Coffee Drink
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Recipe (Cà Phê Sữa Đá)
Vietnamese iced milk coffee, cà phê sữa đá, combines concentrated coffee, sweetened condensed milk and ice. A phin filter gives the familiar slow-drip preparation; stir the milk into the hot coffee before chilling.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- Not measured18 g phin recipeThe separate espresso shortcut has a ~75 mg generic reference.
- Calories
- About 130 kcalRecipe with 40 g dairy condensed milkRounded ingredient estimate; the coffee adds a small, unmeasured amount. No extra sugar.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 1 small iced coffee; use a glass of at least 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz)
- Made with
- 18 g coffee + 90 ml (3 US fl oz) brew water + 40 g (2 US tbsp) condensed milk + 100 g (3.5 oz) ice
- Sugar
- About 22 g total. From the sweetened condensed milk; includes milk sugar and added sugar.
- Preparation
- About 7 minutes
USDA ingredient estimates, rounded. The shortcut uses a separate 36 g generic espresso reference. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- 1Brew 18 g coffee with 90 ml (3 US fl oz) water, stir in 40 g (2 US tbsp) condensed milk, then pour over 100 g (3.5 oz) ice.
- 2Start with 20 g (1 US tbsp) condensed milk for less sweetness. Weigh it for a repeatable portion.
- 3Stir the milk in while the coffee is hot, then add ice.
On This Page11 Sections
What Makes Vietnamese Iced Coffee Different?
Sweetened condensed milk supplies both sweetness and body. Concentrated coffee keeps the drink distinctly coffee-forward as ice melts. Expect a bittersweet, creamy balance; the specific roasted, chocolate or nutty notes depend on the beans.
The name identifies coffee (cà phê), milk (sữa) and ice (đá). Here, the milk is sweetened condensed milk. Black iced coffee, cà phê đen đá, leaves it out. For beans, regional styles and other preparations, see the broader Vietnamese coffee guide.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Recipe
Recipe
Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá)
- Makes:
- 1 small iced coffee
- Time:
- About 7 minutes, including a 4–5 minute drip
Ingredients
- 18 g ground coffee, medium-fine as a starting point
- 90 ml (3 US fl oz) hot water, 93–96°C / 200–205°F
- 40 g (2 US tbsp) sweetened condensed milk
- 100 g (3.5 oz) ice cubes
Equipment
- Small phin filter
- heatproof brewing cup
- kettle and scales
- spoon
- serving glass of at least 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz)
Method
- Set up. Put the condensed milk in a heatproof cup. Place the phin over it, add the coffee and level the bed. Rest the gravity insert on top; do not tamp it like espresso.
- Bloom and brew. Add 30 ml (1 US fl oz) of the hot water and wait about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 60 ml (2 US fl oz), cover and let it drip. Aim for roughly 4–5 minutes from the first pour, adjusting the grind on your next brew if needed.
- Stir while hot. Remove the phin. Stir the collected coffee and condensed milk until fully combined, reaching the bottom of the cup.
- Pour over ice. Put 100 g (3.5 oz) ice in the serving glass, pour in the mixed coffee and stir briefly. Serve straight away.
Recipe notes
90 ml (3 US fl oz) is water poured into the phin, not the coffee collected. Use all the brewed coffee without topping it up to 90 ml (3 US fl oz).
Weigh 40 g (2 US tbsp) condensed milk for repeatability. For a less-sweet version, use 20 g (1 US tbsp).
The 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz) glass capacity includes room for ice; it is not the liquid yield.
With 40 g dairy condensed milk, estimate 130 kcal and 22 g total sugar.
I stir the condensed milk completely into the hot coffee before adding ice. I like tasting the balance at that stage, before colder temperatures and melting cubes make it harder to decide which part I'd change.
Nguyen Coffee Supply's guide uses a different dose and water quantity. Vietnam Tourism's recipe also brews, mixes the condensed milk, then adds ice, but uses a larger filter and a longer drip.
