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Vietnamese

Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee)

Vegetarian

Cà phê sữa đá

Strong, dark-roast coffee dripped slowly through a phin filter onto sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice.

Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee) is a Vietnamese cold drink, ready in about 7 minutes and made with sweetened condensed milk and finely ground coffee. It serves 1 and is rated beginner to cook.

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A serving of Vietnamese iced coffee
Representative photo. Mike Verdone / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
2 min
Cook
5 min
Total
7 min
Serves
1
Level
Beginner
Calories
136

Ingredients

1 glass

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Spoon the condensed milk (opens in a new tab) into a heatproof glass.

    • Step 2

      Set a phin filter with the ground coffee (opens in a new tab) on the glass. Pour in a splash of just-boiled water to bloom the grounds for 30 seconds, then fill the chamber and cover. Let it drip slowly.

      If it drips faster than a few minutes, tighten the press; if it stalls, loosen it.

    • Step 3

      Stir the coffee into the condensed milk (opens in a new tab) until smooth, then pour over a tall glass of ice.

      About this dish

      Origin
      Vietnam · Well documentedAlso popular in United States, AustraliaMore food from Vietnam
      Dish
      Breakfast · Snack · Cold drinks
      Cooking method
      No-cook
      Taste
      sweet, bitter, creamy, refreshing
      Diet
      Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
      All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium
      With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, Dairy-free, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
      Cook more with
      Sweetened condensed milk · Finely ground coffee

      Allergens

      • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom sweetened condensed milk

      Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

      Nutrition

      136 kcal per serving

      Estimated

      1 serving ≈ 282 g · recipe makes 1

      Where the energy comes from

      • Protein 10%
      • Carbohydrate 68%
      • Fat 22%
      Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
      NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
      Energy136 kcal48 kcal
      Protein3.5 g1.2 g
      Carbohydrate23.6 g8.4 g
      Net carbohydrate23.6 g8.4 g
      Sugars20.6 g7.3 g
      Added sugars——
      Fibre0 g0 g
      Fat3.3 g1.2 g
      Saturated fat2.1 g0.7 g
      Trans fat——
      Cholesterol13 mg5 mg
      Sodium54 mg19 mg
      Salt equivalent0.1 g0 g
      Vitamins & minerals per serving
      Potassium
      282 mg
      Calcium
      137 mg
      Iron
      0.2 mg
      Magnesium
      28 mg
      Vitamin A (RAE)
      28 µg
      Vitamin C
      1 mg
      Vitamin D
      0.1 µg
      Vitamin B12
      0.2 µg
      Folate (DFE)
      4 µg

      How these numbers were made

      • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
      • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
      • Finely ground coffee: Instant coffee powder used as a stand-in for the soluble part of roasted ground coffee; list the grams actually consumed with consumedGrams.
      • Ice: Frozen water; same composition as water.
      • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
      • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

      Good to know

      Tips

      • A Vietnamese phin (small metal drip filter) is the traditional brewer; a strong espresso or moka-pot coffee is the nearest substitute.
      • An espresso machine or moka pot makes a fine substitute for the phin.

      Common mistakes

      • Grinding too fine: the coffee drips through far too slowly and tastes bitter. Aim for 4–5 minutes of dripping.
      • Pressing the phin's screen down too hard — rest it lightly on the grounds.

      Serve with

      • Without ice it is cà phê sữa nóng, served hot in a small glass.

      Storage

      • Make fresh.

      Variations

      • Cà phê đen đá: Black iced coffee with sugar instead of condensed milk.
      • Bạc xỉu: A milkier Saigon version with more condensed milk and fresh milk and only a little coffee.

      Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

      Recipe DNA

      How this dish is built

      Customise in Sip & Blend

      Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

      What the dish is built around

      Main ingredient

      Used in step 1

      Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

      Customise in Sip & Blend

      Reviews & corrections

      Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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