Has there ever been a more iconic Korean drink than banana milk? Popular with all ages and available in every CU convenience store or Korean 7-Eleven, banana milk has been enjoyed for decades since its introduction in the early 1970s.
To many a taste of nostalgia, Korean Banana Milk is still ‘trending’ today with many reinventions including social media sensation that is Korean Banana Milk latte (we tell you how to make one later on).
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Not only is it a popular drink, but there are also loads of Korean banana milk souvenirs from embroidery patches to keyrings.
From prices to other similar milk flavours by Binggrae, here is our ultimate guide to Korean banana milk 빙그레 바나나맛 우유 + photos.
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What is Korean Banana Milk?
A national treasure, the most famous brand of Korean banana milk (Binggrae) celebrated its 50th anniversary last year in 2024.
So iconic is the banana milk bottle shape (similar to traditional storage pots), the manufacturers are aiming to get it included on Korea’s official list of recognised cultural assets – although this sounds ‘bananas’, we can assure you it’s real.
It is said that over 6 billion bottles of Korean banana milk have been consumed since launch and it sells over 500,000 bottles a day across Korea – as it is 80% milk content, that is a heck of a lot of cows to be milked!
Often referred to by its manufacturers name (Binggrae), Korean Banana Milk in Korean is 빙그레 바나나맛 우유 – but there are different versions from various manufacturers from all over the country, but we just love the classic Korean banana milk.
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How much is Korean Banana Milk?
It is so popular now, many of the larger CU stores and 7-Eleven stores have dedicated Binggrae Korean milk fridges selling just banana milk along with the other flavours available.
Based on the standard 240ml bottle size, the price of an individual bottle of Binggrae banana milk in 2025 is 1800 won (this equates to less than £1 or $1.30 USD / $2 AUD/ $1.70 SGD).
1,800 won for a Korean banana milk is the same price we saw across all 7-Eleven and CU stores BUT it might be cheaper if you buy multipacks from supermarkets, which you can buy as both cartons and the curved bottles.
Previously, the banana flavour used to be just ingredients blended together that tasted like banana, but now there is a tiny bit of real banana fruit extract in the mix.
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Why is Banana Milk so popular in Korea?
It is an iconic Korean drink that is enjoyed by all ages – for the older Koreans, it is a reminder of their youth and a nostalgic taste. For the young, it is a brightly coloured but ultimately great tasting drink that isn’t too sweet or too thick
It is also often cheaper to buy banana milk than it is to say buy a can of Coca Cola or other soft drinks – Korean Banana Milk is pretty much available in every store we went to so it is easy to buy (although many times we saw it had sold out).
Korean banana milk remains popular to this day as there are lots of social media posts and TikTok videos about new ways to drink it including mixing it with iced coffee…
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The current trend – Banana Milk Iced Latte
Have you tried the ultimate Binggrae bling?
Popular on Tiktok, many banana milk fans are now adding coffee to banana milk
A branch of the CU convenience store in Myeongdong had a poster inside sharing a fun recipe of mixing the banana milk with a shot of espresso served over ice.
You could buy the banana milk, espresso shot and cup of ice for a discounted price of 2,700 Won down from 3,200 Won. Prices correct as of June 2025.
Intrigued, we decided to give it a go! You take the banana milk and cup of ice to the counter and tell them you want to do the combo (I showed a photo of the poster on my phone).
You pay and then take the cup over to the coffee machine and select espresso. Make sure you mix the drink afterwards!
This banana coffee combination tasted soooooo good! We would highly recommend this cool combination and we would definitely try it again. We also saw a poster in a 7-Eleven store in Dundun mall (Dongdaemun) advertising the exact same recipe so it’s not just limited to CU stores.
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Banana Milk souvenirs
As you would expect with something so famous, there are lots of Korean banana milk souvenirs you can bring home too (and they are less likely to spill in your suitcase than an actual real banana milk)!
Some of the Korean banana milk souvenirs we spotted included:
Banana Milk brooch
Banana milk miniature keyrings
Korean Banana milk embroidery iron on patches (you can find them in many of the Wappen House customisable gift stores).
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Other flavors of Binggrae
Binggrae isn’t just about banana milk – it has various other flavoured milks in Korea including:
- Banana Milk Zero (black lid) – launched in early 2025, this is banana-flavored milk that is unsweetened, with zero extra sugar added
- Binggrae Strawberry milk – red lid
- Binggrae Melon milk – green lid
- Banana milk light (lower calorie) – light blue lid
And remember, a real banana is actually much healthier than these processed drinks – but damn, Korean banana milk is life!
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