Today I’m going to show you how to make makgeolli, a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage made by combining rice, yeast, and water with a starter culture called nuruk. It’s milky-white, fizzy and refreshing. It’s also called “nongju” which means “farmer liquor” because it’s made with a lot of rice, it’s full of carbohydrates and was traditionally served to farmers as part of a midmorning snack or with lunch, giving them the strength and energy to work the rest of the day.
Korea has a long history of homebrewing, and every family used to make their own booze at home, it was much more common than buying it. These days you can buy makgeolli easily at a Korean grocery store or liquor store but when it comes to taste, it can’t be compared to homemade makgeolli. Homemade makgeolli is thicker, less sweet, and more filling than store sold makgeolli.
This recipe is also in my cookbook, Real Korean Cooking, and while developing the recipe I sent a sample of the finished product to the EMSL Analytical food lab for a full nutritional and toxic analysis to see what is really inside it. They let me know that it is totally safe to drink, 7.4% alcohol by volume, cholesterol-free, fat-free, and contains vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6. It’s high in calories and has a lactobacillus count of 375,500 CFU/mL. Lactobacillus is a kind of lactic acid bacteria that’s good for your stomach and digestion and can boost your immune system. It’s also found in yogurt, but in much higher quantities.
So it’s great for giving you energy and is good for your stomach, but the real reason to drink it is it’s so refreshing and delicious! It’s also a great thing to have at a party, and especially when you make it yourself, your family and friends will love to drink it and have a great time doing it. Making good makgeolli is not very difficult, it just takes a little time and there are a few pitfalls to avoid.
I’ve been making makgeolli for special family occasions and my reader meetups for years. Some of you who came to my meetups and tasted my makgeolli have been waiting years for this recipe. Thanks for your patience!
Make some makgeolli and enjoy life! Let me know how it turns out!
Ingredients (Make 4 quarts)
- 5 cups short grain rice, washed and soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours
- 1½ cups nuruk (starter culture)
- 1 package of dry yeast
- 5 quarts of water (20 cups)
- ¼ cup sugar (optional)
5 cups Korean short grain rice
Special items that I use to make makgeolli
- Electric food dehydrator
- 7 to 8 quarts earthenware crock
Directions
- Drain the rice and put it into a heavy pot. Add 4 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 15 minutes. Stir and turn the rice over with a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer it for another 15 minutes over low heat.
- Remove from the heat. Transfer the rice to a basket of your electric dehydrator. Spread the rice evenly, and fill as many baskets as you need. Cover, set the temperature to 160° F, and dry for 3 hours, until the outside of each grain is hard, but the inside is still moist. If you don’t have an electric dehydrator, you can dry your rice for several hours in a shallow basket set in breezy, sunny place.
- Put the rice into the earthenware crock. Add nuruk, yeast, and 8 cups of water and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Place a cotton cloth under the lid when you close it, to let some air circulate in and out.
- Let sit for several hours, then uncover and mix well with a wooden spoon. At this point, the rice will have absorbed a lot of the water to create a thick paste. Cover and let sit overnight.
- Open the crock and you’ll see a lot of bubbles popping to the surface, and the mixture will be a lot thinner than yesterday. Stir it well with a wooden spoon and cover again. Stir it a few times a day for the next few days.
- On day 4 or 5, it will be bubbling a lot less and will have separated to a clear liquid on top and a milky mixture on the bottom. Mix well, and keep mixing a few times a day for a few more days.
- On day 8 or 9, there will hardly be any bubbles at all. The liquid on the top will be clearer and more amber. It’s now perfectly fermented and ready to drink.
- Strain the makgeolli into a large bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it. Discard the solids. Add 8 cups of water to dilute. Add the optional sugar and mix well.
- Strain the makgeolli one more time and put it into glass jars or BPA free plastic beer bottles.