Brew Water, Coffee Yield and Melting Ice
The 18 g coffee to 90 ml (3 US fl oz) water starting ratio is about 1:5 by weight, treating 1 ml water as approximately 1 g. Grounds retain water, so the coffee collected will weigh less than the water poured. Use that entire brewed portion; do not add water to bring it back up to 90 ml (3 US fl oz).
The recipe also adds 100 g (3.5 oz) ice. Only the ice that melts becomes dilution. Neither 90 ml (3 US fl oz) nor the glass's 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz) capacity is a promised finished liquid volume. If you want less early dilution, chill the mixed coffee promptly before pouring it over fresh ice; do not weaken the brew with extra water first.
For filter parts and a more detailed grind guide, see how to use a Vietnamese phin.
Choosing Coffee and Milk for Vietnamese Iced Coffee
| Ingredient question | Practical choice |
|---|---|
| Which coffee beans? | Vietnamese-grown robusta or a robusta–arabica blend is a familiar starting point. Arabica also works; expect a different balance. |
| Which roast and grind? | Start with medium-dark or dark coffee and a medium-fine grind. Adjust to the actual drip, rather than treating a bag's grind name as exact. |
| Which condensed milk? | Choose sweetened condensed milk. Weigh 40 g for repeatability, or use 2 US tbsp. |
| How do I make it less sweet? | Start with 20 g (1 US tbsp) condensed milk. It will also be less thick and milky. |
| Is chicory required? | No. Coffee with chicory appears in Vietnamese American preparations, but it is not a requirement for this drink. |
Nguyen's own range includes Vietnamese arabica, robusta and blends. Huy Vu’s recipe discusses coffee with chicory in Vietnamese American cooking.
For a dairy-free version: start with 40 g (1.4 oz) sweetened condensed plant milk, or 20 g (0.7 oz) for less sweetness, and use its label for nutrition. Evaporated milk is unsweetened, while ordinary oat or coconut milk is thinner; neither directly replaces the sweetened condensed ingredient.
Fixing Watery or Overly Sweet Vietnamese Iced Coffee
| What happens | Change next time |
|---|---|
| The finished glass tastes too sweet | Reduce condensed milk from 40 g (2 US tbsp) to 20 g (1 US tbsp); keep the coffee recipe unchanged. |
| It tastes thin after adding ice | Check the measured brew water and ice. Avoid topping up the collected coffee; chill the mixture before adding fresh ice if needed. |
| The phin drains very quickly | Grind a little finer and level the coffee bed. |
| Almost no coffee drips | Check for blocked holes or very fine grounds; loosen an overtightened screw insert. |
| A sweet layer remains at the bottom | Stir the hot coffee and milk thoroughly before chilling. |
| It tastes harsh rather than simply strong | Try a less heavily roasted coffee or adjust the extraction before adding more sweetener. |
A phin with a screw-down insert differs from the gravity-disc version in this recipe. Follow its maker's setup instructions; forcing the insert down is not a substitute for adjusting the grind. Nguyen's phin FAQ explains how dose, grind and filter design affect flow.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Caffeine and Calories
How Much Caffeine Is in Vietnamese Iced Coffee?
This 18 g phin recipe has no measured caffeine value. The beans, dose and extraction determine the amount in your glass.
The separate espresso shortcut below has an approximately 75 mg caffeine reference for 36 g prepared espresso. It is not a phin estimate or upper limit. Keep that weighed espresso portion separate from a volume-based shot convention.
Milk and ice do not remove caffeine already in the brewed coffee. For a café drink, ask about the beans and dose or use a published serving-specific figure.
Calories and Sugar for This Recipe
With 40 g dairy sweetened condensed milk, estimate 130 kcal and 22 g total sugar for the glass. For a less-sweet 20 g version, estimate 65 kcal and 11 g sugar.
Swipe to see all columnsScroll to see all columns
| Condensed milk used | Estimated drink calories | Estimated total sugar |
|---|---|---|
| 20 g (1 US tbsp) | 65 kcal | 11 g |
| 40 g (2 US tbsp) | 130 kcal | 22 g |
Serving calculation and sources
Calculation basis: USDA sweetened condensed milk has 321 kcal and 54.4 g total sugar per 100 g. The milk contributes 64.2 kcal at 20 g or 128.4 kcal at 40 g, plus a small, unmeasured coffee contribution. The rounded table is an ingredient estimate; ice adds no calories.
