No-Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
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This easy dessert is like Vietnamese iced coffee in ice cream form.
Photography credit: Aubrie Pick © 2019
Vietnamese iced coffee is a traditional Vietnamese drink of brewed dark roast coffee poured over ice and sweetened condensed milk. In her much-acclaimed cookbook, Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors, Andrea Nguyen translates this classic drink into delicious ice cream. Happily, you don’t need an ice cream machine, just a handheld electric mixer. Simply whip the ingredients together, pop the mixture in the freezer, and a few hours later you’ll have an intensely coffee-flavored, ultra-creamy frozen treat.
“This is incredible. I made it for a Vietnam-themed dinner. Everyone raved and wanted the recipe. Now that everyone’s gone, I’m sitting here eating it, unable to stop!”
What You’ll Need To Make Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
- Vanilla Extract: Adds depth and enhances the flavor profile of the ice cream.
- Instant Espresso Powder: Provides a rich coffee flavor without the need for brewing.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Contributes to the creamy texture and richness of the ice cream.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetens the ice cream while also adding creaminess and helping to keep it smooth. Make sure to use the full-fat version.
- Molasses: Adds a hint of caramel-like flavor and complexity to the ice cream and complements the coffee flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the vanilla, espresso powder, and salt; stir until the espresso powder is mostly dissolved.
Add the cream, condensed milk, and molasses.
Using an electric handheld mixer fitted with the beaters or whisk attachment, whip the mixture at high speed until just thickened to a fluffy whipped cream-like consistency, 2½ to 3 minutes. Do not over-whip.
Transfer to a 3-to 4-cup storage container, cover, and freeze until firm, 5 to 6 hours, or up to 2 weeks.
Let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep, the ice cream will keep, tightly covered, for up to 2 weeks. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften to a scoopable texture before serving.
Sure – you can definitely use an ice cream machine if you’d like!
It should work, but you may want to test it out first by dissolving some of the granules in cold water to make sure they fully dissolve. If so, you’re good to go. I suggest using a little extra — about 2.5 tablespoons — to get a more robust flavor. Taste it after you’ve added the cream, sweetened condensed milk, and molasses, and add a bit more if you want a stronger coffee flavor.
It’s delicious in coffee or tea.
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No-Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
This easy dessert is like Vietnamese iced coffee in ice cream form.
Ingredients
- 1½ to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Brimming 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- Fine sea salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- Brimming ⅓ cup full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- Scant 1 tablespoon molasses
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons of the vanilla, the espresso, a pinch of salt and stir to mix well; it will seem slightly sludgy. Add the cream, condensed milk, and molasses. Taste and, if you want to boost the flavor a touch, add more vanilla, ¼ teaspoon at a time; the amount required depends on the vanilla and your palate. An extra pinch of salt sometimes helps too.
- With an electric handheld mixer fitted with two beaters or a whisk attachment, whip the mixture at high speed for about 3 minutes, until you get a firm, spreadable texture like fluffy whipped cream or frosting. Transfer to a 3-to 4-cup storage container, cover, and freeze until firm, 5 to 6 hours, or up to 2 weeks.
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften to a scoopable texture before serving.
- Note: For coffee and chocolate ice cream, hand chop 1½ ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate into very small bits so they will disperse well. After whipping up the ice-cream mixture, use a spatula to gently fold in the chocolate. Freeze as directed. Your yield will be a little more than the original recipe.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 309
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Sugar: 20 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this and it didn’t set. I went to serve it and it was a sloppy mess, but had lovely flavour. I used all correct ingredients and followed the directions exactly. It spent 18 hours in the freezer before serving. What went wrong?
Hi Stacey, Sorry you had a problem with this! I’m happy to troubleshoot with you. A couple of questions – – is there a chance you used evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk? When you whipped it did it resemble the consistency that I show in the pictures? Was your cream really cold? Did you leave it out for a while before serving? Did you add anything else to the mixture?
