How Dalgona Candy Is Made

Nick DiGiovanni

This video has been trending in Malta, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica, Switzerland, and Belgium

The video follows a Seoul street-vendor who still makes dalgona candy the traditional way. He starts by scooping white sugar into a small metal ladle and holding it over a portable gas burner. As the crystals liquefy, he constantly stirs, keeping the caramel from scorching and achieving the light amber color that gives dalgona its signature taste. The critical moment comes when he sprinkles in a pinch of baking soda; the alkaline powder reacts with the hot syrup, releasing carbon dioxide that instantly foams the mixture into a pale, aerated honeycomb. Timing matters: too little soda and the candy stays dense, too much and it turns bitter, so the vendor relies on muscle memory from decades of practice.

With the sugar now billowing, he pours the foamy mass onto a greased steel surface and immediately flattens it with a heated press. Before the candy sets, he lifts the press to sprinkle a final dusting of sugar that prevents sticking, then returns it to compress the disc to the ideal thickness—thin enough to shatter, thick enough to hold a stamped image. Working quickly, he chooses a metal cookie cutter—star, heart, triangle, or umbrella—and punches a shape into the center without cutting all the way through. Each unit sells for the equivalent of about one U.S. dollar, but the real draw is the challenge: if the customer can pick out the inner shape without cracking the surrounding shell, the next candy is free.

The vendor says children in the ’70s and ’80s would crowd around stalls after school, practicing delicate tapping techniques with sewing needles to avoid breakage. Although convenience-store snacks eventually edged dalgona off most streets, the craft survived in pockets of Seoul, and the ritual of carving shapes remained a nostalgic pastime. The video notes that global interest returned overnight after Netflix’s “Squid Game” featured the candy in its deadly challenge, sending tourists and locals back to vendors like him for Instagram-worthy attempts.

Viewers also learn that dalgona’s flavor profile differs from Western honeycomb toffee: it is lighter, less buttery, and relies solely on caramelized sugar for taste. The porous texture dissolves quickly on the tongue, delivering a smoky sweetness with a subtle alkaline bite from the baking soda. By documenting each quick, practiced movement—melting, foaming, pressing, stamping—the video captures the blend of chemistry, skill, and playful tradition that keeps this simple two-ingredient confection relevant on modern Korean streets.

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