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Milk and coffee are commonly combined but what about condensed milk and coffee? Does it give the same results as normal milk? Here’s what you want to know.
It’s perfectly fine to use condensed milk in coffee. This is commonly done in Vietnamese coffee, usually also combined with ice to create ‘Ca Phe Sua Da’ a.k.a. iced coffee with milk. Condensed milk works as both a creamy dairy and sweetener at the same time as well as making the coffee thicker.
Let’s dive in a little deeper what you can do with condensed milk and also what you shouldn’t do with it.
Can You Use Condensed Milk In Coffee?
Condensed milk is perfectly fine to use in coffee. There is no terrible chemical reaction that happens that suddenly makes it bad. In fact condensed milk is a great combination with coffee. It’s creamy dairy with added sugar. While it might not be the healthiest, it sure is delicious.
Suggested: How to make coffee thicker
If you put both milk and sugar in coffee, condensed milk might be a good replacement that does both the creaming and sweetening in one go. Condensed milk also keeps for a long time in the fridge so it can be a good thing to have if you don’t use milk otherwise.
When you put condensed milk in coffee, it will become thicker, creamier and sweeter while cutting down the bitterness of the coffee. That means it works well with very dark roasted, bitter coffees and especially Robusta.
In fact that is exactly what is used in Vietnamese coffee. If you’ve ever had ‘Ca Phe Sua Da’ (which means iced coffee with milk in Vietnamese), you know how well this combination works. Vietnamese coffee is very strong, thick, bitter coffee made from robusta beans which combines really well with the thickness and creaminess of condensed milk. Add some ice and you’ve got something that’s almost like a coffee milkshake.
Suggested: What is Vietnamese Coffee?
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese coffee and can get your hands on a proper one, try it! Or read here what you need to make it yourself.
However, it is also perfectly acceptable to put condensed milk in other types of coffee. Stronger types of coffee like espresso will work better than a light roasted pour over for example. You need a strong coffee to stand up to the relatively intense taste of the condensed milk.
When Not To Use Condensed Milk In Coffee?
Condensed milk can not be used as a complete milk replacement in all types of coffee drinks. It works well and tastes good but there are some things you should look out for:
- Don’t steam condensed milk
- Condensed milk is not fasting/keto friendly and very high in sugar and calories
- Light coffees get ‘lost’ in condensed milk.
Do not try to make steamed milk from condensed milk. In the first place because it’s way too thick to properly steam and create foam with. You might be able to do it after mixing with normal milk first but then you might as well just use normal milk and sugar. Heating up the sugar in condensed milk could also leave a sticky mess after steaming.
It is possible to froth condensed milk though. You’ll have to heat it up first and use an electric frother or immersion blender. It won’t create delicate foam like normal milk but it will be creamy and delicious, perfect for lattes and similar.
From a diet perspective, condensed milk isn’t great. There is a lot of sugar and calories in there. It will break a fast and throw you out of Keto just like normal milk but even faster.
