Drinks · Vietnam

How Many Calories in Ca Phe Sua Da?

Also known as Cà phê sữa đá, Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Cafe Sua Da, Ca Phe Sua.

Dark roast robusta dripped through a phin filter onto a layer of sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over a tall glass of ice. Every corner in Vietnam sells it, from 12,000 dong on a plastic stool to 55,000 at a chain.

130kcal / 1 glass
A standard glass of ca phe sua da is around 130 calories, and nearly all of it is the 40g of condensed milk at the bottom. The coffee itself is 2 calories. Long Chau lists it at 95 for a light 30g pour; Vinshop's 120 to 150 for 30 to 40ml of condensed milk is closer to what a Saigon quan actually gives you.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 glass (200g)AmountPer 100g
Calories130 kcal65 kcal
Protein3 g2 g
Carbs22 g11 g
Fat3 g2 g

Where the calories come from

Sweetened condensed milk40g
130 kcal
Phin drip coffee40g
2 kcal
Ice120g
0 kcal

The real talk

Condensed milk is 320 calories per 100g, so the number is just how much the seller pours. A careful 30g pour (2 tablespoons) is 95 calories, which is the Long Chau figure. The 40g that most street quan use, because customers complain if it is not sweet, is 130. A big 50g pour at a quan that serves it in a tall glass with the spoon standing up is 160. The 40ml of phin coffee adds 2 and the ice adds nothing.

The habit is the issue, not the glass. One ca phe sua da a day at 130 is 910 calories a week, 47,000 a year, which is about 6kg of body fat if nothing else changes. Two a day, the normal Saigon office pattern, is 12kg. It is the single most common reason a Vietnamese person's diet does not add up on paper: the food is fine and the coffee is 260 a day.

The alternatives are close cousins. Bac xiu, mostly milk with a little coffee, is about 105 in Long Chau's list but 180 to 220 at chain cafes that use fresh milk and condensed milk together. Ca phe sua tuoi (fresh milk) is 135 in the same list. Ca phe den da with no sugar is 5. Ca phe den with the standard spoon of sugar is 40. The gap between den and sua is 125 calories and about 22g of sugar.

How the portions compare

95 kcal
Light pour (30g condensed milk)
130 kcal
Standard glass
160 kcal
Tall sweet glass (50g)

Ca Phe Sua Da variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Ca phe den da khong duong5 kcalBlack, no sugar
Ca phe den da40 kcalBlack with a spoon of sugar
Ca phe sua tuoi khong duong60 kcalFresh milk, no sugar
Ca phe sua da130 kcal40g condensed milk
Bac xiu180 kcalChain cafe size with fresh and condensed milk

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in a ca phe sua da?
About 130 for a typical street glass with 40g of condensed milk. A light 30g pour is 95 and a heavy 50g pour is 160.
Does ca phe sua da make you fat?
One a day is 130 calories, which is fine inside a normal day. Two or three a day is 260 to 390 of pure sugar and fat, and that adds up to several kilos a year if nothing else changes.
How much sugar is in ca phe sua da?
Around 22g from 40g of condensed milk, close to a can of soft drink. The coffee itself has none.
Ca phe sua da or bac xiu, which has more calories?
Bac xiu, usually. It has more milk in the glass, so 105 in the lightest version and 180 to 220 at chain cafes, versus 130 for a standard ca phe sua da.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or quan serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on Long Chau and Pharmacity (95 for a light pour; bac xiu 105, sua tuoi 135) and Vinshop (120 to 150 for 30 to 40ml condensed milk); settled on 130 for a 40g quan pour. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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