If you are looking for a coffee that is a bit different from the norm, super easy to make and absolutely delicious then Vietnamese egg coffee is going to be right up your street. All you need is 2 eggs, ground coffee and condensed milk and 5 minutes later you will have transformed your everyday coffee into a gourmet delight.
Coffee shops seem to have tons of different drinks to choose from these days but Vietnamese egg coffee is not one of them so if you haven’t been to Vietnam yourself then it puts a completely different twist on any coffee drink you have tried before and learning how to make Vietnamese egg coffee will add another string to your bow to treat yourself and your guests.
What do you need to make Vietnamese egg coffee?
1. The coffee
By far the most important ingredient is the coffee itself. This is often overlooked when it comes to making any coffee-based drink.
If you don’t have any kind of coffee machine or coffee maker then you can use instant coffee. Vietnamese egg coffee is probably not something that you will make every day and so you want to make it taste a bit special.
Although you can use instant coffee we would not recommend it because it has the least amount of flavour of all the coffee types you can use.
Learn more about instant coffee
Next best is pre-ground coffee. You can find packets of pre-ground coffee in any supermarket. It’s whole coffee beans that have been ground down and vacuum packed ready to go straight into a coffee machine ready for brewing.
Using pre-ground coffee is much better than instant but the problem is that as soon as you open the packet the quality of the coffee will start to deteriorate and the first couple of coffees you make will taste good but from then on it won’t be the same.
If you are using pre-ground coffee then you need to store it correctly to keep as much of the flavour in as possible.
How to store coffee and keep it fresh
The best way to prepare Vietnamese egg coffee is by using whole coffee beans and grinding them just before you make your coffee.
Coffee retains all of its freshness for much longer when kept in whole bean form, that’s why all coffee shops use coffee beans and grind them just before making your coffee of choice.
If you have no idea how you would do that yourself it is miles easier than what you think and very cheap.
You literally put some coffee beans into a coffee grinder, press down on the top and within 30 seconds you have freshly ground coffee ready to make the best possible tasting cup of coffee.
Coffee grinders start at about a tenner and once you do it that way you won’t go back when you taste how much better the coffee is.
Learn more about grinding your own coffee
It’s best to use a dark roast coffee for Vietnamese egg coffee similar to the type used to make espresso coffee. It combines well with the other ingredients and produces the best flavour.
2. Coffee maker or machine
To get the best possible tasting Vietnamese egg coffee you should use a coffee maker or machine to brew your coffee with.
In Vietnam, they use these small cup-sized manual filter coffee makers like the one below that you place over your cup and the coffee drips through:
You absolutely do not have to buy one of these to make a good Vietnamese egg coffee.
Any number of different coffee machines or coffee makers can be used to create the same flavour you would get with a “Vietnamese coffee maker”.
Filter coffee machines are a low-cost alternative and cafetières even cheaper. Once you use one of these brewing methods to make coffee you can upgrade to something with more features but if you are just starting out you can buy something that will do the job for £10-£20.
With cafetières and filter coffee machines, you can make multiple cups of coffee at the same time.
Step by step guide to making Vietnamese egg coffee
1. Make a cup of black coffee
One of the disadvantages of using an authentic Vietnamese coffee maker is that they tend to come in one size – for one person.
If you are using a Vietnamese coffee maker (not required) then for one person add 3 teaspoons of ground coffee and add a small amount of water to allow the water to soak into the coffee without the coffee filtering through into the cup.
Leave for a few minutes and then add enough water for one cup of coffee (about 200ml)
If you want to get the right balance between the amount of coffee to use with the right amount of water then check out this article:
A Vietnamese filter coffee maker is ok if you are only making it for yourself but once you try it for yourself you are going to want to share it with others.
The best coffee maker to use that replicates a traditional Vietnam coffee maker is either a filter coffee machine or a cafetière.
Make the required number of cups of black coffee and set aside.
Important: Do not add sugar. Once the rest of the ingredients are added you will have all the sweetness you need.
2. Do the egg bit
You need two eggs per cup and you only want the yolks from each egg.
Add two teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk to the eggs. My favourite is carnation milk which is available from any supermarket.
Give the egg yolks and carnation milk a good whisk for a couple of minutes until the colour changes from a deep yellow into a much lighter yellow and it thickens up.
3. Finish off the coffee
Carefully add the egg mixture to the coffee. If you have whisked it thick enough then the egg foam will sit on top of the coffee and you are almost done.
You can drink it as it is just like that or you can play around and tailor it to your individual taste by adding a little more condensed milk to sweeten it up.
Vietnamese egg coffee. Done.
Here is a short video showing how easy it is to make
