I admit that South Korea’s summer is hot and humid. But, this not-so-pleasant weather has a silver lining: a never-ending variety of Korean ice cream!
Korean ice cream is famous for its various flavors from the basic vanilla taste to the creative corn flavor or unfamiliar red beans. In addition, the flamboyant packaging surely grabs your attention.
Whether you shop at a Korean market near you (lucky you) or visit South Korea yourself (luckier you), you may be overwhelmed by the variety of Korean ice creams. And sometimes you would hesitate to try one because of unexpected flavors or names like Jaws Bar (FYI, its ingredient doesn’t include a piece of a shark.)
Don’t worry. Here I have a list of top 10 best-selling Korean ice creams for you. This list is based on last year’s top-selling ice creams in South Korea, beloved by Koreans nationwide – so you can trust the choices of 50 million Koreans. Plus, I personally have tasted all of them and proved the list.
Share what you have tried and your favorites in the comments below. Don’t forget to find out 5 more Korean ice creams you probably haven’t tried yet at the end of the post.
No. 10 Pangtoa
Pangtoa (빵또아) has two soft slices of castella bread covering the cookie and cream ice cream inside, unlike other Korean ice cream sandwiches that usually use wafers for the outer layer. If you are not familiar with castella bread, imagine a sweet soft sponge-like cake.
This texture makes the ice cream sandwich a unique dessert. Be aware, though, that the castella bread can make your fingers sticky so either keep the wrapping cover while you are eating it or simply eat fast.
Cookie and Cream flavor is a steady seller but Binggrae has introduced some varieties such as Choco Chiffon and Red Velvet Cake. The name may sound like French or Portuguese, but it is a Korean abbreviation of ‘bread’, ‘and’, and ‘ice cream’ meaning eating bread and ice cream together.
No. 9 Double Bianco
Here is why this Korean ice cream has “double” in its name. When you are about to finish the upper part, the ice cream part, you will realize the real meaning of the name. The bottom part of this cup-style ice cream is the apple sherbet. ‘Bianco’ means white in Italian, so it means the double pleasure of white vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup and white apple sherbet.
The packaging also has its own charm. At the bottom of the cup, you will find a hidden foldable spoon so you can conveniently scoop the sherbet.
No. 8 Natuur
Natuur is a premium ice cream brand by Lotte Confectionery in South Korea. The brand not only sells ice cream products in Korean supermarkets and convenience stores but also has its own stores including signature cafes.
Natuur offers a full range of products from pints to bars and ice cream cakes. The Korean ice cream brand also serves vegan-certified ice cream, the first one in South Korea. Customers have quite a number of options for flavors including Snow Flower with Red Bean, Cherry Blossom, Green Tea with Fudge, Piperita Mint Choco, French Affogato with Vanilla, Strawberry with Cheese Cake, and its most popular one, Green Tea. Of course, regular flavors like chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla are available. Ice cream cakes and bars have even more flavors such as Yuja Trinity Bar.
Natuur claims to be a premium ice cream brand, thus the price doesn’t come cheap. The bars cost three times or more than other Korean ice cream bars depending on where you buy them.
No. 7 Pangpare (Fanfare)
Introduced in 1983, Pangpare has been a steady seller in the Korean ice cream market. The name, 빵빠레 (Pangpare), is ‘fanfare’ pronounced in a Korean way. The ice cream has had a variety of other flavors, but nothing really has beaten the original vanilla flavor.
It’s a little hard to eat the bottom part with the crispy wafer. You can see the little curved part at the edge of the plastic package (in the picture above.) Supposedly, we are able to hold and take out the ice cream through the parts. Obviously, they are too small. Instead, squeeze the very bottom part of the plastic until the wafer pops up. Not too strongly, though.
No. 6 Goo Goo Cone
This is an ice cream version of Goo Goo Cluster, the beloved American candy bar. Lotte Confectionery paid loyalty to bring this recipe and turned it into ice cream. Goo Goo Cone is a delightful combination of chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel syrup, and peanuts. If you are a fan of a rich flavor of ice cream, you would like this cone.
In addition to the original chocolate-flavored cone, the Goo Goo series comes with strawberry and salted caramel flavors. You can also choose containers of Goo Goo clusters, slices, or bars.
No. 5 Bravo Cone
Oldies but goodies. Bravo Cone may not be as cool as before, but it has been a living history of Korean ice cream and the brand is still a household name. Bravo Cone holds many records: It is South Korea’s first ice cream cone by Haitai Ice Cream. It came to the world in 1970. It is in the Guinness Book of World Records as South Korea’s longest-living ice cream brand. In 2010, the sales record marked 4 billion cones for 40 years since its introduction.
The jingle, ‘Let’s get together at Twelve with Bravo Cone (12시에 만나요, 브라보콘),’ is considered one of the most successful commercial songs in South Korea’s advertising history. Over 50 years, many Korean celebrities have appeared in Bravo Cone commercials including the top-class actor, Lee Byung-hun, in recent ones (see the commercials below).
A variety of flavors have been introduced (and gone) over 50 years. Currently, there are flavors of milk, pistachio, strawberry, and choco chunks in addition to the original vanilla. TMI: Recently, Binggare, a major Korean ice cream company, bought out Haitai Ice Cream but it lets Bravo Cone be produced under Haitai’s brand.
No. 4 Melona Bar
Since its introduction in 1992, Melona has always been one of the best-selling ice creams in South Korea. As Korean food and culture spread around the world, Melona has become one of the most popular Korean ice creams in the world. Melona bars can be easily found at Korean groceries and supermarkets outside South Korea. According to Binggrae which makes Melona, this melon-flavored ice cream bar is sold in 22 countries in the world.
