My Secret to Make the BEST Vietnamese Cold Coffee at Home (Simple & Better than Café)

So, I was on a visit to India to find what’s going on in their coffee sector and what new coffee fusions and drinks are trending. BTW, if you guys don’t know, India is the 7th-largest coffee-producing country in the world, with around 350,000 to 352,000 metric tonnes produced annually.

So, I went on reddit and start search and there I got to know there is a famous app that does 10 minutes delivery, Zepto. They have opened Zepto Café, and they made Vietnamese coffee trend in India. So, I ordered their Vietnamese coffee and dude!! I can’t tell you how good and aesthetically pleasing it was. And one more interesting thing I found was that they gave a rice-made straw which was quite impressive. In Denver, cafe’s give so called “paper” straw 🥴.

If I talk about its taste, it was on the sweeter side, and personally, I like sweet coffee more. It had a good aroma and a strong coffee taste. TBH, initially I didn’t know what goes into Vietnamese coffee or that we can even make it at home, but later my sister told me the ingredients and I was shocked, like “That’s it?”

Afterwards, Vietnamese coffee became my favourite coffee, and wherever I go, I just order this. And dude, it was a disappointment for me. Let me share my experiences with Vietnamese coffee—and a surprising fact (according to sources): Zepto uses Blue Tokai’s coffee. And when I went there, it wasn’t nice. It was more watery in texture and less sweet. And when I went to another bakery, it was even worse (bitter in taste).

The Exact Ingredients I Use

• Condensed Milk
• Water
• Milk
• Lots of Ice
• Instant Coffee Powder (Any of your choice)
• Salt (Optional)

The Easiest Way of Making Vietnamese Coffee (Step-by-Step Proccess)

Before I jump into the process, I want to make few things clear: Coffee is the only drink that everyone has their specific taste for example some people like it strong, some people like it mild, and some love it on the sweeter side (just like me 😜). But What matters is that your coffee tastes like coffee, and the flavors stay true to the ingredients and the method you use.

All the measurements I share are based on how I enjoy my coffee. Feel free to tweak them to match your taste. After all, your perfect cup should taste exactly the way you like it.

1. First, add condensed milk into the glass.
2. Next, take 2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder, mix it with 30 ml of hot water, and pour the coffee mixture into the glass.
3. Before mixing or frothing, add 15 ml of milk. Just make sure the coffee doesn’t lose its dark color otherwise, you won’t get that beautiful fusion effect later.
4. Now take a frother. If you don’t have one, you can use a whisk or even a spoon, but a frother would be nice.
5. Froth the mixture for about 2-3 minutes until the condensed milk fully dissolves.
6. Once it’s blended, add lots and lots of ice.
7. Now gently pour milk over the ice. You’ll see a beautiful fusion as the milk and coffee swirl together.
8. Adding pinch of salt is optional. If your condensed milk has already saltyness then avoid adding it.
9. Give it a good stir… and sip! Perfect Vietnamese-style iced coffee. 😍

Fun Fact: People who don’t know the name of the vietnamese coffee they search it or call it “iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk” also.

How Your Coffee SHOULD Taste

Vietnamese cold coffee is usually bold and strong when it’s made with robusta, but when you make with my style using Arabica instant coffee, the taste becomes smoother, lighter, and more balanced – and that’s exactly how it should taste.

So, your Vietnamese iced coffee made with arabica instant powder should taste like:

• Smooth
• Watery texture
• Mildly bold
• Little bit sweeter side
• Lightly chocolatey
• Refreshing

Check out this article: Best starbucks drinks under 100 calories

Vietnamese Cold Coffee vs Thai Coffee vs Regular Cold Coffee

Feature	Vietnamese Cold Coffee	Thai Coffee	Regular Cold Coffee
Coffee Beans Used	Instant Coffee	Coffee + roasted grains (corn, soybeans, sesame)	Arabica or Instant Coffee
Brewing Method	Espresso (Dissolve instant coffee in hot water)	Strong brew + strain	Instant mix / brewed coffee
Milk Used	Condensed milk + Milk	Condensed milk + evaporated milk	Regular milk
Flavor Strength	Mildly bold	Medium, smooth	Mild–Medium
Taste Profile	Chocolatey, intense, sweet	Spiced, aromatic, creamy	Light, simple, refreshing
Sweetness Level	High	Medium–High	Low–Medium
Creaminess	Watery	Extra creamy	Light to medium
Caffeine Level	High (Robusta)	Moderate	Low–Medium
Best For	Strong + sweet coffee lovers	Fans of spiced + creamy coffee	Those who like light, everyday iced coffee

FAQs

Q1. How much caffeine is in vietnamese cold coffee?

Ans. It’s hard to tell the exact amount of caffeine in my recipe because it totally depends on the brand and type of instant coffee you use. But I can give you an idea as traditional vietnamese cold coffee are made with vietnamese coffee beans that are robusta and these beans contain more caffeine than arabica (almost double).

Here’s a general Idea:

• Normal Arabica Instant Coffee (1 tsp / 2g): ~30–50 mg caffeine
• Normal Robusta Instant Coffee (1 tsp / 2g): ~60–100 mg caffeine

If you use instant coffee instead of Vietnamese Robusta grounds, your drink will naturally have less caffeine than authentic Vietnamese coffee but the exact amount depends on your instant coffee brand.

Q2. Is vietnamese Cold coffee strong?

Ans. In general vietnamese coffee is strong as it is made with robusta beans but here we are making vietnamese cold coffee with instant arabica coffee powder which is mild in taste, and condensed milk balances the bitterness.

For better understanding, you can read “How Your Coffee Should Taste Like” section above.

Q3. Is vietnamese Cold coffee sweet?

Ans. Yes, my version of vietnamese coffee is sweet as it has good amount of condensed milk.

Q4. How many calories in vietnamese Cold coffee?

Ans. Vietnamese coffee typically uses 2 tablespoons (30g) of sweetened condensed milk.

• Calories from condensed milk (30g) – 120–130 calories
• Calories from coffee powder – 5 calories

Total calories – 120–135 calories per cup

Q5. Can we make vietnamese coffee with evaporated milk instead of condensed milk?

Ans. Yes, you can definetly make it but it won’t taste same like as evaporated milk is unsweetend, thinner plus less creamy. But in case you have evaporated milk then don’t forget to add sugar (1-2 tsp) and for thickness you can add (1/2 tsp) sugar syrup or tiny bit of honey to get the closest taste.

Q6. Is vietnamese Cold coffee healthy?

Ans. No, not at all. Vietnamese coffee is not healthy as it contains high sugar, high calories and small amount of fat.

Final Thoughts – Why My Method Works So Well

I know my method is super easy. You do not need a phin filter or a French press to make this delicious Vietnamese cold coffee.

I am not kidding. My Vietnamese coffee recipe tastes better than what many cafes serve. If you do not believe it, just try it once. The best part is that you can customise it exactly the way you like. As I mentioned earlier, I have tried Vietnamese coffee at three different places and each one tasted different. Out of all of them, the Zepto one was the tastiest.

You can also make this drink in many different styles. The brewing process itself has several variations. If you have robusta coffee powder or beans, the drink becomes even better and much closer to the authentic Vietnamese flavour.

Let me know in the comments if you tried the recipe and liked it. My next recipe will be how to make cold coffee at home without using xanthan gum that I have learnt in my India trip.