Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee Recipe (Cà Phê Sữa Chua)

Vietnamese yogurt coffee turns two contrasting flavors into one refreshing drink: tangy yogurt softens the bitterness of strong coffee, while condensed milk supplies sweetness and body. It is usually served cold and may be layered for presentation, stirred into a creamy drink, or blended with crushed ice.

The Vietnamese names appear in both orders. Cà phê sữa chua literally puts coffee first, while sữa chua cà phê puts yogurt first. On English-language menus and in searches, the same drink may appear without diacritics as sua chua ca phe or ca phe sua chua.

When I first tried yogurt coffee in Ho Chi Minh City, the memorable part was not the layered appearance but the balance: tart yogurt, concentrated coffee, and just enough condensed milk to bring them together. That firsthand cup shaped the measured home recipe below.

Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee at a Glance

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

Cà phê sữa chua is a Vietnamese cold coffee drink built around yogurt rather than ordinary milk. Vietnam Tourism describes the Hanoi café version as Vietnamese drip coffee with yogurt, condensed milk, and ice. Vietnamese reporting from Tuổi Trẻ likewise identifies the combination of black coffee, tangy yogurt, condensed milk, and ice.

The drink is not simply a latte made with yogurt. Yogurt contributes acidity, cultured-dairy aroma, and a thicker texture. Condensed milk sweetens that acidity, while strong coffee keeps its flavor after dilution from yogurt and melting ice.

How to Make Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee

This recipe uses an 18 g coffee dose brewed to 60 g in the cup, then balances it with 100 g yogurt, 20 g condensed milk, and 100-120 g ice. Weigh the finished coffee, cool it, and assemble the drink only when the coffee is no longer warm.

Recipe Snapshot

Ingredients

• 100 g chilled plain whole-milk yogurt
• 20 g sweetened condensed milk, about 1 tablespoon
• 18 g medium-fine ground Vietnamese coffee
• About 100 g hot water, plus extra if needed to collect 60 g finished coffee
• 100-120 g clean ice

Use the yogurt and condensed-milk labels when exact nutrition matters. Formulations differ, especially among sweetened yogurts and plant-based alternatives.

Equipment

• Vietnamese phin filter
• Digital scale
• Kettle
• Small whisk or spoon
• 300-350 ml serving glass

New to the brewer? The Vietnamese phin guide explains grind size, bloom, flow, and adjustment in more detail.

Method

1. Chill the dairy and glass. Keep the yogurt and condensed milk refrigerated. Chill the serving glass if time allows.
2. Make the yogurt base. Whisk 100 g yogurt with 20 g condensed milk until smooth. Transfer it to the chilled glass.
3. Brew 60 g strong coffee. Add 18 g coffee to the phin. Bloom with 25-30 g hot water, then add enough water to collect 60 g finished coffee. Input water may need adjustment because the grounds retain some water.
4. Cool the coffee. Let it stand until it is no longer warm. A short rest in a shallow cup speeds cooling.
5. Assemble. Add 100-120 g ice over the yogurt. Pour the cooled coffee slowly over the ice or the back of a spoon for a layered look.
6. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking so the tart yogurt, sweet condensed milk, and strong coffee combine.

Editor's Take

Which Yogurt and Coffee Work Best?

Which Yogurt Works Best?

Plain whole-milk yogurt gives the most balanced starting texture. It is creamy enough to carry coffee without becoming dessert-thick, and its tartness keeps condensed milk from tasting flat.

Greek yogurt is a useful modern substitute, but it is not a required marker of authenticity. It creates a thicker base and may need a spoonful of cold water or milk if the mixture is too stiff to stir. A published home version from Vietnamese recipe writer Sophie Pham at Delightful Plate uses Greek yogurt for thickness, illustrating one contemporary approach rather than a universal rule.

If using sweetened yogurt, reduce or omit the condensed milk and taste before assembly. Vanilla or fruit yogurt changes the identity and can overwhelm the coffee.

Which Coffee Works Best?

A medium-fine grind and dark, robust coffee profile suit the drink because the coffee must remain distinct after meeting yogurt and ice. Vietnamese robusta or an arabica-robusta blend is a natural fit, but bean origin is less important than brewing enough strength.

For more context on Vietnamese coffee production and flavor, see the Vietnam coffee origin guide.

Condensed Milk

Sweetened condensed milk is both sweetener and texture builder. The 20 g baseline keeps the drink dessert-like without hiding the yogurt's acidity. Use 10 g for a sharper cup or 30 g for a café-style sweeter version.

Ice

Use clean, fresh ice. Small cubes chill quickly but dilute faster; large cubes preserve the layered look longer. Crushed ice works best when you want a spoonable or blended texture.

How to Make Yogurt Coffee Without a Phin

The phin gives the drink its clearest Vietnamese brewing context, but the recipe can still work without one:

Do not add an Americano-sized volume of coffee. Too much liquid thins the yogurt and makes the drink taste washed out.

