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Healthy Dalgona Coffee with Honey

This healthy dalgona coffee is made with grass-fed milk and honey!

A glass of healthy Dalgona coffee made with honey and grass-fed milk.

If you’ve been on the internet at all the past few months, you’ve probably heard of dalgona coffee (AKA whipped coffee). It took the world by storm and for good reason: it’s really fun, it’s dead easy to pull off, and it’s delicious!

Today I’m going to show you how to make a healthy version of dalgona coffee with honey! But first, let’s answer a few questions…

What is Dalgona Coffee?

Dalgona coffee is equals parts instant coffee, sweetener (originally sugar), and hot water whipped together. It forms an almost marshmallow fluff consistency. You scoop it over a glass of milk to serve it.

Where Did it Originate?

Whipped coffee has been around for years, and different countries have their own version of it. But it went viral recently in South Korea because of a TV show episode where actor Jung Il Woo tried it at a convenient store restaurant. It was on that episode that the whipped coffee drink got the name Dalgona (달고나) because it resembled a Korean candy/cookie of the same name.

What Does it Taste Like?

It tastes like really intense, fluffy coffee. If you take a taste of it plain, it might stun you. Not to worry – it gets mellowed out by the milk!Milk, a tea kettle, honey, and instant coffee on a countertop.

What are the Ingredients?

You only need four simple ingredients to make Dalgona Coffee: hot water, sweetener of choice, instant coffee, and milk.

Can You Make Healthy Dalgona Coffee?

Yep! You don’t have to follow the original recipe exactly to get amazing results. Here are my swaps to make a healthier option:

A jug of Kalona SuperNatural milk.

1) Use High Quality Milk

First of all, you’ll want to swap out conventional milk for a healthier option.

I personally love Kalona SuperNatural organic whole milk. It’s grass-fed, batch pasteurized, and non-homogenized. It’s what I buy for my family every week!

You can read more about the benefits of grass-fed dairy vs conventional dairy in my post here.

A jar of organic instant coffee for making healthy Dalgona coffee.

2) Use Organic Instant Coffee

Did you know that you can buy organic, freeze-dried instant coffee? I found two options at my local health food store. You don’t need to get the ultra cheap version to make Dalgona Coffee, trust me.

The reason it’s important to buy organic is because conventional coffee is produced with pesticides and herbicides. Not something I prefer to consume on a regular basis.

A bag of coconut sugar.

3) Use a Healthier Sweetener

Just like you don’t need cheap instant coffee, you don’t have to use white sugar. I have successfully used coconut sugar and honey, and I’ve seen people use powdered monkfruit sweetener as well. My personal favorite is honey because it whips up really well! I think it works better than white sugar.

Okay, let’s make some healthy Dalgona Coffee with Honey!

First, I’m going to show you how to make a single serving.

Place a tablespoon of instant coffee into a small jar.

Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of hot water.

Whipping healthy Dalgona coffee with honey using a handheld frother.

Whip the mixture with a handheld milk frother. It is possible to whip Dalgona Coffee by hand, but it can take a really long time. In fact, it’s supposed to take 400 strokes. A handheld frother makes shorter work of it.

Whipping the coffee until thick and pale.

Keep whipping until it’s quite thick and pale colored.

Pouring milk into a glass.

Pour some milk into a glass…

Scooping the whipped coffee over the glass of milk.

…and drizzle the whipped coffee on top!

Drizzling the healthy Dalgona coffee on top of the milk.

It’s beautiful.

Stirring the whipped coffee with a spoon.

I like to drink my Dalgona Coffee with a spoon. That way I can dip down into the milk and still get some of that whipped goodness. You can also use a straw, but I find that it’s more frustrating unless you mix it all together.

Whipping the healthy Dalgona coffee with honey using a hand mixer.

Making a Larger Batch

If you want a really fluffy whipped coffee, I recommend using a hand mixer. You’ll need to mix up a larger batch, though. But the result is a much thicker consistency than what you can achieve with a handheld frother. You can get it to achieve stiff peaks!

Mix up too much at once? No worries! It actually stores in the fridge really well. It will keep for about 3 days in the fridge. Just give it a quick whisk before serving if it has separated.

Ice cubes in a glass with the whipped coffee in the background.

Dalgona Coffee Upgrades

You can totally enjoy your whipped coffee as is. But here two ways you can upgrade it!

1) Add Ice

Put a few cubes of ice in your cup before pouring in the milk. This will make it icy cold!

A bottle of Kalona SuperNatural whipping cream.

2) Add a Splash of Cream

To make your Dalgona coffee extra creamy, pour a little cream into the milk!

A glass of healthy Dalgona Coffee made with honey and grass-fed milk.
Have you tried Dalgona coffee? What did you think of it?

Thank you to Kalona SuperNatural for sponsoring this post. I adore their milk!

Healthy Dalgona Coffee with Honey

You can make a healthier version of whipped coffee by using honey instead of sugar!

Course Drinks
Cuisine Korean
Keyword Coffee, Honey, Milk
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 215 kcal
Author Erica Kastner

Ingredients

For a Single Serving:

  • 1 tbsp organic instant coffee
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp hot water
  • 8 ounces Kalona SuperNatural whole milk

For a Larger Batch:

  • 3 tbsp organic instant coffee
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp hot water
  • 24 ounces Kalona SuperNatural whole milk

Instructions

For a Single Serving:

  1. Place the instant coffee, honey, and hot water in a small cup or jar. Using a handheld milk frother, beat the mixture until it thickens and turns pale. You may not be able to achieve stiff peaks.

  2. Pour the milk into a cup. Spoon the whipped coffee mixture on top.

For a Larger Batch:

  1. Place the instant coffee, honey, and hot water in a medium bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

  2. Pour the milk into 3 cups. Divide the whipped coffee mixture evenly between the three cups.

Recipe Notes

  • You can add ice to your cup before pouring the milk on top for an extra icy beverage.
  • A splash of cream in the milk makes it nice and rich.
  • You can make up a larger batch of the topping and store any leftovers in the fridge. Simply give it a whisk before serving if it separates.
Recipe Rating




Cait

Thursday 6th of August 2020

I've been curious about this but didn't want the sugar. I will have to find some organic instant coffee and try it!

Erica Kastner

Friday 7th of August 2020

I was really happy to find out that you can make it with honey instead of sugar!