Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee
by Paleo Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee with dairy-free condensed milk. This easy Vietnamese iced coffee recipe is dairy-free and can be made Whole30. Your favorite Vietnamese Iced Coffee just made healthier and better than Starbucks !
Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Paleo, Vegan, and with Whole30 alternative)
Nate and I love Vietnamese iced coffee. Whenever we visit Vietnamese restaurants in Brooklyn we always share a big cup of Vietnamese Iced Coffee (and without the condensed milk).
Wait ! Vietnamese Iced Black Coffee ? Yes. We love Vietnamese coffee but not so much about the overly sweet condensed milk. So I decided to experiment and make my own healthier version of dairy-free condensed milk that’s sweetened with dates and hence the recipe today – Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee !
How to make it
If you want to go the traditional route which is what I’m sharing with you here today, you can use the Vietnamese coffee filter/maker called phin. However you can absolutely enjoy a lovely cup of Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee, using French press or any espresso (or dark roast coffee). More info on the type of coffee beans below.
In the restaurants, the size of the Vietnamese coffee maker (called phin) is usually between 6-8 oz. I bought an 8 oz. phin on amazon that costs about $10 dollars. It’s really simple to make Vietnamese coffee using the phin and takes about 3-4 minutes to brew the coffee.
How is Vietnamese coffee maker (phin) different from pour over coffee maker ?
The main difference with a Vietnamese coffee maker is that the ground coffee is placed between two “filters” or perforated disks – one below the ground coffee and one above. The water is poured over the top filter disk and allowed to percolate through it, then the coffee, then the bottom disk. The result is that it forces the water to go through the beans slower and you end up with a stronger cup of coffee. It also doesn’t need a paper filter and works great for iced coffee because the melting ice cubes serve to dilute the strong coffee and make it perfect strength.
Type of coffee beans for Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Many Vietnamese use Cafe Du Monde French Roast Chicory coffee and this is the coffee I use today. Personally I really love it. The coffee has a nice dark roast chicory flavor that makes the coffee tastes really authentic. However, you can also use French roast coffee or any espresso beans as long as the coffee is medium coarse ground. Fine ground coffee will fall right through the little holes of the phin (Vietnamese coffee maker/filter).
More Summer Cooling Drinks and Recipes
- Iced Matcha Mango Tea
- Whole30 Watermelon Peach Mocktail
- Paleo green smoothie
- Sake grapefruit cocktail
- Sauteed Chinese Garlic Green Beans
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Keto Kimchi Pancakes
- Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp
- Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Salad
If you give this recipe a try, let me know ! Leave a comment and rate the recipe. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #IHeartUmami on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. XOXO !
Coconut Milk Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Paleo, Vegan)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Vietnamese ground coffee (see notes), , Alt. Dark roast and medium ground coffee
- 2 tbsp + ⅔ cup nearly hot boiling water, , about 200F
- 1 cup ice cubes
- Dairy-free condensed milk or any dairy-free creamer, , For Whole30 use Whole30 compliant coffee creamer
Instructions
If use vietnamese coffee press (phin) (yield ⅔ cup strong black coffee):
- Add 1 tbsp dark roast and medium ground coffee into an 6 to 8 oz. filter cup chamber. Gently tab the cup a little so that the finer grounds can fall through and won’t end up in your coffee. Place the perforated tray under the filter cup and insert the perforated disk (with a small handle) inside the cup and on top of coffee grounds.
- Turn the disk handle 90 to 180 degree to level out the ground coffee. You do not need to pack down the coffee as the weight of the disk insert is enough to do the job. Place the entire phin on top of a heat-proof glass cup.
- Add 2 tbsp nearly boiling hot water (200F) into the chamber. Wait 20 seconds to allow the coffee to expand. Then add ⅔ cup hot water into the chamber and close with the lid. It will take about 3-4 minutes for the coffee to completely drip through the filter into the cup.
- Mix the hot coffee with dairy-free condensed milk then pour it over a cup of ice cubes for Dairy-free Vietnamese Iced Coffee !
If use French Press (yield ½ cup strong black coffee):
- Add 2 tbsp medium ground dark roast coffee with ⅔ cup hot water. Steep for 5 to 6 minutes. Pour the coffee to a heat proof glass and mix it with dairy-free condensed milk then pour it over a cup of ice cubes for Dairy-free Vietnamese Iced Coffee. The recipe can be easily doubled.
Notes
- Not sure how much coffee ground to use ? In general follow the 1 tbsp ground coffee to ⅔ cup hot water rule as Vietnamese coffee is quite strong. Almost similar to espresso. Some people, however, prefer to use 2 tbsp ground coffee to ⅔ cup hot water ratio.
- Type coffee beans for Vietnamese coffee – I highly recommend using Cafe Du Monde French Roast. Alternatively, you can also use any medium-ground espresso beans or French dark roast beans.
- For Vietnamese Coffee Maker (Phin), this is the one I have. Mine is an 8 oz. phin.
- To make Whole30 Vietnamese Iced Coffee, use Whole30 compliant coffee creamer such as Nut Pods.
- The nutritional label is calculated based on black coffee + 2 tbsp of my Paleo Condensed Milk.
Nutrition
Love healthy summer sweets ? Check out my 1-minute Instant Pot Strawberry Compote, Strawberry Chia Pudding, and Purple Yam Latte.
I’ve only had Vietnamese iced coffee once while visiting San Fransisco. But I’d love to make it at home, it’s so delicious!
I’ve only recently gotten in to making iced coffee drinks (or any coffee drinks, for that matter). This looks delicious!
This is a very timely post for me, as I had my suspicion that I shouldn’t have dairy confirmed yesterday by my naturopathic doctor. I’ve pinned your sweetened condensed milk recipe to try.
Oh wow this looks so good! I used to love Vietnamese iced coffee when I was a teenager. It was a favorite of mine that I’d get at a local restaurant. I haven’t had it in many years and don’t drink coffee anymore, but I love that your version is so much healthier and dairy-free too. 🙂 Plus it’s so pretty and I can imagine how refreshing it is.
Thank you for explaining the difference between Vietnamese coffees and regular ones. I now see what makes them so tasty and special.
So very welcome. Thanks, Yvonne !
Thank you so much for that video! I was fascinated with the little Vietnamese coffee filter!
WoW! I’ve never tried this. Looks + sounds like an art form!!
This looks so good! I’m a huge coffee lover and will love this!
Looks so creamy! These are my favorite kind of coffees.
I never knew there was such a thing as Vietmanese iced coffee but I am SO in love! I need it now! Thank you for the great recipe for the sweetened coconut milk too!
Wow! This looks and sounds delicious! What a treat!
I have been doing iced matcha lattes, this looks like a great way to change it up!
Thank you, Tessa ! We love Vietnamese Iced Coffee !