Ultimate guide to Vietnamese sweets & desserts

So many people asked me to write more Vietnamese related posts so here you go. In this post I will be introducing you to the world of Vietnamese desserts and sweets and show you some of my favorite Vietnamese dishes.

Core ingredients 

Vietnamese sweets and desserts are not always sweet and can also contain savory ingredients. Some of the core ingredients for desserts are; glutinous rice flour, mung beans,coconut (milk),jelly,palm sugar, cassava, tapioca, pandan,tofu and a variety of fruits such as mango, durian, longan, lychee or jackfruit.

Popular dishes

- Chè ba màu

Three colored dessert. (see top picture) This refreshing cold dessert is one of my favorite things to eat during a hot summer day. It can consist of different type of beans (red beans, kidney beans, butter beans), water chestnuts, jelly and fruits topped of with coconut milk and shaved ice to keep it cool. Depending on your taste the options are endless and there are many variations for this dish. You can enjoy this dish in many Vietnamese restaurants.

- Bánh Cam

These are fried glutinous rice balls
coated with sesame seeds. The fillings
do vary but consist mostly of mung beans and / or coconut.

- Bánh Khoai Mì Nướng

Sweet cake made out of cassava, coconut and condensed milk. This super delicious cake is also a good alternative when you are on a diet since you can cut out most sugar because the cassava and coconut are already very sweet.

-Bánh Dày Đậu
Glutinous rice balls with mung bean filling. Similar to Japanese mochi this dish is made with glutinous rice and stuffed with a crushed mung bean and coconut filling. Sometimes cassava is also added or the mung beans are replaced with a other type of bean. On the right picture is my own version topped with coconut but mostly you see them topped with crushed mung beans.

-Cà phê sữa đá
Vietnamese style iced coffee. Introduced by the French and then developed by the Vietnamese. This is a really popular treat among tourists. Made with a special stainless steel filter and coarsely ground dark roast coffee, then mixed with condensed milk and served with ice.

-Kem chuối 
Banana pops. Super easy to make and amazingly delicious. Small bananas are pressed a little flat and coated with sweetened coconut milk then topped with desiccated coconut and peanuts. A Popsicle stick is pushed into the bottom and they are frozen into delicious banana Popsicles.   

I hope you gained a little more interest into Vietnamese cuisine after this post. These Vietnamese dishes are fairly simple to make but extremely delicious. Surprise yourself and your family by making one of these dishes or simply enjoy it in the convenience of your local Vietnamese restaurant. These are all worth the try!


Thank you for reading.
~ Mei Mei