Coffee Drink
Vietnamese Salt Coffee Recipe: Cream, Salt & Calories
Vietnamese salt coffee, cà phê muối, pairs strong coffee and condensed milk with a lightly salted creamy layer. This iced home version keeps the cream soft and pourable, with the small salt portion measured separately.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- Not measured (phin)18 g grounds; 60 g collected coffeeThe phin uses 18 g grounds; the separate espresso shortcut uses 36 g prepared espresso.
- Calories
- About 205 kcalDefined recipe; named dairy labelsIncludes a generic USDA plain-coffee energy proxy.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 60 g (2.1 oz) phin coffee + 20 g (0.7 oz) condensed milk + 40 g (2⅔ US tbsp) cream + 0.2 g salt + 100 g (3.5 oz) ice
- Made with
- Phin coffee + salted cream
- Sugar
- About 12.2 g total. Includes dairy sugars and sweetened condensed milk; the cited condensed-milk label does not separately quantify added sugar.
- Preparation
- About 15 minutes including cooling
Named product labels and USDA references checked 25 September 2026. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- 1Start with 0.2 g fine salt in 40 g (2⅔ US tbsp) whipping cream; no extra salt garnish is needed.
- 2The defined iced serving is about 205 kcal and 12.2 g total sugar using the named dairy labels and a generic coffee energy proxy.
- 3Cool the coffee before adding the softly whipped salted cream.
On This Page10 Sections
What Makes Vietnamese Salt Coffee Different?
Cà phê muối combines strong coffee, sweetened condensed milk and a lightly salted creamy layer. This home version uses whipping cream. Vietnam Tourism associates salt coffee with Huế, while the coffee producer The Phinist publishes a cream-topped preparation.
The useful contrast is between the brown coffee base and the soft cream above it. Salt is seasoning, not a crunchy topping. There is no caramel syrup in this recipe: a salted-caramel comparison describes a possible flavor impression, not an ingredient.
For a sweetened Americano base with salted cream, compare sea salt coffee.
Vietnamese Salt Coffee Recipe
One iced serving, about 15 minutes including brewing and brief cooling. The 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) glass is a capacity suggestion. The recipe controls collected coffee by weight because grounds retain water; 100 g poured into a phin does not mean 100 g served.
Recipe
Vietnamese Salt Coffee
- Makes:
- 1 serving
- Time:
- About 15 minutes, including cooling
Ingredients
- 18 g coffee, ground for a phin
- About 100 g (3.5 oz) hot water, adjusted to collect 60 g (2.1 oz) coffee
- 20 g (0.7 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 40 g (2⅔ US tbsp) cold 36% whipping cream
- 0.2 g fine salt
- 100 g (3.5 oz) ice
Equipment
- Phin, kettle, scales, small bowl, spoon and 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) glass, small whisk
Method
- Level 18 g coffee in the phin. Bloom with 30 g (1.1 oz) hot water for 30 seconds, then add water gradually to collect 60 g (2.1 oz) coffee.
- Stir 20 g (0.7 oz) condensed milk into the coffee. Cool the cup in a cold-water bath without adding bath water to the drink.
- Whisk 40 g (2⅔ US tbsp) cold cream with 0.2 g salt until thickened but still pourable.
- Put 100 g (3.5 oz) ice in a 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) glass and pour the cooled coffee mixture over it.
- Spoon all the cream on top. Serve immediately; sip through the cap, then stir if preferred.
Estimated nutrition per serving: 205 calories; total sugar 12.2 g. Serving: One drink; 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) glass capacity.
Recipe notes
Weigh salt on a 0.1 g scale.
Nutrition uses named dairy labels and a generic black-coffee energy proxy.
Use a narrow bowl and small whisk for this modest cream portion. A scale with 0.1 g resolution makes the salt repeatable; a large pinch or a measured eighth of a teaspoon is not an equivalent instruction. For phin setup and flow adjustments, use the Vietnamese phin brewing guide.
How Much Salt Goes in Vietnamese Salt Coffee?
The starting point is 0.2 g salt in 40 g (2⅔ US tbsp) cream, or 0.5% of the cream's weight. Taste the cream with the coffee before changing the next batch.
I add salt to the cream a little at a time, tasting it with the coffee and condensed milk. I want a brief savory contrast to the sweetness; if the whole mouthful starts tasting salty, that contrast has become the main flavor.
| What you notice | First adjustment |
|---|---|
| Salt is the first or lingering flavor | Use less salt next time; adding more sugar does not remove it |
| Cream disappears immediately | Cool the coffee and whisk the cold cream slightly longer |
| Cream sits like a stiff dessert topping | Stop whipping earlier; aim for a soft ribbon |
| Coffee is hidden by richness | Use less cream or a more concentrated coffee base |
| Drink is too sweet | Reduce condensed milk from 20 g (0.7 oz) to 10 g (0.35 oz) |
Breslin and Beauchamp's taste research supports selective suppression of bitterness by salts in studied mixtures. It does not establish that this recipe removes all coffee bitterness or that more salt is better. Fix a harsh extraction at the brewer rather than continually seasoning the finished drink.
