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When visiting South Korea, make sure to try some of their snacks. The best Korean snacks can be found in any supermarket or convenience store around Korea. If you walk down the supermarket aisle in Korea you will see rows and rows of colorful Korean snacks from chips to cookies to chocolate. In addition, everything on this list should be available at CU, GS Mart, and 7-ELEVEN. If you don’t want to leave your home or hotel, just have it delivered to you! What you will notice about these snacks is how different they are which is great as there will be something for everyone. Do not agree with our top 10 list of the best Korean snacks?
Please give us a suggestion on what we should try below! For those interested in the best Korean food, we also have an article for that.
Pepero
The top spot on our list of the Best Korean Snacks has to go to Pepero. It is so popular in South Korea that they have a national day just for this snack. On Pepero Day (11/11) you give your friends and family…Pepero! In fact, in any convenience store, you go into, you will find Pepero being sold. Talk about a brilliant marketing campaign. Pepero is a chocolate-covered thin cookie stick. What makes Pepero so special is that it comes in a variety of styles. You can get peanut-covered Pepero, strawberry Pepero, white chocolate, green tea, and so much more. You name it, they will have a Pepero for it. Our personal favorite is the almond Peperos which are easy to spot as the packaging is green.
KoKalCorn
These are the bugles of Korea. They are all cone-shaped and children like to put each of them on their fingers and eat them one by one. They are very crunchy but not too crunchy that they will irritate your gums. It comes in many different flavors but we would recommend you stick with the original. It also goes great with salsa!
Shrimp Cracker
While it might sound strange to snack on shrimp-flavored crackers, it is a very popular snack in Korea. In fact, shrimp crackers were the first commercialized snacks in Korea. They are shaped like French fries but a lot crunchier and with a shrimp flavor. The crackers are baked and not fried. We recommend you try it in their spicy flavor.
Crunky
The best chocolate bar in South Korea is the Crunky. It is a combination of milk chocolate and puffed rice. It has a similar texture to a CRUNCH bar. They also have a lower calorie count than a Hershey’s Bar because a lot of the chocolate is replaced by rice crisps. It has a surprisingly low-calorie count compared to other chocolate bars.
Honey Butter Chip
These Korean snacks were so popular in Korea that people would wait in line to buy them. The craze has died down but the taste is still awesome. Think of potato chips that have been covered in Butter. It has the right combination of sweet and salty. Yum! However, for those that like their potato chips salty, this might not be the snack for you.
Choco Mushroom Boy
These are pretty much similar to Kancho Choco but instead of the chocolate being inside a cookie ball, these are mushroom-shaped chocolate snacks where the mushroom head is made of chocolate. The stem is made of a crunchy biscuit. It has a lighter chocolate taste to them and can be eaten as a whole or by biting off the side you like more. We would recommend you put them in the refrigerator and eat them cold.
Choco Pie
Those that do not like marshmallows might not like Choco Pie. However, for those that do, this is a combination of smores and a cake. Inside is a sponge cake with marshmallows and the whole pie is covered in chocolate. An argument can be made that Choco Pies are the most famous of all Korean snacks. They are individually packaged so it is very easy to eat. While the chocolate is on the outside you can use the wrapper to hold it while you eat.
Kancho Choco
These are round biscuits that have chocolate on the inside. Basically, they are chocolate cookie balls. They are bite-size which makes them very easy to eat. However, the best way to eat them is to put them in the refrigerator or better yet the freeze them and eat them cold. Each ball has a cute picture on it which children love!
Squid Peanut Snack
The shell has a slight taste of squid but the inside has peanuts. The flavor squid is not too strong. Moreover, it does not have a fish flavor as others might say. The strong flavor is mostly in the peanut. It is very crunchy and is a great snack while watching your favorite movie or Korean drama!
Homerun Ball
You really can’t have enough of Homerun Balls. They are sweet mini puff pastry balls that are filled with chocolate. Those that love Nutella will love this Korean snack. The bag comes with a plastic container that holds all the balls. While Homerun Ball comes in other flavors such as Strawberry, we would recommend going with the chocolate flavor because it is the classic way to eat Homerun balls.
HONORABLE MENTION
Onion Ring
These Onion Ring chips are enjoyed by all ages in Korea. While you might think it is similar to Funyuns, it is not. It is much milder compared to Funyuns and has a light crisp texture. These onion rings contain no MSG has 100mg less sodium than Funyuns per serving. Therefore, it is a much healthier alternative. However, don’t think it has tastes anything like Funyuns as it has a hint of sweetness to it.
Sunflower Seed Choco Ball
One of the best-kept secrets in Korea is these Sunflower Choco balls. These are sunflower seeds covered in chocolate! They use dried sunflower seeds and dip them in chocolate milk. A bag has tons and tons of these small balls which are actually very fun to eat. We would recommend you keep them in the refrigerator to keep them from melting.
Didn’t find your favorite Korean Snack here? Let us know what we missed.
Also, check out our other article on the Best Korean Fried Chicken Brands.
