22 Top Vietnamese Desserts

These authentic Vietnamese desserts are never too sweet, but are always refreshing.

Fill your kitchen with mellow Asian-inspired flavors from taro pudding, pandan waffles, boba tea, and more! 

Vietnamese foods never fail to excite and satiate the palate, and Vietnamese desserts are no exception.

The country’s sweet treats may not be as popular as banh mi, but they’re a must-try. 

Seriously, if you haven’t had any authentic Vietnamese desserts, you’re missing out on some of the most scrumptious sweets! 

Vietnam’s classic desserts are also a cinch to make, especially when you have a well-stocked kitchen pantry. 

Enticing, unique, and easy, these Vietnamese desserts will be an instant hit at home. Recreate some (or all) of them, and your sweet tooth, and everyone, will thank you! 

1. Vietnamese Three Color Desserts

Three layers of this dessert combine three vibrant colors: red, yellow, and green. The layers are composed of red beans, mashed mung bean, and pandan jelly. 

Combine the layers with crushed ice and top everything off with a creamy coconut sauce. This shaved ice dessert often reminds me of Filipino halo-halo.

The best thing about making this three-color dessert is you’ll have full control over its sweetness.

Or, you can double the amount of some ingredients, depending on your taste.

2. Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail

Swap out the cupcakes or cookies for something healthier with this Vietnamese fruit cocktail.

It’s made with coconut milk, tropical fruits, chewy jellies, and red rubies.

Using canned fruits is a great shortcut when making this dessert. Be sure to save the syrup from the cans because you’ll need it for flavoring. 

Refrigerate the cocktail for a couple of hours and enjoy it chilled. If you need to serve it immediately, simply add crushed ice into the mix.

3. Vietnamese Sweet Corn Pudding

This luscious Vietnamese pudding combines the tropical flavors of corn kernels and coconut milk.

The chewy tapioca pearls and aromatic pandan leaves complete this comforting dish.

Other delicious variations of this pudding include yellow mung bean or sweet rice.

For a nice crunch, adding some toasted sesame seeds on top does the trick!   

4. Banana Tapioca

This naturally dairy-free dessert is ideal for any season. Serve chilled during the summer or have it warm on a wintry day. 

Banana tapioca is one of the Vietnamese desserts that fall under the category of “chè,” also known as sweet soups and pudding.

To make this tapioca dessert, you’ll need ripe bananas, full-fat coconut milk, and tapioca pearls and sticks.

The sticks are optional, but they add a pop of color and fun texture to the dish.

5. Vietnamese Sesame Balls

These sesame balls are crispy fried sweet snacks filled with delicious mung bean paste. They’re covered in white sesame seeds, hence the name sesame balls.

The crispiness of the outer shell is already enticing, but it gets better when you take a bite.

A balance between crisp and chewy arises, complemented by a mochi-like mung bean filling.

This dessert has other variations existing in Singapore and China, often filled with red bean or lotus paste. 

6. Vietnamese Sponge Cake

This Vietnamese sweet treat can look simple or elegant, depending on how you dress it up! 

Even if you decorate it with only some powdered sugar, you’ll get one of the most scrumptious desserts out there. 

Other versions of this cake use a meat-onion mixture or chopped dried shrimp for toppings, creating a savory-sweet dessert!

7. Vietnamese Milkshake

Vietnamese milkshake is a classic yet easy-to-make-dessert. Everyone will love this creamy, summery drink, especially the kids!

You’ll only need a blender and a few ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, full-cream milk, and your choice of chopped fresh fruits.

Blend until frothy, pour into a glass, and enjoy!  

8. Vietnamese Ice Cream

This one is for coffee lovers! Vietnamese ice cream is the quintessential iced coffee drink turned into a yummy, frozen dessert.

The vanilla-infused espresso powder is combined with condensed milk, molasses, and cream. 

You won’t even need an ice cream machine, only an electric mixer to blend the best coffee ice cream mixture ever!

9. Taro Pudding

Taro pudding is a stovetop dessert made with taro root, glutinous rice, and a lush coconut sauce.

The taro chunks are firm but tender, giving a delicious sweet potato-like taste.

A little bit of pandan paste is used to turn this pudding into an alluring pastel green dessert. Using purple food coloring works well, too.

10. Vietnamese Sticky Rice

This hearty, sticky rice pudding is a crowd favorite in Vietnam.

It has a rich pandan flavor and an incredibly thick texture, thanks to the starch slurry (a potato starch-water mixture).

