How Hot Are Buldak Noodles: Tame the Heat of Spicy Samyang Buldak Ramen

Buldak noodles are seriously spicy, though the exact heat depends on which one you pick up. The original sits at around 4,404 Scoville Heat Units, roughly a fresh jalapeño, while the notorious 2x Spicy climbs to about 10,000, and creamy flavours like Carbonara are far gentler. If you want to try them yourself, the full Samyang Buldak range is here, but read on for the heat levels flavour by flavour, and how to enjoy them without setting your mouth alight.

Key Facts About the Heat in Buldak Ramen

• The Hot Chicken flavour is the original Buldak and measures around 4,404 SHU, similar to a fresh jalapeño.
• The 2x Spicy, often nicknamed Nuclear, is commonly put at about 10,000 SHU, with a 3x version higher still.
• Creamy flavours such as Carbonara and Cheese are much milder, sitting in the low thousands.
• The heat comes from added capsaicin, the compound in chillies, not from the spicy chicken flavour itself.
• Buldak is a stir-fried noodle, so you drain most of the water and coat the strands in the sauce, which concentrates the heat.

Buldak Originally Came from Korea

Samyang launched the original Buldak Bokkeummyeon in 2012, where it might have stayed a South Korean shelf staple were it not for the Fire Noodle Challenge, a social media trend where people filmed themselves finishing a bowl without reaching for water. That challenge turned Buldak into a global phenomenon, with the brand now selling billions of packs a year across more than sixty countries. If you have noticed it quietly taking over a shelf in your local supermarket, that is the wave you are seeing. The thing worth holding onto is that you do not have to eat it challenge-style to enjoy it.

How Hot Are Samyang Buldak Noodles?

The one figure almost everyone agrees on is that the original Buldak sits at roughly 4,404 SHU, although published numbers can vary from source to source, partly because Samyang does not print a Scoville rating on the pack. The table below can give you a little more idea of what to expect from each flavour in terms of heat, although it is meant as a guideline only.

For a little extra context, a jalapeño ranges from about 2,500 to 8,000 SHU, so the original Buldak sits comfortably within jalapeño territory. The 2x Spicy pushes past that into serrano range, which is where it stops being a flavour and starts being more of a challenge. You will see the 2x quoted anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 depending on who you ask, which gives you some idea of how much these figures move around.

What That Spice from Buldak Actually Feels Like

Numbers only tell you so much, especially since Buldak is a stir-fried noodle rather than a soup; that means the sauce clings to every strand, making the heat more direct as it builds rather than washing through. The original is a steady, sweat-on-the-brow burn that most people who enjoy a curry can handle. The 2x Spicy is a different beast entirely, the kind of heat that makes your nose run and your eyes water, and for most people it overwhelms the actual flavour underneath. If you find the heat intimidating, the burn is very easy to dial down, which is where a little preparation comes in.

How to Make Buldak Less Spicy Without Ruining Them

Personally, I am not a big fan of spicy food, and I only ended up picking up Buldak out of curiosity because it was so insanely popular at my local supermarket. Social media and the likes of YouTube are full of videos talking about Buldak, but more specifically they share ideas on how you can customise its flavour and spiciness. It is quite common for people not to eat Buldak as it comes from the packet, with many choosing to modify it in order to give the ramen noodles more substance. That might be as simple as adding some extra seasoning or an egg alongside the sauce supplied in the pack, but it can make a massive difference.

Like a lot of newcomers to Buldak, I found the Carbonara one of the most popular and safest choices, as it is not quite as spicy as the other variants in the range and sits more towards the milder, creamier end. This particular flavour benefits enormously from a good mayonnaise stirred through once the noodles are cooked and drained, and if you can get hold of the Japanese mayo Kewpie, all the better, since it is richer and more savoury than most. An egg works well too, either stirred through as the noodles finish or just the yolk for extra creaminess, though that is not to everyone's taste.

The most important thing is to not use the whole sauce packet at once. If you add it gradually, a little at a time alongside the mayo, you can control the heat to your taste far more easily. Tipping in the entire sachet, especially if you are wary of spice or have never tried Buldak before, turns it into more of an endurance test than it needs to be. There is a reason the creamy, fatty additions work so well. The heat in chillies comes from capsaicin, which dissolves in fat and oil but not in water, so mayonnaise, cheese, an egg yolk or a splash of milk physically carry the burn away, whilst a glass of water usually just spreads it around your mouth. The same logic is why a milk-based drink like Milkis does far more to cool you down than water, which is why dairy is the classic fire-noodle rescue.

Whichever variety of Buldak you choose, an easy way to tone down the spicy instant ramen breaks down into five steps:

• Stir in a spoonful of high-quality mayonnaise once the noodles are cooked.
• Add a beaten egg, or just the yolk, as the noodles finish cooking.
• Melt in a slice of cheese, or add a splash of milk or cream.
• Add the sauce packet gradually and taste as you go, rather than all at once.
• Bulk it out with extra noodles, rice or vegetables to spread the heat across more food.

Which Buldak Flavour Should You Start With?

If you are new to Buldak spicy ramen, it is sensible to work up the ladder rather than diving in at the deep end. Carbonara and Cream Carbonara are the gentlest entry points, creamy and only lightly spiced. Cheese and Jjajang sit a step up but are still very manageable, and flavours like Quattro Cheese, Curry and Kimchi offer more to taste without a big jump in heat. The Original Hot Chicken is the real Buldak experience and a fair challenge if you are not used to heat. The 2x Spicy, and the 3x if you can find it, are best left until you know exactly what you are getting into. You can see what we currently stock across the Samyang range and pick your level from there.

Common Questions About Buldak Heat

More Korean Snacks and Drinks

• Browse the full Samyang Buldak range.
• Cool the heat with a Milkis milk soda or a Chilsung Cider.