If you've been anywhere near the food side of TikTok this summer, you've seen it. Someone in Seoul walks into a convenience store, grabs a small bottle of Binggrae banana milk and a hazelnut iced coffee from the refrigerator case, and pours them together over ice. The result is something that looks like a creamy, caramel-gold latte and tastes like nothing else in your coffee rotation.
Over 10 million views later, the Korean banana milk hazelnut coffee hack is still going strong. And yes, you can make it at home in about three minutes.
Why This Drink Works
The magic here isn't complicated. Banana milk is mildly sweet and creamy with a nostalgic banana flavor that's more subtle than a banana smoothie. Hazelnut coffee is bold and slightly nutty, with just enough bitterness to keep things balanced. When you pour them together, the sweetness of the banana milk softens the coffee without drowning it. You get something that tastes cozy and refreshing at the same time.
In Korea, Binggrae banana milk has been a convenience store staple since 1974. The round little bottle is iconic there. But you don't need to find the original to pull this off at home. There are a few solid alternatives, and one version that uses a real banana blended with milk that's honestly even better.
What You'll Need
For the classic version:
- 1 bottle of Korean banana milk (Binggrae, Mooala, or any brand you can find)
- 1 shot of espresso or 1/3 cup strong cold brew
- 1 teaspoon hazelnut syrup (Torani or DaVinci both work)
- Ice
- Optional: a pinch of sea salt
For the homemade banana milk version:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup whole milk or oat milk
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- Blend until smooth and strain through a fine mesh sieve if you want it silky
How to Make It
Fill a glass with ice. Pour your espresso shot over it and stir in the hazelnut syrup while the coffee is still warm so it dissolves completely. That part matters. Hazelnut syrup doesn't incorporate well into cold liquid.
Let the coffee settle for about 30 seconds, then slowly pour the banana milk over the back of a spoon. This gives you that beautiful layered look you've seen in the videos. You can stir it or drink it layered. Both are good, but the layered version is more fun to watch as it slowly mixes.
That's it. Start to finish, three minutes tops.
Adjusting the Balance
The ratio that most people land on is roughly 2:1 banana milk to espresso. If you want more coffee punch, increase the espresso and cut the banana milk back. If you find it too sweet, skip the hazelnut syrup and let the natural flavor of the banana milk do the work.
A pinch of flaky sea salt on top is optional but genuinely worth trying. It brings out the hazelnut and cuts the sweetness just enough to make the drink feel more complex.
Scaling It Up for a Group
This is where SnipDish's scaling feature earns its keep. If you're making this for four people before a weekend brunch, scaling 1x to 4x should be seamless. Open the recipe in SnipDish, tap the serving size, and every ingredient adjusts automatically. No mental math, no doubling errors, just a bigger batch that tastes the same as the original.
Cook Mode also keeps your screen on while you're pulling shots and pouring, so you're not unlocking your phone with coffee-sticky fingers every thirty seconds.
Variations Worth Trying
Once you nail the base drink, a few riffs are worth experimenting with:
Iced banana matcha latte. Swap the hazelnut espresso for 1 teaspoon of ceremonial-grade matcha whisked with 2 tablespoons of hot water. Pour that over ice, then top with banana milk. Earthy, sweet, and surprisingly good. Banana milk cold foam. Froth the banana milk instead of pouring it straight. Spoon it over plain cold brew for something closer to a specialty coffee shop drink without leaving your kitchen. Dairy-free version. Use Mooala's oat-based banana milk or blend a ripe banana with unsweetened oat milk. The texture is slightly thinner but the flavor holds up well.Where to Find Banana Milk
Most H Mart locations carry Binggrae banana milk in the refrigerator section. If you don't have a Korean grocery near you, it ships well on Amazon and a few online Asian grocery retailers. Mooala's banana milk is widely available at Whole Foods and Target if you want something you can grab locally without hunting.
The hazelnut syrup is even easier. Torani sells it at most grocery stores, and both Target and Walmart carry it in the coffee aisle.
This drink is stupid simple and genuinely delicious. It's the kind of recipe that makes you feel like you discovered something even though millions of people are already making it. Give it a shot this week while stone fruit and outdoor mornings are still part of your routine.
If you want to save the recipe, scale it, or build a whole weekend brunch around it, SnipDish keeps everything in one place. Save once, cook whenever.