Making this dessert requires a trip to the Asian supermarket.

Everything’s worth it once you get the wonderful blend of fragrant rice, tender beans, and rich coconut cream.

11. Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake

Honeycomb cake is an iconic dessert in Vietnam, with its vibrant green color and honeycomb-like texture.

It comes in various flavors, but pandan is the most common one.

This spongy cake has nutty and grassy notes from pandan, infused with a tropical flavor from coconut cream. 

I didn’t know pandan and coconut were such a fantastic combination until I found this recipe!

12. Pandan Waffles

Yes, the flavor and aroma of pandan are SO irresistible. That’s why you’ll see it in plenty of Vietnam desserts, including these waffles.

Of course, these waffles come with a bright green hue. They’re fluffy, a little bit crispy, and full of pandan and coconut flavors.

They’re easy to make, just like regular pancakes. Simply mix the batter ingredients, pour them into the pan, and flip. You can add toppings if you like!

13. Vietnamese Donuts

Crisp sesame donuts with sweet or savory fillings (or both) — give me some! If you love baking, this recipe is for you.

The cooking steps include dough kneading, proofing, and making balls of joy out of the dough. Once done, roll them into sesame seeds and fry.

The result is a warm set of donuts with a perfect balance of fluffy and crunchy textures.     

14. Vietnamese Jello Mooncakes

These jello mooncakes are such a wonderful holiday treat.

With an outer layer made with coconut cream and a filling of taro and green powder, these jelly treats are a delight to eat!

You may need some mooncake molds for this recipe to achieve those gorgeous-looking jello moon cakes. 

15. Pandan Jelly

Pandan jelly is popular in almost all Vietnamese cafes, and for good reason. It blends the delicious pandan jellies, coconut sauce, and palm sugar syrup.

It’s sweet and chewy, with a fun slippery texture — a unique, thirst-quenching dessert that doesn’t take a lot of time. 

Take it up a notch by adding other ingredients like sweet red beans or tropical fruits!  

16. Vietnamese Coffee

Making Vietnamese-style coffee requires a phin, a small metal cup that brews slowly.

It takes time, but the wait is worth it because you’ll get a rich, thick, and flavorful coffee.

A bottom layer of condensed milk adds a decadent sweet taste to this drink. Stir to mix and pair it with some pandan waffles or Vietnamese donuts. It’s so good!

17. Boba (Bubble) Tea

This Vietnamese tea is a perfect combination of sweetened tea, milk, and tapioca pearls (boba).

If you’re looking for a more intense flavor, feel free to use black or jasmine tea.

Some add fruit flavors to their boba tea for an ultra-refreshing drink for hot days. For a dairy-free variation, swap out whole milk for soy milk. 

18. Vietnamese Rice Ball Dessert

Traditionally, this dessert is served when celebrating Vietnamese New Year. It’s also a common offering to ancestors during a Buddhist ritual.

But if you ask me, this dessert belongs in your weekly rotation.

The chewy, mung bean-filled rice balls swimming in a ginger-coconut syrup is such a crowd-pleasing dish!

19. Vietnamese Avocado Shake

Made using only three ingredients, this creamy avocado shake is one of my go-to treats! 

Besides the ripe avocados, you’ll need regular milk, sweet condensed milk, and of course, a blender to combine it all. 

Add a drizzle of chocolate syrup to make it more appealing to the kids! 

20. Cassava and Coconut Milk

This Instant Pot recipe creates beautiful contrasts of flavors and textures.

Cassava chunks are cooked in coconut milk and served with sweet and salty toppings.

The cassava chunks are starchy, while the roasted peanuts and shredded coconut are crunchy good. 

A little bit sweet but oh-so-flavorful, cassava with coconut milk will be your next favorite snack!

21. Vietnamese Yogurt

Vietnamese yogurt is a staple at banh mi shops. It offers a wonderful meld of tangy, sweet, and fresh flavors, making it a perfect pair for savory dishes.

Authentic Vietnamese yogurt is somewhat liquidy. But if you like to add some firmness to this drink, using agar agar (a popular substitute for gelatin) is the way to go.  

22. Vietnamese Pig Ear Biscuits

Fret not, these biscuits aren’t made out of a pig’s ear, but they do look like it.

The cookies are slightly sweet and fun-looking with their swirling pattern of light and dark dough.

They’re cut into thin slices and fried until golden, creating a delectable, crispy snack!