Learn how to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee (ca phe sua da) at home and enjoy this delicious chocolatey, smooth and super awesome pick-me-up. Ready to drink in 5 minutes!
Why We Love This
Vietnamese iced coffee is like the strong coffee you’ve always craved. Complete with a chocolatey flavour, it’s even converted some non-coffee drinkers with the unique, sweet flavour.
Save yourself some money, and turn your daily spending habit into a delicious at-home-coffee-extravaganza!
What is Vietnamese Iced Coffee?
So what makes Vietnamese Iced Coffee so good? What gives it that magic chocolatey flavour and thick, velvet-like texture?
According to some sources, Vietnamese robusta coffee beans are roasted in a mix of fish sauce and butter to bring out the chocolate-like flavour. Even better, the end result tastes nothing like fish sauce at all. Phew. 😛
All through our South East Asian adventures we LOVED our daily dose of drinks like teh tarik and pink milk. These drinks usually came in a little plastic bag cinched up with a rubber band and a handy straw poked through the side.
Then we headed into Vietnam, and BAM! We’d suddenly crossed the border into the holy land of thick, luscious and super strong coffee, brewed in perfect Vietnamese style.
One sip of Vietnamese Iced Coffee and we were converted.
P.S. If you prefer a caffeine free drink instead, why not try a Vietnamese avocado smoothie or Thai pink milk instead?
What You’ll Need to Make This at Home
Once you’ve learnt how to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee at home it’ll always be within reach, whenever you need it. All you need is a bag of Trung Nguyen Gourmet Blend coffee, condensed milk and ice cubes and you’re set.
We scored a packet of Trung Nguyen coffee at our local Asian grocery store. They’re the closest brand of coffee we’ve found to the taste we had back in Vietnam.
If you can’t track down Vietnamese coffee, try sourcing some ground robusta beans to use in it’s place.
What is a Phin?
The Vietnamese drip coffee filter is called a Phin. While you can use it to brew regular coffee, it’s usually used to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee.
We found ours at the Asian supermarket for $5AU. They’re cheap and they make a very good brew! If buying your own, try and find the style where the top section is separate from the bottom plate like this one, as these tend to work better and give you more control when filtering the coffee.
If you’re not equipped with a phin, you can brew the coffee using a moka pot or just use instant coffee, but it might not have that same flavour.
How to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee:
First up, add 3 tablespoons of condensed milk in the bottom of a tall glass and set aside.
Next, set up your Vietnamese coffee filter on top of the glass, and add in 2 heaped teaspoons of Vietnamese coffee grounds. (Alternatively, add the coffee grounds into your moka pot and prepare the coffee as you normally would – once prepared, pour over the condensed milk and move on to the final step.)
If using the Vietnamese coffee filter, pour in a little boiling water (20 ml/0.5 fl oz) until the coffee grounds are covered, then cover with the gravity insert and press down lightly.
Pour in more boiling water (80 ml/2.5 fl oz) until it just reaches the top of the gravity insert, then pop on the lid and allow the coffee to filter.
That strong black coffee will start to drip down onto the condensed milk. This should take around 5 minutes for all the water to drip through.
Mix everything together, then pour into a glass of ice. Or, add ice to your existing glass and give it one last stir. Now enjoy that coffee buzz!
Wandercook’s Tips
- You CAN skip the ice cubes and drink it warm, but we think the flavour of the coffee is much better when iced.
- Feel free to play around with the amount of condensed milk to find your favourite ratios.
- We love that we can take our phin filter travelling with us so we have a no waste solution for fresh brewed coffee no matter where we are in the world!
FAQs
Sometimes the filter can be starved of oxygen, creating a suction that prevents the water from filtering through.
To fix this, carefully pick up the top section by the handles (careful not to burn yourself) and tilt it setting it back down on the base plate at an angle. This will break the seal and allow air back in the filter to continue dripping.
This is especially normal towards the end of the filtering process.
It sure is. This is from the use of the Robusta variety of coffee beans, rather than the very popular Arabica beans most often used in Western parts of the world. It also has a more bitter taste, which is where the addition of condensed milk helps to mellow that out.
Feel free to brew the coffee in a moka pot or percolator instead.
Variations & Substitutes
- If you can’t source Trung Nguyen coffee, try to find ground robusta beans or arabica in a pinch.
- For a black brew, leave out the condensed milk. Add a teaspoon or two of sugar to sweeten instead if you want.
- If you want to get really creative, go one step further and use the coffee to make a Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu fusion dessert!
For more South East Asian treats, check these out next:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp condensed milk
- 2 tsp Vietnamese coffee grounds heaped, Trung Nguyen brand
- 100 ml boiling water
- ice cubes enough to fill the glass
Instructions
- Pour condensed milk into the bottom of a tall glass and set aside.
- Next, set up your Vietnamese coffee filter on top of the glass, and add in 2 heaped teaspoons of Vietnamese coffee grounds. (Alternatively, add the coffee grounds into your moka pot and prepare the coffee as you normally would – once prepared, pour over the condensed milk and move on to the final step.)
- If using the Vietnamese phin coffee filter, pour in a little boiling water (20 ml/0.5 fl oz) until the coffee grounds are covered, then cover with the gravity insert and press down lightly.
