How Many Calories in Bingsu?

Also known as 빙수, 팥빙수, Patbingsu, Korean Shaved Ice, Bingsoo, Sulbing, 설빙.

Bingsu is shaved ice, now usually shaved milk, piled with sweet red beans, condensed milk, rice cakes and fruit. Sold in cafes for 9,000 to 15,000 won in a bowl sized for two people and eaten by one.

450kcal / 1 bowl patbingsu (cafe size, meant for 2)

A cafe bowl of patbingsu is about 450 calories, between the fatsecret.kr generic entry of 373 and the Paris Baguette milk patbingsu at 674 for a 520g bowl. The shaved milk ice is about 130 of that, the sweet red beans 200 and the condensed milk 100. A Sulbing injeolmi bingsu with soybean powder and rice cakes is around 620.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl patbingsu (cafe size, meant for 2) (450g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	450 kcal	100 kcal
Protein	10 g	2 g
Carbs	85 g	19 g
Fat	8 g	2 g

Where the calories come from

Shaved milk ice250g

130 kcal

Sweetened red beans100g

200 kcal

Condensed milk30g

100 kcal

Rice cakes and fruit30g

30 kcal

The real talk

Plain shaved ice with syrup is under 100 calories. Bingsu is not that anymore. Cafe bingsu is shaved from frozen sweetened milk, so 250g of the ice itself is about 130 calories, and then the toppings go on: 100g of sweetened red beans at 200 calories and 30g of condensed milk at 100. The bowl reads as ice and is actually a dessert with 85g of carbs.

The chain bowls are bigger and heavier. Sulbing's injeolmi bingsu is about 620 with its roasted soybean powder, rice cakes and almond slivers. Tous les Jours' mango bingsu is 550 for a 580g bowl. Twosome Place's tiramisu bingsu is listed at 1,040 for an 872g cup, more than a full meal. Bowl size in Korean cafes has crept from 300g to over 800g in ten years.

The saving grace is the size. Every bingsu bowl is made for 2 spoons, and at 12,000 won people do share. Half a patbingsu is 225 calories, a fair dessert. The problem is the friend who takes 3 spoons and leaves you the rest, or the solo order after a 1,200 calorie barbecue dinner.

How the portions compare

225 kcal

Half bowl (shared)

450 kcal

1 cafe bowl patbingsu

650 kcal

1 large chain bowl (injeolmi or cheese)

Bingsu variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Plain shaved ice with syrup	90 kcal	Old bunsik style
Mango yogurt bingsu (small)	195 kcal	Yogurt base, 250g
Cafe patbingsu	450 kcal	Milk ice, red beans, condensed milk
Mango bingsu (Tous les Jours, 580g)	550 kcal	Fruit topped
Injeolmi bingsu (Sulbing style)	620 kcal	Soybean powder, rice cakes
Tiramisu bingsu (Twosome, 872g)	1040 kcal	Cake and cream on top

How to eat it lighter

Share it. Half a bowl is 225 calories; the bowl is designed for 2 anyway.
Ask for the condensed milk on the side (연유 따로). Using half saves about 50 calories.
Choose fruit bingsu over injeolmi or tiramisu. Mango and strawberry versions are about 500 to 550; injeolmi is 620 and the cake-topped ones can pass 1,000.
Eat the fruit and beans and leave the last third of the ice. The bottom of the bowl is where the melted condensed milk pools.
Old-style patbingsu at a bunsik shop (plain ice, beans, a little syrup) is about 300 and half the price.

Common questions

How many calories in a Sulbing bingsu?

About 620 for the injeolmi bingsu, the signature bowl. Fruit versions run 500 to 600 and cheesecake or brownie versions can pass 800.

Is bingsu healthy?

No. A cafe patbingsu is about 450 calories with roughly 60g of sugar, and the bowl is meant for two. Half a bowl is a normal dessert.

How many calories in patbingsu?

About 450 for a standard cafe bowl. The red beans and condensed milk are 300 of that; the milk ice itself is only about 130.

Is shaved milk ice higher in calories than plain shaved ice?

Yes. 250g of plain water ice is 0 calories; the same weight of shaved sweetened milk is about 130.

Related foods

Hotteok

280 kcal per 1 piece (street cart)

Bungeoppang

110 kcal per 1 piece

Ais Kacang (ABC)

350 kcal per 1 bowl (hawker standard)

Halo-Halo

450 kcal per 1 tall glass

UFO Tart

200 kcal per 1 tart

Egg Tart

195 kcal per 1 tart

See all Desserts calories, ranked ›

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 fatsecret.kr 팥빙수 1 serving 373 kcal, Paris Baguette 우유팥빙수 520g 674 kcal; cafe bowl set at 450. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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