Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream (with Chocolate Chips)

It feels like summer in LA, so it’s that time of year where I brush off my ice cream machine and starting churning some ice cream. A flavor that I can’t believe I haven’t done yet is Vietnamese coffee ice cream. Like durian, Vietnamese coffee or just coffee in general is a favorite flavor among Vietnamese families. I decided to give it a little something extra by adding chocolate chips to the ice cream! Chocolate and coffee is always an amazing combination.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Espresso powder – The espresso powder gives the ice cream its coffee flavor. I would highly recommend using espresso powder, not coffee grounds. I’ve tried using coffee grounds, and it doesn’t work as well.
• Condensed milk – Condensed milk is a huge part of Vietnamese coffee, so I had to include it in this recipe. It adds sweetness to the ice cream base. Use any kind of condensed milk you can find!
• Whole milk & Heavy Cream – Adds creaminess and richness to the ice cream.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the ice cream. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean.
• Egg yolks – Egg yolks add richness and creaminess to the ice cream.
• Sugar – White sugar adds sweetness to this recipe.
• Dark chocolate – This is an optional ingredient, and adding the chocolate chips is an optional step, but I think it takes amazing with coffee! I use 56% cacao Bakers chocolate bars.
• Coconut oil – Coconut oil gives the chocolate a nice sheen, and helps it melt better.

Making my Vietnamese coffee ice cream recipe

Combine whole milk and heavy cream in a sauce pan. Heat for 1-2 minutes until hot. Turn off the heat. Whisk together egg yolks, condensed milk, and granulated sugar. Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Mix the eggs and hot cream, and then pour that mixture into the sauce pan. Add espresso powder and vanilla extract. Turn the heat back on and mix the ice cream base until well combined.

Continue heating the ice cream base until the cream reaches 170 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the cream. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. This will get rid of any egg or milk solids in the cream. Put ice cream base in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight. Pour the cream into an ice cream maker and churn for 10-15 minutes. While the ice cream is churning, combine the chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave in 20 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Mix together. After the ice cream has churned for 5 minutes, drizzle the melted chocolate into the churning ice cream. The cold ice cream will harden the chocolate. The resulting ice cream after 10-15 minutes should be slightly harder than soft serve. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.

Tips on how to make the perfect Vietnamese coffee ice cream

Temper your eggs

Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.

Make sure your Vietnamese coffee ice cream is cold before churning

You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours to cool it down before adding it to the ice cream machine. This might seem like a lot, but the colder your ice cream base is, the creamier your ice cream will be.

Be careful not to over churn

The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.

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