How to Make Vietnamese Egg Coffee at Home
Share
If you've never tried Vietnamese egg coffee, you're in for something special.
Known in Vietnam as cà phê trứng, egg coffee combines strong Vietnamese coffee with a rich, creamy layer of whipped egg yolk and condensed milk. The result is somewhere between a coffee and a dessert – bold, sweet, silky and surprisingly indulgent.
Although it might sound unusual at first, egg coffee has become one of Vietnam's most famous coffee creations, particularly in Hanoi, where it was first created.
The good news? You don't need to travel to Vietnam to try it. With a few simple ingredients, you can make Vietnamese egg coffee at home.
What is Vietnamese egg coffee?
Vietnamese egg coffee, or cà phê trứng, is traditionally made with strong Vietnamese coffee, sweetened condensed milk and a whipped mixture of egg yolk and sugar.
The hot coffee sits underneath a thick layer of sweet, creamy egg foam. When you take a sip, the bitterness and intensity of the coffee cuts through the sweetness of the egg mixture, creating a surprisingly balanced drink.
It's rich, aromatic and completely different from a traditional latte or cappuccino.
Vietnamese egg coffee is particularly associated with Hanoi, where it has become an iconic part of the city's coffee culture.
Where did Vietnamese egg coffee come from?
Cà phê trứng is widely associated with Hanoi's Café Giảng, where Nguyễn Văn Giảng is credited with creating the drink in the 1940s.
The story is that a shortage of fresh milk encouraged Giảng to experiment with egg yolk and sugar as a creamy alternative.
What started as a practical substitution became one of Vietnam's most recognizable coffee drinks.
Today, egg coffee can be found throughout Vietnam, but Hanoi remains particularly famous for it.
Vietnamese egg coffee ingredients
One of the best things about this Vietnamese egg coffee recipe is that you only need a handful of ingredients.
You will need:
- 1 strong cup of Vietnamese coffee
- 1 fresh egg yolk
- 1–2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Optional: a small amount of vanilla extract
- Hot water
- Ice, if making an iced version
For the most traditional experience, use a Vietnamese phin filter to brew the coffee.
Vietnamese coffee is typically strong and full-bodied, which is important because it needs enough intensity to balance the sweet egg mixture.
How to make Vietnamese egg coffee
Step 1: Brew your Vietnamese coffee
Start by brewing a strong cup of Vietnamese coffee.
If you have a Vietnamese phin filter, place it over your cup, add your ground coffee and slowly pour over hot water.
Allow the coffee to drip through.
You want a concentrated, aromatic coffee rather than a weak brew.
Step 2: Separate the egg
Carefully separate the egg yolk from the white.
Place the yolk into a small bowl.
For the smoothest result, use a fresh egg.
Step 3: Add condensed milk and sugar
Add the sweetened condensed milk and sugar to the egg yolk.
A good starting point is:
1 egg yolk + 1–2 tablespoons condensed milk + 1 teaspoon sugar.
Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.
Step 4: Whip the mixture
Whisk the egg yolk, condensed milk and sugar until the mixture becomes pale, thick and creamy.
This can take several minutes by hand, although an electric whisk will make the process much quicker.
The mixture should become light and fluffy rather than remaining runny.
Step 5: Pour over the coffee
Once your coffee is ready, slowly spoon the whipped egg mixture over the top.
You should end up with two distinct layers:
Strong Vietnamese coffee underneath.
Creamy egg foam on top.
And that's it.
Your homemade Vietnamese egg coffee is ready.
How to drink Vietnamese egg coffee
Don't immediately mix everything together.
Try taking your first sip through the creamy egg layer so you get the coffee and egg foam together.
You can then gently stir the layers to combine the flavors.
The coffee should provide a strong, slightly bitter foundation, while the egg mixture adds sweetness, richness and a custard-like texture.
It's almost like drinking a liquid coffee dessert.
Hot or iced Vietnamese egg coffee?
Traditionally, Vietnamese egg coffee is served hot.
However, you can also make an iced version if you prefer.
For iced Vietnamese egg coffee, brew your coffee as normal and pour it over ice before adding the egg mixture.
The result is lighter and more refreshing, while still keeping the distinctive combination of strong Vietnamese coffee and sweet egg foam.
What coffee should you use for egg coffee?
The coffee makes a huge difference.
Because the egg mixture is rich and sweet, you want a coffee with enough body and intensity to stand up to it.
Vietnamese coffee is particularly well suited to egg coffee because of its bold flavor and traditional use with condensed milk.
At Đất Coffee, we focus on coffee from Đắk Lắk, Vietnam, one of the country's best-known coffee-growing regions.
Our coffees are designed to showcase the character of Vietnamese coffee while working beautifully in both traditional Vietnamese preparations and modern brewing methods.
For egg coffee, try a bold, full-bodied Vietnamese coffee that won't get lost underneath the creamy egg layer.
Vietnamese egg coffee recipe
Here's the simple recipe to save:
Ingredients
- 1 strong Vietnamese coffee
- 1 egg yolk
- 1–2 tbsp condensed milk
- 1 tsp sugar
Method
- Brew a strong Vietnamese coffee.
- Separate one egg yolk.
- Add condensed milk and sugar.
- Whisk until thick, pale and creamy.
- Pour the coffee into a cup.
- Spoon the egg mixture over the top.
- Enjoy while hot.
Prep time: 5–10 minutes
Serves: 1
Why you should try Vietnamese egg coffee
Vietnamese egg coffee might sound strange if you've never tried it before, but the combination makes sense once you taste it.
The intense coffee balances the sweetness of the condensed milk and egg, while the whipped yolk creates a smooth, almost custard-like texture.
It's also a great introduction to Vietnamese coffee culture, where coffee is often enjoyed slowly and socially rather than simply grabbed on the way to work.
From the traditional phin filter to condensed milk coffee and cà phê trứng, Vietnamese coffee has its own distinctive character.
Make Vietnamese egg coffee at home
You don't need complicated equipment or expensive ingredients to make a great cup of Vietnamese egg coffee at home.
All you need is strong Vietnamese coffee, an egg yolk, condensed milk and a few minutes.
The next time you're looking for something different from your usual flat white or cappuccino, try making cà phê trứng.
You might just discover your new favorite coffee.
Want to experience Vietnamese coffee at home?
Explore Đất Coffee, made with coffee sourced from Đắk Lắk, Vietnam.
From Vietnam to your cup.
Đất Coffee — Coffee from the land.