Key takeaways
- Nongshim Ppang BuJang is sold as individual 1.94 oz (55 g) foil bags. Multi-unit options are a 16-count box on Amazon, a 12-count at Costco Business Delivery, and a 3-count Nongshim snack box that pairs the rolls with Banana Kick.
- Two flavors are on US shelves: Salted Butter Roll (UPC 031146020164) and Chocolate Flavored Roll. Both share the same corn-and-wheat puff base.
- The snack is made with a non-fried method and shaped as a miniature croissant. It bites crisp on the outside and melts soft in the middle, so it does not behave like a laminated pastry.
- The salted butter version is made with Isigny butter and sel de guérande salt, which is an unusually specific sourcing claim for a packaged snack.
- Both flavors declare wheat, milk and soy, and the package states the snack is made in a facility that also processes eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, crustacean shellfish and sesame. Neither flavor is safe for wheat allergy or celiac disease.
- Both ingredient lists include artificial flavors and color additives. Non-fried describes how the snack is cooked, not the seasoning.
Package formats and where each one fits
Ppang BuJang is built around one unit: a foil-sealed 1.94 oz (55 g) bag. Everything else is a way of buying that bag in bulk. The foil seal is what keeps the puff crisp, which matters more for this format than for a dense biscuit.
| Option | Unit size | Structure | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salted Butter Roll, single bag | 1.94 oz (55 g) | Individual foil bag | Lunchbox, desk drawer, trying it once | OLIVE YOUNG US |
| Salted Butter Roll, 16-count | 1.94 oz (55 g) bags | 16 bags per box | Household pantry, office restock | Amazon |
| Salted Butter Roll, 12-count | 1.94 oz (55 g) bags | 12 bags per box | Smaller bulk buy, business delivery | Costco Business Delivery |
| Chocolate Flavored Roll, 16-count | 1.94 oz (55 g) bags | 16 bags per box | Pantry, dessert-leaning snacking | Amazon |
| Nongshim Banana Kick Korean Snack Box | Mixed | 3-count assortment: Banana Kick, chocolate roll, salted butter roll | Trying the range, gifting | Amazon |
A single bag is portioned by net weight, not by piece count, so the number of rolls inside varies slightly with puff density. Nongshim does not print a piece count, and neither do the retail listings.
For anyone hunting warehouse-club quantities: the largest widely available format is the 16-count box. The 12-count at Costco Business Delivery is the closest thing to a club pack, and it is a business delivery item rather than an in-warehouse pallet.
Flavor and texture
Ppang BuJang borrows the look of French viennoiserie, but it is an extruded puffed snack rather than a layered pastry. The base is yellow corn flour and enriched wheat flour, formed into a curved roll and cooked without frying. The bite runs in three stages: a crisp outer shell, a light aerated middle, then a soft dissolve.
Salted Butter Roll
The reference point is 소금빵, the Korean bakery salted butter roll. What makes the claim credible here is the sourcing: Costco Business Delivery lists the product as made with Isigny butter and sel de guérande salt, the French AOP butter and Brittany hand-harvested salt that the bakery original uses. Butter (cream) and whole milk powder are both named in the ingredient list.
The result reads savory-leaning rather than sweet. Sugar is high in the ingredient order, but the salt and dairy carry the finish, so it does not land as a dessert.
Chocolate Flavored Roll
Same croissant puff, different coating. The chocolate version leads with yellow corn flour, sugar and enriched wheat flour, then palm kernel oil and alkalised cocoa powder. Palm kernel oil is what gives the coating its snap and its richer mouthfeel. Whey protein concentrate and soy lecithin appear further down. It is the sweeter of the two by a clear margin.
Ingredients, in full
Buyers comparing this against a "clean label" snack should see the whole list rather than a summary.
Salted Butter Roll
Yellow corn flour, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, rice bran oil, palm oil, butter (cream), whole milk powder, contains less than 2% of: ammonium chloride, annatto (color), artificial flavors, beta-carotene (color), cocoa powder (processed with alkali), calcium sulfate, cellulose powder, corn starch, malic acid, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, natural flavors, palm kernel oil, paprika (color), polyglycerol polyricinoleate, rosemary extract, salt, soy flour, sunflower oil, tocopherols (antioxidant), yeast extract. Contains wheat, milk, and soy.
Chocolate Flavored Roll
Yellow corn flour, sugar, enriched wheat flour, palm kernel oil, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), rice bran oil, palm oil, whole milk powder, contains less than 2% of: ammonium chloride, annatto (color), artificial flavors, beta-carotene (color), butter (cream), calcium sulfate, cellulose powder, coconut oil, corn starch, dextrose, malic acid, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, natural flavors, paprika (color), polyglycerol polyricinoleate, salt, silicon dioxide, sorbitan tristearate, soy flour, soy lecithin, tocopherols (antioxidant), triacetin, whey protein concentrate, yeast extract. Contains wheat, milk, and soy.