- Serve cold, and stir or mix well before drinking. Serve with kimchi or some side dishes. It can keep in the fridge up to 2 to 3 weeks.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
![[OTTOGI] Delicious COOKED RICE...](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41zYdZ3EWJL._SL160_.jpg)
Hi Maangchi,
I was watching several videos for making rice wine and I found yours to explain it best. ;-) But I’ve started a batch which I added crushed Chinese yeast balls but I didn’t have nuruk. I found a place to order it. Can I add it later (which would be half way through 4-5 days) or just let this batch go which would be more Japanese style? This way has clear liquid forming at the bottom separating from the porridge on top which you strain off. I can always make another batch with nuruk later for comparison..
the nuruk ia needed at the beginning. starch in the rice cannot forment, it needs to be converted ti sugar by the maylase in the nuruk. yeast eats sugar to make alcohol
Hi Maangchi! I have a 1 gallon onggi pot. Can i still make this recipe? How do I scale down this recipe to make sure it can all fit? Thank you so much I am sooo excited to start fermenting!!!
I used a 2 gallon food grade bucket. My local donut shop gives them away for free or you can get at a home brew shop for under $10. It works great.
See full size image
Good tip. I’ve made Chinese Rice Wine using the Rice Balls (actually enzymes + microbes) in a large glass jar with a fermentation gas trap in the lid. I don’t have an Onggi or earthenware jug of the proper size and wonder if I can use a glass jar with the gas trap lid for making Makgeolli also? If so, will enough air get in without leaving the screw-top lid loose? I notice that you use the same gas trap with the food grade bucket. Was the lid on tightly?
Appreciate any tips here for my first run of Makgeolli.
JEL
Here’s the large jar I used for fermentation.
See full size image
I’m not sure how, but I ended up with more than a gallon. The recipe is so easy and works perfectly! I couldn’t find an onggi at our Korean market, so I used a glass jar, but it worked fine. I just wrapped the jar in a towel to keep out the light and hold in the heat. The end result was so tasty!
See full size image
Hi Maangchi!
Please teach us how to make Makgeolli bread in your next video. Thank you. Xx
Day 1: I’m going to give this a try. I use to live in Korea over 20 years ago and remember drinking Makgeolli at summer festivals and at college hangouts. I’ve been brewing beer for over 15 years so I am going to apply some of that process as well. Wish me luck!
See full size image
Have you made it? If so, how did it turn out?
I’m really happy with the results, it turned out great. Just as I remembered when I lived in Korea 25 years ago drinking it at summer festivals. I fermented in the basement which was cooler so I had to let the fermentation go about 13 days.
See full size image
It looks awesome! Yay! Now you can make Korean makgeolli!
Hi. How do I make it different flavors?
Hello lizlewis71, I am planning to give flavors a try now that I have mastered my first successful batch. I have been home brewing for over 20 years including beer, wine, soda and cider. I think there are 3 possible ways to add flavor to makgeolli. (1) The most easy would be to simply add flavor extract to the final product before bottling. This is how soda and seltzer are flavored. Soda Stream sells a large variety of flavors and they can be easily purchased at Walmart or online. (2) add flavor enhancers known as Nibs during fermentation. Nibs can be purchased at any home brew shop and are common to use in flavoring beer. I just made a stout beer that I used coco nibs to give it a Chocolate flavor. These are limited in choices though, I am considering using orange nibs in my next batch. (3) you can use frozen juice flavor concentrate to dilute your brew before bottling. This is how ciders get their punch. For example at the end before you bottle your brew instead of diluting with water as the recipe suggests you could use frozen juice concentrate instead of water. I think this would be the best result except for the fact that frozen concentrate has a lot of sugar and the fermentation in your brew might go into overdrive if you add it. This would result in extremely high alcohol content, very foamy makgeolli and exploding bottles if you cap the bottle too tight. If you use this method I think it would be wise to first use some Potassium Sorbate tablets from your home brew supplies store first. This will kill the yeast with out affecting the flavor. I hope this helps. I think I am going to do a double batch next and try all these techniques to see what gives the best results. I’ll be sure to post how it went when I am done.
Hi, i am afraid i did not pay attention to you receipe and managed to put in the 20 cups all at once, bit stupid i know
It is fermenting strongly but i am still wondering if this has a chance of succeeding?
