Vietnamese Salt Coffee (Cà Phê Muối) with Salted Cream

Salt coffee, or cà phê muối, is Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, topped with a thick layer of lightly salted whipped cream. It comes from Huế, the old imperial city of central Vietnam. The pinch of salt softens the bitterness of dark Robusta and makes the sweetness taste rounder. One glass takes 10 minutes and ⅛ teaspoon of salt.

What salt coffee is

In Vietnamese, cà phê means coffee and muối means salt. A glass of cà phê muối has two layers. At the bottom sits strong phin coffee, sweetened with condensed milk and poured over ice. On top floats a soft cap of cream, whipped with a little condensed milk and a pinch of salt.

The first sip comes through the cream. It tastes cold, creamy and a little salty, like salted caramel. Then the coffee arrives, dark and sweet. Stir the cream in and the whole glass turns smooth, rich and caramel brown. It never tastes like seawater: the salt only rounds off the edges.

Where salt coffee comes from

Salt coffee is young. Its creators, Hồ Thị Thanh Hương and her husband Trần Nguyễn Hữu Phong, told CNN Travel that they first served it in 2010. That was when they opened their first Cà Phê Muối shop, on Nguyễn Lương Bằng Street in Huế.

Hương is an architect. According to VnExpress International, she named the shop after “Salted Coffee,” a love story that was circulating on social networks. Her first version put condensed milk, fermented milk and salt in the cup, with the phin dripping on top. Customers stirred it themselves. In 2023, the shop sold about 500 cups a day, at 15,000 dong (63 US cents) each.

The drink spread fast across Huế. Tuoi Tre News says it “has only become popular in the past ten years,” and it has now spread well beyond Huế. Most recipes today float the salted cream on top.

Why salt coffee is trending right now

Salt coffee went viral on TikTok in 2024. An analysis by Reviva Coffee, reported by BeanScene, ranked it the fourth most viral coffee trend of the year. Its top videos drew more than 17 million views.

The same year, CNN reported that Starbucks stores in Vietnam had launched their own salt coffee in May 2024. It also cited a 2023 Mintel survey: 71% of Gen Z consumers in the US said they wanted to try Asian-inspired coffee drinks.

Salty coffee drinks keep growing in the US. On Yelp’s Trend Tracker, searches for a salted brown butter latte rose 900% in August 2026, compared with August 2025. Searches for a salted maple latte rose 550%. Salt coffee fits right into that taste for salty, sweet coffee.

Why a pinch of salt makes coffee taste better

The salt in salt coffee is not a gimmick. In a 1997 study in Nature, Paul Breslin and Gary Beauchamp found that salt filters flavors. In their words, “unpleasant tastes (such as bitterness) are more suppressed than palatable ones (such as sweetness).”

Caffeine is one of the bitter tastes salt can mute. In a 2003 study of children and adults, sodium cut the bitterness of a caffeine solution by 55%. Those tests used lab solutions, not coffee. But they explain what you taste in the glass.

This matters most with Robusta, the bold, bitter bean that Vietnam grows most. Vietnam’s tourism authority puts it simply: “The salt cuts the bitterness, amplifies the sweetness, and creates a velvety texture.”

What you need for salt coffee

Coffee and a phin

Use the same coffee and phin filter as for Vietnamese coffee: a dark roast made from Robusta beans, or a Robusta blend, ground medium-coarse. A standard phin holds 2 tablespoons (14 g) of coffee and ½ cup (120 ml) of water. It drips about ⅓ cup (80 ml) of strong coffee into the glass.

Heavy cream

Use cold heavy cream, with at least 36% fat. Cold cream whips faster and holds its shape longer on the coffee. Half-and-half and whole milk will not thicken enough to float.

Salt

Use fine sea salt or table salt in the cream: it dissolves at once. Flaky salt stays crunchy, so keep a few flakes for the top. If you use kosher salt, which has larger grains, use a little more.

Sweetened condensed milk

The recipe uses it twice: 1 tablespoon (19 g) in the coffee and 1 teaspoon (6 g) in the cream. The milk in the cream balances the salt and helps the cream hold soft peaks.

How to make salt coffee at home

Start the phin first. Warm the phin and a short glass with hot water, spoon the condensed milk into the glass and add the coffee. Bloom the grounds with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water for 45 seconds, then fill the chamber and let it drip for about 5 minutes.

