Meat, Grills & Lauk · Korea

How Many Calories in Galbi?

Also known as 갈비, Korean Grilled Short Ribs, Yangnyeom Galbi, 양념갈비, Kalbi, LA Galbi.

Galbi is beef short rib, either cut flanken-style across the bone (LA galbi) or butterflied off the bone, marinated in soy, sugar, pear and garlic and grilled at the table over charcoal. The expensive end of the Korean barbecue menu.

460kcal / 1 serving (1인분, 200g raw marinated beef rib, grilled)
A 200g serving of marinated beef galbi is about 460 calories after grilling, using fatsecret.kr's 258 kcal per 100g for raw rib meat plus the marinade, minus some fat lost to the grill. It has about 35g of protein and 30g of fat, and the sweet marinade adds around 14g of carbs. Pork galbi is similar at about 480.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 serving (1인분, 200g raw marinated beef rib, grilled) (200g)AmountPer 100g
Calories460 kcal230 kcal
Protein35 g18 g
Carbs14 g7 g
Fat30 g15 g

Where the calories come from

Beef short rib, 200g raw, grilled200g
400 kcal
Marinade (soy, sugar, pear, garlic)30g
50 kcal
Grilled garlic, lettuce, ssamjang30g
10 kcal

The real talk

Short rib is a marbled cut, so 200g of raw rib meat is 500 calories before the marinade. Grilling over charcoal drops that to around 400 as the fat renders and drips, and then the marinade puts 50 back with 12g of sugar. The result, 460 per serving, is lighter than samgyeopsal (630) and heavier than bulgogi (330) for the same weight.

The number that matters is how many servings you eat. Galbi at 25,000 to 40,000 won per 1인분 for beef means most tables order 2 or 3 servings for 2 people and then add pork galbi at 15,000 when the budget runs out. Two servings each is 920 calories in meat, and that is before the doenjang jjigae, the rice and the cold noodles that always follow.

The bones count for a lot of the weight. A 200g LA galbi serving with the bones can have only 130g of edible meat, so the real intake is closer to 350. Boneless yangnyeom galbi (갈비살) is nearly all meat, so 200g on the menu is 200g in your stomach, about 460.

How the portions compare

350 kcal
LA galbi with bones, 200g (130g meat)
460 kcal
1 serving boneless, 200g
1220 kcal
2 servings plus rice

Galbi variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Saeng galbi (unmarinated), 200g400 kcalNo sugar marinade
Yangnyeom galbi, 200g460 kcalStandard marinated beef
Pork galbi (돼지갈비), 200g480 kcalCheaper, similar fat
Galbi-jjim (braised), 1 serving650 kcalBraised in sweet sauce, more sugar

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in 1인분 of galbi?
About 460 for a 200g serving of marinated beef rib after grilling. With bones on the scale, the edible meat is less and the count is closer to 350.
Is galbi or samgyeopsal lower in calories?
Galbi, at about 460 per 200g versus 630 for samgyeopsal. Beef rib is fatty but pork belly is fattier.
Is pork galbi lower in calories than beef galbi?
No, about the same or slightly higher. Pork galbi is usually pork shoulder or rib in a sweeter marinade, about 480 per 200g.
How much sugar is in galbi marinade?
About 12g per serving, from sugar, corn syrup and grated pear. Saeng galbi (unmarinated) has none.

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See all Meat, Grills & Lauk 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 소갈비살 258 kcal per 100g; 200g serving with marinade, grill loss estimated. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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