Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Hobak-juk
A silky, naturally sweet Korean pumpkin porridge thickened with glutinous rice.
Korean · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 30 min
~119 cal · 3g protein · 29g carbs · 0g fat · 2g fiber · 6g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Hobak-juk is a silky Korean pumpkin porridge, sweet kabocha squash cooked down and thickened with glutinous rice flour into a smooth, naturally sweet, golden porridge. Gentle and nourishing, it is traditionally eaten as a restorative breakfast or given to those recovering from illness.
The dish belongs to the Korean tradition of 'juk', nourishing rice porridges valued for their digestibility. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin needs little added sugar, and glutinous rice flour or small rice-flour dumplings give it body.
Warm, smooth, and subtly sweet, hobak-juk is eaten across Korea, especially welcome in autumn.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb kabocha or pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup sweet (glutinous) rice flour
to taste sugar
a pinch a pinch of salt
4 cups water
Instructions
1
Simmer the pumpkin in the water until very soft.
2
Blend smooth, then return to the pot.
3
Whisk the sweet rice flour with a little cold water and stir it in.
4
Cook gently, stirring, until thick and glossy, then sweeten and salt.
5
Serve warm in bowls, with a swirl of extra plant milk if you like.
✎ Chef’s note
The traditional version carries saealsim, small chewy balls of glutinous rice flour boiled until they float, and often cooked red beans (pat) as well. Some cooks add both. A few pine nuts or a jujube flower on top is the usual garnish.
Seoul tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Seoul (Gyeonggi). Seoul is Korea's fast-moving food capital, where royal court cuisine, sizzling barbecue, and endless banchan meet street tteokbokki. Kimchi, gochujang, and late-night markets define the city's table.
🗺️
South Korea. Korea is a fermentation nation, where kimchi, gochujang, and doenjang anchor nearly every meal, and the table fills with shared banchan side dishes. Sizzling barbecue, bubbling stews, and rice-based comfort foods make eating a lively, communal affair.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from South Korea
BibimbapA bowl of rice crowned with seasoned vegetables, beef, and a fried egg, all mixed with gochujang at the table.
Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)Bubbling-hot soft tofu stew, brick-red with gochugaru, finished with an egg cracked in at the table.
BulgogiThin beef marinated in soy, pear, sesame, and garlic, seared fast and sweet-savory, Korea’s beloved "fire meat."
Browse all South Korea recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Blender, Whisk.
Storing it: Thickens as it sits. Reheat with extra water or milk to loosen, and keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
Make it a South Korea meal
SikhyeDrink
HotteokDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Hobak-juk?
A silky, naturally sweet Korean pumpkin porridge thickened with glutinous rice.
Where does Hobak-juk come from?
Hobak-juk is a Korean dish from Seoul (Gyeonggi), South Korea.
Can Hobak-juk be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Hobak-juk recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Hobak-juk safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Hobak-juk take to make?
About 45 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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