Dalgona Coffee was pandemic’s first viral food trend—whipped instant coffee, sugar, and water creating fluffy topping for milk. Named after Korean honeycomb candy, it exploded globally (March-April 2020) as quarantined people sought easy, photogenic activities, causing instant coffee shortages before fading once lockdowns ended and novelty wore off.

The Recipe

Simple ingredients:

• Equal parts instant coffee, sugar, hot water
• Whip until fluffy (hand mixer or 400+ whisk strokes)
• Spoon over milk/ice
• Instagram-worthy aesthetic

Pandemic Timing

Why it exploded:

• Quarantine boredom
• No special equipment needed
• Instant coffee in pantries
• Photogenic results
• Shared lockdown experience

Korean Origins

Cultural background:

• Named after dalgona (Korean candy)
• Similar to Greek frappé
• Korean actor Jung Il-woo’s 2020 show featured it
• Went viral in Korea first

The Shortages

Commercial impact:

• Instant coffee sales surge
• Nescafé, Folgers sold out
• Hand mixers trending
• Grocery store runs

Decline

Trend faded because:

• Extremely sweet
• Labor-intensive
• Novelty wore off
• Post-lockdown life resumed

Sources:

• Dalgona Coffee Google Trends
• Instant Coffee Sales Data (2020)
• Korean Food Culture Documentation