How to Make Vietnamese Coconut Coffee (Cà Phê Cốt Dừa)
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Imagine an iced coffee crossed with a coconut milkshake, and you are close to cà phê cốt dừa. In this Vietnamese drink, strong dark coffee is poured over (or blended into) a frosty slush of coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk and ice. It is rich, cold, sweet and nutty, more dessert than morning coffee. If you want to know how to make Vietnamese coconut coffee at home, you need a blender, a can of coconut cream, condensed milk and very strong coffee. The whole thing takes about five minutes once the coffee is brewed.
Below: where the drink comes from, the recipe, a no-blender shortcut, and how to get the texture right.
Key takeaways
- Coconut coffee is coffee with a slush of condensed milk, coconut cream or coconut milk and ice.
- It is associated with Hanoi, and the café chain Cộng Cà Phê is credited with popularizing it.
- Use coconut cream, not light coconut milk, for the classic thick texture.
- Brew the coffee strong: the slush dilutes it a lot.
In this article
- What is Vietnamese coconut coffee?
- How to make Vietnamese coconut coffee
- No-blender and lighter versions
- Which coffee to use
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ
What is Vietnamese coconut coffee?
Cà phê cốt dừa means, roughly, coffee with coconut cream. It belongs to a family of creative Vietnamese coffees built on strong phin-brewed coffee and sweetened condensed milk. It originated in Hanoi, and the Cộng Cà Phê café chain is credited with making it popular.
Its relatives show how inventive Vietnamese coffee culture is:
| Drink | Vietnamese name | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut coffee | Cà phê cốt dừa | Frozen coconut cream and condensed milk slush |
| Egg coffee | Cà phê trứng | Whipped egg yolk and condensed milk foam (Hanoi, 1946) |
| Salt coffee | Cà phê muối | Lightly salted cream foam (Huế) |
| Yogurt coffee | Cà phê sữa chua | Coffee and condensed milk over yogurt |
| Avocado coffee | Cà phê bơ | Coffee over an avocado smoothie (Đắk Lắk) |
| Iced milk coffee | Cà phê sữa đá | Phin coffee, condensed milk and ice |
For the foundations (the phin filter, Robusta and condensed milk), read our guide to Vietnamese coffee, and for the egg version, our Vietnamese egg coffee recipe.
How to make Vietnamese coconut coffee
Ingredients (1 large glass, about 12 oz / 350 ml)
| Ingredient | US | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Strong coffee (phin, moka pot or espresso), cooled | 2–3 oz | 60–90 ml |
| Coconut cream, chilled | ½ cup | 120 ml |
| Sweetened condensed milk | 2–3 tbsp | 40–60 g |
| Whole milk or coconut milk (optional, for a looser slush) | 2 tbsp | 30 ml |
| Ice cubes | 1 heaped cup | about 150 g |
| Toasted coconut flakes (optional) | 1 tbsp | 5 g |
Steps
- Brew strong coffee. With a phin, use 2 heaped tablespoons (18–20 g) of dark-roast coffee and about 3 oz (90 ml) of hot water. Or pull a double espresso. Let it cool to room temperature, or chill it, so it does not melt the slush instantly.
- Chill the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes if you have time.
- Blend the slush. Put the coconut cream, condensed milk, milk (if using) and ice in a blender. Pulse, then blend until thick and smooth, like a soft sorbet. Stop as soon as it is smooth; over-blending warms it.
- Taste. It should be sweet and very coconutty, because the coffee will balance it. Add more condensed milk if needed.
- Assemble. Spoon the slush into the glass and pour the coffee over the top, or pour the coffee in first and spoon the slush over it. Both are common; coffee on top looks more striking.
- Finish with toasted coconut flakes and serve with a spoon and a wide straw.
Blended-all-in version
For a uniform coffee-colored drink, add the cooled coffee to the blender with everything else. It is less dramatic to look at, but easier to drink through a straw.
No-blender, lighter and dairy-free versions
No blender
Freeze coconut milk in an ice cube tray overnight. Crush 6–8 cubes in a zip bag with a rolling pin, mix with the condensed milk in a glass, then pour the coffee over. The texture is coarser, like a granita, but the flavor is close.
Lighter
Use canned coconut milk instead of coconut cream, halve the condensed milk, and add a few extra ice cubes. You lose some richness but keep the coconut flavor.
Dairy-free
Replace the condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk. Everything else in the recipe is already dairy-free.
Make-ahead tip
Brew a jar of strong coffee or cold brew concentrate and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Our coffee concentrate recipe shows how. With the coffee ready, coconut coffee takes two minutes.
Which coffee to use
Coconut cream and condensed milk are loud flavors, so the coffee has to be bold. Vietnamese cafés use dark-roasted Robusta or Robusta blends, which keep their bitterness and body under all that sweetness. Feel Espresso’s Robusta from West Java has cacao, Brazil nut and malt notes and naturally more caffeine than Arabica. Italian Roast, our darkest Arabica and Robusta blend, gives a smoky, intense shot with thick crema. If you would rather use cold brew, our coarse Cold Brew Coffee makes a smooth, chocolatey concentrate. Choose the Espresso grind for a phin or moka pot.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Icy, crunchy texture | Too much ice, not enough cream | Add 2 tbsp more coconut cream and blend briefly |
| Runny, melts at once | Warm coffee or over-blending | Cool the coffee first, chill the glass, blend in short bursts |
| Coffee taste disappears | Weak coffee | Use a double shot or phin coffee at a strong ratio |
| Too sweet | Too much condensed milk | Start with 2 tbsp; add a pinch of salt to balance |
| Grainy coconut bits | Coconut cream separated in the can | Warm the can slightly and whisk before chilling |
Vietnamese coconut coffee FAQ
What does Vietnamese coconut coffee taste like?
Like a coffee milkshake with strong coconut flavor: creamy, cold, sweet, with bitter coffee notes cutting through.
Is coconut coffee the same as coconut cold brew?
No. Vietnamese coconut coffee is a frozen, blended dessert-style drink built on condensed milk. Coconut cold brew is simply cold brew served with coconut milk or coconut water, usually without blending.
Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
Yes, but the slush will be thinner and icier. Freezing the coconut milk into cubes first helps.
Does Vietnamese coconut coffee have a lot of caffeine?
It depends on the coffee. A phin brew or double espresso made with Robusta can be quite strong, so treat one glass as a full coffee serving.
Where did coconut coffee come from?
It originated in Hanoi, and the café chain Cộng Cà Phê is credited with popularizing it.
Sources
- Vietnamese iced coffee (variants section), Wikipedia.
Facts checked in October 2026.
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