Total sugar is not the same as added sugar. As a separate named-product check, Carnation's US label lists 130 kcal, 22 g total sugar and 18 g added sugar per 2 tbsp/30 ml. The remaining sugar includes naturally occurring milk sugar. Check your own can: brands and plant-based alternatives differ, and tablespoons are only an approximate substitute for weighing.
The espresso reference uses USDA espresso, at 212 mg caffeine per 100 g: 36 × 212 ÷ 100 = 76.3 mg, rounded to 75 mg. That separate 36 g espresso reference contributes around 3 kcal.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Without a Phin
Espresso shortcut: brew an 18 g espresso dose to 36 g espresso, then stir in 20–40 g (1–2 US tbsp) condensed milk while hot. Pour over 100 g (3.5 oz) ice. This makes a compact Vietnamese-style iced milk coffee with an espresso base.
Moka-pot shortcut: brew the pot normally for its size, then use 60 ml (2 US fl oz) brewed coffee with the same condensed milk and ice amounts. Follow the brewer's water-fill limit and leave the grounds untamped. See the moka-pot guide for its own method.
Ordinary filter coffee can be used, but a large, weak mug poured over ice gives a much lighter result. Choose a concentrated recipe suited to your brewer; do not transfer the phin's grind and 1:5 input ratio unchanged to every brewing device.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee vs. Iced Latte and Thai Iced Coffee
| Drink | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| Cà phê sữa đá | Concentrated coffee, sweetened condensed milk and ice; often phin-brewed |
| Iced latte | Espresso with a larger portion of ordinary milk and ice; sugar is optional |
| Thai iced coffee | Several preparations exist; the creamy recipe in our guide adds evaporated milk alongside condensed milk |
| Black Vietnamese iced coffee | Coffee and ice without condensed milk; order cà phê đen đá |
| Vietnamese egg coffee | An egg-cream topping creates a different texture; it is a separate drink |
Vietnam Tourism presents iced milk coffee as a familiar Vietnamese preparation.
Making Ahead and Other Small Adjustments
For two glasses, repeat the phin brew twice, then mix each with its own milk portion and add fresh ice at serving. Simply doubling the grounds in a small phin changes the bed depth and may stop it draining properly.
If preparing ahead, refrigerate the mixed coffee promptly in a covered container and add ice when serving. Follow the condensed-milk pack's storage directions. FDA storage guidance advises keeping the refrigerator at or below 4°C/40°F and limiting unrefrigerated time for perishable foods to 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F. For the freshest flavor, make it the same day.
Common Questions
Can I use decaf?
Can I serve this hot?
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
9 references
External links open in a new tab
Preparation and ingredients
- Vietnam Tourism / Spice VietVietnamese iced milk coffeePublished recipe with a larger filter and different quantities and timing from our home starting point.(opens in a new tab)
- Nguyen Coffee SupplyPhin preparationRoaster's own setup and brewing example.(opens in a new tab)
- Nguyen Coffee SupplyBeans and phin flowProducer's coffee range, chicory context and equipment guidance.(opens in a new tab)
- Huy Vu, Hungry HuyVietnamese American coffee choicesAuthored recipe and context for coffee with chicory.(opens in a new tab)
Nutrition references
- Nguyen Coffee SupplyPhin caffeine variablesCoffee and recipe variables that affect phin caffeine.(opens in a new tab)
- USDA FoodData CentralCondensed milk, FDC 171275Generic sweetened condensed-milk values for mass-based ingredient estimates.(opens in a new tab)
- USDA FoodData CentralPrepared espresso, FDC 171891Caffeine and calorie reference for the separate 36 g espresso shortcut.(opens in a new tab)
- CarnationUS condensed-milk labelNamed-product example distinguishing total and added sugar.(opens in a new tab)