Korean Snacks – 15 Absolute Classics & 1 Outstanding Snack Box

South Korea is known for many things, including K-pop, K-drama, plastic surgery, and more. With the increasing popularity of K-everything, a sensation among K-lovers is Korean snacks. From sweet to sour-sweet and savory snacks, there are lots of options to choose from. To make it easier for you to experience the best, a company called SeoulBox has taken the initiative to deliver all kinds of Korean snacks, together with K-beauty, K-pop, and lifestyle items through a subscription service for a full Korean experience. 

Whether you are in South Korea or abroad, here is a list of Korean snacks you can try and how to conveniently get a Korean snack box delivered to you anywhere with SeoulBox.

Manufactured by the Lotte Confectionery Corporation, Pepero (빼빼로) is the Korean equivalent of the Japanese snack, Pocky. Pepero is a long cookie stick dipped in chocolate and is one of the most well-known snacks in Korea. This snack is so popular that Koreans celebrate “Pepero day” every November 11th since 1997, giving all types of Pepero to friends or loved ones as a sign of affection.

A box of Pepero costs around 1,500 KRW and comes in a variety of flavors, including milk, white, and dark chocolate on almond, white cookie, cheese, peanut, green tea, strawberry, melon, and many others. 

Lotte Ghana Chocolate was introduced in South Korea in 1975 and comes in different flavors, including milk chocolate, mild chocolate, dark chocolate, dark browning, milk hazelnut, and others. Ghana Chocolate is named after the country “Ghana”, which is known as one of the world’s largest producers of cocoa beans from which chocolate is made.

Ghana Chocolate uses cocoa beans from Ghana as its main ingredient, which melt in your mouth with a rich taste and aroma. It comes wrapped in red, black, or beige and has been endorsed by Korean celebrities such as IU, Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Wanna One, etc.

Orion Choco Pie is known as the original choco pie and consists of two round layers of the cake coated in chocolate with a marshmallow filling. The outer part of a choco pie is soft and pillowy with a chewy texture in the middle.

Apart from the original choco pie flavor, Orion Choco Pie comes in other flavors such as choco-chip, banana, strawberry, etc.

Although Pringles do not originate from South Korea, there are many interesting flavors and twists to ones sold domestically. You can find flavors such as Southern-style BBQ, hot & spicy, butter caramel, cheeseburger, etc.   

Honey Butter Chips is a honey-flavored buttery potato chip with a balance of sweet and salty. It was first manufactured in Japan by Haitai-Calbee and became available in Korea in 2014. From then, Honey Butter Chips quickly gained popularity in the Korean market and started a trend called the Honey-Butter craze which further escalated, leading to a shortage as K-pop idols endorsed the product and appeared in a number of K-dramas. 

Honey Butter Chips are widely available in convenience stores and snack shops and are a must-have when drinking or on a picnic with friends or loved ones.  

Not as much of a snack as it is a meal but you’ll be surprised at the number of ways you can eat ramen or as Koreans call it, ramyeon/ramyun. Sprinkle some pepper or seasoning and eat it straight out of the pack as a snack, add some chocolate (Yes, chocolate!) to make a dessert, stir-fry, or boil it to make a meal. However you choose to eat it, ramyeon is a quick and delicious option to try anytime, anywhere. And, did we mention there are multiple flavors to choose from? Your options are limitless with this one.

For the different types of Korean ramen, check out our ultimate instant Korean ramen guide. 

Most of the snacks in Korea are made with animal products such as gelatin which is mostly derived from pork, with other brands like Orion, using beef gelatin instead. For vegetarians, vegans, or those looking for halal snacks in Korea, here is a list of snacks to try.

Bibigo Seaweed (Bibigo Gim) is a lineup of crispy dried seaweed, made with clean and healthy ingredients that are low in calories, gluten-free, saturated fat-free, cholesterol-free, coloring, and additive-free. Despite their crispiness, these savory snacks have a tenderness that gives way to a burst of rich flavor and taste.  

Bibigo Gim’s lineup includes fire-grilled gim, gim snack, and gimjaban, which is flavored with Korean soy sauce and roasted twice for extra crispiness. The product’s local gim (also spelled “kim”) is made with 100% Korean ingredients and roasted with sesame oil. You can enjoy a pack of gim as a side dish or you can use it to prepare meals such as gimbap, gim salad, etc.

This is the type of snack you might miss when taking a trip to your local convenience store due to its small size and soft-colored packaging but is the perfect snack for a guilt-free sweet delight. 

