Vietnamese desserts: 15 to know and try

Vietnamese desserts center on chè (sweet soups and puddings), steamed and baked cakes, custards and fruit drinks, often built around coconut milk, mung beans, rice flour and tropical fruit. Most are only lightly sweet by Western standards and many are served cold over ice.

Here are 15 worth knowing, grouped so you can find your starting point.

Chè: sweet soups and puddings

Chè ("cheh") is the big family of Vietnamese sweets: spoonable mixes of beans, jellies, fruit, tapioca and sticky rice, served warm or over ice. There is a full explainer in what chè is.

• 1. Chè ba màu: the "three-color" dessert, with layers of red beans, yellow mung bean paste and green jelly, topped with coconut milk and ice. See chè ba màu, the three-color dessert.
• 2. Chè chuối: banana slices cooked in coconut milk with tapioca pearls, often topped with toasted peanuts or sesame.
• 3. Chè trôi nước: glutinous rice balls filled with mung bean paste, served in a warm ginger syrup.
• 4. Chè bưởi: made with the crunchy pith of pomelo, mung beans and coconut milk. It is chewy, fragrant and unusual.
• 5. Chè thái: a fruit-heavy chè with jackfruit, lychee or longan, jellies and coconut milk, served cold. It is especially popular in the South.

Cakes and custards

• 6. Bánh flan: Vietnamese caramel custard, a legacy of French influence. It is sometimes served with crushed ice and a splash of black coffee over the top.
• 7. Bánh da lợn: a steamed layer cake made with tapioca and rice flour, usually layered with pandan and mung bean. It is soft, bouncy and chewy.
• 8. Bánh bò: "honeycomb cake," a spongy, slightly fermented rice flour cake with a web of small holes inside. It often comes in white and pandan green.
• 9. Bánh chuối nướng: baked banana cake, dense and caramelized, made with ripe bananas, bread or flour, and coconut milk.
• 10. Rau câu dừa: coconut jelly made with agar, often set in layers or served inside a coconut shell.

Snacks and other treats

• 11. Bánh cam / bánh rán: fried glutinous rice balls coated in sesame seeds and filled with sweet mung bean. The Southern name is bánh cam; in the North, a similar treat is called bánh rán.
• 12. Tàu hũ nước đường: silky soft tofu in a ginger syrup, often eaten warm. In the North it is called tào phớ.
• 13. Sữa chua: Vietnamese yogurt, typically sweetened with condensed milk and sold in small cups, sometimes frozen.
• 14. Bánh pía: a flaky pastry associated with Sóc Trăng province in the Mekong Delta, filled with mung bean, durian or salted egg yolk.
• 15. Sinh tố bơ: an avocado smoothie blended with condensed milk and ice. Avocado as a sweet drink surprises many visitors, but it is a Vietnamese classic.

What flavors show up again and again?

A few ingredients define the Vietnamese dessert pantry:

• Coconut milk and cream for richness.
• Mung beans for a smooth, nutty base.
• Pandan leaf for a grassy, vanilla-like aroma and green color.
• Glutinous rice and rice flour for chewiness.
• Tapioca and agar for jellies and pearls.
• Condensed milk for sweetness, especially in drinks and yogurt.
• Ginger for warmth in syrups.

Where to start if you are new

If you want something familiar, start with bánh flan or sinh tố bơ. If you want the most typical Vietnamese experience, try a cold chè ba màu or chè thái. If you like chewy textures, go for bánh da lợn or chè trôi nước.

Many of these are approachable at home too. See easy Vietnamese desserts to make at home for a shorter, beginner-friendly list.

Northern and Southern differences

Southern desserts often lean richer and sweeter, with plenty of coconut milk. Northern versions of similar treats can be simpler and less sweet. Huế, in central Vietnam, is famous for its wide range of chè. Names change by region too, as with bánh cam and bánh rán, or tàu hũ and tào phớ.

Allergen notes

Many Vietnamese desserts contain coconut, and several are topped with peanuts or sesame. Bánh flan and some cakes contain eggs and dairy, and condensed milk is common in drinks and yogurt. Some cakes use wheat flour or bread. When buying from a shop, ask about toppings if you have an allergy.

Pick one dessert from each group above and try them side by side; it is the quickest way to learn which textures you love.