Food Calories by Country

Korean Food Calories

Korean food gives you a table of banchan for free and then charges you in calories for the main. A kimchi jjigae with rice is around 500 and honestly filling. A half of yangnyeom fried chicken with a beer is 1,200 and gone in twenty minutes. Samgyeopsal depends entirely on how many wraps you build. This page ranks the dishes people actually order, lightest to heaviest inside each category.

Calorie figures come from the Korea MFDS food nutrition database and the Korean Food Composition Table, plus published chain data for the fried chicken brands, sized to a normal restaurant serving. Every page shows where the calories hide and how to eat the same meal lighter.

Rice Meals Noodles Soups Meat, Grills & Lauk Snacks & Kuih Drinks Desserts

Rice Meals 3 dishes, lightest first

Noodles 5 dishes, lightest first

per 1 pack cooked with 1 egg

Soups 8 dishes, lightest first

per 1 bowl (with noodles, no rice)

per 1 bowl (ppyeo-haejangguk size)

630 kcal

Budae Jjigae

per 1 serving (share of the pan, no rice)

918 kcal

Samgyetang

per 1 pot (whole young chicken)

Meat, Grills & Lauk 8 dishes, lightest first

330 kcal

Bulgogi

per 1 serving (200g cooked, no rice)

460 kcal

Galbi

per 1 serving (1인분, 200g raw marinated beef rib, grilled)

470 kcal

Jokbal

per 1 person's share (about 250g, a third of a small order)

580 kcal

Dakgalbi

per 1 serving (1인분, about 300g, no rice)

590 kcal

Tangsuyuk

per 1 person's share (about 200g, a third of a small plate)

620 kcal

Bossam

per 1 person's share (about 180g pork with kimchi and wraps)

630 kcal

Samgyeopsal

per 1 serving (1인분, 200g raw belly, grilled, with ssam)

950 kcal

Korean Fried Chicken

per Half a yangnyeom chicken (반마리, about 8 pieces)

Snacks & Kuih 6 dishes, lightest first

100 kcal

Eomuk

per 1 skewer (with a cup of broth)

per 1 piece (street cart)

300 kcal

Sundae

per 1 serving (1인분, about 200g with liver and lung)

335 kcal

Tteokbokki

per 1 serving (1인분, street cart or bunsik shop)

600 kcal

Haemul Pajeon

per 1 whole pancake (restaurant size, about 300g)

Drinks 1 dish, lightest first

220 kcal

Banana Milk

per 1 bottle (240ml)

Desserts 1 dish, lightest first

450 kcal

Bingsu

per 1 bowl patbingsu (cafe size, meant for 2)

Korean Food at a glance

There are 32 dishes ranked on this page. The lightest is Eomuk at 100 kcal per 1 skewer (with a cup of broth), the heaviest is Korean Fried Chicken at 950 kcal per Half a yangnyeom chicken (반마리, about 8 pieces), and the average lands around 484 calories a serving. 6 of them come in under 300 calories, and 10 are 600 or more.

That spread is the whole point. Two dishes off the same menu can be 850 calories apart, which is more than most people's entire daily deficit. Knowing which is which costs you nothing and changes the outcome.

Common questions

What is the lowest calorie korean food option?

Eomuk is the lightest on this page at 100 calories per 1 skewer (with a cup of broth). There are 6 options here under 300 calories, so you have room to pick something you actually like.

What is the highest calorie korean food here?

Korean Fried Chicken tops the list at 950 calories per Half a yangnyeom chicken (반마리, about 8 pieces). 10 of the 32 dishes here are 600 calories or more, so it is worth checking before you order.

How many calories are in a typical korean food serving?

Across the 32 dishes on this page the average is about 484 calories per serving, with the middle of the pack around 480 (Mul Naengmyeon). Figures are estimates for a normal portion.

Other countries

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant or pojangmacha serving, based on the Korea MFDS food nutrition database and the Rural Development Administration Korean Food Composition Table, plus published chain nutrition data. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.