How to Make Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (or Cafe Sua Da) is a combination of strong, dark coffee and condensed milk with ice. It’s typically made using a much darker roast than you would use in your usual iced coffee, so the sweetness of the condensed milk balances out the bitter notes of the coffee. 

Traditionally, this drink should be brewed from freshly ground coffee beans, either medium or coarse, with Robusta beans being favoured over Arabica for their bitter and intense flavour. But if you’re a pod person, you’re very much allowed to use coffee pods—we’d just recommend using a darker roast. 

This is an unbeatable Southeast Asian treat, and the rich intensity of the coffee means that even people who religiously drink their coffee black will enjoy this. If you’re getting bored of your usual iced coffee recipes and want to try something new, this is it. And we’re here to show you how to make it.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ingredients

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Grind Extra Dark Coffee Pods or, if you prefer to brew it yourself, 150ml of brewed coffee using our Dark Blend Ground or Whole Bean Coffee
• Ice (would be extra cool if you used the Grind Ice Cube Tray)
• 40ml sweetened condensed milk
• Hot water
• Sugar or sweetener (optional)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Recipe

Our quick and easy instructions on how to make a delicious Vietnamese Iced Coffee, using only a handful of basic ingredients. 

Step 1

Make a double shot of coffee using two Grind coffee pods in our Extra Dark Blend, or freshly brew 150ml of coffee with your favourite brewing tool (ours is a Cafetière) using our Dark Blend coffee beans or ground coffee. If you have time, leave it to cool.  

Step 2 

Fill a nice glass or cup (cute cups make drinks taste nicer, everyone knows that) with ice cubes. 

Step 3

Pour the condensed milk into a separate glass. 

Step 4

Pour your brewed coffee into the condensed milk and stir. 

Step 5

Pour the coffee and milk over the glass of ice and enjoy. 

How Much Caffeine Is in a Vietnamese Iced Coffee?

The caffeine content in a Vietnamese iced coffee will differ depending on the coffee roast that you use. As the drink works best with darker, stronger roasts, the caffeine content will often be a little higher than your standard cup of coffee, sitting at around 100 milligrams. You can, however, adjust this by using our Dark Decaf Blend coffee pods, which have the same intense flavour, just without the caffeine. 

How Many Calories Are in Vietnamese Iced Coffee?

The calorie count in Vietnamese iced coffee will vary depending on your measurements, but this recipe will contain approximately 120 calories, but using less condensed milk or fat-free condensed milk in your coffee will reduce this.

Is Vietnamese Iced Coffee Healthy?

One of the best things about a Vietnamese Iced Coffee is the way the sweetness of condensed milk balances the rich, bitter flavour of a dark roast coffee. However, condensed milk isn’t something we’d recommend drinking too much of due to its sugar and fat content. If you want to make a healthier version, we’d recommend using reduced fat or reduced sugar condensed milk, or simply using less condensed milk.

Ready to Make Your Own Vietnamese Iced Coffee?

Obviously, Vietnamese iced coffee needs great coffee. Choose from our range of speciality-grade coffee in Nespresso® compatible, home-compostable coffee pods or, if you prefer to brew at home, as whole bean and ground. 

If you’re using coffee pods, we’d inevitably suggest you get your hands on our sleek and powerful Grind Two Coffee Pod Machine to make sure you’re getting the very best from your pods, making a fuller-bodied, barista-quality coffee. 

Short on time? We get it—you’re busy. That’s why we have our range of ready-to-drink iced coffee cans, featuring our signature House Blend, slow-steeped in cold water. You can shop all our iced coffees here.