Vietnamese Egg Coffee
How to Make Vietnamese Coffee – With only a handful of simple ingredients it’s easy to whip up a fabulously rich egg custard coffee that tastes just like the delicious hot drinks served in coffee shops across Vietnam!
Why We Love This Recipe
Most people have heard of classic Vietnamese coffee or Vietnamese iced coffee. This consists of two things… A glass with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom, and a small Vietnamese coffee maker sitting over the top of the glass to drip French roast coffee down into the sweetened condensed milk.
For presentation at Vietnamese restaurants, the glass is usually set in front of you with the small drip coffee maker over the top of a stemmed glass. Once the coffee has dripped through over the sweetened condensed milk, you either stir it together and enjoy it as a sweet, robust, and frothy hot beverage, or pour the mixture over ice for a tantalizing iced coffee drink!
However, today we’re going to talk about another very authentic Vietnamese egg coffee variation we had at cafes in Hanoi, Vietnam several years ago…
Egg coffee is a traditional Vietnamese pick-me-up consisting of, you guessed it, French roast coffee and sweetened condensed milk. However, the special ingredient added is egg yolks to create a rich custard texture for the coffee topping.
The custard is spooned over the top of the strong coffee to allow you to stir in as much of it as you like, or simply sip it off the top. Egg yolks beaten with sweetened condensed milk and a pinch of salt create a decadent silky smooth topping that’s hard to resist. Plus, it only takes a couple of minutes to make!
Ingredients You Need
- Coffee – use a quality dark French roast
- Sweetened condensed milk – a classic ingredient used to make most types of Vietnamese coffee
- Egg yolks – save the whites to make an Egg White Frittata
- Salt – a pinch to balance the sweetness
- Cinnamon or cocoa powder – either or both as an optional garnish
How to Make Vietnamese Coffee
Set out two small cappuccino-style coffee cups or larger espresso cups. Brew a strong pot of French roast coffee. Only 8 ounces of coffee is needed, so you can make a small pot in a drip coffee maker or French press.
Meanwhile, place the sweetened condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes until boiling. Then remove the sweet condensed milk from the microwave and add a pinch of salt.
Quickly drop the egg yolks in the hot sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously. Work fast! This will not only pasteurize the eggs, but eliminate cooked egg clumps. (For best results use a hand mixer or a egg beater.)
Continue to whip the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes until you have whipped the egg mixture into a thick frothy liquid… It should have a light, airy consistency.
Pour 4 ounces of hot coffee into each mug.
Get the Complete (Printable) Vietnamese Egg Coffee Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Spoon the egg custard mixture over the top of each glass.
Either serve as-is, or sprinkle the tops with a dash of ground cinnamon or cocoa powder. Serve hot!
Recipe Variations
- Decaf – For a drink without a kick of caffeine you can make this Vietnamese coffee recipe with your favorite decaf blend.
- Flavored coffee – French roast is the most authentic to make egg coffee like in Vietnam. But feel free to use coffee with flavoring like vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate, etc.
- Extracts – Add a tiny splash of flavor extracts, like vanilla extract, peppermint, or coconut, to the sweetened condensed milk, after microwaving but before adding the egg yolks. But like using flavored coffees, keep in mind that the sweetened condensed milk obviously has a lot of sweetness, and you don’t want to overdo it.
- Iced Egg Coffee – Make this a refreshing iced coffee drink! Pour the strong brewed coffee over ice to cool, then spoon on the egg mixture.
Serving Suggestions
A hot mug of Vietnamese egg coffee makes any breakfast or brunch feel extra special! Go all out and enjoy this sweet drink with pastries like Starbucks Cream Cheese Danish, sweet or Savory Breakfast Scones, or homemade Cinnamon Rolls… They are seriously better than Cinnabon!
The coffee is a delicious way to add some pep to your afternoon. I suggest pairing it with Cinnamon Twists or a slice of Sweet Potato Poundcake for a snack.
It is even sweet enough to serve as a caffeinated dessert after a satisfying dinner. Enjoy by itself, or add a scoop of ice cream to the hot cup for an extra-luscious Vietnamese-style Affogato treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The egg yolks are pasteurized in the hot sweetened condensed milk before adding to the coffee. So they are technically not raw.
Yes! Any potentially harmful bacteria is eliminated if you temper the egg yolks properly.
The richness of the egg yolks combined with the sweetness of the condensed milk makes a delicious custard that practically melts into the coffee. It is unbelievably tasty – and happens to also add a bit of extra protein to your day. Win-win!
No, the egg mixture needs to be prepared just before serving.
Looking for More Marvelous Drink Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Mexican Mocha Recipes
- Toffee Caramel Latte
- Salted Caramel Hot Apple Cider
- Best Chai Tea
- Hibiscus Hot Coffee
Vietnamese Egg Coffee Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 8 ounces freshly brewed French-roast coffee
- 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon or cocoa powder to garnish
Instructions
- Set out two small cappuccino-style coffee cups or larger espresso cups.
- Brew a strong pot of French roast coffee. Only 8 ounces of coffee is needed, so you can make a small pot in a drip coffee maker or French press.
- Meanwhile, place the sweetened condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes until boiling. Then remove the sweet condensed milk from the microwave and add a pinch of salt.
- Quickly drop the egg yolks in the hot sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously. Work fast! This will not only pasteurize the eggs, but eliminate cooked egg clumps.
- Continue to whip the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes until you have whipped the egg mixture into a thick frothy liquid. (It should have a light air consistency.)
- Pour 4 ounces of hot coffee in each mug. Spoon the egg custard mixture over the top of each glass. Either serve as-is, or sprinkle the tops with a dash of ground cinnamon or cocoa powder. Serve hot!