Recipe · Snack · Makes 1-2 candies
It's Okay — You Can Make Squid Game's Dalgona Candy at Home
Dalgona (also called ppopgi) was a Korean street-corner treat long before Squid Game made it famous. It takes two ingredients and about five minutes — and if your first one burns or turns into a rock, that's completely normal. Even experienced hands usually need a few tries.
Before You Shop: Quick Ingredient Check
- White sugareasy everywhere
- Baking sodayou probably already have it — it must be baking soda, not baking powder
- Metal ladle or small metal spoona small non-stick pan works too — see below
- Cookie cutter (optional)only if you want to play the Squid Game challenge
Nothing here is hard to find. The only real skill is patience with the heat.
Ingredients (makes 1-2 candies per batch)
- 1½ tbsp white sugar (brown sugar works too, with a deeper caramel flavor)
- A tiny pinch of baking soda (about 1/16 tsp — a little goes a long way)
- A few drops of neutral oil, for the work surface and press
Steps
- 1 Lightly oil a sheet of parchment paper and a flat-bottomed press (a metal measuring cup or the base of a small jar works well). Keep them next to the stove — you'll need to move fast later.
- 2 Put the sugar in a metal ladle and hold it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden chopstick, until it melts completely and turns a light golden amber. Keep the heat low — rushing it is the most common reason for burnt, bitter candy.
- 3 Take the ladle off the heat and add a tiny pinch of baking soda. Stir quickly for a few seconds until the syrup puffs up, turns pale tan, and looks foamy.
- 4 Pour it onto the oiled parchment right away, then press it flat with the oiled press to about 5mm (¼ inch) thick.
- 5 If you want the shaped version, press a cookie cutter lightly into the candy after it has set for about 10 seconds, then let it cool completely for a few minutes before trying to carve the shape out.
국룰The classic Korean street version is eaten as a game: try to lick or crack out the shape without breaking it. If it breaks, that's just a snack — nobody minds.
Substitution Guide
No Ladle? Here's What to Do
The traditional tool is a small metal ladle (국자), but nothing about the candy requires one.
Use this if you don't have a ladle
A small stainless-steel or non-stick pan. Melt the sugar the same way, over low heat, stirring with a chopstick. A pan holds heat longer than a ladle, so take it off the heat a little earlier than you think you should.
If it burns or hardens too fast
- Burnt and bitter: the heat was too high — start over with a fresh spoon of sugar and lower the flame.
- Too hard and glassy: not enough baking soda, or it wasn't stirred in fully.
- Hardens before you can press it: work faster, or warm the press slightly. Ladle-sized batches cool in seconds.
Why a pinch of baking soda changes everything (so you can troubleshoot it yourself)
Melted sugar on its own sets into hard, clear caramel. Baking soda reacts with the hot sugar and releases tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide, which is what makes dalgona light, opaque, and crisp instead of glassy. Too much and it tastes bitter and soapy; too little and you're back to plain caramel — so start small.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Dalgona vs. 'Dalgona coffee'
The whipped dalgona coffee that went viral in 2020 was named after this candy because of its similar color and sweetness. They're unrelated to make — this recipe is the original candy.
Safety note
Melted sugar is far hotter than boiling water. Keep children away from the stove, and let the candy cool for a couple of minutes before anyone touches it.
Want to Go Further?
Dalgona is a nice, low-stakes way to get comfortable in a Korean kitchen. When you're ready to cook savory dishes, three sauces cover most of what you'll make.
Getting Started with Korean Cooking: The 3 Sauces You Need →Watch It Made
Cooks' versions
Made it your way? Show us.
Swapped an ingredient, changed the heat, plated it differently? Add a photo and a few words — we'll turn it into a pretty card right here on the Dalgona (Ppopgi) page, so the next cook can follow your lead.
Got a trick that kept your dalgona from burning or cracking? Let us know in the comments — it helps the next person on their first try.