Korean Dalgona Candy (Caramel Honeycomb Baking Soda Sugar Candy)

Quick answer

Total time: 18 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Dalgona is a Korean street candy made by melting sugar slowly over low heat until it reaches a light amber caramel, then removing the pan from heat and adding salt and milk powder before stirring in baking soda.

The baking soda must be incorporated within five seconds of adding it -- any longer and the carbon dioxide escapes unevenly, producing large irregular bubbles instead of the fine, honeycomb-like structure the candy needs. Once the mixture is dropped onto lightly oiled parchment and pressed flat with a mold or spatula, it cools into a thin, brittle disc that shatters cleanly with a sharp bite. The flavor sits in the range of gentle caramel sweetness layered with the milky richness of the powder, and the salt added before the baking soda gives the sweetness a grounded quality that keeps the taste from going flat. Timing the removal from heat before the caramel darkens too far is the single most critical step -- over-cooked sugar turns bitter, and no amount of adjustment recovers the flavor after that point.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

sugar120 gg

baking soda½ tsptsp

cooking oil1 tsptsp

water1 tbsptbsp

salt⅛ tsptsp

milk powder1 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Control

Place 120 g of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a small stainless steel pan or dalgona ladle.

Heat over low heat without stirring to prevent the sugar from recrystallizing.
2

Season

Once the sugar has melted to a deep amber caramel, remove from heat.

Add 0.1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp milk powder and stir quickly to combine. Milk powder adds a nutty richness to the caramel.
3

Step

Add 0.5 tsp baking soda and stir vigorously within 5 seconds.

The soda reacts and causes the caramel to foam and lighten. Waiting longer than 5 seconds causes the foam to collapse.
4

Step

Brush 1 tsp oil in a very thin layer over parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Drop the foamy dalgona in spoonfuls, leaving plenty of space between each. Enough spacing prevents them from merging as they spread.
5

Prep

While the dalgona is still slightly pliable, press it flat.

Gently press a shape cutter into the surface to stamp a design. Pressing too hard causes it to crack.
6

Step

Once fully cooled and crisp, peel from the parchment.

Store in a sealed container where it keeps for 2 to 3 days. Humidity softens dalgona quickly, so eating it fresh is best.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Baking soda must be stirred into melted sugar in under five seconds to create this amber candy.
Finish cue: Once fully cooled and crisp, peel from the parchment.
Avoid this: Turn off heat before it gets too dark to avoid bitterness.
Substitution: The baking soda must be incorporated within five seconds of adding it -- any longer and the carbon dioxide escapes unevenly, producing large irregular bubbles instead of the fine, honeycomb-like structure the candy needs.
Storage and reheating: Store airtight since dalgona softens quickly in humidity.