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Ever tried making dalgona candies after watching Squid Game but just couldn’t nail those perfectly round shapes? Follow these super simple tips, and you’ll be making flawless dalgona candies in no time!

Dalgona candy (Korean honeycomb toffee) candy made with sugar and baking soda.

What is dalgona candy?

Don’t mistake it for the popular dalgona coffee (latte topped up with coffee cream) which actually took its name after this dalgona candy due to its similar texture. Dalgona candy is a Korean candy made by melting sugar and puffing it by adding baking soda. It is then pressed down into a disc shape and imprinted with some symbol mold.

In Korean, the word 달고나 dalgona comes from 달구나 dalguna, a casual term meaning “it’s sweet”. Traditionally dalgona was made with glucose solids. This candy is also called ppopgi 뽑기 which means selecting or picking out and refers to the dalgona game which consists in carving out the pattern in the middle without breaking it. Ppopgi however is made with sugar. Therefore what is nowadays called dalgona should actually be called ppopgi. In English, dalgona is basically honeycomb toffee and tastes like caramel.

Dalgona candies used to be very popular in Korean streets, especially among kids. This year the popularity of this Korean candy has resurfaced on a more global scale with the series Squid Game that’s been trending all over the world on Netflix.

What is the dalgona candy challenge?

Traditionally street food vendors in Korea used to sell these candies, the challenge for kids was to eat/carve out candy without breaking the pattern in the middle. If successful, the vendor would gift another dalgona candy or some other prizes.

Squid Game, reinvented the purpose of this challenge in which you would survive and earn money if you managed to carve out the pattern without breaking it. On the contrary, if you failed, you’d be instantly killed.

Has anyone managed this challenge? To be honest, I only succeeded with easy patterns such as ❤️, 🟠 or 🔺. ☂️and ⭐gave me a tough time!

a dalgona candy with a star pattern.

Ingredients

  • Sugar – Any sugar is fine but I like using white granulated sugar.
  • Baking soda – Baking soda reacts with sugar making it foam and turning a light brown color. The “caramel” becomes airy and brittle. ⚠️ Do not confuse/substitute with baking powder.

Do I need a dalgona candy kit?

I purchased a dalgona candy kit on Amazon especially because I couldn’t find any small pattern molds. I mainly had some big-sized cookie cutters in my pantry. Those molds were useful since they are designed to fit into a small-sized dalgona candy.

The tool I found less useful in this kit was the metal cooling rack, despite my several attempts, the candy kept on sticking to it. So I just went back to using baking paper which works great, no need for oil or anything like that to avoid it from sticking.

That brings me to say, the dalgona candy kit is totally optional. If you have the below tools at home, they work great!

  • ladle or small pan
  • 1 metal measuring cup (or a glass with large, round and flat bottom)
  • a cookie cutter (size a little larger than the measuring cup) – optional
  • spatula
  • chopsticks
  • small cookie cutters
  • baking paper
a dalgona candy with a star pattern and a needle trying to break the pattern.

Preparation

  1. Melt the sugar – Add the sugar to a ladle, small pan, or the large spoon provided in a dalgona candy kit. Heat on low (for gas stoves, use the lowest flame, for electric or induction stoves, medium-low works better).
  2. Stir continuously with chopsticks as the sugar begins to clump, then gradually melts.
  3. Let the sugar melt slowly until it turns a light brown caramel color. Be careful not to burn it, keep the heat low and watch closely.
  4. Add baking soda – Once fully melted, turn off the heat. Quickly add the baking soda.
  5. Stir vigorously for 5–10 seconds until the mixture becomes opaque and puffs up slightly. If the mixture cools and sticks, reheat it for a few seconds to soften.
  6. Shape the candy – Immediately transfer the mixture onto baking paper. (Optional) For perfectly round candies, place a cookie cutter slightly larger than your press tool onto the baking paper and pour the mixture inside.
  7. Let the candy cool for about 30 seconds to prevent sticking, then press it down into a thin disc using a metal measuring cup or your preferred press tool.
  8. Stamp your design onto the candy using a cookie cutter or a shape from your dalgona candy kit.

