The best Korean snacks are the ones that we frequently see in K-Dramas. Therefore, all thanks to the rising popularity of the K-vibe that most of you are familiar with the names of the common dishes. Besides, you are missing out if you don’t!
Koreans take eating exceptionally seriously, and there is competition among the best Korean snacks. Brands are going all out in terms of flavor variety and adorable packaging. Moreover, people worldwide now want to try the popular Korean snacks that may be the ones that their favorite K-Pop idol likes! That’s how most dishes are gaining popularity.
The good news is that you can buy all your favorite Korean snacks online or at Asian grocers worldwide. In this post, you get a list of some of the most common snacks available to almost everyone.
Table of Contents
What are the best Korean snacks you know about?
If you want to try the best Korean snacks, it is evident that you already like the K-vibe. Therefore, it is time to check how many of the snacks listed below you are already familiar with.
Brownie Pie
Prepare yourself for the ultimate squishy indulgent pleasure with one of the most popular Korean snacks. This snack resembles the British treat ‘Wagon Wheels’ but is five times as dense, which is beautiful. It is layers of marshmallows and biscuits covered in chocolate.
This Korean snack pairs wonderfully with a cup of tea or coffee as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. They are typically sold in a package that contains a large number of individually wrapped Choco Pies. This is undoubtedly among the best Korean snacks. Moreover, you can quickly get one of these by searching for the shops selling Korean snacks near me.
Crisps and sheets of fried seaweed
From a western perspective, Korean seaweed snacks can be a bit divisive. It means that you either love them or you don’t. Therefore, depending on how strong it is, someone can be hesitant about seaweed.
The two main varieties of seaweed snacks Korean are flat sheets, which come in various flavors, including hot kimchi, nutty sesame, and salty soy. On the other hand, the chips are smaller and crunchier and come in various flavors. So if you’re craving something salty, this is an excellent snack because it’s also a nutritious source of iron and antioxidants.
Dalgona candies
This Korean dish (also known as ppopgi), which has gained recognition outside because of the Kdrama Squidgame, is simple to make at home and brings back memories for many Koreans.
Dalgona is an inexpensive and entertaining food that was first made in Busan in the 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s. You will probably encounter street sellers selling it in Korea.
Dehydrated sweet potatoes
These are chewy, tasty, and filling treats that you may fall in love with. In Korea, ready-roasted sweet potatoes (goguma) are a typical snack you can buy at street food markets and booths, particularly in the winter. This is one of the most traditional Korean snacks that lets you enjoy the taste of sweet potatoes wherever you are.
These potato strips resemble dried mango strips, are high in fiber and protein, and are ideal as a lunchtime snack. Moreover, you can chop them and add them to a trail mix along with other nuts and dry fruits. JeollaNamdo products are flavorful and flexible with a chewy texture.
Eggy Bread
This is a well-liked and low-cost Korean snack that is more popular amongst hungry students near campuses. With a waffle flavor and an egg, it is sweet, fluffy, and filling.
Eggy breads are one of the best Korean snacks you can ever eat compared to packaged cuisine from convenience stores. Although it may be challenging to acquire this snack outside of Korea, it is pretty simple to cook at home and only requires items commonly found in a pantry.
Fish-shaped pastry
Similar to the Japanese adaption of Western waffles brought to Japan in the 18th century, Japanese taiyaki was brought to Korea in the 1930s while Japan occupied the country.
The two pastries can be distinguished by their exciting shapes: the Korean bungeo-ppang is designed like a carp, while the Japanese taiyaki is shaped like sea breams.
This well-known treat is distinguished by the fish-shaped soft and spongy cake shell that houses one of many fillings inside.
You can find chocolate, custard, and other savory fillings in addition to the traditional sweet red bean paste variety. Considering they are a warming street food snack, you’ll find that they are most frequently sold throughout the winter.
The ideal way to enjoy these is fresh, but you can also purchase packed commercial versions (like the Samaco version from Binggrae) filled with strawberry or even chocolate or red bean paste and cream.
Ghana Milk Chocolate by Lotte
This creamy chocolate comes in four variants with red, black, white, and beige wrappers and is well-liked throughout Japan and Korea. These Korean snacks are some of the best in their class.
The name pays homage to Ghana, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of cocoa beans. This is the place to go if you need your chocolate fix. In Japan, this chocolate is likewise quite well-liked.
Hotteok
It is another delightful warm dish from Korea that is a favorite of foodies worldwide. These gooey, syrup-filled pancakes, especially popular in the winter, can also include cinnamon, chopped peanuts, and honey. They are often loaded with delicious brown sugar syrup too.
Preparing these Korean snacks is usually on a griddle akin to that used to make pancakes. As a result, you can easily make these at home. However, it is easier to purchase these from the Asian markets, in the form of a ready-made mix. Moreover, if you have an Asian bakery nearby, they will likely have Hotteok as one of their bestselling snacks.
Instant Korean Ramen
Ramen fills you up, whether you eat it for a meal or a snack. Moreover, there are so many different flavors of instant Korean ramen that it’s worth trying them all.
You will reach your limits if you prefer hot ramen, from the famously scorching Shin Ramyun to the flaming Samyang Hot Chicken. South Korean flavors tend to go big or home compared to their ramen-loving neighbors in Japan.
