Sweet, salty, creamy – you name the taste, Korean snacks have it. In recent years, Korean snacks have gained global popularity. Here are the top 10 best Korean snacks.
While taste is subjective, I’ve relied on a credible source: FIS (Food Information Statistics System) by Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. The rankings are based on the annual sales of the snacks in South Korea. Try any (or all) of these and share your reviews in the comments. Bon Appétit!
Bonus: I’ve included five additional Korean snacks, featuring runner-ups and snacks worth mentioning.
No. 10 Honey Butter Chips (허니버터칩)
Honey Butter Chips is a Korean potato chip manufactured by a joint venture of Haitai-Calbee. As the name suggests, it is a variation of potato chips with honey and butter.
Honey Butter Chips is famous for its crazy fad in 2014 when it was first introduced. Thanks to viral social media marketing, there was such a huge craze that people actually waited in line at markets to get it. In addition, stores limited the number of purchases per customer. It is still one of the most mentioned marketing successes among Korean business stories.
Although Honey Butter Chips has been a great success since its introduction, there is a group of people who don’t really care for it because it’s too sweet for potato chips. How do you like it?
No. 9 Matdongsan or Crunchy Korean Peanut Cookie (맛동산)
Matdongsan or Crunchy Korean Peanut Cookie is another steady seller among Korean snacks. Haitai started making it in 1975. Matdongsan is fried in oil first, covered with syrup, and then peanuts are spread over. Thus, it is crunchy, sweet, and nutty.
No. 8 Ace (에이스)
Ace is a cracker with a square shape. First released in 1974, it is South Korea’s first cracker snack. It boasts a simple and soft texture, designed for enjoying teatime, especially with Korean-style mixed coffee (Korean instant coffee).
No. 7 Peanut & Squid Balls or Ojingeo Ttangkkong (오징어땅콩)
Peanut and Squid Balls (or Orion Peanut Balls) have been one of the most popular Korean snacks for a long time since it came out first to the market in 1976. A ball includes a whole piece of peanut inside and it is quite crunchy. Peanut and Squid Balls has been popular for pairing with beer.
No. 6 Kkokkalcorn or Popping Corn Chips (꼬깔콘)
Kkokkalcorn is a cone-shaped corn chip. It is lightly salty and crunchy and it has various flavors. Kkokkalcorn has been the best-selling snack in South Korea for many years.
Kkokkalcorn is famous for how you eat them: putting them on the tips of your fingers and eating them one by one, like the one in the picture above. Or, just as you like it.
No. 5 Choco Pie (초코파이)
Orion started selling Choco Pie in 1974. Choco Pie features marshmallow sandwiched between two round biscuits and coated with chocolate.
In Korea, Choco Pie is one of the most well-known confectionery products, holding a special place among the nation’s favorite snacks. Orion sells more than 2 billion (yes, with a “B”) Choco Pies annually in over 60 countries worldwide.
No. 4 Home Run Ball Snack (홈런볼)
Home Run Ball Snack (or Homerun Ball) is a Korean snack in the cream puff style. The puff is filled with chocolate. In the picture above, I had one with a tiramisu flavor.
Some say it tastes even better when you warm this snack up in the microwave for 1 minute. I haven’t tried it yet, but if you try, please let me know.
No. 3 Poca Chip (포카칩)
Poca Chip is a Korean potato chip snack. Interestingly, the onion flavor was first introduced to the public and the original taste came out four years later. One of the interesting ways to eat the snack is by pairing it with Korean ramyeon.
No. 2 Pepero (빼빼로)
Pepero is thin cookie sticks covered with chocolate. It is famous for Pepero Day, November, 11th in South Korea because the four sticks of Pepero resemble the date.
On Pepero Day, originally Koreans gave Pepero to their significant others, but it has expanded so now people share the snack with friends and loved ones as well. Over 50 flavors have been on the shelves since its first introduction in 1983.
No. 1 Saeukkang or Shrimp Crackers (새우깡)
Saeukkang is one of the most popular Korean snacks, if not the most, in South Korea. Since Nongshim (yes, it is the same company that sells Shin Ramyeon) introduced it in 1971, it has rarely missed being ranked among the top positions as the best-selling snack in South Korea for over 50 years.
As its name suggests (‘saeu’ means shrimp in Korean), it has a salty shrimp flavor with a crunchy texture. Its TV commercial song with lyrics “손이 가요, 손이 가, 새우깡에 손이 가요 (my hands keep going for Saeukkang)” is one of the most successful marketing music in Korean history.
It seemed that Saeukkang had passed its heyday, but its second heyday came from an unexpected place. The K-pop singer Rain’s song “Kkang” came back on the chart in 2020 and the sales of Saeukkang followed the song’s popularity. There is nothing related between the song and the snack except for the sound of titles. Thanks to the song’s success, Rain starred in Saeukkang’s commercial.
TMI: Many Koreans buy Saeukkang when they board boats or visit beaches in South Korea because seagulls are loving Saeukkang.
Runner-Ups in Top 10 Best Korean Snacks List
Margaret Cookie (마가렛트)
Margaret cookies are a type of soft biscuit. The cookie contains peanuts. It pairs well with milk. There is a mocha flavor as well.
Turtle Chips or Kkobukchip (꼬북칩)
The most unique characteristic of Turtle Chips is that it has four layers in each bite. Because of this distinguishing shape, it has an enjoyable crunchy texture.
Original Turtle Chips have a sweet corn taste, which you may say is similar to a corn soup. Its name comes from its shape’s resemblance to a turtle shell.
Popular Korean Snacks Worth Mentioning
Saeukkang Black or Shrimp Crackers Black (새우깡 블랙)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Saeukkang, the No.1 Korean snack, Nongshim has released “Saeukkang Black,” adding a black truffle and doubling the shrimp content. It’s a divisive flavor due to the distinctive rich aroma of truffle and its higher price.
Banana Kick (바나나킥)
A product with a soft and crispy corn snack shaped like a curved banana, infused with banana flavor and lightly coated with sugar. It was first released in 1978.
Satto Bap or Pop Corn Snack (사또밥)
It earned its name because its first commercial featured a local magistrate from the Joseon Dynasty (사또/satto). It is a typical cornflour-based snack, deep-fried and coated with a light seasoning powder containing salt, malt syrup, onion powder, and vanilla flavor.
However, it is fried with a bit of oil, leaving it slightly soft rather than completely crispy. The taste is not overly strong, aiming for a soft popcorn-like feel that melts in the mouth. It does not contain eggs or milk and is vegan-approved.
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Top 10 Best-Selling Korean Ice Cream
Now you know the 10 best Korean snacks. Don’t you want to know the 10 best Korean ice cream? Read the full list of the Top 10 Best-Selling Korean Ice Cream.
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