All you need are egg yolks, coffee, and sugar. That’s it! Although the ingredients are simple, Vietnamese egg coffee blows other creamy coffees out of the water in terms of look and taste. You get that fluffy, creamy egg cream floating on top of incredibly strong robusta coffee. And you don’t need to travel to Vietnam to try it; you can make it right in your own kitchen.

Here’s how to make Vietnamese egg coffee at home!

Vietnamese Egg Coffee Takeaways:

• Have patience and beat the egg yolks until they turn light yellow!
• Use sugar and condensed milk for the best results (especially for a single serving).
• Brew robusta coffee in a phin for a strong Vietnamese coffee base.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s strong, creamy, delicious, and tastes like a custardy coffee!
• Take a slice of Vietnam into your home with this coffee.
• It’s a fun and different recipe that you might not have ever seen!
• Learning a new coffee technique might broaden your coffee horizons!

What is Vietnamese Egg Coffee?

Vietnamese egg coffee, or cà phê trứng, is a sweet and creamy coffee from Vietnam made from whipping raw egg yolks and sugar or condensed milk into a fluffy cream. The coffee base is a traditional brewed Vietnamese coffee using a phin filter that slowly drips concentrated coffee. You pour the egg cream over the brewed coffee, and it floats! It’s normally dusted with cocoa powder, but you can leave it plain, too.

It started in Hanoi, which is in Northern Vietnam.

Egg Coffee Origin

Like many foods that emerged from desperate times, egg coffee came from a barista looking for a way to serve coffee without using milk. In 1946, a bartender in Hanoi named Nguyen van Giang was making a coffee drink at the Sofitel Hotel. Milk was in short supply due to the First Indochina War in Vietnam.

As a substitute, he whipped egg yolks and condensed milk together to create a fluffy egg foam that tasted amazing with strong, robusta coffee (what Vietnam is famous for). It exploded in popularity for its delicious taste and became so popular that he opened Cafe Giang that same year, which still stands today.

I got to visit the cafe in 2023, and it was so cool getting to see the real deal in person. Traditionally, the coffee is served in a bowl of warm water that keeps the coffee hot. (Although it’s always hot in Vietnam).

What Does Egg Coffee Taste Like?

If you’ve ever had Vietnamese iced coffee, you’ll know it’s strong and sweet, and egg coffee tastes exactly like it but creamier and custard-like. People say it tastes like liquid tiramisu, with the custardy egg cream mimicking mascarpone cream and the strong espresso that’s in tiramisu and egg coffee. It’s one of the most unique coffee beverages I’ve had, and super delicious!

I’ve had the privilege of tasting the real deal at Cafe Giang, whose egg coffee is light and fluffy with a slight custard taste. They serve a large ratio of cream to coffee, so it’s more of a dessert than a drink. It’s also insanely fluffy and makes you feel like you’re eating a cloud. It’s definitely a treat and not an everyday coffee, but dang is it good.

This might not suit your palette if you do not like custard or egg desserts. But I love the custardy, creamy flavor it adds to coffee.

Can You Add Raw Eggs to Coffee?

Yes! It might sound strange and unfamiliar, but many cultures around the world have their own version of eggs in coffee. There’s Italian egg coffee, aka espresso zabaglione, which is eerily similar to Vietnamese egg coffee. You beat egg yolks with sugar until pale, then add espresso and drink! Basically, an upside-down Vietnamese egg coffee!

From the Swedish American diaspora in the 1800’s, “Swedish” egg coffee or church basement coffee involves mashing a whole egg (shell and all) into coffee grounds while brewing. It was before coffee filters were a thing, and a creative way to filter coffee. It’s not very common in Scandinavia, but still going strong in America, where the communities are. But thanks to the alkaline properties in eggshells, it makes the coffee smoother, less acidic, and less bitter!

Is Raw Egg Safe?

I’m sure growing up, you’ve been told not to eat raw eggs because they can make you sick! Which is hard, when cookie dough is so irresistibly good. But many dishes include raw egg, and some people even drink raw eggs for protein!

And, honestly, I eat raw eggs all the time. I love a runny egg yolk, and tamago gohan (Japanese raw egg yolk rice) is one of my favorite dishes. So why the hesitation? Salmonella bacteria.

In most countries around the world, eggs are safe to eat raw because they’re unwashed, which leaves the chicken’s natural antibacterial coat (cuticle) on the egg, protecting it from bacteria and germs.

In the United States, egg farmers are legally required to wash eggs for sale, which means that eggs lose their protective membrane and must be refrigerated to decrease contamination.

How risky is it? Well, 1 in 20,000 eggs are contaminated, which is 0.005%. So, the risk of consuming raw eggs is relatively low, but it is never 0.

Because eggs can be contaminated, it’s not recommended to eat them raw unless they are pasteurized or cooked. However, you will generally be okay if you consume raw eggs, just at your own risk. 🙂 I don’t recommend raw eggs to anyone who has a weak immune system, though.

Vietnamese Egg Coffee Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Vietnamese egg coffee at home!

