Smooth, creamy and bittersweet Vietnamese coffee buttercream sandwiched between two crisp and chewy macaron shells. These Vietnamese coffee macarons are a take on the traditional condensed milk Vietnamese coffee!
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I don't know about you, but I need my cup of coffee everyday. In fact I'm drinking an oat milk latte writing this up! But, I don't just drink coffee for that extra boost, I drink it for its flavour. There are so many different varieties and origins of beans as well as so many different ways to prepare a simple cup of coffee. Which brings us to Vietnamese coffee... and Vietnamese coffee macarons!
What is Vietnamese Coffee?
You might wonder why Vietnamese coffee is different to regular coffee. Traditionally made from Robusta beans their coffee is higher in caffeine and richer in flavour with a characteristic dark roast.
Moreover Vietnamese coffee is prepared with a stainless steel filter rather than a paper filter. The filter also lends to a much richer roast, so the resulting drip coffee is much more intense in flavour.
Another defining characteristic is the milk used to make Vietnamese coffee! Because the coffee is so strong sweetened condensed milk is the perfect pairing. The thick, sweet milk is usually served at the bottom of the glass and the coffee is poured over. The resulting coffee is sweet and delicious. The perfect flavour combination for a macaron 😉


Condensed Milk Buttercream
To recreate the Vietnamese coffee flavour I created a buttercream that is sweetened with condensed milk. As condensed milk is very sweet on its own there is no need for extra sugar.
Condensed milk is a great sweetener in buttercream as it has a thick and smooth consistency rather than the grainy texture that can come with sugars. When beating the condensed milk into the butter it will form a silky smooth buttercream that pairs perfectly with your macarons shells.
Here are a couple of tips to achieve silky buttercream:
- Prepare and cool your coffee first: It is important to make sure your coffee is cooled before adding it to your buttercream. If it is still warm you can risk melting your butter and causing the buttercream to split or turn into a puddle.
- Beat your buttercream for longer than you think: The trick to creating the creamiest fluffy buttercream is in the whipping. A lot of the time people will underwhip their buttercream causing it to be thick, dense and greasy. With just an extra 5 minutes or so of whipping you'll be surprised at how fluffy and silky your buttercream turns out
- Use a paddle attachment to finish off: At the beginning you want to use the whisk attachment as this brings the most air into your buttercream. However after extended periods of whipping with the whisk it can cause large air pockets to form in your buttercream, which will appear when you pipe it into your shells. In the final 2 minutes of whipping change your whisk to a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed. This will smoothen out your buttercream for perfect piping.


Getting the Perfect Shell
Colouring the shells
To replicate the characteristic Vietnamese coffee look I used one coffee coloured and one white shell.
When it comes to colouring shells two colours you can risk over-mixing your batter. I like to give the batter a quick, rough, but thorough mix before splitting it into two and colouring. That way you have more control over the mixing when adding colour to the batter.
Perfectly round shape
If you want to achieve the perfect macaron shape one of the most important things is to pipe the shells on a flat surface. The batter is fluid so if it is on an angle it will flow that way.
The other tip to creating perfectly even shells is to use a template. This will ensure that all your shells are piped to the same size. All you need to do is place the printed template under your sheet of baking paper and pipe away.
I have a macaron template available on my PERFECT macaron post
The Guide to Perfect Macarons
If you are looking for a definitive guide to help you master your macarons I have an ebook which outlines the steps to make French and Italian macarons in detail. It includes photographic steps as well as a guide to the best ingredients and equipment needed to get that perfect macaron!
It also includes 6 exclusive recipes with detailed instructions to impress 😉