When you unwrap Melona, first, the unusual pale green color will grab your attention. When you have a bite, you will be surprised because of its creamy texture. It looks just like a popsicle but it is softer. And, finally, the sweet taste of melon spreads out in your mouth.
It is ironic to me that Melona has other than the melon flavor – it is “Melon-a”-, but you can find banana, mango, and pina colada flavors of Melona.
No. 3 World Cone
World Cone came to the world in 1986 and it was an immediate hit thanks to its larger size compared to its rivals at that time. This Korean ice cream cone is still relatively larger than others, but the difference is not as recognizable as before.
Since its first appearance in the Korean ice cream market, World Cone has topped the best-selling ice cream list several times. According to Lotte Confectionery, if you line up World Cones sold so far, they would wrap the globe 15 times.
When it first came out, people liked a chocolate chunk at the bottom of the cone. The rumor has it that it happened by accident to the rival Bravo Cone but people liked it. Lotte Confectionary noticed it and put the chunk in the bottom of World Cone on purpose.
No. 2 Samanco
Samanco is one of the most well-known Korean ice creams globally. Many people know it as a Korean fish ice cream sandwich. No worries, no fish is in it. This Korean ice cream sandwich has vanilla ice cream and sweetened red beans inside fish-shaped wafers.
The origin of this ice cream came from a popular Korean winter street food, Bunggeoppang (붕어빵), which is a waffle-style pastry filled with sweetened red bean paste. The original name of the ice cream sandwich in South Korea is Bunggeo Samanco. “Bunggeo” is a Korean word for carp fish.
Samanco also comes in chocolate, green tea, and walnut cookie flavors.
No. 1 Together
Drum roll, please. Here is the No. 1 best-selling Korean ice cream last year, Together by Binggrae. This soft vanilla ice cream was born in 1974, and it is the very first Korean ice cream that uses raw milk. Together has been the best-selling Korean ice cream for many years.
One of the reasons for its success is that many businesses such as cafes and restaurants use Together for its menu. For example, a good deal of cafes use this vanilla ice cream for their Affogato menu and milkshakes.
Together is also popular because it is the king of pairings or combinations. There are numerous ways to enjoy Together with other food from the usual ways to what-the-heck methods. Here are some examples:
- Make a sandwich with two slices of the traditional Korean puffed rice (뻥뛰기 /bbeong-tui-gi/) and fill it in with a scoop of Together.
- Put Together on a slice of baguette.
- Pokachip (or any potato chips) + Together
- Traditional Korean cookie, Yakgwa + Together
- Use toppings like cereal, strawberries, crushed Oreos, and more. Be creative.
- Make a sandwich with Chikchok or Digestive filled with Together. Be aware that this may be too sweet.
- (Only for over 21) Pour Guinness into a tall glass up to 2/3. And add a scoop of Together on top of it.
- OK, this needs the courage to try: add olive oil and black pepper on Together. Let me know if you try.
- Another challenge. At the end of cooking Korean ramyeon, add a scoop of this ice cream. People say it tastes like ramyeon with cheese.
Together comes in two sizes: 900 ml (32 oz) and 270 ml (9 oz). If you want to try something different than vanilla flavor, you can choose among chocolate milk, praline & almond, and strawberry milk.
5 More Korean Ice Creams That You Want To Try
B.B.Big
This iconic Korean ice cream just missed the top 10, landing at No. 11. B.B.Big is a red bean-flavored ice cream bar made by Binggrae, launched in 1975. The ice cream is housed in a brown hard bar with red beans inside.
Thanks to its sweetness and unique red bean taste, it has been a long-standing favorite of Koreans for over 40 years. Among foreigners, though, it’s one of the Korean ice creams that tends to divide opinions.
In addition to the original red bean flavor, variants like black sesame, rice cake, mugwort (yes, I am not joking), and sweet pumpkin have been introduced.
Jaws Bar
Inspired by the movie “Jaws,” Lotte Confectionery launched Jaws Bar in 1983. Koreans have loved this Korean ice cream for a long time. The outer part is orange-flavored, while the red part inside is strawberry-flavored.
Excellent
It’s a premium vanilla ice cream from Binggrae, known for its creamy taste. When it was first launched, this ice cream’s high price made it a symbol of affluence. It’s still not cheap, but Binggrae has adjusted the price since its introduction so not too expensive anymore.
The package contains 16 bars in total, with 8 of each flavor: The blue packaging is for regular vanilla flavor, while the yellow packaging is for French vanilla flavor. Due to its high-fat content, it melts quite quickly at room temperature.
Candy Bar
It’s Binggrae’s milk ice cream with a soda flavor. With a cylinder shape, sky-blue soda sherbet covers milk ice cream. It’s the charm of Candy Bar to enjoy the crunchy texture of the sherbet and the smooth texture of the ice cream together.
There are many imitations, but Binggrae, launched in 1985, is the original. Be careful when eating as the milk part at the bottom melts very easily.
The Rich Affogato Bar
Haitai introduced Affogato Bar based on the insight of Koreans’ love for coffee. It features smooth vanilla ice cream with rich espresso syrup and an espresso coating, allowing you to taste the unique bitterness of freshly brewed coffee along with the smoothness of the cold vanilla ice cream.
10 Best Korean Snacks
Since you are ready for the best Korean ice cream, now is the time to find out 10 Best Korean Snacks.
10 Best Korean Ramyeon (Ramen)
Ice cream and snacks can’t fill you up? Have some Korean ramyeon (ramen). Here is the list of 10 Best Korean Ramyeon.
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