If you love sweet & salty flavor combos, don’t sleep on Vietnamese Salted Coffee! The creamy salted foam is how you spice up your coffee with 4 ingredients! Make this quick ca phe muoi when you need a caffeine boost to fight the afternoon slump (or fake productivity). Cheers!
Vietnamese coffee is unapologetically bold and this salt coffee version is topped with a sweet-creamy-salty foam that subtly mellows the bitter coffee! The salt adds flavor complexity to the sweet condensed milk, just like salt added to caramel. It’s SO good, I even created an Ube Coffee version!
While in Vietnam, my husband (Josh) & I took a coffee-making class learning how to make it along with decadent Egg Coffee that tastes like tiramisu, frosty Vietnamese Coconut Coffee, and the classic Vietnamese Coffee! It’s surprisingly easy, but first…
What is Salted Coffee?
Salt coffee, or ca phe muoi, is made of robusta coffee beans, instead of arabica like most of the world, and is 3x stronger in caffeine! It’s topped with a salted cream foam that softens the bitter coffee with the sweetness of the condensed milk and pinch of salt for an almost salted caramel drink! Ho Thi Thanh Huong & Tran Nguyen Buu Phong originally created salted coffee in Hue, Vietnam in 2010. It’s gained so much popularity, you might’ve seen this “salted cream foam” option at your local coffee shops! If you want to try the original creators’ version, check out their Ca Phe Muoi cafe in Hue, Vietnam!
🎥 Video: Watch How to Make the Recipe
🥘 Ingredients
- Coffee: My fave brand of Vietnamese coffee is Cafe du Monde because it’s bold without being acidic (plus is super affordable and accessible)! I do a deeper dive on other brands & their flavor profiles in my Vietnamese Coffee recipe. Choose whichever works best for you!
- Condensed Milk: This adds sweetness and creaminess. For a vegan or dairy-free option, swap it with coconut condensed milk.
- Heavy Cream & Milk: This is the base of the cream foam. Vegan and dairy-free options are coconut cream and your fave non-dairy milk (coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or almond milk).
- Salt: Just a pinch of sea salt!
For full ingredient list & measurements, see recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Brew coffee
Place the phin filter on top of your mug, add 2-3 tablespoons of Vietnamese coffee grounds in the chamber. If you want lighter coffee, go with 2 tablespoons, for stronger coffee (& love caffeine like me hehe) go for 3 tablespoons.
Use the coffee press to lightly pack down the coffee – don’t press coffee too tightly because it turns bitter while brewing. Pour about a tablespoon of hot water into the chamber and allow it to “bloom” for about 1 minute to help intensify the coffee flavor!
Fill the chamber with water, cover with the lid, and let the coffee slowly drip while you make your salt foam.
Step 2: Make Salt Foam
The easiest and quickest way to whip up your salt foam is using an immersion blender with frother attachment (this my FAVE option because there’s a turbo mode for even quicker results lol), a hand mixer, or even a hand-held frother would work.
In a small bowl or mug, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, condensed milk, & salt until soft peaks form (about 3-5 minutes).
Step 3: Assemble
Once your brewed coffee has stopped dripping, remove the phin filter. If you prefer an iced version, add ice to the coffee, then scoop your salt cream on top. Give it a good stir before enjoying!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- A Little Salt Goes a LONG Way: Just a little pinch of salt is perfect to make a difference in your coffee. Don’t go overboard, otherwise, it’ll overpower the rest of the drink.
- For Stronger Coffee (you fellow caffeine lovers!), use 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds instead of 2 tablespoons.
- For a Large Batch: Use a french press to brew your coffee! Bring water to off the boil, pour coffee grounds into the french press, and pour just enough water to cover the coffee. Allow it to bloom for about a minute, then pour remaining water & steep for about 4 minutes. Divide the coffee into your cups, then top with your salt foam.
💭 Recipe FAQs
☕ More Easy Vietnamese Recipes You’ll Love
Sip your Vietnamese Salt Coffee with more Vietnamese recipes, like savory Thit Kho or a refreshing Vermicelli Bowl with grilled Lemongrass Chicken, tangy Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon radish, and drizzle of nuoc cham!
If you’re looking for ways to enjoy more fruits & veggies, throw together my papaya salad – a salad you’ll ACTUALLY be excited to eat!
Check out more of my drinks and desserts recipes, like my Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Vietnamese Salted Coffee (Ca Phe Muoi)
Watch How to Make It!
Ingredients
COFFEE:
- 2-3 tablespoons Vietnamese ground coffee grounds
- 1 cup 8 oz boiling water
- Ice optional, if you want an iced version
SALTED CREAM:
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons condensed milk adjust to your taste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make the coffee, place the phin filter on top of a mug and scoop the coffee grounds into the filter in an even layer. Be careful not to shake the filter so coffee grounds don’t spill into the mug.
- Gently press the coffee grounds in the filter – don't pack the coffee grounds too firmly because it turns the coffee bitter. Pour about a tablespoon of boiling water onto the coffee grounds and wait for about 5 seconds to allow the coffee grounds to “bloom”.
- Slowly pour remaining boiling water over the coffee. Cover with the lid & set aside for about 5 minutes, or until the coffee finishes dripping.
- In the meantime, in a mug or small bowl, whisk salt, heavy cream, and milk using an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, hand mixer, or handheld frother until it's thickened to a foam with soft peaks – about 5 minutes.
- To assemble, remove phin filter from coffee mug once it's stopped dripping. Layer coffee (with ice if you’d like), then spoon salted whipped cream on top. Serve with a straw & stir everything together enjoy before enjoying!
Notes
- Vietnamese Coffee: My fave brand to use is Cafe du Monde because it’s bold in flavor and super easily accessible and affordable! I also list more popular coffee brands & their flavor profiles in my Vietnamese Coffee recipe.
- Amount of Coffee Grounds: Use 2 tablespoons for a lighter coffee, 3 tablespoons for a stronger coffee.
- My Fave Whisking Tools: This immersion blender with multiple attachments is quick & SUPER helpful in the kitchen since it’s multi-purpose! A hand mixer or handheld frother works too.
- Making Bulk Coffee: Use a french press to brew your coffee! Bring water to off the boil, pour coffee grounds into the french press, and pour just enough water to cover the coffee. Allow it to bloom for about a minute, then pour remaining water & steep for about 4 minutes.
Tools
- immersion blender with mini whisk/fother attachment, or any hand-held mixer or frother
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Perfect blend thank you so much for helping me remember my holiday…..
haha yay!! What a compliment! Thanks for sharing, Monique. So glad it took you back to Vietnam 🙂