Whip the cream while the coffee drips

Put the cream, condensed milk and salt in a narrow cup. A small amount of cream is hard to whip in a wide bowl, because the whisk barely reaches it. A handheld milk frother does the job in 20 to 30 seconds. A small whisk takes 2 to 3 minutes.

Stop at soft peaks. The cream should be thick and should fall from the whisk in a slow ribbon, with peaks that slump at the tip. Stiff cream sits on the coffee like a hat and barely blends in. Runny cream sinks straight into the coffee.

Float the cream

Stir the coffee into the condensed milk, then pour it over a tall glass of ice. Cold coffee holds the cream up better than hot. Spoon the cream over the back of a spoon held just above the coffee, so it spreads out gently instead of plunging. Aim for a layer about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.

Sip, then stir

Every source we checked ends with a stir. Sip through the cream first, though. The first sips give you salt and cream against dark coffee, and the stirred glass tastes like a salted caramel latte.

How salty it is

The ⅛ teaspoon of salt carries about 290 mg of sodium, by USDA figures. With the milk and cream, a glass holds about 335 mg. The FDA sets the Daily Value for sodium at less than 2,300 mg a day, so one glass uses about 15% of it. If you watch your salt, start with a small pinch: you will still taste the difference.

Salt coffee variations

Hot salt coffee

Skip the ice and spoon the cream straight onto the hot coffee in the short glass. The cream melts faster, so drink it soon. The founders prefer it iced. As Hương told VnExpress, “A cup of cold salted coffee tastes better than a hot cup.”

Salted cream cold brew

Pour ½ cup (120 ml) of cold brew over ice with 1 tablespoon (19 g) of condensed milk, then float the salted cream on top. It is milder than phin coffee and quick to make for a crowd.

Salted cream on tea

The same salted cream is good on tea. Food writer Vicky Pham spoons it over any unsweetened coffee or tea. Brew jasmine or oolong tea strong, pour it over ice and add the cream.

Egg coffee

Hanoi’s answer to salt coffee is egg coffee, topped with egg yolk whipped with condensed milk. It is richer, sweeter and served hot.

Serving salt coffee after a Sunday meal

Salt coffee works as a drink and a small dessert at once. Serve it at the end of a long lunch, after a classic pot roast. The salted cream also sits well next to a warm slice of sticky toffee pudding, since both play salt against caramel.

For 4 glasses, use ¾ cup (180 ml) of heavy cream, 4 teaspoons (25 g) of condensed milk and ½ teaspoon of fine salt. Whip them in a bowl with an electric mixer, for about 1 minute. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 hours, and whisk it briefly before you spoon it on.

Substitutes for missing ingredients and equipment

• No phin: use ⅓ cup (80 ml) of strong coffee from a moka pot, or a double shot of espresso.
• No heavy cream: whipping cream, with 30 to 36% fat, works too. It gives a lighter, looser cap.
• Dairy-free: whip 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of chilled coconut cream with the salt, and use sweetened condensed coconut milk in the coffee.
• No condensed milk: sweeten the coffee with 2 teaspoons (8 g) of sugar, and the cream with ½ teaspoon (2 g). The glass will taste less rich.
• Less caffeine: use a dark-roast decaf, ground medium-coarse.

Frequently asked questions

What does salt coffee taste like?

It tastes like a salted caramel iced latte. The cream is cold, soft and lightly salty, and the coffee under it is dark and sweet. The salt tames the bitter edge of Robusta, so the glass tastes smoother than regular iced coffee.

Is salt coffee salty?

Only a little. There is ⅛ teaspoon of salt in the whole glass, all of it in the cream. You taste it on the first sips, then it fades into the sweetness once you stir.

Should you stir salt coffee?

Yes, but not straight away. Take the first sips through the cream, so you get cream and coffee together. Then stir the rest in.

Why do people put salt in coffee?

Salt suppresses bitterness more than sweetness. A 1997 study in Nature showed the effect, and it is why a pinch of salt makes strong coffee taste smoother and sweeter.

Can I make salt coffee hot?

Yes. Skip the ice and spoon the salted cream onto the hot coffee. It melts faster than on iced coffee, so drink it soon.

How much sodium is in salt coffee?

About 335 mg a glass, with ⅛ teaspoon of fine salt. That is about 15% of the FDA’s Daily Value of 2,300 mg. A smaller pinch of salt still works.

What is the difference between salt coffee and egg coffee?

Salt coffee comes from Huế and is topped with salted whipped cream, usually over ice. Egg coffee comes from Hanoi and is topped with egg yolk whipped with condensed milk, usually served hot.