Dalgona coffee—whipped instant coffee, sugar, and water creating a fluffy cloud atop milk—became TikTok’s first major pandemic food trend in March-April 2020, accumulating 400M+ views within weeks. The Korean beverage (named after honeycomb candy dalgona) went viral through actor Jung Il-woo’s appearance on Korean variety show “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant” in January 2020.
The recipe’s simplicity (2 tablespoons each instant coffee, sugar, hot water; whisk 400+ times or use electric mixer for 2-3 minutes) made it accessible globally. The ASMR-worthy transformation from liquid to stiff peaks, the aesthetic contrast of tan foam on white milk, and the satisfying mixing process created perfect TikTok content.
Instant coffee sales surged 30-50% globally in March-April 2020 as people purchased Folgers, Nescafé, and Maxwell House specifically for dalgona attempts. Hand mixer sales increased as people discovered whisking 400 times exhausted arms. The hashtag became pandemic time capsule—early lockdown optimism, creative kitchen experiments, and global connection through shared experience.
Taste reality check: extremely sweet (equal parts sugar to coffee), high caffeine concentration (2 tablespoons instant coffee = ~200mg caffeine), and impractical compared to regular iced coffee. Most people made it once for the experience, photographed it, then returned to normal coffee. The trend peaked by May 2020 as other quarantine activities emerged.
The legacy: demonstrated TikTok’s power for viral food trends, introduced instant coffee to younger demographics who’d only known fresh brew, and created template for future whipped/fluffy beverage trends (whipped matcha, whipped strawberry milk).
Sources: TikTok hashtag analytics, instant coffee sales data (Nielsen), Korean variety show viewership, coffee industry reports