Recipe Variations

  • Try a matcha version. Swap most of the instant coffee for matcha. You’ll still want about ½ teaspoon of instant coffee to help the mixture stabilize.
  • Make it mocha. Adding ½ tablespoon of natural cocoa powder can turn the whipped coffee into a whipped mocha! For this variation, use slightly less instant coffee about 1 ½ tablespoons.
  • Add spices. Experiment with adding your favorite warming spices like a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or even cardamom.

Recipe Tips

  1. Use an electronic mixer to make it faster. A stand mixer or milk frother work really well and they’re much faster! It will still take at least 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl, not in a mug or jar. That’s because the dalgona coffee gets fluffy and whipped through the mixture interacting with the air. So a tall container like a mug or jar won’t allow enough air to circulate around.
  3. Mix the whipped coffee with a spoon or straw before sipping. It’s fun to serve the whipped coffee recipe on top of the drink, but to enjoy it fully, mix it around to incorporate the flavor.
What it looks like after everything is mixed together

FAQs

Can I use regular ground coffee?

Unfortunately, no, the whipped coffee recipe doesn’t work with regular ground coffee, because that needs to be brewed before it becomes palatable. You have to use instant coffee to make it.

Can I make it with less sugar, no sugar or sugar alternative?

Yes you can skip the sugar, reduce the sugar or use a sugar alternative like Stevia, but it won’t lighten as much or fluff up as much in that case.

Which instant coffee is best to use?

You can use any brand of instant coffee you have. I like Nescafe and it’s very popular and widely available, so I always have it in my pantry.

Whipped coffee served over iced milk

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Comments

  1. Cheyenne says:

    I halved this recipe and used truvia sweetener instead of sugar. Mixed it with my vanilla protein drink and it was amazing!

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Love that!! So glad you enjoyed it, Cheyenne. Thank you!

      Reply

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