Tteokbokki
Street snacks
Chewy cylinder-shaped rice or wheat cakes simmered in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce with fish cakes and scallions — a staple of street stalls and snack shops.
Why this list cannot be complete
Many Korean restaurants are franchises whose recipes are not published, and shops create their own versions of the same dish. A menu name often does not tell you what is inside. This page covers the traditional recipe and the variations that have spread widely, not every shop.
When you are not sure what a shop puts in, show your card to say what you cannot eat, or show the list below and ask the staff to point to what is in theirs.
What usually goes in
이 음식에 아래 재료 중 들어가는 것이 있나요?
For the staff: does this dish contain any of the ingredients below?
Wheat reaches the pot three ways: many shops use wheat-flour cakes instead of rice ones, the fish cakes are bound with flour, and the gochujang itself often contains wheat.
Fish cakes made from pollock are cooked right in the sauce, and the soupy version is often built on an anchovy-kelp stock.
The red sauce is gochujang, which is fermented with soybean powder; the milder brown version swaps it for soy sauce, so soy is there either way.
Hard-boiled eggs are a common add-in, simmered whole in the same pot as the cakes and sauce.
Barley malt powder is a traditional part of gochujang and still used by many brands, so the sauce can carry barley even when the cakes are rice.
Cheese-topped and cream-sauce versions are popular variations, so check the menu name before ordering.
Minced garlic is stirred into the gochujang sauce that the rice cakes simmer in; it coats every piece and cannot be picked out.
Sliced onion is often simmered in the sauce alongside the rice cakes and fish cakes and is a separate ingredient from the green onion added on top.
Some named versions, such as brisket or mala tteokbokki, cook thin beef slices in with the rice cakes, and some recipes add beef dasida stock powder to the sauce.
Mala tteokbokki may come with a peanut butter based dipping sauce.
Some recipes add oyster sauce to the sauce, and oyster sauce is made from oysters.
There are nakji tteokbokki and seafood tteokbokki made with webfoot octopus.
Cream tteokbokki almost always has button mushrooms, and mushrooms are sometimes added to the red version too.
Perilla tteokbokki is made with perilla seed powder stirred into a soy-based sauce.
- Usually in it
- Most kitchens put this in. Assume it is there unless the staff tell you otherwise.
- Sometimes in it
- It depends on the recipe and the brand of sauce, so it is worth asking.
- Rarely in it
- The usual recipe does not call for it, but some kitchens still use it.
Checked 14 of the 33 ingredients this site covers. An ingredient that is not listed here has simply not been checked yet — that is not the same as it not being in the dish.
This page describes how the dish is usually made in Korea. Every kitchen works differently, so always show your card and ask the staff before you order.
Going on your card
- Wheat (밀)
- Fish (생선)
- Soybean (대두)
- Eggs (알류)
- Barley and rye (보리 · 호밀)
- Milk (우유)
- Garlic (마늘)
- Onion (양파)
- Beef (쇠고기)
- Peanut (땅콩)
- Shellfish (조개류 · 굴 · 전복)
- Octopus (문어 · 낙지 · 주꾸미)
- Mushrooms (버섯)
- Perilla seed (들깨 · 들기름)
Common variations
If you see one of these names on a menu, expect the ingredients below on top of the basic dish. Shops differ, so check with the staff.
- 치즈 떡볶이Cheese tteokbokki
Adds: Milk (우유)
Mozzarella or sliced cheese is melted on top of the rice cakes.
- 로제 떡볶이Rose tteokbokki
Adds: Milk (우유)
Milk or cream is mixed into the chili sauce, often with cheese added.
- 마라 떡볶이Mala tteokbokki
Adds: Beef (쇠고기), Peanut (땅콩)
Thin beef slices go into the mala sauce, and a peanut butter dipping sauce may come with it.
- 차돌 떡볶이Beef brisket tteokbokki
Adds: Beef (쇠고기)
Thin slices of beef brisket are cooked and added to the rice cakes.
Diets
- VeganNot suitable
Fish cakes are a standard ingredient and boiled eggs are common.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarianNot suitable
Fish cakes cook in the same sauce, and the stock is often made with anchovy.