Emma’s tips

  • Prep ahead – Have all your tools and materials ready to go because you’ll need to work quickly once you start.
  • Keep it low – Use low heat to avoid burning the caramel.
  • Melt completely – Make sure all the sugar is fully melted before adding the baking soda.
  • Mix vigorously – Stir the baking soda into the melted sugar quickly and thoroughly. Once the mixture turns light brown, becomes airy, and doubles in size, transfer it immediately to baking paper. If it starts to cool and stick to your ladle or spoon, pop it back on the heat for 2 seconds to loosen it.
  • Cool for 30 seconds – Let the candy cool slightly before pressing it into a disc. Pressing it too early will make it stick to your press tool.
  • Skip the metal square – Use baking paper instead of the metal square tool from the dalgona kit. Candy tends to stick to the metal, and coating it with oil makes the candy greasy.
  • Perfect rounds – For flawless, round candies, use a cookie cutter slightly larger than your press tool. Pour the mixture inside the cutter and then press it down. This step is optional and only affects how the candy looks, not how it tastes!

Storage

Store dalgona candies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. From my experience, leaving them at room temperature isn’t ideal, as they tend to start melting within a day. Unless you live in a dry, cool environment.

Looking for more fun recipes to try?

Dalgona Candy Korean honeycomb toffee candy made with sugar and baking soda

Dalgona Candy – aka The Squid Game Cookie

Ever tried making dalgona candies after watching Squid Game but just couldn’t nail those perfectly round shapes? Follow these super simple tips, and you’ll be making flawless dalgona candies in no time!
5 from 7 votes
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Course: Snack
Cuisine: Korean
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 6 minutes
Servings: 1 dalgona candy
Calories per serving: 94kcal
Author: Emma Choi

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 baking soda pinch

Instructions

  • Melt the sugar – Add the sugar to a ladle, small pan, or the large spoon provided in a dalgona candy kit. Heat on low (for gas stoves, use the lowest flame, for electric or induction stoves, medium-low works better).
  • Stir continuously with chopsticks as the sugar begins to clump, then gradually melts.
  • Let the sugar melt slowly until it turns a light brown caramel color. Be careful not to burn it, keep the heat low and watch closely.
  • Add baking soda – Once fully melted, turn off the heat. Quickly add the baking soda.
  • Stir vigorously for 5–10 seconds until the mixture becomes opaque and puffs up slightly. If the mixture cools and sticks, reheat it for a few seconds to soften.
  • Shape the candy – Immediately transfer the mixture onto baking paper. (Optional) For perfectly round candies, place a cookie cutter slightly larger than your press tool onto the baking paper and pour the mixture inside.
  • Let the candy cool for about 30 seconds to prevent sticking, then press it down into a thin disc using a metal measuring cup or your preferred press tool.
  • Stamp your design onto the candy using a cookie cutter or a shape from your dalgona candy kit.

recipe notes

1. Preparation – Make sure to prepare all your materials in advance, as you’ll need to work quickly when making dalgona candy.
2. Heat control – Use low heat to avoid burning the caramel.
3. Cooling time – Let the candy cool for 30 seconds before pressing it into a disc. Otherwise, it will stick to your press tool.
4. Baking paper – Use baking paper, not the metal square tool provided in the dalgona candy kit. I’ve tried it several times, and the candy definitely sticks to it. Coating with oil isn’t a great solution, as it will make the candy oily.
5. Perfect shape – To get perfectly round dalgona candies, use a cookie cutter that’s slightly larger than your press tool. Pour the mixture inside the cookie cutter and press down to form the candy. This step is optional and only affects the appearance, not the taste of the candy.

Equipment

Measuring cup
Measuring cup (or a glass with large, round and flat bottom)
Cookie cutter
Cookie cutter – size a little larger than the measuring cup (optional)
Dalgona candy kit
Dalgona candy kit (alternatively use a kit which has all tools)

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 0.5mg | Sugar: 24g | Calcium: 0.2mg | Iron: 0.01mg

The nutritional details provided on That Cute Dish are for informational purposes only and are automatically calculated. Please consider them as estimates rather than precise values, as ingredients and measurements can vary.

Dalgona Candy Korean honeycomb toffee candy made with sugar and baking soda
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @thatcutedish or upload your photo here, I’d love to see your creations! Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below. Your feedback means so much!

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