Let's Get Baking
If you haven't had Vietnamese coffee yet this is your chance! These macarons would go perfectly with a bittersweet coffee.
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.
Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy baking!
Print📖 Recipe
Vietnamese Coffee Macarons
Smooth, creamy and bittersweet Vietnamese coffee buttercream sandwiched between two crisp and chewy macaron shells. A take on the classic Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk in a macaron!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 50 g Almond meal
- 45 g Icing sugar
- 37 g Egg whites
- 37 g White sugar
- Brown gel food colouring
Coffee Buttercream
- 80g Unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp Instant coffee powder
- 2 tbsp Boiling water
- 100g Condensed milk
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- In a medium sized bowl sieve the almond meal and powdered sugar together
- If there are large chunks of almond meal remaining in the sieve dispose of them
- In a large clean bowl add the egg whites, and using an electric mixer beat until foamy
- Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks
- Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre
- Once just folded in, split the batter into two portion
- Add brown food colouring to one half
- Press the batter around the bowl and before folding it into the centre
- Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
- Repeat with the uncoloured batter
- Transfer to two piping bags with a round tip and pipe out 1.5inch circles
- Allow to dry for 1-2 hours
- Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C for 10-15 minutes (I find that it's usually done at 13, but it depends on your oven so make sure to check! If you give your macarons a wiggle they shouldn't be moving, that's when they're ready)
- Remove from oven and let cool
Coffee Buttercream
- Combine water and instant coffee powder, mix until dissolved and cool
- Add butter and condensed milk to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high for 5 minutes until light and silky
- Add the cooled coffee mix and beat for a further 2 minutes
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip
- Match similar sized macaron shells with each other
- On the flat side of one shell pipe a blob of buttercream
- Top with a matching shell of the opposite colour
- Place in airtight container in the fridge for a day to mature (gives deeper flavour and chewy texture!)
Keywords: coffee, vietnamese, macaron, buttercream, condensed milk, gluten free
KStep
Catherine!!!
How are you? Hope all is well! Thanks for sharing another awesome recipe with us!! Can’t wait to give this one a try I’m sure its even more delicious than your other fantastic macaroon flavors (if that’s possible)!!! The cheesecake is also great too and your photography skills are spot on!!! Anyway, just wanted to stop by and say thanks for being such a beautiful, kind and gentle soul we love you! Take care until next time!!
And as always,
Kindest regards,
KStep
★★★★★
Catherine Zhang
Hi KStep,
Im great! Hope you're doing well too. Thank you for always staying up to date with all my baking creations as usual 😊 Never fail to make me smile. Have a great week!
Catherine
Mary
Hi Catherine!
I used your recipe for the Vietnamese coffee buttercream. I substituted a Nespresso shot for the instant coffee and water (simply didn't have any instant on hand!) and it was delicious! The buttercream did briefly split (acidity in the coffee? not sure) but with a bit of action in the microwave/fridge it came together fantastic. Super tasty and really does taste like a Vietnamese iced coffee! Thanks so much for the recipe, and I will definitely be trying more of them. 😀
★★★★★
Catherine Zhang
Hi Mary, So glad it turned out well with the nespresso shot! Buttercreams with extra liquid tend to split easily, but I'm glad you figured it out. Hope you like the other recipes!
Gigi
Hi Catherine,
Regarding the comment above, is there anything else we can do if the buttercream does split?
Will it split after piping in the macarons, especially if you're making big batches in advance and freezing them? Worried that freezing and bringing it to room temp the buttercream will sweat and split.
Any advice appreciated!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Gigi, if it does split you can add a tsp or two of boiling water to it and whisk on high speed until it comes together again. If the buttercream hasn't split before piping it shouldn't split afterwards. Hope that helps!
KyHa Long Vu
Trying this today but yeeeeee. Watched you on Zumbo's and was so ecstatic to see Asian representation. Thanks for making the rest of us Asian delinquents look bad !!!! hahaha
Love from the States!
★★★★★
Catherine Zhang
Hi KyHa, Yay!! Haha 😂 all for the Asian representation!
Tinaa
Hi Catherine
Would you mind sharing a link to the brand of instant coffee you like using in your baking recipes? TYIA.
Catherine Zhang
I used nescafe!
Parisa
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. I have a question regarding egg white and sugar. Can I mix egg white and sugar on top of boiling water then whisk them? I mean like Italian macarons.
Catherine Zhang
Hi Parisa, no need to! Just whisk them together until stiff peaks 😊
Parisa
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for sharing your recipies with us. I have a question regarding mixing egg white and sugar. Is it possible first melt sugar with egg white on top of boiling water then whist them to rich stiff pick? I mean like Italian macaron.
Catherine Zhang
While you can there isn't a need to! This recipe will produce perfect macarons just as it is 😊