Even the pink, creamy Samyang Carbonara Hot Chicken comes with a packet of hot sauce that can increase the heat to lethal levels. On the other hand, the Soon Veggie ramen is perfect if you prefer to avoid the heat and is very customizable if you want to add your toppings due to the mild vegetable flavor. Another choice is Ottogi Jin Ramen, which has a delicious mushroom and meaty flavor and is only somewhat spicy.
Korean Hard Candy
If you prefer the hard texture sweets, don’t miss out on some genuinely infamous items like the Lenith plum and grape candies. You can easily purchase enormous sacks of these that will last you forever. Besides, Korea offers some truly unusual flavors of hard candy.
Lotte Anytime Crown Mint Candy is excellent for individuals who enjoy a minty flavor. Additionally, you can choose from various options if you prefer lemon and herbal flavors. This includes ginseng flavor, lemon and mint, and straight-up citrus, which are great if you’re feeling a little under the weather.
Korean honey cookies or Yakgwa
These fried, chewy cookies with a hint of ginger flavor are dipped in honey and are cherished traditional Korean snacks. They are generally offered on special occasions, sometimes with traditional bitter teas or desserts. They can be found in various shapes, including squares, diamonds, and flowers.
Maxbon’s yellow sausages
This famous yellow sausage snack, which frequently appears in K-Dramas, is ideal if you love savory snacks or need something to keep you satiated while you’re out and about.
It has a spongy texture with a creamy, egg-flavor center and is pretty sweet and cheesy. It’s a case where you either love or loathe them—but it’s still a typical Korean snack, so it’s still worth a try. You may also note that this snack is not available for vegetarians.
Pepero Korean snacks
Here is a fun fact about one of the best Korean snacks on this list. People in South Korea celebrate November 11 every year as National Pepero Day. Therefore, it is a tradition to buy and gift this snack in the country as part of the celebration.
If you’ve ever had the Japanese snack Pocky, you’ll know what to anticipate from this. Pepero is one of the typical traditional Korean snacks available online. These are slightly thicker and with chunkier, tastier toppings than Pocky. Considering the taste and texture of these biscuit sticks, it is almost addictive when you taste these once. Moreover, the sticks have a delectable coating resembling chocolate-coated cookies or nuts.
Pepero is fantastic for sharing with friends or loved ones or keeping in your bag whenever you want a sweet treat. This one deserves to be on the list of bestselling snacks!
Samgak Kimbap
These triangle-shaped rice balls wrapped in seaweed are the Korean equivalent of the Japanese onigiri. Moreover, they are frequently offered at convenience stores as the ultimate hunger-buster.
There are many different filling options for Samgak Kimbap, including the hugely popular tuna mayo flavor. The other varieties of these seaweed snacks Korean include simple salt, bulgogi, and spicy chicken flavor.
Though first challenging to grasp, the wrappers for these treats are ingenious since there is a way to remove the plastic layer that is put beneath the seaweed wrapper to preserve its crispiness without harming the rice ball. It feels so good when you get something right the first time!
Toasty Shiitake Mushrooms
These low-fat mushroom crisps are the answer if you crave savory, umami flavor bombs. You will find these a lot more satisfying. Of course, the primary reason for such uniqueness is their extra crunchiness, sweet-savory flavor, and excellent texture. They are also packed with protein.
Favorips is one of the brands selling top-quality mushroom crisps if you are looking for Korean snacks online. The company uses natural production methods, meaning no synthetic or chemical fertilizers. You may note that the dry Shiitake crisps differ from the ones that Koreans usually add to elevate the flavor of broths and soups.
Why are the best Korean snacks becoming so popular?
Koreans have been traveling abroad since 1905 (to work on Hawaiian pineapple fields). However, it took more than a century for Korean cuisine to gain widespread acceptance. Korean television and smartphones were available in the market in 2006.
Along with it came vehicles (Oldboy, 2003), technology (TVs), beauty products (facial sheet masks, 2016), and most importantly, music (BTS, 2017) before Korean food followed suit. Thanks to these and more, people worldwide are taking more interest in Korean culture, in which food plays a significant part.
Korean cuisine is famous for achieving a balance of flavors by frequently utilizing fermented condiments like the traditional “Jang” and various spices, such as garlic, onion, and pepper. However, despite the rich and varied flavors resulting from the skillful blending of these potent spices, Korean cuisine has historically had a limited number of dishes that are widely marketed, especially compared to its neighbors, China and Japan.
On the list are bibimbap, a dish of rice with various vegetables and meat served with gochujang or fermented red chili pepper sauce; bulgogi, marinated slices of beef or pork; and kimchi, the most popular fermented pickled vegetable.
However, Korean cuisine has become more widely available over the last few years. Korean cuisine is presently emerging as a new Asian taste in the global culinary market, driven by the expanding popularity of Korean media content like K-pop, films, and dramas, as well as years of work by food corporations.
Final thoughts
You will find the best Korean snacks becoming part of social media content, live videos by K-Pop idols and your favorite dramas. It is evident that you want to try all of them, and the best part is that these are well-available in most parts of the world presently. Therefore, the next time you are out for snacks shopping, don’t forget to check into the nearest Asian store and buy all that you see in the list above!
barua 
Varsha