Vietnamese Iced Coffee

By Kay Chun

Vietnamese Iced Coffee
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(824)
Notes
Read community notes

This popular coffee drink requires only three ingredients: coffee, water and condensed milk. Traditionally, a Vietnamese press is used to make the coffee, but this recipe calls for a simple pour-over cone. (If you don't have a coffee cone, you can substitute brewed espresso for the coffee.) Vietnamese iced coffee is normally made one serving at a time, but for ease, this recipe makes a batch that will serve about four. Be sure to use a boldly flavored dark roast coffee, since the condensed milk and ice will dilute the drink.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 2½ cups)
  • 1cup finely ground dark roast coffee, such as French roast
  • 3cups boiling water
  • ½cup sweetened condensed milk
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

123 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 57 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place coffee grounds in a heatproof container. Slowly pour boiling water over the grounds in a circular motion to evenly saturate. Do not stir; let steep 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Line a coffee cone with a paper filter and place the cone over another heatproof container.

  3. Step 3

    Slowly pour the steeped coffee through the filter, allowing all the liquid to drip through completely. (You should have about 2 cups of strong coffee. See Tip.) Discard the filter and coffee grounds. Stir the condensed milk into the coffee until well blended.

  4. Step 4

    Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes. Divide the coffee mixture among the glasses and serve immediately, or transfer to the refrigerator, where it will keep, covered, up to 3 days. Serve over ice.

Tip
  • The brewed coffee can be made a few days in advance and kept chilled in the fridge.

Ratings

4 out of 5
824 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

oliveoyl

I make coffee ice cubes for this - so it never gets watered down

Lauren

Being a Houstonian, with our large Vietnamese population, we've enjoyed this for years. I use Trung Ngyuen Premium Blend coffee which is easily found at Vietnamese supermarkets as well as on-line. If you put it in a French press, fill the carafe with 1/2" of coffee before adding water. the 1/2" guide work for any size carafe...smaller carafes will naturally hold less coffee at the 1/2' mark. I drink this every morning, minus the condensed milk.

Stephen

Nooooooooo!!!! This recipe makes my heart break, as it misses the je ne sais quoi of the Vietnamese coffee experience. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the ice cubes in each glass so it pools at the bottom, and then pour the coffee into each glass.

Anna

I made this with condensed coconut milk and it worked quite well.

Trisha

Will this work as well in a French press (bodum)?

soy2padre

For me, a dark roasted coffee blend with chickory has always been essential for this beverage. Very strong French press coffee or espresso work best. A very small amount of ground cardamom also makes for a nice addition in place of the chickory.

Emrie

This is so much better after being left in the fridge overnight. Has that thicker sweeter flavor I associate with this coffee

Carol

Composting the coffee grounds rather than disposing of them is a good addition to even a small compost heap.

Amanda

Should be made with robusta coffee beans! That’s one of the defining features of Vietnamese coffee as they grow much of the world’s robusta coffee.

Carolyn

I was introduced to this wonderful drink years ago in a Berkeley cafe...they added some fresh ginger to the basic brew described in this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!

Dona

I'm a decaf drinker and actually have Cafe du Monde decaf coffee w/ chicory. What would happen if you freeze it after mixing w the sweetened condensed milk? maybe make a granita? sounds so refreshing.. might add ground cardamom- my new spice crush

Corey

Ya, I usually French press then cook it down in small pot on simmer to make it stronger and bitter.

Jean

I also like and use Trung Ngyuen Premium Blend. You can also try Cafe Du Monde from New Orleans. It's often carried by Asian groceries and is available online.

Caroline and Alan

This recipe is a nice change for caffeine fans. The condensed milk is very sticky sweet. I suggest a bit less coffee per the portion of 1 to 3 as it is extremely strong. I might attempt a sample or test with a 1 to 4 ratio. I do like the addition of spices like cinnamon or ginger on occasion for a delicacy. I think I mark this one as a high end special occasion drink for a bit of a buzz.

Margaret

I’ve been happiest with this when I use cold brewed coffee made in my Toddy pour over gadget. It takes at least 17 hours to brew a quart of triple strong Coffee concentrate, but it lasts a week or more in the fridge. We always use The Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory blend used at our favorite Pho restaurants.

Sk8dva

I had been curious to try Vietnamese coffee for a long time. I made this recipe and it was so sweet I actually cried. I have made it again since then, but I changed the proportions so it was more to my liking!

Dee

Aug 23/23. Hersh and Judy LOVED this. I made coffee ice cubes which Judy loved. Perked coffee the day before.

Barbara

Used 12 oz. Condensed Milk

Barbara

Also used creamed coffee ice cubes.

Jody

Had to improvise a little. Used Counter Culture decaf that I ground myself. Put my goldtone coffee filter from my regular coffee maker into a strainer that was placed atop a saucepan, and that's what I poured the steeped coffee through. Don't know how close this was to the original recipe, but it was delicious. Nice rich coffee flavor.

J-Tress

I roast my own ourside on the burner in a stainless popcorn popper - expresso, regular, decaf - a pound at at time in 2 batches.The green beans from Sweet Marias. The many possibilities for Viet Namese-like coffee are intriguing!

Laurel

Confusion here between “condensed milk” and “sweetened condensed milk”. They are different. Caroline and Alan said (granted, 3 yrs ago) that “condensed milk is sticky sweet”. It is not. “SWEETENED condensed milk” is the sweet sticky one! So seems these terms are used interchangeably and I have no idea who is reviewing the recipe with which kind of milk. Could be good with a bit of SCMilk or maybe the condensed is enough. Was looking for some dependable takes before I buy the milk!

karin

i also love this, but make mine with the wonderful local new orleans coffee French Truck. Their Commander's Palace blend (coffee and chicory) is a classic...and has marvelous packaging as well.

Carole 612

My roses love coffee grounds. A friend, a plant research virologist at UF, threw yesterday's coffee grounds onto his rose bed every morning before he brewed fresh coffee. His roses were spectacular!

TP

You can purchase a Phin online vis Amazon or any Asian supermarket. Makes for a more authentic experience and you’ll drink it how it’s meant to he made!

nate

There are two types of coffee beans in general, arabica and robusta, and Vietnam uses robusta! Robusta tastes different and has more caffeine. I’ve made this before with arabica (“normal” coffee in the west) and it just wasn’t quite the same.

Danny M

This is a delicious brew but strong. The ratio of 3:1 water to coffee is low (drip is typically 18:1) even accounting for the dilution that is expected with iced coffee. So I use it as coffee concentrate and dilute 1:1 with water before adding ice. Note also Nguyen Coffee Supply of Brooklyn, purveyors of coffee beans sourced from Vietnam, is completely separate and independent of Trung Nguyen Premium Blend coffee available on Amazon.

katie

Can y'all update this recipe? It's misleading to say dark roast coffee + condensed milk = Vietnamese coffee. There's condensed milk in coffee all over SE Asia as well as other parts of the world including Spain (Cafe Bonbon) & Brazil. Also, there are bigger sizes of phin filters so you can brew Vietnamese coffee beans using a traditional Vietnamese coffee tool in the same amount, if not less, of time. Would recommend Nguyen Coffee Supply, Nam Coffee Co, VietFive Coffee for those interested.

elise

I just made this today and it was terrific! I never have to go out to buy it now. Thanks so much.

Betty

I literally just made this. I used Vietnamese coffee, and made according to instructions. As I don’t love really sweet anything, for my serving I used half sweetened condensed milk, and half evaporated milk, with half cup of the coffee. Delicious!

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