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Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Cold and creamy, this sweet drink is a delicious take on the traditional style of coffee served in Vietnam. It’s easy to make and may make you want to give your iced lattes.

Vietnamese iced coffee in a tall glass and a small bowl of sweetened condensed milk.

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What makes Vietnamese Iced Coffee so good? 

Are you a fan of strong, sweet coffee? Then you’ll definitely want to give this Vietnamese Iced Coffee recipe a try. This creamy concoction blends strong coffee mixed with chicory and sweetened condensed milk.

When served over ice, it is the perfect caffeinated sugar rush to help you get through that mid-morning or afternoon slump. 

Why you’ll love this simple recipe

Why pay five bucks for Iced Vietnamese Coffee in a restaurant or at a specialty coffeehouse when you can make it for cheap at home? Unlike lattes that require expensive equipment, the only piece of equipment you need is a Vietnamese coffee filter that you can pick up for less than ten bucks.

If you don’t have a phin, and want to try this recipe out before buying one, you can use a French press instead. Check out the recommended products section at the bottom for where you can purchase equipment and supplies. 

Vietnamese Iced Coffee ingredients

For this coffee drink, you’ll need:

  • Café du Monde coffee
  • Water
  • Sweetened condensed milk
Vietnamese coffee ingredients, kettle, and phin coffee filter.

How to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee

To prepare traditional Vietnamese-style coffee over ice: 

  1. Boil water in a kettle.
  2. If you are using a Vietnamese coffee filter called a phin, take out the top filter and spread the coffee evenly in the filter. Place the top filter and screw it down lightly. Don’t compress the coffee like you are making a shot of espresso. 
  3. Place the filter over a coffee cup and pour about an ounce of boiled water into the filter. Wait for 30 seconds. This step wets the coffee grinds and allows the coffee to bloom, expanding the grinds slightly so you get the best flavor.
  4. Fill the top of the phin with boiled water and cover if your filter has a lid. 
  5. Allow the coffee to slowly drip into the coffee cup. This will take about four to five minutes. You can take off the lid to check if there is any remaining water in the filter, but don’t stir the grounds. 
  6. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a tall glass.
  7. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
  8. Pour the coffee over the top.
  9. Stir and enjoy this wonderful coffee mixture!
Collage of making Vietnamese iced coffee.

What to serve with it 

Vietnamese Iced Coffee is on the sweet side, so it pairs well with savory pastry or spicy dishes. Here are a few suggestions:

Cream Cheese Cookies. These rich Cream Cheese Cookies have a bit of a tang and are not overly sweet, so they go well with Vietnamese Coffee. You can make these cookies soft and chewy or crisp and crunchy, but crispy is probably the way to go when serving them with coffee. 

Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls. Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls are delicious spicy bites of chicken and cheese tossed in a Buffalo-style sauce and then wrapped in a spring roll wrapper before frying to a golden brown. Serve the Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls with a blue cheese salad dressing dip and carrot and celery sticks on the side. 

Quiche Lorraine. A slice of Quiche Lorraine with its savory ham and cheese, custard-like filling, and crunchy crust goes well with Iced Vietnamese Coffee.

Vietnamese iced coffee in two tall glasses.

Recommended products to make this easy

A Vietnamese phin filter will not only give you an authentic taste, but it will add a bit of a ritual when you are making your morning coffee. There are lots of different phins you can buy, but this one with traditional cork handles is cheap and is perfectly sized for this Vietnamese Iced Coffee recipe. 

Whether you use a phin or not, your coffee choice matters. You need a strong coffee, and if you can’t get Trung Nguyen Vietnamese coffee with arabica and robusta beans, then Café du Monde is a great alternative. Café du Monde is a famous New Orleans-style coffee with a robust dark roast combined with chicory. Chicory makes the coffee even stronger, which will offset some of the sweetness from the condensed milk and give you a smooth brew.

Sweetened condensed milk is what makes this style of coffee unique. Canned sweetened condensed milk is a popular choice, but it can be a mess to store any leftovers. Spending a little more buying sweetened condensed milk in a squeeze bottle will save you a lot of headaches.

Vietnamese iced coffee in a tall glass.

Favorite iced coffee recipes

Check out more of my easy drink recipes and the best DIY recipes on CopyKat!

Vietnamese iced coffee in a tall glass and a small bowl of sweetened condensed milk.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Enjoy a cup of sweet and creamy iced Vietnamese coffee any time of the day.