Soups · Korea

How Many Calories in Doenjang Jjigae?

Also known as 된장찌개, Soybean Paste Stew, Doenjang Chigae, Korean Miso Stew.

Doenjang jjigae is the fermented soybean paste stew with tofu, zucchini, potato and onion that turns up next to almost every Korean rice meal.

145kcal / 1 pot
A 400g pot of doenjang jjigae is about 145 calories, according to Korean MFDS restaurant nutrition data. That is the lowest number of any common jjigae. With a bowl of rice the meal comes to around 455, and with a grilled fish on the side you are still under 700.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 pot (400g)AmountPer 100g
Calories145 kcal36 kcal
Protein10 g3 g
Carbs10 g3 g
Fat7 g2 g

Where the calories come from

Tofu80g
60 kcal
Doenjang paste30g
40 kcal
Zucchini, potato, onion, chili100g
35 kcal
Anchovy stock190g
10 kcal

The real talk

There is barely anything in it. The doenjang paste is about 40 calories for the 30g a pot uses, tofu is 60, and the vegetables (zucchini, potato, onion, chili) come to 35. The anchovy stock is close to zero. That is how a full pot that fills you up lands at 145, about the same as one slice of bread.

Because the stew is so light, it is the rice and the sides that decide your lunch. A 210g bowl of rice is 310, more than double the stew. The typical 8,000 won doenjang jjigae set comes with rice, a fried egg or gyeran-mari, and 3 to 4 banchan, so a realistic total is 500 to 600. Still one of the cheapest, lowest-calorie set meals you can order.

The versions that go higher are the ones with meat. Chadol doenjang jjigae with beef brisket adds 80 to 120 calories, and some gogi-jip serve it as a rich, oily finisher after samgyeopsal where the pork fat from the grill ends up in the pot. That version is closer to 250. On its own, at a lunch place, it is 145.

How the portions compare

110 kcal
Small pot
145 kcal
Standard 400g pot
250 kcal
Chadol (brisket) doenjang jjigae

Doenjang Jjigae variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Vegetable only110 kcalNo tofu
Standard with tofu145 kcalMFDS figure
Clam doenjang jjigae165 kcalBajirak
Chadol doenjang jjigae250 kcalBeef brisket

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is doenjang jjigae good for dieting?
Yes. At about 145 calories per pot with 10g protein and a lot of volume, it is the best stew on the menu for a calorie deficit. Just watch the rice.
How many calories in doenjang jjigae with rice?
About 455 with a standard 210g bowl of rice. With the usual banchan and an egg, plan on 550 to 600.
Is doenjang jjigae high in sodium?
Yes, roughly 1,500 to 2,000mg per pot from the fermented paste. Drinking less of the broth is the easy fix.
Doenjang jjigae or kimchi jjigae for fewer calories?
Doenjang, at 145 versus 244 for kimchi jjigae. Both are low; the difference is the pork belly in kimchi jjigae.

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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 MFDS restaurant nutrition data (된장찌개 400g 145 kcal) via gazilab.co and pillyze.com. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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