How to make dalgona: the sugar candy from Squid Game

Oct 7, 2026

By Jihye Dschihä

Dalgona (달고나) is a Korean sugar candy made from just two ingredients: melted sugar and a pinch of baking soda. It became world-famous in 2021 through the Netflix series Squid Game, in which players have to cut a shape out of the candy without breaking it. Here you will find out how to make dalgona yourself and where the candy comes from.

What is dalgona?

Dalgona is foamed sugar: sugar is melted, then baking soda is added. In the heat, the baking soda breaks down and releases gas that makes the sugar mass foam up. The mass is then pressed flat, and usually a shape is stamped into it, such as a star.

In Korea, the candy has many names. Besides dalgona, 뽑기 (Ppopgi) is especially common, and there are regional names such as 국자 (Gukja, "ladle") around Daegu or 똥과자 (Ttong-gwaja) in Busan. Dalgona and ppopgi probably originally referred to slightly different sweets, but sources explain the difference in different ways.

Where does dalgona come from?

Dalgona was a street snack sold mainly to children outside schools. Sources differ on when it appeared: the Korean Wikipedia names the late 1950s, the English one the 1960s, and the German one highlights the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, the sugar was melted in a ladle over a coal briquette.

A game went with it: anyone who could cut out the stamped shape with a needle without breaking it got a second candy for free. According to Korean Bapsang, some vendors gave small toys as prizes instead.

What does dalgona have to do with Squid Game?

Squid Game premiered worldwide on Netflix on September 17, 2021. In the third episode, players have ten minutes to cut a shape out of a dalgona without breaking it. The choices are a circle, triangle, star and umbrella, and the umbrella is the hardest. According to Netflix, Squid Game was watched for around 1.65 billion hours in its first four weeks, making it the most-watched Netflix series up to that point.

The dalgona for filming was supplied by Seoul street vendor An Yong-hui: 700 pieces from 15 kilos of sugar. After the series launched, according to Reuters, he sold more than 500 a day instead of around 200. At the supermarket chain Lotte Mart, sales of dalgona kits rose by 340 percent in the three weeks after the launch.

How do I make dalgona myself?

For one candy, according to Korean Bapsang, you need:

1.5 tbsp sugar, white or brown
a very small pinch of baking soda, about 2 to 3 small pinches or 1/16 tsp
a metal ladle and a chopstick
baking paper or a nonstick surface, something to flatten it with and a cookie cutter

Put the sugar in the ladle and hold it over low to medium-low heat. As soon as the edge turns liquid, stir constantly with the chopstick.
If the sugar starts to smoke, hold the ladle a little higher. The sugar must not burn.
Once the sugar has completely melted, take the ladle off the heat, add the baking soda and stir quickly and vigorously, 20 to 25 times, until it is mixed in. The mass will foam up immediately.
Pour the mass onto the surface, wait 15 to 20 seconds and press it flat.
Stamp the shape in, firmly but not all the way through.

Too much baking soda makes the candy bitter, so really only use a pinch. If the mass sticks when stamping, wait a few seconds longer.

Is making dalgona dangerous?

Yes, if you are not careful. Melted sugar is hotter than boiling water and sticks to the skin, which makes burns from it especially deep. After the launch of Squid Game, the Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney treated three children with severe burns from making dalgona. The doctors advise:

Only let children make dalgona under the supervision and with the help of adults.
In case of a burn, hold the area under cool running water for at least 20 minutes.

What is the difference from dalgona coffee?

Dalgona coffee is a coffee drink made from instant coffee, sugar and milk. It got its name in early 2020 from the actor Jung Il-woo on a Korean TV show, because it resembles the sugar candy in appearance and taste. More about it in our article on dalgona coffee.

Where can I get dalgona?

If you would rather skip the melting: our dalgona candies from Korea are available ready-made. And our Dalgona box contains more than 30 sweets and snacks from Korea.