Can you tell me if it is best to throw it and start over or to see what happens?
Thanks for your time.
Erwin
… this morning i took some water out. I’m now at day 2. Thinking of adding 1/2 kg of rice in the afternoon. I do not have any Nuruk anymore. The 1 1/2 cup was all i had.
Maybe you have some advice on what to do now .. :)
…Added 1/2 kg of extra rice, will see what happens… just put it in and when opening it i could smell some alcohol already so that’s good :)
Hey… I just wanted to ask what I can substitute the earthen Crock… Will it taste different deeping on where it’s left to ferment?
Maangchi I hope you see this and can help me (I posted this in two different places sorry!). I am making this for the 10 time maybe and I am on day 8 and this is still looking like day 5. There is no clear clear layer, there is still a lot of bubbles/yeast activity so I am not worried that that yeast was not good (I have had that problem before and I knew it wasn’t a good batch by day or 5). And the smell is right, sweet smelling like alcohol. I will say that I went a little heavy on the rice and it was probably about half a cup more than 5 cups. So what do I do? Do let is ferment for a few more days and see if the amber layer appears? Or should a harvest it now? If it doesn’t appear should I just harvest it or throw it out?
Is there anything you can make with the leftover rice?
I started my makgeolli and now I have to leave for two days/two nights!! oops… will it be OK or should I find a baby-makgeolli sitter?! :D
Thanks for this amazing recipe- I’ve enjoyed and shared many batches! Do you have a recipe for Dongdongju? Or Korean restaurant owner’s wife has asked me if I can make it, but I cannot find a recipe anywhere.
Thank you for all of your great videos and inspiring so many of us to learn, enjoy and share all of the delicious food Korean cooking has to offer!
Hi, maangchi!
I’ve tried making this and I taste them everytime I stir them.
It tasted good on day 6 and it went sour the next day.
It’s my 4th attempt of making makeolli and
I keep having same problems.. what do I do??
I’d like a recipe for Soju… Andong Soju. Show how to distill it, etc. I found something online, but then I’m not clear how to make it not turn into vinegar in those 3 weeks.
hello mangchi,
i am from india and i am doing a project on alcohol fermentation as my major.as a kdrama fan i want to try making maekgeolli but there is no nuruk to buy in india.so can i prepare maekgeolli without nuruk or can you make a video on how to make home made nuruk.it would be so helpfull if you would answer it.
thankyou
You can’t make it without Nuruk… but I’m also hoping she posts how to make Nuruk.
I found this link helpful for making nuruk at home. https://www.makgeollilab.com/nuruk
Hi, Maangchi.
I tried my hand at this recipe and it turned out quite well; now I’m in the process of making a second batch. Just wanted to say thank you and 좋은 하루 되세요
See full size image
I’ve made Makgeolli a few different times and culture my own Nurak. I fine each recipe unique and thanks for sharing your recipe. Your recipe is the first time I’ve seen a dehydrator used, could you elaborate on why?
I usually let the rice cool on the counter on my cheese cloth with a small fan for an hour or so to prevent killing the Nurak yeast. I’m also trying picking up different wheats to culture different flavor Nuraks for this winters brewing. I recently learned the method of making Danyanyju/Gwanaju where addition spirits are added.
Wow it sounds like you are an expert in making makgeolli!
My recipe is made from my experience over the years. The traditional way to make makgeolli is with steamed rice, and then after steaming the rice you can cool it down like you did and make makgeolli with it. But in this recipe I was making makgeolli an easier way and instead of steaming, i made rice in a rice cooker, but I needed to dry it out. Without drying it out the alcohol level in the makgeolli is too low.
I’m interested in how you culture your own Nuruk. Nuruk is impossible to get in this area of Tennessee and ordering it online is expensive.
Hey Maangchi, I ordered an 11 liter onngi and a dehydrator. I have my first batch of Makgeolli started. I am looking forward to drinking it from a Makgeolli pot and cups I bought for my dad while I was working in Korea.
Question-Can you substitute a ceramic pot for the earthenware pot to ferment the Makgeolli ?
You could, but Onggi are special in that they are made to breathe (as in the pot itself, not just the opening at the top. And Earthenware, in general are more Porous. It would be the same result as using say… a glass jar.
Onggi, though, if you are a serious kimchi maker, want to make sauces, or Korean alcohol are a worthy investment. You can buy them online and sometimes from Korean markets.
Hi Mangchi…is it necessary to soak the rice overnight.
I have tried 2 batches with different kind of rice. The final color is different. 1 is more amber while the other is more white in color.
I didn’t use Nuruk…couldn’t get it in where I stayed…i used Chinese yeast balls instead. Still taste pretty good. I had 2 Koreans friends as test objects :)
This is what it looks like after filtering 2x
See full size image
How much of the yeast balls did you use? I have a really hard time getting nuruk where I live.
Technically not Makgeolli… since nuruk has other things besides yeast in it.
Dear Maangchi,
I am going to try making this soon. But is it possible to give me the ingredients in grams?
1cup of rice in grams
1cup of nuruk in grams
Thank you.
1 cup short grain rice ~= 210g
1 cup nuruk ~= 130g
If I wanted to brew this with fruit at what point would I add the fruit and how much fruit would I use?
Third to fourth day I would say since the sugars will break down if you do it longer or at the end.
Made my second batch of makgeolli. It tastes great and my friend took back 2 litres home to enjoy. :) Definitely tastes better than the commercialized ones.
Hi Maangchi! I’ve just ordered a dehydrator and am going out in search of an onggi today! I have one question – store bought Makgeolli is sometimes flavored with things like chestnut or banana. Do you have any tips for flavoring the Makgeolli with additional ingredients?
Why does the rice need to be dehydrated?
I found when the cooked rice is a little dry, the liquor will turn out stronger.
I am so excited to find this recipe and your awesome blog! I’ve bought and fallen in love with makgeolli. I was wondering if there is anything I can do with the sediment in the bottle? Can I use it as a strter to make my own? Add fruit juice and wait to see if alcohol happens? Add it to flour for a fermented dough?
Hello Maangchi,
I am making Makgeolli for the second time since it turned out so good. I brought a bottle of my first batch to my favorite Korean restaurant 가향 (Ga Hyang) in Phoenix, AZ just to see what the cook and waitress thought of it. They both loved it so I decided to make another batch.
I have made several of your recipes that turned out fantastic. I just made some fishcake which are still warm as I write this. I used salmon instead of cod and used octopus instead of squid. They turned out FANTASTIC!!!!! They were pretty fun to make too.
I made your Braised Lotus root twice which turned out fantastic both times. I made both “Traditional Kimchi” and “Easy Kimchi” which both turned out great as well. I left the second one I made “Easy Kimchi” sit on the counter for 4 days to ferment and it turned out really sour. I brought a jar of that to the Korean restaurant as well and the waitress , Su (a native Korean) loved it but it was a bit too sour for her. She told me to make kimchi stew with it which I did and that turned out PHENOMENAL !!! Sooooo delicious that I made it twice in 3 days.
I have made a few more of your recipes and they all turned out great. A few months ago I planned a trip to South Korea near the end of this coming August for 11 days and started doing some research and found your website and I think your a really amazing cook. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge of your native country with the world. I have a new found respect and love for Korean cooking and culture and can’t wait to experience South Korea in person.
See full size image
I really want to try making this; unfortunately I gave away my dehydrator and I do not have a crock so I will have to figure out how to improvise! I have a question though…is there any chance you could post a recipe for Jeonju-style moju? I purchased some on my two visits there in 2009 and have been wishing for some ever since.
Hi Ashley,
I didn’t use a dehydrator either time I made my Makgeolli. I found 2 pizza pans that are like a flat strainer with holes in them. I make round flat rice patties out of the sticky rice and place them gently on the pans and set the oven for 170 deg. for about 2 hours. the rice turned out perfect. I paid $10 for both pans. Something to think about.
See full size image
Thank for posting I had makeogelli here and then went to Busan where my lovely Airbnb host treated me to Busan makeogeolli when they knew I liked it. It was wonderful I think even better than Seoul’s!!
After I made my first batch when I got home from Korea last year I’m not sure if it fermented too long it, had small white patches on top after I had made it ? What does that signify. I don’t have an onggi I used a clear jar with a cheesecloth.
Going to try again.
Also to keep the temp consistance can you use a heating pad. The weather here is. But unpredictable with colder nights in Spring time.
Thanks for any advice Deirdre
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes, I have followed your website for years and always enjoy trying yummy new Korean food!
I have made your makgeolli recipe a few times now, and it is very delicious however I am having trouble with the level of carbonation. After I first make it in strain it, it seems perfect and just slightly bubbly, however after just a day of being bottled in the refrigerator it explodes like soda when I opened it and becomes very, very bubbly. I love the delicious flavor of the makgeolli, but I do not think it is supposed to be so carbonated.
Do you have any suggestions on how I can prevent my makgeolli from tasting like soda?
Thank you so much!
You can poke a very small hole in the lid of the bottle to prevent carbonation.
Hi Maangchi, do you think it would be ok to use pre prepared dried sticky rice like in this photo? It is fully dried and is not still moist on the inside.
I don’t have ready access to a rice cooler as I am currently living in a hotel.
See full size image
Hi Maangchi!
I just bought an Onggi at PAT in Toronto to make this, and I’m so excited. :)
I was wondering if you could help me out though, with a few questions:
1) I don’t have a dehydrator, nor is it sunny and breezy here right now. Could I dehydrate the rice in the oven somehow? Or could I skip this step altogether?
2) How long do you think the Makgeolli will keep in bottles in the fridge after the fermentation process?
3) Can I wash an Onggi with soap, or should I only use water?
Thanks in advance for your help. Going to give bottles of this as Xmas gifts this year!
Big fan since 2007! :) :) Love all your recipes and videos.
I used to shop at the same store where you go! I miss the store! I bought my large onggi there and brought it all the way to New York! : )
Now I will give you short answers.
1) Yes, you can use oven to dry the rice a little bit.
2) It will be ok up to 1 month. Maybe longer than 1 month but I always use it up before that.
3) Don’t use any soap or detergent because onggi has microscopic holes. These micropores allow some gases to pass in and out and breathe. Soap will get into the holes and get into your food. So use only cold, warm or hot water, and scrub it. Some smells will remain even after washing, so if this bothers you, you can give it a good clean by filling it with hot water and letting it sit for 24 hours. Then pour it out and fill it up again with water and let it sit another 24 hours. You can do this until you’re satisfied that it’s clean and doesn’t smell at all.
A quick way is to just rinse a couple of times and dry it well with a kitchen towel and then set it out to air dry after.
But even after cleaning, I keep an onggi exclusively reserved for making makgeolli, and when I’m not making makgeolli it sits empty. I can use the same onggi to make soy sauce or doenjang or fish sauce because all of them are fermented and pungent. But once it’s used to make those things the smell never totally goes away, so I keep one onggi reserved for makgeolli and never use it for anything else.
Good luck with making good makgeolli!
Thank you for getting back to me with the tips, Maangchi. Much appreciated! :) Everything is already looking and smelling great. Cannot wait to try it. Thanks again for all your work and recipes. With warmth, Myron.
This did not turn out quite as I expected. After straining it was a lot thinner than the picture in step 9 (basically the same consistency as plain water). It also separates very quickly in the bottles. It’s been a little bit since I’ve had any (store bought) makgeolli, but it I remember it being homogeneous, sweeter, and less boozy. What I made tastes okay, but I think I may prefer something closer to the store bought stuff. I’m more interested in something light and slightly sweet than in getting tipsy. Next time I will try to bottle some of the mixture at various stages to see what I like best.
Do you have to have dry yeast starter? Can you rely on wild yeasts to start this fermentation?