This Tteokbokki recipe features soft and chewy rice cakes smothered in an umami-packed sauce that is sweet, spicy, and irresistibly delicious in every bite. These Korean rice cakes are so easy to make yet so addictive, they will instantly become your favorite comfort food for the weekdays.
What is Tteokbokki?
As the weather gets colder by the day, there’s nothing that I crave more than a steaming bowl of spicy Korean rice cakes to pamper my tastebuds.
Tteokbokki (떡볶이), also known as topokki, or ddukbokki, is one of the most popular street food dishes in Korea which is iconic for its fiery red sauce and irresistibly addictive taste.
Tteokbokki translates to “stir-fried rice cake”, and compromised of soft & chewy rice cakes and fish cakes coated in a sweet and spicy chili sauce that’s packed with umami to give you an incredible burst of flavor in every bite.
Tteokbokki is one of Korea’s most beloved comfort foods that is enjoyed both in the streets of Seoul and also at home as it is quick and easy to make with only a handful of ingredients!
As Korean rice cakes were one of my favorite foods growing up, I’ve spent so much time in the kitchen perfecting this recipe while making countless variations to trace back to that nostalgic taste of the food carts that I would frequent as a child.
This recipe is also incredibly simple and easy to follow as long as you have the right ingredients at hand, so it is a great dish to make even if it’s your first time making Korean food at home. :)
This Korean rice cake recipe stays true to the classic version that has rice cakes and fish cakes as the main elements of the dish.
If you prefer the rendition that includes ramen noodles and more toppings, you can check out this Rabokki recipe that I shared earlier in the blog.
What do I need to make Tteokbokki?
As mentioned earlier, one of the best parts about this Tteokbokki recipe is that it calls for a handful of simple ingredients, making it to be one of my favorite ’emergency’ meals to have during the weekdays.
Here is a list of Tteokbokki ingredients that you will need:
- Korean rice cakes: or Tteok, as the main component of this recipe.
- Using fresh rice cakes is ideal, but the packaged kinds will also work just as well.
- The cylindrical ‘stick-type” rice cakes are commonly found in the refrigerated section of Korean grocery stores or in the frozen aisle.
- Refrigerated rice cakes just need to be rinsed in water prior to cooking, but frozen rice cakes will need to be softened for about 10 minutes in warm water before using them in your recipe.
- Korean fish cakes: sold in sheet form, to be defrosted in hot water and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Korean fish cakes, also known as ‘Eomuk’, can be found in the freezer section of Korean grocery stores, often close to the frozen dumplings.
- Although fish cakes are a big part of the traditional version of this recipe, you can also just use rice cakes if that’s all you have at hand.
- Soy sauce, sugar, Gochugaru (Korean chili powder), garlic, honey, and Gochujang (Korean chili paste): for the sauce.
- It’s important to note that Gochugaru comes in two different types of flake vs. powder. Both have different uses, but the fine powder type is what we will be using for this recipe.
- Anchovy stock or dashi: to enhance flavor. Although you can use water, using stock as a base will ensure the most flavorful results.
- If you don’t have any traditional stock, unsalted chicken stock or a 1:1 ratio of regular chicken stock and water make for wonderful alternatives.
- Green onion: optional, for garnish.
And that’s it! As long as you have these ingredients at hand, preparing Korean rice cakes is incredibly simple and comes together in just a few minutes in the pan.
I hope you enjoy this easy & delicious topokki recipe, and please leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram if you have any questions. Happy cooking everyone! ツ゚
Other Korean recipes you may like:
- Rabokki (Tteokbokki with Ramen)
- Dakdoritang (Korean Spicy Chicken Stew)
- Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
Easy Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes)
Ingredients
- 3 cups anchovy stock dashi, unsalted chicken stock, or water (see notes below)
- 1 lb (450g) Korean rice cakes
- 2-3 sheets Korean fish cakes defrosted and cut into bite-sized pieces
- green onion optional, for garnish
Tteokbokki Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar or 1 tbsp for reduced sweetness
- 1 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili powder) adjust to desired heat level
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp honey rice syrup, oligo syrup, or your choice of liquid sweetener
- 3 tbsp Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. If your rice cakes are frozen, defrost them in warm water for 10 minutes prior to cooking.
