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It’s a simple concept. Whip together equal parts water, sugar and instant coffee. Then pour the fluffy, cloud-like foam into a glass of milk and voilà!

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Dalgona coffee, aka whipped coffee is having a moment right now, especially because of how insanely easy it is to make. Registered dietitian Maxine Smith, RD, LD, shares how to make this tasty treat while balancing out the sugar and caffeine.

How to make whipped coffee

A traditional whipped coffee recipe calls for the following:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar.
2 tablespoons instant coffee.
2 tablespoons hot water.

Directions

Whisk together all three ingredients by hand (or bring out the big guns and haul out your electric mixer) until it forms a mousse-like mixture. Typically this takes about 1 to 2 minutes of mixing.
Pour the foam overtop a glass of milk and ice to create an iced coffee-like drink. (If you’re feeling wild, try topping it with cinnamon, cocoa or an additional sprinkle of instant coffee.)

Balancing out the sugar & caffeine of whipped coffee

Because of the sugar, whipped coffee is a sweet drink. And unfortunately, the two tablespoons of added sugar in the recipe is going to blow most people’s sugar budget for the entire day.

The American Heart Association recommends that women eat no more than 100 calories (6 teaspoons), and that men eat no more than 150 calories (9 teaspoons), of added sugars daily.

If you’re trying to steer clear of added sugar, you’ll need to find a bulky sugar substitute that will still melt together with the instant coffee to create the fluffy texture.

Smith recommends trying:

Granulated stevia.
Granulated monk fruit.

To cut the calories even more, make the recipe as is, but pour it over unsweetened almond milk or oat milk instead of traditional milk. You’ll also decrease the carbs and sugar if you opt for some kind of nut milk instead.

If you like the idea of whipped coffee, but can’t get behind the idea of adding more caffeine to your diet, try a decaf instant coffee blend instead. Using two tablespoons of regular instant coffee is the equivalent of drinking two additional cups of coffee.

Do you need to use instant coffee?

Most recipes really only work with instant coffee instead of regular ground coffee. Instant coffee gives the components an airy texture when whipped together. If you’re feeling inspired to create your own instant coffee, you can try grinding regular coffee grounds into a super fine powder. You’ll likely need to run the powder through a coffee grinder a few times before it becomes the consistency of instant coffee.

Still trying to perk up your coffee?

If you’re looking to give your traditional cup of coffee a make over, but trying to control your sugar intake, try adding a dash of cocoa powder, stevia or cinnamon to your drink. Or embrace unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened soy milk as your coffee creamer of choice. You can also add in a drop or two of vanilla extract or blend your coffee with ice and nut milk for a cold brew.