Vietnamese Egg Coffee is like drinking Tiramisu in a cup!
This frothy, creamy, rich drink is a traditional beverage in Vietnam where it is called ca phe trung.
Layering espresso with whipped sweetened condensed milk and egg mixture provides a delicious, warming treat, perfect for cold days.
If coffee with egg sounds strange to you, don’t worry
— Vietnamese egg coffee does not taste anything like eggs! The flavour is sweet, rich, and everything you’d hope for in a coffee drink made at home.
Why Did They Put Egg in Coffee?
You may be wondering why bother with the egg in coffee at all. I promise, there’s a good reason for it! The egg offers more rich and creamy consistency and helps to froth up and thicken the milk. All of these elements work together to create this Vietnamese egg coffee treat.How Strong Is Vietnamese Coffee?
Vietnamese egg coffee is meant to be strong but balanced. The fat and sweetness from the egg and sweetened condensed coconut milk take the edge off of any bitterness. You can certainly control the strength of the coffee/espresso in your egg coffee, but I recommend sticking to a fairly strong brew. Otherwise the flavour profile will be less balanced. Experiment to figure out what you like best!Is Vietnamese Egg Coffee Sweet?
Yes, Vietnamese egg coffee is sweetened. Traditionally it’s sweetened with condensed milk or sugar, or both. For this recipe, we’ve included a fantastic recipe for sweetened condensed milk that is both sugar free and dairy free.Dairy Free, Sugar Free Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
This is the BEST sweetened condensed milk recipe. It is made with dates and coconut milk, plus a touch of vanilla and dash of salt. The resulting milk is so delicious, you’ll never want the canned stuff again! Use it in any coffee drink recipe, even iced coffee! You will need:- 1 can of full fat or light coconut milk
- 4 – 5 dates, chopped
- dash of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add coconut milk and dates to a food processor or blender such as the Nutribullet. Blend for a few seconds.
- Pour mixture into a medium sized saucepan and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and remove from the heat.
- Strain the solids out of the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, saving in a glass jar.
- Store in the refrigerator.
How Do You Make Vietnamese Egg Coffee?
- Make 2 cups of espresso or strong coffee
- Add 1 egg yolk and 4 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to a shallow bowl or a medium sized mason jar.
- Use a hand mixer whisk (like this one), or whisk by hand until light a frothy.
- Pour coffee into cups, add milk and egg mixture on top and serve immediately.
How Do You Pour Vietnamese Egg Coffee?
First pour your very hot, strong dark coffee or espresso into cups.
Next, slowly pour your sweetened condensed milk and egg mixture over the coffee, dividing equally.
The sooner you pour your milk mixture after frothing, the better as over time it will start to settle and liquefy.
How Do You Drink Vietnamese Egg Coffee?
Drink your Vietnamese egg coffee while fresh and hot. Otherwise it will settle and the froth will melt into the coffee itself. This is still tasty! But not the lovely coffee drink we are aiming for.
Do not reheat or put your Vietnamese egg coffee in the microwave! It will congeal and cook the egg yolk.
Is Egg Coffee Safe?
Egg coffee does use a raw egg yolk. Raw eggs can cause salmonella poisoning although this is very rare.
If you never eat egg yolks that are not fully cooked (like in sunny side up or over easy), then you probably want to avoid using raw egg yolk in this recipe as well.
The CDC recommends refrigerating eggs at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and avoiding the use of dirty or cracked eggs.
How to Pasteurize Eggs at Home
Another option is to pasteurize your egg yolk at home in the microwave. Pasteurization requires a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the point where egg yolk will cook.
However, you can use a microwave to reach 140 degrees without cooking. Follow the instructions here.
Does Drinking Eggs Help Build Muscle?
Drinking eggs won’t help you build muscle any more than eating them will!
Eating eggs is good for building muscle though, since they are very high in bioavailable protein, with all the essential amino acids, and are chock full of vitamins and minerals.
Bodybuilders sometimes avoid eating the yolks, but egg yolks are where the majority of the nutrition comes from.
What To Do with Leftover Egg Whites
I recommend cooking leftover egg whites into your morning oats for a high protein oatmeal! Check out how to make high protein oatmeal.
Another option is to add it to more whole eggs to make an egg bake for breakfast meal prep.
Serve this coffee with a healthy treat!
- Cinnamon Apple Chai Spice Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars
- Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
- Better Than Reese’s Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
- Zesty Orange Banana Bread with Vanilla Citrus Glaze
- 45 Healthy Banana Bread Recipes
Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Dairy-Free, Keto option)
Ingredients
- 14 oz. 1 can full fat or light coconut milk
- 4 Medjool dates pitted (or use a sweetener for keto)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz espresso
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tbsp of the coconut sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Chop pitted dates and add to a food processor or Nutribullet
- Add a can of coconut milk and blend for a few seconds
- Pour into a medium saucepot and simmer low for 20 to 30 minutes
- Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve and store in a covered jar in the fridge
Vietnamese Egg Coffee
- Brew 2 cups of espresso and pour into a cup.
- Whip the egg yolk and coconut condensed milk until light and frothy.
- Add the egg mixture to the top of the espresso.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Hi, I love this but are you sure it’s from Vietnam? Have had this from a different place in south of Europe.
Yes, I’m sure! There are different versions from other countries but Egg Coffee is definitely a Vietnamese beverage 🙂
The tiramisu flavour comparison is absolutely correct, this is delicious! Adds a nice touch of luxury to your weekend morning coffee.
Fantastic! So glad you liked it 🙂
I am not a coffee person, but if I were, this recipe looks super tasty! Yay for coconut flavor!