Also known as 바나나맛우유, Binggrae Banana Milk, Banana Flavoured Milk, 단지우유.
Banana milk is the squat yellow jar of banana-flavoured milk from Binggrae, sold in every convenience store and jjimjilbang in Korea since 1974. 240ml, about 1,800 won, and more sugar than most people think.
220kcal / 1 bottle (240ml)
A 240ml Binggrae banana milk is 220 calories on the label, with 34g of carbs, 27g of it sugar, plus 6g of protein and 6g of fat. That is close to a 355ml can of cola for sugar, in a smaller bottle. Two of them, which is a normal jjimjilbang habit, is 440 calories.
Nutrition facts
Per 1 bottle (240ml) (240g)
Amount
Per 100g
Calories
220 kcal
92 kcal
Protein
6 g
3 g
Carbs
34 g
14 g
Fat
6 g
3 g
Where the calories come from
Milk (about 85 percent)205g
125 kcal
Added sugar20g
80 kcal
Banana flavouring and colouring5g
10 kcal
The real talk
The jar is small enough to feel like a snack, and it is a full dessert. 27g of sugar is about 7 teaspoons, and only some of it is the natural milk sugar; the rest is added sugar and banana flavouring, since the drink is about 85 percent milk with very little actual banana. The 6g of protein is real and is the only thing separating it from a soft drink.
It is the default after-sauna and after-school drink because it is 1,800 won and it is everywhere. A sauna visit with two banana milks and a bowl of sikhye is about 600 calories of sugar drinks without a single bite of food. The convenience store combo of banana milk plus a 400 calorie triangle kimbap pair is 620 for a snack.
The lighter version exists. Binggrae's 바나나맛우유 라이트 is about 130 calories for the same 240ml with the sugar cut roughly in half, and it tastes close enough. Most people never look for it because the yellow jar is the point.
How the portions compare
130 kcal
Light version, 240ml
220 kcal
1 bottle, 240ml
440 kcal
2 bottles
Banana Milk variants, ranked by calories
Variant
Calories
Notes
Binggrae banana milk Light, 240ml
130 kcal
Half the sugar
Seoul Milk banana milk, 200ml
175 kcal
Carton version
Binggrae banana milk, 240ml
220 kcal
The yellow jar
Binggrae strawberry milk, 240ml
230 kcal
Same range
Banana milk 500ml bottle
460 kcal
Large size
How to eat it lighter
Buy the Light version (바나나맛우유 라이트). About 130 calories instead of 220, same bottle.
One, not two. The second bottle at the jjimjilbang is 220 calories you did not taste.
Plain milk (흰우유, 200ml) is about 125 calories with the same 6g of protein and no added sugar.
Have it as dessert, not as a drink with a meal. It is 27g of sugar and belongs in the dessert column.
Skip the 500ml version some stores sell. That is about 460 calories in one bottle.
Common questions
How many calories in Binggrae banana milk?
220 per 240ml bottle on the label, with 27g of sugar.
How much sugar is in banana milk?
About 27g per bottle, roughly 7 teaspoons. That is on par with a can of cola.
Is banana milk healthy?
It is milk with added sugar and flavouring. The 6g of protein and calcium are real, but 27g of sugar makes it a dessert, not a health drink.
Does Korean banana milk have real banana?
Very little. It is about 85 percent milk with sugar, banana flavouring and colouring. The Light version cuts the sugar but not the flavour.
Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant or pojangmacha serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.
Calorie figure based on Binggrae 바나나맛우유 240ml label (220 kcal, 당류 27g, 단백질 6g, 지방 6g). Macros estimated from the ingredients.