The Best Korean Soups & Stews
A Korean meal often centers on a hot soup or stew. These are the ones we cover, ranked by Spice score from mild to fiery — whether you want a soothing bowl or a bubbling, spicy jjigae.
Ranked by our KFG Score · 8 dishes
- 1Samgyetang삼계탕 · Ginseng Chicken SoupA whole young chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng, garlic, and jujube, simmered into a milky, nourishing broth — Korea's classic summer stamina food.Spice0/5
- 2Seolleongtang설렁탕 · Milky Ox Bone SoupA cloudy-white ox-bone broth simmered for many hours, served plain with rice and noodles so you can season it exactly to your taste — one of the gentlest, most comforting Korean soups.Spice0/5
- 3Tteokguk떡국 · Sliced Rice Cake SoupA clean, comforting beef-broth soup with chewy oval rice cakes, eaten on Korean New Year — and by tradition, eating a bowl means you have turned a year older.Spice0/5
- 4Doenjang-jjigae된장찌개 · Soybean Paste StewAn earthy, savory everyday stew built on fermented soybean paste — the humble, homey backbone of a Korean home-cooked meal.Spice1/5
- 5Budae-jjigae부대찌개 · Army Base StewA gloriously messy, spicy hot-pot of kimchi, Spam, sausage, instant noodles, and cheese — Korea's ingenious fusion born after the Korean War.Spice3/5
- 6Gamjatang감자탕 · Spicy Pork Spine & Potato StewA big, bubbling red stew of pork spine and potatoes that Koreans love to share late at night — hearty, spicy, and famous as hangover food.Spice3/5
- 7Kimchi-jjigae김치찌개 · Kimchi StewA bubbling, deeply savory-sour stew of aged kimchi simmered with pork and tofu — the ultimate Korean comfort food.Spice3/5
- 8Sundubu-jjigae순두부찌개 · Soft Tofu StewA silky, bubbling stew of uncurdled soft tofu, usually with seafood or pork, finished with a raw egg cracked in at the table.Spice3/5
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