By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 1
127 cal · 6 min
Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Cafe Sua Da)
Recipe GLPRfad60f7b558f19
A classic Vietnamese iced coffee made with medium-grind French roast coffee and sweetened condensed milk. Hot coffee brewed slowly through a traditional Vietnamese coffee maker drips directly onto the rich, sweet condensed milk, then is poured over ice for a refreshing, creamy beverage.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons Medium-grind French roast coffee
2 tablespoons Sweetened condensed milk
Ice
Water
Directions
Boil water in a kettle. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove from heat and allow it to cool for just 1–2 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a cup. Fill a separate, tall glass generously with ice—the more ice you add, the weaker the finished coffee will be.
Place the coffee grounds into your Vietnamese coffee maker (phin). Wet the grounds with about 1 tablespoon of the hot water and let them bloom for 30 seconds. Screw the metal press onto the brewing chamber, tightening it gently by hand until snug. Pour the remaining hot water into the chamber and cover with the built-in lid.
Allow the coffee to drip slowly into the cup containing the condensed milk, which should take 3–5 minutes. If the coffee drips too quickly, use the tip of a spoon or butter knife to gently turn the press clockwise to tighten it. If it drips too slowly or not at all, turn the press counter-clockwise to loosen it slightly. Adjust as needed until you achieve a steady, slow drip.
Once all the coffee has dripped through, stir the hot coffee and sweetened condensed milk together until well combined. Pour the entire mixture over the ice in the tall glass, stir, and serve immediately.
Comments
Vietnamese iced coffee is genuinely cheap and fast: a can of sweetened condensed milk (around $1.50 for multiple servings) plus ground coffee you likely have at home makes this under 50 cents per cup. All ingredients are stocked at every Charlotte grocer—Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI all carry condensed milk year-round. The six-minute timer is honest if you're brewing via pour-over or using a Vietnamese phin dripper; the only friction is if you don't own a phin, which costs $8–12 but lasts forever. It's a same-night drink with no leftovers to worry about, and works perfectly for a weeknight caffeine fix or a weekend dessert drink.
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