Vietnamese Salt Coffee: Hot, Iced or Without a Phin
| Version | What to change |
|---|---|
| Hot | Omit ice and cooling; add the cream to the warm sweetened coffee and serve promptly |
| Espresso shortcut | Use 36 g prepared espresso plus 24 g (0.85 oz) water for a 60 g base; cool for the iced version |
| Moka shortcut | Follow the moka-pot method, then measure 60 g (2.1 oz) prepared coffee; keep the same condensed milk, cream and ice |
| Dairy-free adaptation | Start with 20 g (0.7 oz) plant-based condensed milk and 40 g (1.4 oz) plant cream labeled for whipping; retain 0.2 g salt and use both product labels for nutrition |
Yogurt adds tang and behaves differently from whipping cream. It is not a one-for-one substitute for making this soft cream cap. For a yogurt-led drink, use the separate Vietnamese yogurt coffee recipe.
Vietnamese Salt Coffee Calories, Sugar and Caffeine
This defined iced serving is estimated at 205 kcal and 12.2 g total sugar. The calculation uses the named dairy labels and a generic coffee energy proxy.
Serving calculation and sources
Swipe to see all columnsScroll to see all columns
| Ingredient reference | Recipe amount | Calories | Total sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schärdinger 36% whipping cream | 40 g | About 138 kcal | 1.2 g |
| Nestlé Middle East sweetened condensed milk, 397 g can | 20 g | About 64 kcal | 11 g |
| USDA generic plain brewed coffee, energy/sugar proxy | 60 g | Less than 1 kcal | 0 g reference |
| Water, ice and salt | Defined recipe | 0 kcal | 0 g |
The exact calculation is 40 × 345/100 + 20 × 322/100 + 60 × 1/100 = 203 kcal, rounded to 205. Total sugar is 40 × 3/100 + 20 × 55/100 = 12.2 g. The coffee calculation uses USDA FDC 171890 as an energy and sugar proxy.
Phin caffeine is unmeasured. Cream, salt and ice do not remove caffeine already present in the coffee. The optional espresso shortcut has a separate generic reference: 36 g × USDA FDC 171891's 212 mg per 100 g = 76.32 mg, approximately 75 mg.
The named condensed milk contains added sugar, but its cited label does not separately quantify that amount. Total sugar includes dairy sugars. Reducing condensed milk by 10 g removes about 32 kcal and 5.5 g total sugar from the estimate; removing 10 g cream removes about 35 kcal and 0.3 g sugar. Salt reduction changes seasoning, not the drink's sugar content.
Vietnamese Salt Coffee in Huế and Related Drinks
Huế is the drink's widely recognized regional association. Vietnam Tourism highlights that regional connection.
| Drink | Main distinction |
|---|---|
| Vietnamese iced coffee | Coffee and condensed milk over ice without this cream cap |
| Vietnamese egg coffee | A whipped yolk mixture rather than whipping cream |
| Vietnamese yogurt coffee | A tangy yogurt base, usually mixed before drinking |
| Vietnamese coconut coffee | Coconut changes the flavor and creamy element |
Keeping the Dairy Cold
Keep cream and opened condensed milk refrigerated as their labels direct. Use pasteurized dairy, clean utensils and clean ice; assemble near serving. FDA guidance calls for refrigeration at 4°C / 40°F or below and limits perishable food at room temperature to two hours, or one hour above 32°C / 90°F. A salty taste does not make this drink shelf-stable.
Common Questions
Does Vietnamese salt coffee contain caramel?
Can I use table salt instead of sea salt?
Does salt coffee have less caffeine?
Can I use yogurt for the cream cap?
Should I stir salt coffee?
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
9 references
External links open in a new tab
Drink context
Preparation
- The PhinistSalt-coffee preparationProducer recipe illustrating coffee, condensed milk and a soft salted cream; our weights are a home adaptation(opens in a new tab)
- Breslin and Beauchamp / NatureSalt and bitterness researchOriginal 1997 taste research on salts and bitterness(opens in a new tab)
- Nguyen Coffee SupplyPhin brewing exampleProducer method for leveling, bloom and drip flow; our dose and collected yield differ(opens in a new tab)
Serving references
- Schärdinger36% whipping creamNamed per 100 g label: 345 kcal and 3 g sugar(opens in a new tab)
- Nestlé Middle EastSweetened condensed milk, 397 g canNamed reference per 100 g: 322 kcal, 55 g sugar and 7.5 g protein(opens in a new tab)
- USDA FoodData CentralPlain brewed coffee, FDC 171890Generic 1 kcal and 0 g sugar per 100 g used only as an energy and sugar proxy, not phin caffeine(opens in a new tab)
- USDA FoodData CentralPrepared espresso, FDC 171891212 mg caffeine per 100 g applies only to the separately described generic espresso shortcut(opens in a new tab)