Layered, Stirred, or Blended?

All three formats can be enjoyable, but they produce different textures.

Layering is for presentation. Stir before drinking for balanced sweetness, acidity, and coffee flavor from the first sip.

Taste and Texture

The first impression should be cool yogurt acidity followed by condensed-milk sweetness and a clear roasted-coffee finish. A good glass feels creamy but still drinkable, not stiff like a parfait and not thin like ordinary iced coffee.

If the yogurt completely hides the coffee, increase coffee strength before increasing coffee volume. If the drink tastes harsh, reduce the finished coffee slightly or add 5-10 g condensed milk.

Troubleshooting Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee

Does Coffee Curdle Yogurt?

Yogurt is already an acid-set dairy gel, so "curdling" is not quite the right description. Warm coffee, dilution, vigorous mixing, and an unstable yogurt can still make the drink look grainy or release whey.

Food-science literature describes this whey separation as syneresis. A peer-reviewed review of yogurt syneresis explains how the yogurt gel and processing conditions influence separation. For a smoother drink:

• use fresh, cold yogurt;
• cool the coffee before combining;
• whisk the yogurt base smooth before adding ice;
• stir only as much as needed; and
• drink it soon after assembly.

Separation is therefore possible, but it is a texture issue rather than proof that the drink is unsafe.

Calories, Sugar, Protein, and Caffeine

The baseline recipe is approximately 126 calories, with 15.5 g total sugar and 5.1 g protein. Ingredient brands vary, so treat these as planning estimates rather than laboratory measurements.

Condensed Milk Changes the Total

The Recipe structured data uses 126 calories, 15.5 g sugar, and 5.1 g protein for the stated 100 g yogurt and 20 g condensed-milk baseline. The wider table reflects variation among ordinary ingredient labels. USDA FoodData Central is the general composition reference; your package labels should control an exact calculation.

How Much Caffeine Is in Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee?

Caffeine has not been laboratory-measured for this exact recipe, so assigning one precise number would be misleading. A peer-reviewed review of caffeine in coffee shows that species, blend, dose, roast, and brewing method can all materially change the amount in a serving; robusta-forward coffees generally contain more caffeine than arabica-forward coffees.

The recipe's 18 g dry dose tells you how much coffee was used, but finished coffee weight and glass size do not reveal its caffeine content. If a precise limit matters, use verified data for the specific coffee or a laboratory-measured serving rather than a generic estimate.

History and Vietnamese Café Context

An exact inventor and creation date for Vietnamese yogurt coffee are not established in the sources reviewed for this page. It is better understood as part of Vietnam's broader café culture, where strong coffee is paired with condensed milk, eggs, coconut, fruit, and yogurt in distinct drinks.

Vietnam Tourism identifies cà phê sữa chua as a Hanoi café favorite and points readers to Café Duy Trí. Saigoneer reports that the historic café opened in 1936 and now treats frozen yogurt coffee as a house specialty. That association does not establish that the café invented the drink or served it from opening day.

The drink also appears well beyond Hanoi, with recipes and service styles varying across Vietnam and abroad. Some are layered, some fully mixed, and some blended until thick enough to eat with a spoon.

Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee vs. Similar Drinks

For a broader comparison of cold coffee formats, see the iced coffee guide.

Variations

Once the baseline is balanced, small variations are easy:

• Less sweet: use 10 g condensed milk.
• Sweeter café style: use 30 g condensed milk.
• Thicker blended version: blend the yogurt base with crushed ice before adding coffee.
• Fruit variation: add a small amount of jackfruit or mango after tasting the mixed drink.
• Plant-based version: use a cultured plant yogurt and sweetened condensed coconut milk, then recalculate nutrition from the labels.

Fruit should support the coffee rather than turn the drink into a generic smoothie. Start with one or two small pieces and adjust after stirring.

Food Safety and Storage

Use pasteurized yogurt, clean equipment, potable water, and clean ice. Keep the yogurt and assembled drink at 4 C / 40 F or below until serving.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises refrigerating perishable foods within two hours, or within one hour when the air temperature is above 32 C / 90 F. Do not leave a finished yogurt coffee sitting at room temperature for later.

Appearance and smell cannot reliably confirm safety. Make one serving, drink it promptly, and discard a glass that has been held warm or left out beyond safe limits.

Common Questions

Bottom Line

Vietnamese yogurt coffee works because the ingredients stay in tension: tart yogurt, sweet condensed milk, strong coffee, and cold dilution from ice. Start with 100 g yogurt, 20 g condensed milk, 60 g cooled phin coffee, and 100-120 g ice. Keep the coffee strong, control its finished weight, cool it before assembly, and adjust sweetness only after tasting the mixed drink.

Sources and Further Reading