How to Make Thick Coffee: Full Guide

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Thick coffee has been a big trend during the pandemic.

When people were locked in their homes, with nowhere to go, and had a lot of ample time with their families at home, they started trying things at home which they never thought would be possible to make, given the limited equipment and ingredients available at hand in their kitchen.

One such item was the thick coffee or dalgona coffee or whipped coffee. Thick coffee, or dalgona, can be made with some basic ingredients and equipment available to you in your kitchen.

Once you try it a few times, you’ll be able to make that fluffy cloud of whipped coffee and be surprised by how appetizing it can be! It is a strong coffee with great taste that you can enjoy at any time of the day.

Who needs to order a frappe at your local coffee store, when you can make it within a few minutes at your home?

Tools You Need

There is no need for fancy equipment to make thick coffee. You need a mixing bowl, spoons, coffee cups, and an electric mixer to get going.

Although you could use a spoon or a whisk to whip the coffee, we recommend you use an electric mixer if you have one in your kitchen, as it’ll save you loads of time in getting the coffee turned into a fluffy and creamy cloud.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For a single cup of dalgona, here is what you need. Make sure you’re adding the right amount of each item. Once you become an expert, you could vary the amount as per your taste buds.

• 2 tablespoons of instant coffee. You cannot make the coffee fluffy and creamy with any other type of coffee like ground coffee beans or espresso powder. This is because instant coffee contains Xanthan gums which helps in giving the whipped coffee its form. It is a common ingredient used in many foods to make them thicker. Instant coffee or instant espresso powder when whipped with the mixer, will allow for the structure and viscosity of the coffee to be just what you need to make the perfect dalgona.
• 2 tablespoons of hot water. Hot water added to instant coffee will act as a diluent and help make the coffee whipped and creamy. 
• Sugar or sweetener. Some people use granulated sugar, and some use brown sugar. Both are fine. You could also experiment with a low-calorie sweetener. Some people even use honey and maple syrup to add a different taste to their dalgona as well.
• 1 cup of milk. Any milk you usually use at your home will work, including cow milk or soy milk if that is what you prefer. 

Making Your Thick Dalgona Coffee

Step One: Beat your coffee

Start with taking the mixing bowl and adding the hot water, instant coffee, and sugar or sweetener into it. Now beat the mixture in the bowl with an electric mixer. Check the speed and turn the mixer to high speed if not already. 

Keep mixing for 6-8 minutes. 

At first, you’ll notice the mixture becoming dark, and after a few minutes of beating its color will become light and the mixture thicker.

After 5 to 8 minutes of a good beating, you’ll get the fluffy creamy coffee mixture ready to be poured.

Notice the folds and little peaks this coffee mixture creates when you take the mixer out of it. This is an indication that it is ready to be poured into your cup.

Step Two: Fill your coffee mug with Milk

Once your coffee is ready, you then want to assemble your mug of coffee. Just pour the milk that you want to use with your thick coffee. You could use milk at normal room temperature, or Chilled. Whatever temperature of beverage you prefer, use that.

You can also add 4-5 ice cubes at the bottom of your mug before you pour milk. If you love cold coffee, the added ice will enhance the flavor of your dalgona. 

Step Three: Pour the beaten coffee mixture over the milk

Use a spoon to pour the beaten coffee over milk. Your homemade thick coffee is ready! Enjoy a cold coffee or a normal thick coffee.

How to Drink Your Thick Coffee

If it’s your first time drinking the dalgona or thick coffee, it gets a bit confusing for a few minutes. “How do I drink this fluffy mass of coffee over my mug” is what you may think.

How you drink your dalgona is very simple. Stir the thick fluffy coffee and mix it well with milk. The result will be a thick, rich, and creamy coffee that you’ll love!

If you don’t usually drink very strong coffee, thick coffee will be a bit too strong for you, especially if you do not mix the creamy top with milk well. Mixing the coffee well will make it less bitter and strong for your taste buds. The milk will act as a diluent and help get your coffee strength to a level that you can easily enjoy.

Add Some Diversity to Your Thick Coffee

Once you get good at making thick coffee, you’re going to want to experiment with a few things. Here is a list of items usually available on your kitchen shelf that you can use now to add that twist to your coffee.

• Sprinkle your Coffee dalgona top with some cocoa powder, cinnamon, or some grated nutmeg to give it a classy look. It looks great and tastes good as well.
• Add flavor to your milk: Try Chocolate syrup. Add it to your milk and mix well before you pour the coffee mixture on it. A nice chocolate-coffee drink is ready!
• Iced coffee: We already mentioned it above, but just to remind you, fill a Glass 60-70% with some ice cubes. Then add milk over it. Keep some space for the coffee dalgona mixture and pour it over so that it fills completely and the foam fills it. Enjoy your cold homemade coffee.

Note that 2 tablespoons of instant coffee are a lot of coffee. Be creative when making thick coffee and experiment with flavors in it to get something new and tasty every time you crave a dalgona. That way you’ll be able to get the bitterness down, as well as enjoy a new variation every time.

Of course, you don’t need to add variety if you’re happy with what you make, but Just in case.