Tteokbokki-tteok — Korean rice cakes
Tteokbokki-tteok are small, chewy cylinders of rice cake, cut from garae-tteok. They are what makes tteokbokki chewy.
Made from rice flourOften sold refrigerated or frozenUpdated Oct 20, 2026
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Yopokki Instant Tteokbokki (2 packs)
A ready kit with rice cakes and sauce; the listing says it is shelf-stable and cooks in minutes. Good if you want to try the texture first.
What it is
Tteok (떡) is the general word for Korean rice cakes. Garae-tteok (가래떡) is a long cylindrical tteok made from non-glutinous rice flour, usually about 2.5 cm across. Small pieces of it, called tteokbokki-tteok or tteokmyeon, are what go into tteokbokki.
They are chewy because the steamed rice flour is pounded or extruded into a dense dough. Wikipedia notes that since the 1950s, wheat-flour rice cakes have also become a common alternative to the rice ones.
How it is used
The classic is tteokbokki, simmered with gochujang sauce, fish cake, boiled egg and scallions. A non-spicy, soy sauce-based version is called royal court tteokbokki. Sliced garae-tteok also goes into tteokguk (rice cake soup) at Korean New Year.
Choosing and storing
Wikipedia says garae-tteok is sold pre-packaged in a semi-dehydrated form. In stores it is often in the refrigerated or frozen section; check the package. Thaw frozen cakes in the fridge before cooking.
On Amazon
We could not find a refrigerated tteok pack that Amazon ships, so the picks below are a rice cake stick listing and a ready-to-cook kit. Fresh packs are usually easier to find at Korean grocers.
More on K for All
Tteokbokki recipeEomuk (fish cakes)Korean pantry essentials guideKorean pantry starter kitMaangchi – Garae-tteok