Whipped Coffee Is The Biggest Quarantine Food Trend Since Homemade Bread

My daughter woke me up a bit early a few weeks ago– she knew I was going to venture to the grocery store that day and she didn’t want me to forget something very important: instant coffee.

While she’s never had this request before, I did know she was missing her Starbucks. I’m not a coffee fan, but she is, and not going out a few times a week to get her fix was getting to her.

I grabbed some Folgers and figured she was just going to make some, put it into a mug, pile it with cream and sugar, and call it good. But boy was I wrong.

As soon as I got home with the tiny jar of coffee crystals, she got to work. She plopped some in the mixer with hot water and sugar and I literally couldn’t believe what was happening before my eyes. In a few minutes there were clouds of what looked like milk chocolate frosting sitting in the mixing bowl.

I asked what she was doing and she told me she was making whipped coffee. Also, according to her, I’ve been living under a rock, because the whipped coffee trend went viral a while ago. Apparently I need to get up to speed.

After her mixture was complete, she poured it into a cup of milk (I’ve seen people use cold milk, warm milk, even iced milk), then gave it a generous squirt of caramel. She wasn’t stopping there, though; cookie crumbs for the top made it complete, and she sat down to do her homework with her very decadent drink in front of her.

This has been her ritual every morning. She puts equal parts instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a bowl before she does anything else, and I seriously look forward to hearing that mixer start.

If you haven’t made this dreamy drink, you must try it. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a mixer, you can stir it with a whisk (it takes about 20 minutes) to achieve the same results. We have been using Folgers, but I’ve heard any kind of instant coffee will do. You can get a complete recipe here.

And others are getting really creative and adding fruit, cocoa powder — the options are endless.

I had to try the stuff even though I had my doubts (I do not like coffee), and I loved it. I may even become a coffee drinker if I can have it in this form everyday. It’s so smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s like drinking coffee-flavored cool whip. And when you top it with other things you may have on hand like sprinkles, chocolate chips, or cake crumbs, what’s not to love?

Oh, and P.S., I like mine over coconut milk. It’s seriously a dream.

According to the Los Angeles Times, whipped coffee started in Korea and spread on social media like wildfire as a way to stay connected during this time of social distancing. They call it “dalgona coffee” because it reportedly tastes like the Korean candy, dalgona.

It’s become more than just a tasty drink in my house, though. It’s given my daughter a sense of routine again. She loves having it as she sits down to do her school work. It’s fun to make, and she’s been getting creative with the things she adds to it. One night we even had it over hot chocolate — it was to die for. (And speaking of hot chocolate: If you really can’t stomach coffee, but you also can’t stomach missing out on the trend, you can replace the instant coffee with cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix.)

If you have not tried it, I demand you do. Even if you aren’t a coffee drinker, you may fall in love with it. It’s extremely satisfying to watch the ordinary, everyday ingredients morph into something so magical.

Who knew you could take instant coffee, add some water and sugar and not only have a great treat, but that it could brighten your day during a pandemic?