You don’t need to soak Tteokguk rice cakes, Garaetteok, or Tteokbokki rice cakes in water for a long time

We’ve always thought that soaking rice cakes in water for a long time is a basic step when making tteokguk, especially around the New Year. But these days, many people say that modern rice cakes are already in good condition, so you don’t really need to soak them — in fact, using them right away can be even better.

Why is soaking rice cakes for too long a problem?

In most households, soaking tteokguk rice cakes in cold water for a long time is considered standard. But if you leave them in water too long, several issues can actually arise.

The starch on the surface gets washed away.

There should be a thin layer of starch on the outside of the rice cakes, but if they’re soaked too long, that starch dissolves into the water. As a result, the soup becomes cloudy and loses clarity.

The texture gets ruined.

Rice cakes are already steamed once during production. If they absorb too much water and then go into the broth, the outside becomes mushy and soft, and the chewy texture disappears. The elasticity is lost, and the rice cakes can easily tear apart in the soup.

The rice cakes stick together.

When soaked rice cakes are added to the pot, their surface becomes sticky and they tend to clump together. To separate them, you end up stirring the soup repeatedly, which can make the tteokguk look messy.

The flavor becomes weaker.

Rice cakes that have already absorbed a lot of water don’t absorb the rich flavor of the broth as well. So the broth tastes strong, but the rice cakes themselves taste bland when you chew them.

Then what should we do instead?

There’s a very simple but effective solution —

don’t soak them for a long time.

1) Lightly rinse them in cold water

Just give the rice cakes a quick rinse in cold water.

This is only to wash off excess starch powder and clean the surface.

Avoid using lukewarm water — it can actually make the surface sticky.

After rinsing, you can add them directly into hot broth.

It also depends on the condition of the rice cakes

Of course, not all rice cakes are in the same state.

Vacuum-sealed or refrigerated rice cakes

Rice cakes sold in vacuum packs or stored in the refrigerator are usually soft enough.

A light rinse is all they need, and when added to boiling broth, they absorb flavor gradually while keeping a pleasantly chewy texture.

Frozen rice cakes

Frozen rice cakes are an exception.

If you put them straight into the broth, the temperature difference can cause cracks or leave the inside undercooked.

In this case, it’s better to soak them in cold water for about 10–20 minutes just to thaw them.

If the rice cakes are very hard and dried out, soaking for about 30 minutes can help moisture reach the inside and improve the texture.

The timing of when you add the rice cakes matters

Rice cakes should be added when the broth is fully boiling.

Putting them in while the broth is hot prevents them from sticking to the bottom, and when they float to the surface, that’s a sign they’re cooked to a nice chewy texture.

Once they float, turning off the heat is the ideal point.

Final thoughts — don’t soak them for too long

To sum up:

Soaking tteokguk rice cakes in water for a long time — a traditional habit many of us have — can actually reduce both the flavor of the rice cakes and the broth.

Instead, rinsing them lightly in cold water and using them right away allows you to enjoy a much better taste and texture.

Of course, depending on the condition of the rice cakes, the rinsing or thawing time may need slight adjustment. But with the quality of rice cakes available today, you can bring out the best flavor and texture simply by not soaking them unnecessarily.