Easy 3-Ingredient Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles Recipe

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Once you have tasted Vietnamese coffee, it's hard to go back to average joe. Vietnamese coffee tastes luxurious thanks to a combination of hearty Robusta coffee prepared in a phin filter, which drips the coffee slowly into sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of a glass. That sweet, strong, robust, and creamy final product is truly delicious — and as it turns out, to enjoy Vietnamese coffee, you aren't limited to that traditional drink format. 

Our easy three-ingredient Vietnamese coffee popsicle recipe, courtesy of recipe developer Julie Kinnaird, is inspired by the beloved coffee drink and transforms it into a handheld dessert format. Rich robusta coffee is combined with the sweetened condensed milk and an addition of heavy cream to add extra viscosity to the base mixture. Popsicle molds are filled halfway, frozen briefly, then given a drizzle of additional sweetened condensed milk for visual appeal. The result is a sophisticated twist on a favorite style of childhood treat.

Standard Vietnamese coffee contains three ingredients: brewed robusta coffee, sweetened condensed milk, and ice. For our three-ingredient Vietnamese coffee popsicles, heavy cream is added to give the pops an extra creamy texture without overdoing the sweetness, and freezing replaces the need for ice entirely. You can use a traditional Vietnamese ground coffee or check the coffee aisle at your local supermarket to find ground or whole-bean Robusta. You'll need 1 cup of brewed and cooled coffee before proceeding with the recipe, so make sure to prepare that in advance to give the liquid time to cool down. Kinnaird simply used a French press to brew the coffee for this recipe. Otherwise, you'll just need sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream to bring these popsicles to life.

Whisk together the cooled coffee, ½ cup sweetened condensed milk, and the heavy cream until smooth.

Fill 6 (3-ounce) popsicle molds halfway with the coffee mixture.

Chill the remaining coffee mixture.

Freeze the molds for 45 minutes, until slightly frozen.

Drop about 2 teaspoons of the remaining sweetened condensed milk into each mold.

Fill the molds with the remaining coffee mixture.

Insert handles or wooden sticks into the molds.

Freeze for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

Unmold the Vietnamese coffee popsicles and serve.

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What makes these treats so delicious is not only the rich coffee flavor, but the smooth and creamy texture. Adding heavy cream helps to reduce the formation of ice crystals, making the finished popsicles luxurious on the tongue. Kinnaird likes holding out some of the sweetened condensed milk to swirl in after an initial freeze, as this creates sweet and soft fudge-like pockets to bite into. If you want a less creamy fudgsicle-esque pop with a more intense coffee flavor, try reducing the heavy cream and adding more brewed coffee in equal ratios. This will create a more firm bite and icy texture.

When it comes to unmolding your pops, note that the softness of the sweetened condensed milk can become quite sticky in the molds. Make sure your freezer is on high and give the pops plenty of time to become frozen through. Keep in mind that once these treats are at room temperature, they will melt fairly quickly because of the density of the sweetened condensed milk. 

Lastly, make the effort to find and use robusta beans for the most intense coffee flavor. Remember that the job of the sweetened condensed milk is to temper the bitter edge of the robusta, but you want a coffee that will cut through all of that richness.

Robusta coffee beans are one of the most popular types of coffee beans out there, often favored for products like instant coffee because of that bolder flavor profile (and because Robusta plants are relatively inexpensive to grow). Compared to another popular type of coffee bean, Arabica, Robusta packs a bolder flavor and often has more caffeine, too. Robusta beans grow best in hot and humid climates (like in Vietnam), and are perhaps most familiar for their inclusion in Vietnamese coffee. 

Robusta beans are popular for blending, as their caffeine content can boost a combination of other beans. If you can't find Robusta bean coffee in stand-alone form, check out labels to see where Robusta is blended in. This frequently happens with espresso to boost not only the caffeine meter, but to add extra depth and that distinct robust flavor. An espresso blend is your best swap when making these popsicles if a pure robusta blend isn't available, and generally speaking, look out for a blend that's going to deliver on those deep, robust, bold flavor notes.

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