Three points worth pulling out:
- The fats are rice bran oil, palm oil and real butter. The chocolate version adds palm kernel oil and coconut oil for its coating.
- Both lists include artificial flavors, plus annatto, beta-carotene and paprika as colors. If artificial additives are a hard filter for your household, this snack does not clear it, non-fried or not.
- Butter is real butter (cream), named in both lists rather than replaced by a butter flavoring.
For per-serving calories, fat, sodium and sugars, read the Nutrition Facts panel printed on the back of the bag. Retail listings for this product do not reproduce the panel, and figures circulating in third-party write-ups are not traceable to Nongshim.
Allergens and what they mean for a household
Under the labeling rules the FDA sets out for food allergens, manufacturers must declare major allergens on the package. Ppang BuJang's declaration is short and identical across both flavors.
Declared allergens, both flavors: wheat, milk, and soy.
Facility advisory, printed on the package and reproduced on the OLIVE YOUNG US listing:
Manufactured in a facility that also processes eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, crustacean shellfish, and sesame.
That second line matters as much as the first for severe allergies. Shared equipment can carry trace protein through standard cleaning, so households managing peanut, tree nut or sesame reactions should treat this as a cross-contact risk rather than a clear product.
Wheat and gluten. Enriched wheat flour is a primary ingredient in both flavors. Ppang BuJang is not suitable for celiac disease, wheat allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and there is no gluten-free version of it.
Buying it for kids
The practical questions are portion, allergens and cleanup rather than any single number.
- Portion. One bag is a snack for an older child or an adult. For a younger child, splitting a bag across two sittings is the simpler control than trying to count pieces, since the pack is sold by weight. The per-serving figures on the back panel are the reference point.
- Allergens first. Wheat, milk and soy rule this out for a large share of common childhood allergies before portioning even comes up. Check the facility advisory too if nut or sesame reactions are in play.
- Cleanup. This is where the format wins. The rolls are dry to the touch and do not leave the orange seasoning residue that cheese-dusted snacks transfer to hands, books and car seats. That makes it a reasonable lunchbox or car-ride option.
- Sweetness. If you are managing sugar, the Salted Butter Roll is the more restrained of the two. The Chocolate Roll is a dessert-side snack.
Where to buy
Ppang BuJang has moved beyond Korean specialty retail into mainstream e-commerce, though physical distribution still leans on Asian supermarket chains.
Online. Amazon carries single bags and 16-count boxes with subscribe-and-save intervals for both flavors. Costco Business Delivery stocks a 12-count. OLIVE YOUNG US sells individual 55 g bags at around $3.
Mainstream grocery. Kroger-family stores including Food 4 Less list individual bags, which is the clearest sign the product has crossed out of specialty distribution.
Asian supermarkets. H Mart, 99 Ranch Market and Zion Market remain the most reliable places to find it on a shelf rather than waiting for delivery.
The full US range, including the Dakdari Drumpops line, is listed at nongshimusa.com.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces are in a bag of Nongshim Ppang BuJang?
Nongshim does not print a piece count. A 1.94 oz (55 g) bag is filled by net weight, so the number of rolls varies with puff density.
Is Ppang BuJang baked or fried?
Neither in the usual sense. Nongshim states on the product listing that it is made with a non-fried method. It is an extruded puffed snack, not an oven-baked pastry and not a deep-fried chip.
Is Ppang BuJang sweet or savory?
The Salted Butter Roll sits between the two, with real butter and salt carrying the finish over a sweet base. The Chocolate Flavored Roll is clearly on the sweet side, built on alkalised cocoa and palm kernel oil.
Does Nongshim Ppang BuJang contain artificial colors or flavors?
Yes. Both flavors list artificial flavors, and both use annatto, beta-carotene and paprika as color additives. The non-fried claim describes the cooking process only.
Is Nongshim Ppang BuJang safe for someone with a wheat allergy or celiac disease?
No. Enriched wheat flour is a primary ingredient in both flavors and the package carries a "contains wheat, milk, and soy" declaration. There is no gluten-free version.
Does it contain nuts or sesame?
Neither is an ingredient, but the package states the snack is made in a facility that also processes eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, crustacean shellfish and sesame. For a severe allergy, treat that advisory as the operative information.
What is the texture like compared to a real croissant?
Crisp first, then soft. It is shaped like a croissant but built as an aerated puff, so it snaps on the first bite and dissolves rather than pulling apart in flaky layers.
Where can I buy a multi-pack?
A 16-count box of either flavor is on Amazon, a 12-count is at Costco Business Delivery, and the Nongshim Banana Kick Korean Snack Box bundles both roll flavors with Banana Kick in a 3-count assortment.