Other dishes with the same ingredients
- Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)Soybean · Fish · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Eggs (poultry) · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) · Beef · Wheat · Milk · Octopus (incl. long-arm and webfoot octopus) · Mushrooms · Perilla seed (incl. perilla oil and powder) — Sometimes in it
- Budae-jjigae (army base stew)Wheat · Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Milk · Beef · Fish · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) · Mushrooms — Sometimes in it
- Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Wheat · Barley & rye (gluten) · Milk · Eggs (poultry) · Perilla seed (incl. perilla oil and powder) — Sometimes in it
Read more
- Soy in Korean foodWhere this ingredient hides across Korean food
- Fish in Korean foodWhere this ingredient hides across Korean food
- Peanut allergy in KoreaWhat to watch for and how to ask
- Gluten-free travel in KoreaWhere wheat hides in sauces and broths
- Vegan dining in KoreaWhere meat and seafood hide in Korean cooking
- Emergency allergy help in KoreaWhat to do and say if a reaction starts
- Halal food in KoreaWhere pork, alcohol, and non-halal meat hide in Korean cooking
- Temple food and Buddhist vegetarian dining in KoreaWhere garlic, green onion, and other pungent vegetables hide
Sources we checked
Each finding on this page lists the recipes and references it is based on. Source titles appear in their original language and are not translated, and each link opens the other site in a new tab.
Show the 29 sources behind each finding
What usually goes in
Wheat · Usually in it
- Celiac.com, "Is Gochujang Gluten-Free? What to Know Before You Buy" — many commercial versions contain wheat, barley malt or wheat-based soy sauce (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, "떡볶이" — 밀떡 · 쌀떡, 어묵, 채소, 고추장 또는 간장, 설탕 · 물엿; 크림 · 치즈 · 라볶이 변형 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Eomuk" — mainly Alaska pollock or golden threadfin bream; salt, sugar, flour and starch are necessary ingredients (opens in a new tab)
Fish · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, "떡볶이" — 밀떡 · 쌀떡, 어묵, 채소, 고추장 또는 간장, 설탕 · 물엿; 크림 · 치즈 · 라볶이 변형 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Eomuk" — mainly Alaska pollock or golden threadfin bream; salt, sugar, flour and starch are necessary ingredients (opens in a new tab)
Soybean · Usually in it
Eggs · Sometimes in it
Barley and rye · Sometimes in it
- Celiac.com, "Is Gochujang Gluten-Free? What to Know Before You Buy" — many commercial versions contain wheat, barley malt or wheat-based soy sauce (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Gochujang" — made with fermented soybean (meju) powder and barley malt powder; some recipes use rice or barley (opens in a new tab)
Milk · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, "떡볶이" — 밀떡 · 쌀떡, 어묵, 채소, 고추장 또는 간장, 설탕 · 물엿; 크림 · 치즈 · 라볶이 변형 (opens in a new tab)
Garlic · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「편스토랑 류수영 평생떡볶이 레시피 떡볶이 양념장 황금비율」 — 고추장 · 고춧가루 양념에 다진마늘 (대파 별도) (opens in a new tab)
Onion · Usually in it
- 한식문화상자, 「떡볶이」 레시피 — 고추장 떡볶이, 조리 단계에 양파는 굵게 채 썬다 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
Beef · Sometimes in it
- 만개의레시피, 「마라떡볶이 만들기 … 마장소스」 — 소고기(샤브용), 마장소스에 땅콩버터 2T (opens in a new tab)
- Home Cuisine, 「마라떡볶이 만들기」 — 메뉴명과 소고기 슬라이스 재료 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「차돌박이 떡볶이 집에서 만드는 법」 — 차돌박이 150g (opens in a new tab)
- 우리의식탁, 「차돌박이떡볶이」 — 메뉴명과 소고기 재료 (opens in a new tab)
- CJ제일제당, 「다시다」 브랜드 페이지 — 쇠고기 · 멸치 등을 밑바탕으로 만든 조미 제품 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「다시다」 — 쇠고기 다시다에 쇠고기가 들어감 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「포장마차 떡볶이」 — 양념에 다시다 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「길거리 떡볶이」 — 양념에 다시다 (opens in a new tab)
Peanut · Sometimes in it
Shellfish · Sometimes in it
Octopus · Sometimes in it
Mushrooms · Sometimes in it
Perilla seed · Sometimes in it
Common variations
치즈 떡볶이 · Cheese tteokbokki
로제 떡볶이 · Rose tteokbokki
마라 떡볶이 · Mala tteokbokki
차돌 떡볶이 · Beef brisket tteokbokki
Diets
Vegan · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, "떡볶이" — 밀떡 · 쌀떡, 어묵, 채소, 고추장 또는 간장, 설탕 · 물엿; 크림 · 치즈 · 라볶이 변형 (opens in a new tab)
Lacto-ovo vegetarian · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Tteokbokki" — garae-tteok; eomuk, boiled eggs and scallions as common ingredients; kelp-anchovy stock in gungmul-tteokbokki; wheat-flour rice cakes a common alternative; rabokki, cheese and cream variants (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, "떡볶이" — 밀떡 · 쌀떡, 어묵, 채소, 고추장 또는 간장, 설탕 · 물엿; 크림 · 치즈 · 라볶이 변형 (opens in a new tab)
Each dish is researched by hand from the sources we checked, and nothing here is generated automatically. Recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen, so always confirm with the staff before you order.