Dalgona coffee pudding may seem like an extra step for having a simple coffee pudding… and yes, it is. But that extra step makes for a gorgeous presentation and a delicious cappuccino-like coffee pudding with swirls of coffee and vanilla!
Creamy, frothy and sweet Dalgona Coffee Pudding!
It’s very likely that you’ve come across this new viral craze on your social media, right? Dalgona coffee? Well, here’s my little twist and contribution to it. Dalgona coffee pudding! Gorgeous, golden, sweet dalgona coffee served on top of creamy vanilla pudding!
What is Dalgona?
Dalgona is a south Korean sweet that’s very popular with kids. Sugar is caramelized to a golden brown and then baking soda is added to make it frothy and foamy. This is poured over a sprinkling of sugar, and then flattened using a stamp. Once flattened, a cutter is used to stamp one or more shapes onto it.
The original dalgona is golden, sweet, and foamy. Since this whipped coffee version resembles dalgona, it was named after that popular Korean sweet.
I grew up eating something similar in New Zealand, but we called it honeycomb toffee. It’s the same golden colored, foamy candy, but we broke it into piece instead of flattening it.
How is dalgona coffee made?
It’s really easy. In this recipe, the dalgona coffee is made separate from the pudding.
For the dalgone coffee, all you need is instant coffee, sugar and hot water. Plus, a whisk and a strong arm, OR a hand mixer. Mix coffee, sugar and hot water in a 1:1:1 ratio and mix to dissolve. Using a whisk or hand mixer, whisk the coffee until it becomes frothy, pale in color and thick.
It will go from a frothy coffee to a pale golden, meringue-like (whisked egg whites) texture. At this point, the dalgona coffee ready to be used. So go ahead and use that dalgona coffee to top your glass of milk, or a delicious, homemade vanilla pudding!
For classic dalgona coffee, fill a glass with ice cubes and milk (for iced coffee) and top off with the whipped dalgona coffee. You can do the same with hot milk as well for a hot coffee.
My husband has been enjoying this quite often these days while being stuck at home, and he’s loving it!
What’s different about this recipe?
What’s unique about this recipe is how the classic dalgona coffee is served!
Instead of milk, this recipe serves the dalgona coffee with smooth, creamy, homemade vanilla pudding!
I recently shared my easy vanilla pudding recipe with you guys, and I figured that would be a fantastic base to pair with dalgona coffee for a uniquely delicious experience!
Regular coffee pudding vs dalgona coffee pudding
You can add 3 tbsp of instant coffee + 3 tbsp of sugar directly into the pudding base to make classic coffee pudding.
But I find that the air whipped into dalgona coffee gives the vanilla pudding a fantastic light and airy texture. Plus, when you swirl the dalgona coffee in, you end up with ribbons of coffee and vanilla pudding which is also really freaking delicious!
You can easily make this with store-bought vanilla pudding for convenience, if you like. But I do prefer my homemade vanilla pudding because it just tastes miles better!
How much dalgona coffee to make
This is tricky, because it really depends. If you’re serving 1/2 cup portions (6 servings), then you may need about 4 1/2 – 5 tbsp of coffee per serving.
If you want a stronger coffee flavor, then you can add more. So how much dalgona coffee you’d like to make to top your vanilla pudding is entirely up to you. This recipe is just how we like it.
The result is..
A creamy, sweet pudding with light, airy coffee swirls in every bite. The pudding also becomes lighter thanks to the whipped coffee mixed into the pudding base.
It’s an amazing upgrade to regular coffee pudding, both in flavor and texture. And as a bonus, it looks fancy AF as well! 😀
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Dalgona Coffee Pudding
Ingredients:
Vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Dalgona coffee topping
- 5 tbsp instant coffee
- 5 tbsp white sugar
- 5 tbsp boiling water
Instructions:
Vanilla pudding
- In a large bowl, place the egg yolks, cornstarch and about ¼ cup of the milk. Whisk to form a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, place the rest of the milk, milk powder (if using), sugar and salt. Heat over medium heat and whisk to dissolve the sugar and salt. Heat until the milk starts to steam.
- Remove the milk from the heat.
- Place the bowl with the egg yolk mixture on a non-slip surface (e.g. on a cloth napkin or non-slip mat).
- Take about ½ cup of the hot milk and slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking the egg yolk mixture constantly. Here you're only adding enough milk to warm the egg yolk mixture.
- Add the warmed egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk.
- Heat the pudding mixture while whisking constantly until it starts to thicken. Make sure you reach the edges and the bottom of the saucepan as well while whisking. Otherwise the pudding will catch at the bottom of the pan and become lumpy and burnt.
- Whisk and heat the pudding mixture until a few bubbles break the surface.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and add the vanilla extract and softened butter. Whisk until the butter completely melts and mixes in with the pudding, along with the vanilla.
- Transfer the pudding into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the whole surface of the pudding (this is to prevent a skin from forming on the surface).
- Let it chill in the fridge for at least a few hours, or until the pudding is completely chilled.
Dalgona coffee topping
- Place the instant coffee and sugar in a large bowl. I prefer to use a tall container to avoid splashing.
- Add the hot water and stir to dissolve the coffee and sugar.
- Using a hand mixer (with a whisk attachment), start whipping the coffee mixture.
- First, you will start seeing bubbles on top, and then it will slowly become paler in color, and thicker in consistency. This can take a few minutes.
- Whisk until the coffee has a soft, meringue-like (whisked egg whites) consistency that has mid peaks. It's now ready to be spooned over vanilla pudding.
Dalgona coffee pudding
- Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled vanilla pudding, and whisk the set vanilla pudding using a balloon whisk until smooth and creamy. This can then be spooned into individual bowls for serving.
- Top each of the vanilla pudding servings with dalgona coffee topping, and serve immediately.
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