Haitai Sweet Red Bean (Yunyanggang) Jelly bar has a soft and smooth texture and a pleasantly sweet taste, with a perfect balance of red bean sediment.

Chew & Real Sweet Potato contains 100% sweet potatoes which have been steamed and dried for about 10 hours and dusted with malt sugar. This sweet potato snack has a chewy texture, with a sweet taste and can be a perfect substitute for the actual sweet potato.

Unlike the fried side dish available at US-style fast food establishments, onion rings in Korea tend to refer to a dried snack made from ground onions and flour shaped into rings before being baked and bagged. Similar to Frito Lay’s Funyuns, Nongshim offers a popular Korean version in its Onion Flavored Rings. 

The king of all “have you ever tried?” traditional Korean snacks is beondegi, which is a boiled or steamed concoction of silkworm pupae. Often served “fresh” out of heated pots sold by street vendors during the winter, you’ll probably smell the dish before you see it, but most agree that the scent belies its taste. Also available in cans à la tuna and kipper snacks, you can send some beondegi back home to friends and family or use it as a stocking stuffer this Christmas. 

Symbolizing good wishes and dreams, Songpyeon (송편) is a type of Korean rice cake (tteok) enjoyed during the Chuseok holidays. This snack is made from rice flour, chestnuts, beans, sesame seeds, jujubes, honey and dates and steamed over a layer of pine needles, which gives it a sweet fragrance and a variety of health benefits.

Songpyeon comes in different shapes and colors, all with a sweet taste and chewy texture.

Korean honey cookies (yakgwa | gwajul) is a Korean traditional wheat-based snack that is deep-fried and made with honey, rice wine, sesame oil and ginger juice. It is shaped like a flower and slightly sweet, with a greasy look and chewy texture.

Yakgwa was popularly enjoyed by royal families, aristocrats and temples during the Goryeo dynasty and is traditionally served during Chuseok and other festive seasons. You can find yakgwa at your local markets and convenience stores.

Hoppang (호빵) is a winter delight that can be found in any convenience store or most street stalls during the cold season. Hoppang has a white soft outer with a variety of fillings, including red bean, curry, vegetables, and others. 

For more traditional Korean winter foods, visit our list of Korean Winter Street Foods To Help Beat The Cold.

Nurungji (누룽지), also known as scorched rice, is a traditional Korean food that is made with burnt rice and often eaten as a snack. The crunchiness of the thin crust of slightly burnt rice is a delight if you want a twist to the regular price and can be enjoyed crispy with tea or soggy by adding hot water to it. Not only does it have an interesting taste but it is also known to be low in calories and good for your stomach. 

SeoulBox is a Korean snack box delivery service that delivers the ultimate Korean experience to your doorstep. Every month, subscribers receive a curated box of various themes related to Korea, including K-pop merch, K-Beauty treats, rayon, Korean drinks, snacks, candies, and a variety of lifestyle items. SeoulBox carefully selects the best and premium Korean snacks which also makes the perfect gift for friends and loved ones.

You can check out a sample of what’s inside this month’s Korean snack box here.

SeoulBox Signature is an all-inclusive box that contains 18 authentic Korean snacks, ramen, and drinks, a magazine with Korean cultural and culinary insights, K-pop merch, and K-Beauty items. You can register to receive your signature box monthly, quarterly, annually, or one time.   

For vegetarian and halal options, the SeoulBox V is a must-have! This special box contains 18 vegetarian Korean snacks,  a magazine with Korean cultural and culinary insights, vegetarian ramen and drinks, K-pop merch, and K-Beauty items. You can register to receive your box monthly, quarterly, annually, or one time.   

For lifestyle and beauty enthusiasts, the SeoulBox Life is for you! Experience authentic Korean lifestyle with carefully selected 8-10 Korean goodies, K-Beauty treat, K-Pop merch, 4-5 Korean lifestyle items, gourmet food, and a SeoulBox magazine. You can register to receive your life box seasonally, annually, or one time.   

To register, visit the SeoulBox website and click on the “Get SeoulBox” button.

Click on the option you prefer.

Select the quantity you want to purchase and click “add to cart”.

Click on the “checkout” button at the right side of the page.

On the checkout page, fill in your contact information and click on “continue” to proceed to payment.

On the payment page, select your payment method and fill in your information. You can also add your discount code if you have it and click on “place my order” to process your registration. 

Easy, right? Let us know your experience with SeoulBox and your favorite Korean snack in the comment section below!