Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee Recipe: Cà Phê Sữa Chua

What Is Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Chua)?

Vietnamese yogurt coffee combines strong coffee with yogurt, often condensed milk and ice. It is also written sữa chua cà phê; searches without Vietnamese accents include sua chua ca phe. Vietnam Tourism describes it as a Hanoi café drink, with condensed milk and ice optional in the wider drink family.

The yogurt supplies tartness as well as body. This measured home version uses plain whole-milk yogurt so the condensed milk controls the sweetness.

After presenting the layers, I stir. I prefer coffee, yogurt and sweetness arriving evenly, instead of judging a mouthful of strong coffee and a separate, much sweeter yogurt base as though they were the finished combination.

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How to Make Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee

One serving, about 15 minutes including brewing and cooling. Use a 350 ml (11.8 US fl oz) glass with room to stir. The 60 g (2.1 oz) target is coffee collected below the phin, not water poured into it; the grounds retain some water.

The Vietnamese phin guide covers grind and flow in more detail; a slow drip does not require compressing the grounds hard.

The coffee can cool while you mix the dairy. Keep the yogurt refrigerated until needed, and do not pour hot coffee directly onto it for this iced recipe. The brief cold-water bath cools the coffee without adding extra dilution water to the glass.

Choosing Yogurt and Beans for Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee

Which Yogurt Works Best?

A named comparison illustrates the difference: 100 g of the Stonyfield plain whole-milk reference contributes about 71 kcal and 3.5 g total sugar, while 100 g of FAGE Total 5% on its cited global label contributes 93 kcal and 3 g sugar. That is a comparison of two products, not a rule that every Greek yogurt is richer or less sweet.

Which Coffee Works Best?

A Vietnamese robusta or arabica-robusta blend is a useful starting choice for a clear roasted-coffee contrast. Brew the measured portion, then adjust the grind or coffee choice if the yogurt hides it; simply pouring a larger weak coffee into the glass adds more water too.

Condensed Milk

The baseline uses 20 g (0.7 oz). With the named label, 10 g less changes the estimate by about 32 kcal and 5.5 g total sugar. Sweetened yogurt already brings sweetness of its own, so adding the full condensed-milk portion without tasting can overshoot.

Ice

Use the recipe's 100 g (3.5 oz) as a starting amount. Small pieces melt more quickly; a blended version incorporates the ice differently. Ice changes dilution over time, so compare versions soon after assembly rather than after one has stood much longer.

How to Make Yogurt Coffee Without a Phin

Use 36 g prepared espresso plus 24 g (0.85 oz) water for a 60 g shortcut base, then cool it. Alternatively, measure 60 g (2.1 oz) prepared moka coffee. These alternatives give the drink a different coffee base.

Prepared instant coffee is another option: follow its own concentration directions and measure 60 g (2.1 oz) of the resulting coffee. Do not automatically treat 18 g instant powder as equivalent to the recipe's 18 g grounds, which are filtered out.

Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee: Layered, Stirred or Blended?

Fruit is optional. A little diced mango or jackfruit makes a dessert variation, with extra sugar and energy beyond the baseline estimate.

What Does Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee Taste Like?

Expect tart dairy, condensed-milk sweetness and a roasted-coffee finish. A strongly tangy version is not necessarily a brewing fault; change the yogurt or condensed-milk amount before making a much larger coffee portion.

Troubleshooting Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee

Does Coffee Curdle Yogurt?

A small whey layer can be normal in yogurt; stir it back into properly stored yogurt before making the drink. Stonyfield's own FAQ recommends this for a single serving. Yogurt is already cultured dairy, and temperature changes and handling can affect its texture. Cool the coffee and mix gently for a smoother drink.

Use properly refrigerated yogurt within its label guidance; discard spoiled dairy rather than trying to hide it in coffee. Normal whey separation does not establish that an old or improperly stored drink is safe.

Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee Calories, Sugar, Protein and Caffeine

This serving is estimated at 135 kcal, 14.5 g total sugar and 5 g protein.

Condensed Milk Changes the Total

These calculations use the same two labels. Total sugar includes milk sugars; the condensed-milk label does not separately state added sugar.

How Much Caffeine Is in Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee?

The phin recipe's caffeine is unmeasured. Adding yogurt and ice makes a larger drink without removing the caffeine already extracted.

For the separate 36 g espresso plus water shortcut, USDA FDC 171891 gives a generic espresso reference of 212 mg per 100 g: 36 × 212/100 = 76.32 mg, or about 75 mg. The 75 mg figure uses the separate 36 g prepared-espresso reference. Choose a coffee with appropriate verified caffeine information if a precise amount matters.

History and Vietnamese Café Context

Vietnam Tourism identifies yogurt coffee with Hanoi and mentions Café Duy Trí. Café versions can differ in yogurt sweetness, coffee strength and whether the drink is layered or blended.

Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee vs. Similar Drinks

Storage and Food Safety

Use yogurt made with pasteurized milk, clean utensils, potable water and clean ice. Keep dairy at 4°C / 40°F or below, following the product's storage instructions. Assemble near serving; do not treat a finished dairy drink as shelf-stable. FDA guidance limits perishable food left at room temperature to two hours, or one hour above 32°C / 90°F.

Common Questions

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading