Cup Bingsu (Easy Single-Serve Korean Bingsu)

Cup Bingsu is the hottest trend in Korea this summer! Classic patbingsu reinvented in a single-serve cup – super quick, perfect for one, and topped with Korean red bean paste, creamy shaved milk ice, crunchy corn flakes, a scoop of azuki ice cream, and chewy bingsu rice cakes. Refreshing, cute, and totally Instagram-worthy!

Another genius invention from Korea! Meet Cup Bingsu: classic bingsu reinvented into a single-serve cup. The moment I saw it, I was hooked. I’m such a bingsu fan (one of my all-time favourite desserts!) that when I’m not in Korea, I just make it at home whenever the craving hits.

And because I love it so much, I’ve even started a little bingsu recipe series – you’ll find my Patbingsu, Mango Bingsu, and Strawberry Cheesecake Bingsu too 🥰

But honestly, making bingsu at home can be a bit of a pain – freezing milk, shaving milk, all that fuss. So when I first heard about Cup Bingsu (where you just blitz milk and ice in a blender instead of shaving milk ice), I had to try it!

And let me tell you… now that this quick and easy version exists, Cup Bingsu is officially a permanent trend in my house too 😂

What is Cup Bingsu?

If you’ve ever had bingsu, you’ll know it’s one of Korea’s most loved desserts – a giant bowl of fluffy shaved milk ice, piled high with toppings like sweet red bean, fruit, condensed milk, cheesecake… the works. It’s creamy, refreshing, and usually shared with a friend (or two) because the bowls are massive.

Cup Bingsu (컵빙수) is the viral new twist that’s taken over Korea this summer. Instead of shaving frozen milk into snow-like flakes, you blend ice cubes and milk together in a blender. The texture ends up more like a milky slushie than the delicate snow of traditional bingsu, which is why it melts a lot faster. To solve that, it’s served in a cup (often a bubble tea cup!) with a bubble tea straw rather than in a big bowl, making it super handy to grab-and-go.

That’s what makes cup bingsu so genius: it’s single-serve, quick, and you don’t need a special bingsu machine to make it at home. The taste is still creamy and rich from the condensed milk, but the texture feels different from regular bingsu, almost like a milkshake crossed with a snow cone.

The other plus? It’s super affordable (around 5,000 won / ~$3.60) but packs emotional satisfaction for the price.

Who invented cup binsu?

So, cup bingsu isn’t tied to a single genius inventor, but it’s safe to say Korea’s café scene deserves a standing ovation for bringing it to life.

• Mega Coffee really lit the spark this summer. They dropped their “Patbingsu Gelato Parfait” and “Mango Bingsu Parfait” in April 2025, and BAM – they sold over 5 million cups within weeks.
• But Ediya Coffee wasn’t far behind. They quietly introduced Red Bean Injeolmi Cup Bingsu back in 2021, selling a whopping 350,000 units in its first month. Though this version back then was still shaved milk ice, like traditional bingsu, just served in a cup. It wasn’t the new “milk mixed with ice” style that Mega Coffee popularized later as a dessert/drink.

Which cafes are making cup bingsu?

Mega MGC Coffee – The front-runner with both red bean and mango versions flying off shelves.

Ediya Coffee – Offers four fun flavors like sweet corn, red bean with rice cake (injeolmi), and mango granola. Sales jumped 20% year-over-year recently.

Knotted – This bakery chain rolled out “Tongtong Red Bean Milk Bingsu” and “Tongtong Matcha Red Bean Bingsu.” The matcha one even tripled their blended beverage sales!

Tous Les Jours – Debuted “Red Bean Injeolmi Cup Bingsu” in May 2025.

Paris Baguette – Joined the trend with their “Milk Cup Bingsu” in early July.

• Cold milk – Use cold milk to prevent the ice + milk mixture from melting too quickly. It keeps your cup bingsu refreshing for longer.
• Milk powder – This is a classic trick in Korean cafes! Milk powder (or sometimes creamer) is added to give the ice milk mixture extra creaminess and a slightly sweet, rich flavor. It makes the slushie texture more velvety and helps the milk mixture hold together better when blended with ice.
• Sweetened condensed milk – Sweetens the ice milk mixture naturally while adding a subtle richness.
• Small ice cubes – Don’t use large ice cubes made for whisky; they won’t blend properly and can break your blender.

Toppings:

• Korean red bean paste (팥) – Make sure you use Korean red bean paste, not the Chinese kind. Korean red bean paste uses azuki beans and still has little chunks, giving it that lovely texture. Chinese red bean paste is smooth and tastes very different, it is used for other types of desserts.
• Korean bingsu rice cakes (찹쌀빙수떡) – A must-have in patbingsu! They’re chewy, bouncy, and perfectly complement the ice milk mixture.

• Unsweetened corn flakes – Korean cafes often use a mix of cereals for texture, but to make it simple I used corn flakes only since they are the most common in traditional bingsu and give a nice crunch.
• Azuki red bean ice cream – Complements the red bean paste beautifully. You can skip it if you want the version without ice cream, or swap it for chocolate ice cream to make the Patbingsu Chocolate Gelato Parfait from Mega Coffee.

What equipment do I need?

• Powerful blender – I use this KitchenAid blender model, but any blender you use needs to be powerful enough to crush ice. Just a heads up: no home blender will ever be as powerful as the professional ones used in Korean cafes. Those café blenders crush ice super fast and create a smoother, almost-shaved-ice texture. That’s why homemade cup bingsu melts faster than the café version – the ice in our blenders isn’t shaved as finely, so it turns into a slushie more quickly.
• Bubble tea cup – This recipe is made for a 16 fl oz / 450 ml bubble tea cup. You can find them on Amazon. I really like these cute bear bubble tea cups, but regular bubble tea cups work perfectly too.
• Bubble tea straw – Once you’ve eaten the ice cream (if using), use the straw to drink the bingsu. This version melts fast, so it’s more of a drinkable treat compared to traditional patbingsu that you eat with a spoon.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Pre-chill your cup in the freezer. Prepare all ingredients as you’ll need to assemble them fast.
2. In a blender, add cold milk, milk powder, sweetened condensed milk and ice cubes. Use a pulse blend instead of long blending so the ice melts more slowly. Once the ice is crushed, assemble your drink immediately as the milk ice will start melting.
3. In the cup, layer 3 tbsp Korean red bean paste first. Pour the milk ice mixture halfway up. Add a layer of corn flakes.
4. Add another layer of shaved ice almost to the top of the cup. Top with corn flakes, 1 tbsp red bean paste, a small scoop of red bean ice cream, and bingsu rice cakes.
5. Give it a rough mix, then enjoy your cup bingsu right away, before the ice melts.

Variations

The beauty of Cup Bingsu? You can make it any flavour you want. Korean cafés have gone wild with all sorts of toppings, and you can too 🙂 Just start with the base recipe, then swap in whatever flavours you fancy:

• Mango Cup Bingsu – Ditch the red bean paste, pile in fresh mango chunks and drizzle with mango syrup. Scoop of mango ice cream on top? Yes please.
• Strawberry Cheesecake Cup Bingsu – Use strawberry sauce instead of red bean, add fresh strawberries and little cheesecake bites. Finish with a splash of condensed milk.
• Chocolate Red Bean Cup Bingsu – Swap the beans for chocolate syrup, cornflakes for Chocapic or Coco Pops, then crown it with chocolate ice cream. Think bingsu-meets-sundae.
• Matcha Cup Bingsu – Stir a spoonful of matcha into the milk before blending, then top with matcha ice cream and dust more matcha over. Bittersweet and refreshing.
• Oreo – Crushed Oreos instead of cereal, cookies & cream ice cream on top. If you’re an Oreo fan, you might also love my Oreo Bubble Shake or Oreo Bubble Milk Tea.

How to serve Cup Bingsu?

Cup Bingsu is all about fun presentation and quick enjoyment – this isn’t a dessert you make and then leave sitting around. The ice-and-milk mixture melts much faster than regular shaved milk bingsu, so the trick is to serve it straight after blending.

• Use clear cups – Bubble tea cups (450 ml / 16 fl oz) or small sundae cups work perfectly. The clear sides show off the pretty layers of toppings – it’s half the charm!
• Serve with both spoon and straw – Start with a spoon to dig into the ice cream and chunky toppings, then switch to a wide bubble tea straw once the ice starts melting into a drink.
• Enjoy immediately – This is not one of those desserts that gets better as it sits. Cup Bingsu waits for no one – melt factor is real!

Emma’s tips

• Prep all your ingredients before you start blending the ice milk mixture. This way you can assemble everything quickly before the ice starts melting.
• Milk ice mix – Make sure your milk is really cold. The colder it is, the longer it takes for your cup bingsu to melt. You want that slushie texture, not soup!
• Pulse blend – Don’t just hold “blend.” Pulse in short bursts so the ice doesn’t melt into watery milk too quickly.
• Don’t skimp on toppings – Pile them high so it looks indulgent. The more colourful and varied the toppings, the more “café-style” it feels.

Looking for more Korean cafe drinks?