- Pour in more boiling water (80 ml/2.5 fl oz) until it just reaches the top of the gravity insert, then pop on the lid and allow the coffee to filter. That strong black coffee will start to drip down onto the condensed milk. This should take around 5 minutes for all the water to drip through.
- Mix everything together, then pour into a glass of ice. Or, add ice to your existing glass and give it one last stir. Now enjoy that coffee buzz!
Video
Recipe Notes
- You CAN skip the ice cubes and drink it warm, but we think the flavour of the coffee is much better when iced.
- Feel free to play around with the amount of condensed milk to find your favourite ratios.
- We love that we can take our phin filter travelling with us so we have a no waste solution for fresh brewed coffee no matter where we are in the world!
- Why has the water stopped filtering through the filter? Sometimes the filter can be starved of oxygen, creating a suction that prevents the water from filtering through. To fix this, carefully pick up the top section by the handles (careful not to burn yourself) and tilt it setting it back down on the base plate at an angle. This will break the seal and allow air back in the filter to continue dripping. This is especially normal towards the end of the filtering process.
- Is Vietnamese coffee stronger than regular coffee? It sure is. This is from the use of the Robusta variety of coffee beans, rather than the very popular Arabica beans most often used in Western parts of the world. It also has a more bitter taste, which is where the addition of condensed milk helps to mellow that out.
- How can I make Vietnamese iced coffee if I don’t have a phin filter? Feel free to brew the coffee in a moka pot or percolator instead.
- If you can’t source Trung Nguyen coffee, try to find ground robusta beans or arabica in a pinch.
- For a black brew, leave out the condensed milk. Add a teaspoon or two of sugar to sweeten instead if you want.
- If you want to get really creative, go one step further and use the coffee to make a Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu fusion dessert!
Nutrition
18 Comments
Thảo Ly
19/10/2016 at 9:29 pmWell, we do put fish sauce in everything but I didn’t know it was in the iced coffee. Instead, I always add a dash of salt in my coffee 🙂
Wandercooks
20/10/2016 at 2:49 pmOh yeah, we’ve heard of that but haven’t tried it yet! We’ve also heard that adding cinnamon helps to bring out that epic coffee deliciousness. We’ll be trying both ASAP. 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Renz
30/09/2016 at 3:47 amI’m glad I clicked through. I keep seeing this type of coffee in my feed this week. Would have NEVER thought fish sauce was in there. I cringed when I saw it because the smell of it is so pungent. But I am intrigued and definitely want to try it.
Wandercooks
30/09/2016 at 4:06 pmWe’re glad you clicked too! Fish Sauce is an interesting ingredient. It’s so horrible to smell alone, yet used in cooking it can add a saltyness and depth that you usually can’t achieve otherwise. We definitely recommend using it! As for the coffee, the beans are roasted with it, which reacts to give a smooth and almost chocolate-like coffee flavour when brewed. No fish smell or taste in sight – we promise! 😀
Anne Murphy
27/07/2016 at 4:59 amThat’s fascinating about the coffee roasting! I always assumed the basic coffee was like any other, and so didn’t know why this was different from any other coffee with condensed milk (which you see in several hot climates…)
Now I know. Cool! Thank you.
Wandercooks
01/08/2016 at 9:13 amThere’s so much deliciousness out there but this one is so different. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Nghia Vo
16/08/2016 at 11:02 amI hope that people will known about Vietname’s Coffee much more after this post. It’s so difference , like you said . I have my own small coffee bar in a small town. Of course, I have one Milk Coffee Glass every morning to wake me up.
Thank you for your support Our Country Coffee.
Wandercooks
22/08/2016 at 3:42 pmHi Nghia – we love Vietnam and especially Vietnamese coffee. Such a delicious way to start our day! We’d love to visit your coffee bar next time we go to Vietnam. 🙂
Neli @ Delicious Meets Healthy
27/07/2016 at 2:49 amThis sounds amazing! Fish sauce and butter infused coffee beans!? I would have never thought of that. Love all the detailed and step by step instructions you provided. Wish I could try it soon.
Wandercooks
01/08/2016 at 9:10 amWe were so surprised too, who would have thought that this strange combo would work so well to make coffee taste so amazing?? Then they made it even better with a good dollop of condensed milk. So delish!
J@BlessHerHeartYall
26/07/2016 at 11:27 pmOh yum! this looks so refreshing! Thanks for sharing the technique to the perfect cup! yum!
Wandercooks
01/08/2016 at 9:00 amDefinitely a good drink to cool off with on a hot day. Good luck and have fun!
Igor @ Cooking The Globe
26/07/2016 at 7:19 amI am a fan of iced coffee, I always order it in various cafes. I have never heard about this Vietnamese version, though. Thanks for the recipe!
Wandercooks
26/07/2016 at 8:37 amYou’re welcome Igor, thanks for stopping by!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
25/07/2016 at 7:53 pmI think I need like 5 glasses of this!
Wandercooks
26/07/2016 at 8:37 amAmen to that!
Alboni
24/07/2016 at 12:21 pmNice coffee to say good morning !!!
Wandercooks
26/07/2016 at 8:37 amAbsolutely!