Soups · Korea

How Many Calories in Budae Jjigae?

Also known as 부대찌개, Army Stew, Army Base Stew, Budae Chigae, Korean Spam Stew.

Budae jjigae is the army base stew: spam, hot dogs, baked beans, kimchi, tofu and a brick of ramyeon boiled in a shallow pan of red broth at the table, usually shared between two or more.

630kcal / 1 serving (share of the pan, no rice)
One person's share of budae jjigae is about 630 calories before rice, based on the FatSecret Korea generic serving of 626. The spam and sausage are about 300 of that, the ramyeon brick another 240. Add the bowl of rice most people order and you are at roughly 940.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 serving (share of the pan, no rice) (500g)AmountPer 100g
Calories630 kcal126 kcal
Protein28 g6 g
Carbs45 g9 g
Fat36 g7 g

Where the calories come from

Spam50g
155 kcal
Sausage slices50g
150 kcal
Ramyeon noodles, half brick55g
240 kcal
Kimchi, baked beans, tofu, vegetables150g
60 kcal
Red broth200g
25 kcal

The real talk

This is the one Korean stew where the meat is processed and the noodles are instant. A 50g slab of spam is 155 calories, two slices of sausage around 150, and the half brick of ramyeon that goes in per person is 240. That is 545 from three ingredients before the kimchi, tofu, beans and broth even register. Nothing in this pan is a vegetable in disguise.

The 2-person pan at a Uijeongbu-style restaurant is around 18,000 to 22,000 won and comes with rice. The trick most people miss is that the ramyeon is often free to add, so tables order a second brick. Each extra brick is about 480 calories split between whoever eats it. A slice of American cheese melted on top is another 60 to 70.

Packaged versions from Bibigo and Pulmuone run 295 to 405 per 460g serving, which sounds better until you notice they contain about half the spam and no added ramyeon. The restaurant pan with everything in it is the 630 figure, and 630 with a bowl of rice and a can of cider is a 1,100 calorie dinner.

How the portions compare

390 kcal
Share without ramyeon
630 kcal
Standard share with ramyeon
1010 kcal
Share with ramyeon, cheese and rice

Budae Jjigae variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Packaged Bibigo spam budae jjigae (460g)295 kcalLess meat, no ramyeon
Restaurant share, no ramyeon390 kcalMeat, beans, kimchi, tofu
Restaurant share with ramyeon630 kcalFatSecret generic
With cheese and extra sausage800 kcalThe full pan

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is budae jjigae unhealthy?
It is the heaviest common jjigae: about 630 calories per person, 36g fat, and around 2,500mg sodium from spam and sausage. Fine occasionally, not a weekday lunch habit.
How many calories in budae jjigae with rice?
About 940 for one share with a 210g bowl of rice. With ramyeon in the pan the rice is genuinely optional.
How much of budae jjigae is the ramyeon?
About 240 calories per half brick. Tables that add two full bricks are adding close to 1,000 calories to the pan.
Is there protein in budae jjigae?
About 28g per share, mostly from spam and sausage. It is protein with a lot of fat and salt attached.

Related foods

See all Soups 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 generic 부대찌개 626 kcal per serving; packaged range 295 to 455 cross-checked. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

How many calories do you actually need?

Free TDEE calculator. Thirty seconds, no sign up.

Use the calculator