I had the same problem. Put the sweetened condensed in the fridge before. And put the mixture in freezer after it would not whip and it still would not whip. Totally frustrated and aftraid to start again with the same results. I am a very good cook and again frustrated.
I’m so sorry you had trouble with this, Jo Ann. Was the heavy cream cold before whipping? What brand of sweetened condensed milk do you use?
Can I double the recipe without any problems?
Yep 🙂
Oh gosh, this is so good. Save yourself the time and just double the recipe. It took me about 5 min on high with my mixer. Just made my second batch and this time added finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Now to wait 5-6 hours…
Made this yesterday and will make it again. Not too sweet-I had thought it might be. It tasted like and has the consistency of gelato. Easy too.
I have always been a fan of Vietnamese coffee. When I saw the recipe title I was so excited. And, I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. It was so easy to make. I will make a few tweaks the next time I make it as my 12 year old son who loves coffee ice cream as much as I do, thought that the coffee flavor was a tiny bit too strong (I didn’t). I followed the recipe exactly, and not quite knowing how much a pinch of salt is/was, I may have added too much. So I will level off the espresso powder, and put in less than 1/8 of a tsp of salt next time. I also added mini chocolate chips to it before I froze it. It firmed up nicely after about 10 hours. I will also try adding it to a mini graham cracker crust pie shell to make little pies! Thanks for the recipe!
I whipped the mixture for 3 minutes and it was still the same consistency as when I started. I kept whipping but then the cream whipped to butter while the coffee solution remained liquid.
Hi Michael, Did you by chance make any substitutions? It’s strange the the coffee solution wouldn’t blend with the cream.
Nope. Well, I’m not 100% certain whether the sweetened condensed milk is full-fat or not (but I’m pretty sure it is).
Do you chill the bowl and beaters ahead of time? I wonder if it was too warm in my house…
Hi Michael, You shouldn’t need to chill the bowl/beaters. Are you sure it was sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk?
Yep. Definitely was sweetened condensed milk. I’ll give it another go and see what happens. It was delicious nonetheless!
Okay good luck! Please send me a photo at jennifer@onceuponachef.com if it happens again, and I can help troubleshoot.
The same thing happened to me the first time I tried to make this. I wondered whether being in a hot, humid house without A/C affected the cream’s ability to whip, so I tried making this again in a very cold metal bowl and it worked perfectly! Also, heavy cream has a slightly higher fat content than whipping cream, so I find that it whips more easily. Delicious recipe.
Hi Jenn. I was wondering if I could use decaf fine ground coffee or instant decaf coffee instead of espresso powder in this. What do you think? Thanks. Kathy
Hi Kathy, I think the instant decaf will work but because I’ve never tried it, you may want to test it out first by dissolving some of the granules in cold water to make sure they fully dissolve. If so, I think you’re good to go. I’d suggest using a little extra about 2.5 tablespoons to get a more robust flavor. Taste it after you’ve added the cream, sweetened condensed milk, and molasses, and add a bit more if you want a stronger coffee flavor. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Just whipped this up – so excited to try it later today! I have a question that’s a bit of a tangent: can you (or any of your lovely readers) suggest some other things I can make to use up the rest of the sweetened condensed milk? I don’t want to waste any leftovers!
Hi Kelly, Hope you enjoy the ice cream! Here are some suggestions for using up the remaining sweetened condensed milk. 🙂
Following up to give the recipe five stars! It’s *wonderful*! Thanks for the suggestions on how to use the rest of the condensed milk – but I might just end up making a bunch more of this! 🤣
I love the way you SHOW us the ingredients you are using for a recipe. Other chefs make an effort to hide the brands they use, but you are willing to share. You are my “go-to” chef. Thank you.
So glad you like that feature! 🙂
You MUST have been reading my mind. I have some leftover coffee beans that I purchased from Nguyen Coffee Supply. She’s a small, female owned, roasterie in Brooklyn and buys her beans from small growers in Vietnam. I was just thinking how delicious her coffee would be in an ice cream, and then you posted THIS! I can not wait to try it. Thank you, Jenn for reading my mind. 💕
🙂 Hope you enjoy!