- Add stock to a large pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add rice cakes and sauce and stir to combine. Cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced, add fish cakes, and cook for another 2 minutes. Garnish and enjoy!
Notes
♥ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a 5-star rating or leave a comment below to share your experience, or tag @cookerru on Instagram to showcase your creations!
28 comments
This was hands down the best teokbokki recipe I’ve ever tried!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed it Luna! ♡
I made this for myself on my birthday and omg, it was so delicious and the sauce is absolutely addicting! I used chicken stock and added mushrooms, bacon and cheese.
This will definitely be a regular meal in my house now❤️
I skipped the anchovy broth and it was still incredibly delicious. Added some cabbage too. Will make over and over again.
Cabbage is a great addition! Thanks for sharing Amy! :)
Hi Elle! I have bought dehydrated rice cakes online and I am confused about how they are used , could you help me? I look at them and I have no idea if I put it directly or if I have to hydrate it with cold or hot water or how I do it. Thanks in advance.
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Hi Wendy! I’d recommend following the instructions on the package, but the general rule of thumb for dehydrated/frozen rice cakes is to soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes before using them in your recipe. I hope that helps!
I’ve been looking for something different to make and tried this the other day turned out great and super easy to make.
You’re recipes are amazing!! For good Korean food I always look to your page! ❤️
As always your recipe is the best. I tried to modify it by placing cabbage and noodles in the recipe. My nephew loves it. Thank you, Miss Elle, for giving us a taste of Korea.
Wish you all the best and God bless❤️
Finally found the perfect consistency & sauce amount I want, tried a lot of recipes from different bloggers, this is the best for me! thank you so much!
Thank you I had bought them at an Asian market here in California and I love rice cake desserts and I was curious and how I could make them and I knew I was a Korean style but I would also like to ask you is there a way to make it in a desert way thank you you’re wonderful your presentation is awesome blessings
Love this recipe, delicious ❤️
This is my favorite tteokbokki sauce recipe. It’s a great balance of sweetness and spiciness and it pairs well with the chewy rice cakes. I’ll add some boiled eggs and top it off with cheese and sesame seeds. The perfect snack :)
This recipe was so simple to follow and to make, even for someone like me who isn’t the best at cooking. For me it is the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. I loved the taste!!
Amazing! Amazing!! This is usually my daughter’s go-to at restaurants, so I was a little intimidated to have her taste what I made. She ABSOLUTELY loved it!! I added a little cornstarch at the end to thicken the sauce, but that’s he only change I made.
Absolutely fail proof and delicious. I work for a Korean company and every sales meeting we go to a Korean BQQ and off course we have an order of Tteokbokki. Your recipe is the closest I have gotten to the same taste and feel of the Korean restaurants. 5plus stars.
This was my first attempt at making a sauce for store bought tteokbokki and it was so easy and very delicious! Thank you
it’s reallyyyy gooddd, I love it ❤️❤️❤️
My partner and I LOOOOVE tteokbokki and so far this recipe was the best one! We use water and it still tastes great (except sometimes I don’t measure it like I should and we end up doing the cornstarch trick when the sauce hasn’t thickened, oops)
This tteokbokki recipe sounds absolutely mouthwatering! The combination of soft, chewy rice cakes with that umami-rich sauce is simply irresistible. I love how it’s both easy to prepare and incredibly satisfying, making it the perfect go-to comfort food for busy weekdays. I can already imagine enjoying every spicy and sweet bite—definitely a recipe to keep handy!
This tteokbokki recipe is simply fantastic! The way those soft, chewy rice cakes soak up the sweet and spicy umami sauce sounds like a flavor explosion in every bite. I love that it’s not only easy to make but also perfect for a cozy weeknight meal. It’s sure to become a favorite comfort food—can’t wait to try it!
Easy and delicious, thank you!
Best tteokbokki recipe I’ve found so far. The sauce is she delicious!
I added some carrot and an egg, as I was out of fish cake.
Will be using this recipe from now on.
To anyone making this: please go the extra mile and buy or make anchovy or dashi stock – it really makes a big difference!
My son begged for this, it was too spicy… I added more sugar and some cream; that seemed to help cut the heat. I ate it with ramen noodles and it was delicious. Wish I could post a pic
Me and my friend both white made this and we’ve burnt water before and it worked and tasted great!
So delicious!
Amazing, my go to recipie for Ttebokki