• Eggs — You can’t have egg coffee without eggs! Any eggs will do, organic, regular, free-range, etc.
• Robusta Coffee Beans — Vietnamese coffee uses robusta beans, which are bigger, darker, and more oily than arabica beans. Vietnam is actually one of the largest producers of coffee in the world! However, for an easy pre-ground option, most Vietnamese people swear by Cafe du Monde of Trung Nguyen coffee.
• Sugar or Condensed Milk — The egg cream is made with sugar and/or condensed milk. I’ve seen many recipes use both or one or the other, but it really just depends on your preference.
• Cocoa Powder (Optional) — Many cafes serve egg coffee with a dusting of cocoa powder, similar to a cappuccino. It adds a nice color on top, but it’s totally optional.
• Hot Water

You’ll also need:

• A coffee grinder with a medium setting — You don’t want the grounds to be too big, or the coffee won’t brew well. Too fine, and you’ll have over-extracted coffee. You want something a little bigger than an espresso grind.
• Phin coffee filter — Vietnamese coffee must be brewed in a phin, which is a metal coffee filter with a metal press inside. You can find this in virtually every Asian grocery store, especially if it’s Vietnamese. It’ll run you about $5 – $10.
• Handheld frother or electric mixer — You’ll need a fast and strong mixer to incorporate air quickly. I would not whip this by hand…

How to Make Vietnamese Egg Coffee

1. Grind Coffee. Grind coffee beans if needed with a medium grind setting. The grind should be bigger than espresso ground coffee, but smaller than a cold brew coffee grind.
2. Brew Coffee. Place the phin filter on a heatproof glass. Make sure the filter balances evenly on the lip of the glass.
3. Boil water in a kettle and add your coffee to a phin with the metal filter removed. Then, add the filter on top of the coffee, pressing lightly. Add a half inch of hot water to coat and bloom the coffee grounds.
4. When the water passes through, add more hot water and fill the phin to the top, covering with the metal top. The coffee should drip slowly, with one drop passing every 10 seconds or so. The whole filter should take 4 – 6 minutes to complete.
5. After brewing, remove the phin from the glass.
6. Separate Egg Yolks. Crack eggs in half and separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Save the egg whites for an omelet or extra protein! Place the egg yolks in a big cup or bowl that has enough space for a whisk attachment or frother.
7. Make Egg Cream. Add sugar and/or condensed milk to the egg yolks, and whip for 5 – 10 minutes on high speed until light, fluffy, and pale yellow. The first couple of minutes might not turn color drastically, but just keep beating the eggs, and they’ll eventually turn light yellow. If not, please see the troubleshooting below.
8. Assemble Drink. Once the egg cream is fluffy, add it on top of your brewed coffee. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and serve with a small spoon.
9. Mix and Enjoy! Enjoy the egg cream on its own or mix it into the coffee for a coffee custard treat.

Why Is My Egg Cream Not Fluffy?

I failed so many times before getting this recipe right. My egg yolks were never fluffy and didn’t have the right consistency. But I’ve identified 3 main problems:

1. You need to whip super, super fast.
2. Have patience.
3. Use more sugar.

Point 1: Egg yolks need a lot of help getting fluffy due to their chemical structure. You want to use one of the higher speeds of your mixer to incorporate air fast. Using a low speed is not enough, and no matter how long you mix for, it will never become fluffy.

Point 2: Once you’re using a higher mixing speed, you want to whip the egg yolks for 4-6 minutes, constantly. If you ever watch videos of people making it in Vietnam, they’re basically whipping the eggs at lightning speed for 5-10 minutes. That’s how they achieve that super airy and light cream! So we need to be patient! (Clearly, I was too impatient the first couple of times, haha.)

Point 3: What you’re essentially making is a foam by whipping the egg yolks and sugar. The egg yolks emulsify, trapping air between the protein and the sugar, which helps stabilize the foam. If your foam isn’t fluffy, you might need to add some sugar.

Tips for the Best Egg Coffee

• Add Condensed Milk to the Coffee: If you’re worried about the Vietnamese coffee being too strong even after the egg cream, you can add a little bit of condensed milk to the base for a softer flavor. Although this might make the drink super sweet…
• Make a Big Batch: I’ve noticed that cafes usually make large servings of egg cream for their egg coffee, and their cream is way fluffier than a single serving. It’s probably because they’re able to use a full electric mixer to beat the yolks more efficiently. So, try making a large batch for super fluffy cream!
• Use Pasteurized Eggs: If you’re worried about salmonella, you can always use pasteurized eggs, which are heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria. Although they’re really hard to find in the U.S., you might need to DIY it.
• Add Vanilla Extract: Add vanilla extract to eliminate any eggy smell or taste in your egg cream. Just a drop or two will do!

FAQ’s

What are the benefits of egg coffee?

Well, besides the sugar, eggs are a great source of protein! It’s a fun way to get extra protein and nutrients in a creamy coffee, but the sugar might offset the benefits…

Can I make this iced?

You sure can! A lot of cafes actually sell iced egg coffee. Hot egg coffee is the traditional way, but it also tastes amazing iced. To make it iced, after you brew your coffee, let it cool slightly or completely before adding it with ice. Then, add the egg cream on top!

Can I add egg cream to other drinks?

Yes! At Cafe Giang, they serve all types of beverages with the famous egg cream. They have chocolate milk, matcha, coconut, Oreo, rum, beer, even… You name it! It’s also really popular to have the cream by itself with toppings. Try it on an iced latte, flavored milk, or other beverage!

Other Coffee Recipes to Try

Egg coffee is so fun to make at home, and it’s a great way to travel without going anywhere. If you like this recipe, then here are some other coffee recipes to try next:

• Egg Matcha
• Salted Cream Coffee
• Vietnamese Iced Coffee
• Cream Top Vietnamese Coffee
• Ube Coconut Vietnamese Coffee