If there’s one thing that has been going crazy viral during this quarantine it’s the dalgona coffee trend. Everyone and their mother is making it and as someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I was getting a little jealous. After doing some research I found out that there is a way to create a dalgona matcha and boy was I excited because matcha lattes are my absolute favorite drink.
For the dalgona coffee, the whipped texture is created by using instant coffee. Since matcha powder won’t yield the same effect, you need to first create a whipped base. There are 3 options for the whipped base: heavy cream, egg whites, and aquafaba which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Being that aquafaba was the only vegan version, I decided to give it a try. Turns out aqufaba is literally LIQUID GOLD. Apparently it is used as a vegan replacement for egg whites, typically for the egg white froth at the top of cocktails (who knew?!) After whipping it up for the first time, I couldn’t believe that I had been dumping that liquid gold down the drain every time I used a can of chickpeas! It whipped up so quickly and looks and feels exactly like whipped egg whites. It also surprisingly doesn’t taste like chickpeas at all, and isn’t salty even if the chickpeas are salted.
Okay enough of me raving about chickpea water… let’s get to the recipe:
DALGONA MATCHA (vegan, refined sugar free)
Ingredients
aquafaba (liquid from chickpea can)
*1 tsp matcha powder (culinary or ceremonial grade)
*add more or less depending on how strong your matcha powder is / how strong you like your matcha
refined sugar free sweetener of choice:
liquid stevia: 1 full droplet
stevia: 1 serving size (1 packet of stevia)
maple syrup: 1 teaspoon
**(or more or less depending on how sweet you like it)
3/4 cup plant based milk of choice (oat milk tastes best in my opinion)
ice (optional)
a nice, clear glass that will display your beautiful creation. Mason jars work great!
Instructions
Pour the *amount of aquafaba you are going to use out into a large bowl (big enough so you can mix vigorously and not splash)
*I find that one chickpea can produces enough aquafaba to make 2-3 drinks (3 being generous), so pour out about 1/3 to 1/2 of what you got a from the chickpea can
Either using an electric hand whisk or portable frother (what I use) whisk the aquafaba until it becomes a fluffy whipped texture. You can also use a regular handheld whisk but it will take much longer.
The time for this depends on what tool you are using but will at least take about 3-5 minutes. Keep mixing until it reaches a nice foamy whipped consistency like in the picture.
Once aquafaba is the consistency you’re looking for, add in matcha powder and liquid sweetener of choice
using either a electric hand mixer or hand whisk (portable frother not strong enough for this step) mix in the matcha powder and sweetener until completely mixed in
taste mixture to make sure it is too your liking. If it needs more matcha or sweetener, add it now
put ice into your glass (if using) and then add plant based milk
carefully spoon whipped mixture into your glass (if not all of it fits, don’t worry. You can add more later after you drink some)
Take a picture of your beautiful creation (because half the point of making this is to post on instagram obviously) and then mix and enjoy! :)
Hope you enjoy this recipe! I seriously make it at least 3x a week now and find myself looking for any excuse to use chickpeas to get the liquid haha. Don’t think i’ll be spending money on expensive matcha lattes anymore even after this quarantine is over. Being your own barista is fun ;)