Viral Butter Tteok is the snack taking over feeds in 2026: a chewy glutinous rice cake made with milk and butter, baked or pan-fried until the outside turns golden and crisp while the inside stays soft and stretchy. It started as a Shanghai street dessert, went viral on Korean social media, and is now sold in Seoul cafés and convenience stores everywhere. One bite explains the obsession, crisp edges giving way to a warm, buttery, almost mochi-like center.
What makes butter tteok so appealing is its simplicity. The batter comes together from pantry staples, glutinous rice flour, milk, butter, sugar, and eggs, and it bakes in a muffin tin or a small pan with no special equipment. Serve the little cakes warm, dusted with sugar or drizzled with honey, and you have a snack that feels both nostalgic and brand new. It is no wonder Korea’s MZ generation made it their snack of the year.
Why You’ll Love This Butter Tteok
- Crispy outside, chewy inside: The contrast of textures is exactly what makes it so addictive.
- Simple pantry ingredients: No special flour or equipment, just glutinous rice flour and everyday staples.
- Naturally gluten-free: Made with glutinous rice flour, not wheat flour, so it suits gluten-free eaters.
- Quick to make: Mix, pour, and bake in under 40 minutes, with most of that hands-off.
- Endlessly fun shapes: Bake them in muffin tins, madeleine molds, or a small cake pan and cut into squares.
- Perfect snack size: Small, handheld, and ideal with coffee, tea, or as an after-school treat.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour, not regular rice flour)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter or cooking spray, for greasing the tin
- Extra sugar, honey, or condensed milk, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin, a madeleine pan, or an 8-inch square pan.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined and free of lumps.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, pourable batter. It will be thinner than cake batter, which is correct. Let it rest for 5 minutes so the flour hydrates.
- Fill the tin: Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each about three-quarters full. For a square pan, pour in all the batter and smooth the top.
- Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for muffin-sized cakes, or 30 to 35 minutes for a square pan, until the tops are deeply golden and puffed and the edges are crisp. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool briefly: Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. They will deflate slightly as they cool, which is normal for rice cakes.
- Serve warm: Serve warm, dusted with sugar or drizzled with honey or condensed milk. Butter tteok is at its best on the day it is made, when the contrast between crisp edges and chewy centers is strongest.
Tips for the Best Butter Tteok
- Use glutinous rice flour, sometimes labeled sweet rice flour. Regular rice flour will not give you the chewy texture.
- Grease the tin very well. Rice cakes love to stick, and a good greasing makes all the difference.
- Do not overbake. Deep golden is perfect, but dark brown edges can turn hard once cooled.
- Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. This small pause helps the flour absorb the liquid and improves the chew.
- Serve the same day if possible. Rice cakes firm up as they sit, though a quick reheat revives them.
- For extra crisp edges, bake in a dark metal tin rather than a light or silicone one.
Variations
- Matcha butter tteok: Whisk 1 tablespoon of matcha powder into the dry ingredients for a grassy, green-tea version.
- Chocolate chip version: Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips for a melty, dessert-like twist.
- Cheese pull version: Press a small cube of mozzarella into the center of each cake before baking.
- Pan-fried version: Cook spoonfuls of batter in a buttered skillet over medium-low heat, like thick pancakes, until golden on both sides.
- Savory version: Reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons, add a pinch of black pepper and chopped spring onion, and serve with soy dipping sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Store butter tteok in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Rice cakes naturally firm up as they cool, so reheat them before serving: microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or warm in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 5 minutes, until soft and chewy again. Freeze cooled cakes for up to 1 month in a freezer bag, and reheat from frozen in the oven until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is butter tteok the same as mochi?
They are cousins, not twins. Both use glutinous rice flour for chewiness, but butter tteok is baked with butter, milk, sugar, and eggs into a cake-like snack with crisp edges, while mochi is typically steamed and pounded into a soft, plain rice cake.
Why did my tteok sink in the middle?
Some sinking is normal as rice cakes cool, especially in a muffin tin. If they sink dramatically, the batter may have been underbaked. Bake until the tops are deeply golden and a skewer comes out clean, and avoid opening the oven door too early.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes. Use oat or soy milk and dairy-free butter or coconut oil in place of the dairy butter. The texture stays chewy, with a slightly different but still delicious flavor.
Where can I buy glutinous rice flour?
Look in the Asian foods aisle of larger supermarkets, or in Asian grocery stores. It is often sold in small bags labeled glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour. Do not substitute regular rice flour, which gives a gritty, crumbly result.
Crisp, buttery, and irresistibly chewy, Viral Butter Tteok is a snack that lives up to its hype. Bake a batch this week, serve it warm, and watch it disappear before it even reaches the table.