Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen Renewal Review [Korean Food]

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Hello! Today’s new Ottogi instant noodle I want to introduce is the renewed 2026 Budae Jjigae Ramen. To be fair, the “2026” label isn’t actually printed on the package! Ottogi simply renewed the budae-jjigae ramen they used to sell in brown-and-yellow packaging into something with a spicier, more savory kick. Budae jjigae and gamjatang seem to be popular with overseas fans lately, so this feels like it’s riding that trend too! I never used to reach for the old version, but this time it has been renewed into something quite worth eating. So let’s take a look at what this menu is all about!

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen (2026 renewal)
Brand/Store: Ottogi
Price: around 6,000 won
Weight/Calories: 130g · 515kcal (90% of the daily sodium allowance)
Main components: Square noodle block, powder soup, dried vegetable/topping flakes (veggies, soy-based dried meat, ham, sausage), paste sachet (added after cooking)
Cooking: 500ml water (850ml for two servings), noodles + powder for 4 minutes, paste sachet after cooking
Highlights: Less sweetness, stronger ham-and-sausage flavor and heat (a touch milder than original Shin Ramyun)
Verdict: ★4.0 — Among the budae-jjigae ramens on sale now, this renewal stands out for authenticity and value, and it’s great with rice!

Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen: Price and Features

Among the budae-jjigae ramens properly on the market right now, there are really only two: Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen and Bogleboglet Jjigae Myeon. The Bogleboglet one was renewed so that its signature kimchi flavor faded while a funky cheese aroma grew stronger, so I never reached for it. The Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen also had such a strong sweet note that I kept passing it by — but since it’s been renewed this time, I bought it right away. The price came to around 6,000 won a pack!

With this renewal, the oddly sweet note from before was toned down a bit, while the flavor of ham and sausage was brought forward and the spiciness was boosted as well. Is this what you’d call the budae-jjigae trend? That said, looking at the ingredients, no actual extra sausage or ham was added — it seems more like the flakes and seasoning powder were increased!

Cooking Method and Nutrition

The cooking method is simple: for one serving, add the topping flakes to 500ml of water and bring it to a boil. For two servings, it kindly notes to use 850ml of water! Once the water boils, add the noodles and powder soup and cook for 4 more minutes. There’s also a separate paste sachet, and it says to be sure to add that paste only after cooking!

The total contents come to 130g with 515kcal, and the sodium reaches about 90% of the daily recommended amount. The volume and calories are similar to other instant noodles, but the sodium content is on the high side! Given the nature of this dish, it’s hard to avoid it coming out somewhat salty.

Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen: Components

So before cooking, shall we take a quick look at the components? First, this menu consists of Ottogi’s basic square noodle block, a powder soup, a dried topping soup, and finally the paste sachet you add and eat after cooking.

Powder, Flakes, and Paste Sachet

First up, the powder soup looks like this! The color isn’t as dark as you’d expect, right? It’s the soup that delivers the most basic budae-jjigae flavor, and when you actually taste a little, it isn’t all that spicy!

Budae jjigae ramen and rice combination image

The flakes here are packed with all kinds of toppings. There are various vegetables, dried meat made from soybeans, square ham and round-shaped sausage, all in dried form! The amount shown in the photo is enough for two servings!

Budae jjigae ramen price comparison image

Lastly, there’s the paste sachet, the budae-jjigae seasoning sauce. As noted in the precautions, the paste sachet must be added after cooking! It’s a paste type, and this part is the same as the previous budae-jjigae ramen. Of course, it contains ham- and sausage-flavored paste too, so taste it first and add as much as suits your preference.

Budae jjigae ramen strengths and features image

Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen: Cooking

So let’s get straight into cooking. First, following the instructions, I added the flakes, noodles, and powder soup and cooked them in the first round! Already, a spicy aroma with that distinctive ham scent rises up nicely. Once the ramen was fully cooked, I sprinkled the paste sachet on top as well!

Budae jjigae ramen chili ingredient image

In my case I added all of the paste sachet, but I was curious how much it would change the flavor! When I stirred it with chopsticks, it mixed in quite well. The finished look turned out like this!

Budae jjigae ramen recommendation info image

Rich bone broth budae jjigae ramen image

Perhaps because the paste sachet went in, the ham aroma comes through quite strongly, and the spiciness feels a touch more pronounced compared to the previous ramen!

Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen: Taste

So let’s move right on to the tasting. I’ve always been quite fond of budae-jjigae ramen, but the pre-renewal version had such strong sweetness that I didn’t easily reach for it — so how has it changed?

Budae jjigae ramen bone broth emphasis image

To give you the conclusion first, the sweetness has been reduced a bit, but that distinctive sweet note hasn’t completely disappeared. Since I didn’t taste each element separately, I’m not sure whether it comes from the powder soup or the paste sachet — but you’ll probably want to check before eating and adjust as needed!

Budae jjigae ramen cooking process image

Broth Flavor and Spiciness

Still, when I tasted just the broth on its own, the sweet note has dropped a lot compared to before! It feels balanced enough that you wouldn’t tire of it even after eating two servings. The spiciness is just right for tossing rice into it too! It’s probably a touch milder than original Shin Ramyun!

On top of that, the broth gives off a fairly strong ham and sausage aroma without the funky smell you get from Bogleboglet Jjigae Myeon, so it felt like it was renewed in a positive direction. I may be leaning too much on my old memories to write this review, but objectively speaking, the overall quality feels much improved!

Budae jjigae ramen meal satisfaction image

If I had to pick one budae-jjigae ramen currently on sale, I’d choose this newly renewed Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen without hesitation. The base itself is good, so it should be fine to add more ham and eat it like real budae jjigae too! Haha, though that would make it taste a bit saltier…

Verdict — Recommended as a Budae Jjigae Ramen

Personally, this menu left the impression of being well worth recommending. Compared with the premium instant noodles coming out these days, the price is fairly reasonable and the broth flavor was good too! Setting aside the fact that it tastes like budae jjigae, it’s a pretty solid instant noodle, which also makes it great for tossing rice into.

Green onion and chili budae jjigae ramen image

Budae jjigae ramen density comparison image

What do you think? To sum up this menu, the distinctive sweet note lingers a little, but the spiciness and the ham/sausage flavor feel much improved. Among the budae-jjigae ramens out now, the taste and authenticity are quite excellent! The value is good too, so if you’re a fan of budae jjigae, I think it’s a pretty solid choice worth trying at least once!

Regular ramen comparison budae jjigae ramen image

You can learn about the origins and background of budae jjigae, the dish this menu recreates, in the Budae-jjigae article on Wikipedia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do you cook Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen?

For one serving, add the topping flakes to 500ml of water (850ml for two) and bring it to a boil, then add the noodles and powder soup once the water boils and cook for 4 more minutes. The paste sachet, which is the budae-jjigae seasoning, must be added after cooking, so you can adjust the amount to your taste.

Q. What changed in the renewed budae jjigae ramen?

The previous sweet note was toned down while the ham-and-sausage flavor and the heat were strengthened. The flakes include vegetables, soy-based dried meat, square ham, and round sausage. That said, it doesn’t seem that more actual ham or sausage was added — rather, the amount of flakes and seasoning powder appears to have increased.

Q. How does Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen taste? Is it very spicy?

Personally, the sweetness has dropped and the ham-and-sausage aroma has deepened, so it felt quite a bit more complete. The spiciness is just slightly milder than original Shin Ramyun, which makes it suitable for tossing rice into as well. Among the budae-jjigae ramens on sale now, the authenticity is on the good side.

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