Vegan Korean snacks can be as comforting and indulgent as your favourite childhood dish. Although they tend to be on the healthier side, they don't disappoint in terms of taste.
It is easier to find vegan options in Korea these days than it was back then. So if you're looking for vegan Korean snacks online, search up "비건 과자" (bigeon gwaja). 비건 (bigeon) means vegan in Korean, and 과자 (gwaja) means snack.
To make your snack hunt easier, we've put together a list of all the best vegan Korean snacks. So, you can spend less time researching and scanning through each ingredient.
Our guide is based on our experience and opinions on the snacks mentioned. We regularly review different kinds of Asian snacks and try to keep this updated. So, all you got to do is to decide what to try from our list.
Jump to:
- Best Vegan Korean Snacks (Our Favourites)
- Top Savoury Vegan Korean Snacks
- Best Sweet Vegan Korean Snacks
- Nongshim Potato Snack
- CJ Bibigo Crispy Baked Seaweed Crisps
- Nongshim Vegan Shin Ramyun
- Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramyun
- LOTTE Sairuru Rice Chip
- Binggrae Vegetable Time
- Gimbap
- Haitai Sindangdong Tteokbokki
- Roasted Chestnuts (Gunbam)
- Sweet Red Bean Jelly (Yongyanggaeng)
- Ppeongtwigi
- Nongshim Sumi Chip Original
- Lotte Jaws Bar
- CROWN Churros
- Lotte Natuur Ice cream
- Mammos Friend Soda Candy
- Orion Ay! Sour Candy
- Best Plant Based Vegan Korean Drinks
Best Vegan Korean Snacks (Our Favourites)
Our top 3 favourite vegan Korean snacks are Nongshim Potato Chip, Bibigo Baked Seaweed Crisps, and Vegan Shin Ramyun.
Nongshim Potato Chip is so addicting and satisfying to eat thanks to the chips' crispiness and well-balanced flavouring. Bibigo Baked Seaweed Crisps makes a delightful treat to enjoy anytime and adds a delicious crunch to our meals. And lastly, we wholeheartedly love the ramyun for its rich flavours.
Top Savoury Vegan Korean Snacks
South Korea excels when it comes to plant-based savoury snacks. But if we must choose two of our favourites, it'd be Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramyun and Lotte Sairuru Rice Chip!
Apart from taste, we also love the convenience and versatility of these treats. These two vegan Korean snacks are versatile because you can incorporate them into your meals. For instance, the rice chips pair excellently with salads. Moreover, the veggie ramyun is a savoury snack that can become a wholesome meal with a few side dishes.
We also recommend these savoury vegan snacks in Korea:
- Binggrae Vegetable Time
- Gimbap
- Haitai Sindangdong Tteokbokki
- Nongshim Potato Chip
- Bibigo Baked Seaweed Crisps
- Vegan Shin Ramyun
Best Sweet Vegan Korean Snacks
Our top 2 favourite sweet vegan Korean snacks are the classic roasted chestnuts (Gunbam) and Haitai Sweet Red Bean Jelly.
Roasted chestnuts are the best thing to enjoy, especially on cold days. On the other hand, we love Haitai Sweet Red Bean Jelly for being reminiscent of the Japanese mochi. Furthermore, we love them since we prefer our sweet snacks to be subtle and delicate in their sweetness.
You should also try these sweet treats:
- Ppeongtwigi
- Nongshim Sumi Chip Original
- Lotte Jaws Bar
- CROWN Churros
- Lotte Natuur Ice cream
- Mammos Friend Soda Candy
- Orion Ay! Sour Candy
Nongshim Potato Snack
Nongshim Potato Chip is a crispy potato chip snack made from real potatoes. It is the best among all vegan Korean snacks for a few reasons. The chips boast a light and crispy crunch, making them an absolute delight for chip enthusiasts. We also love these crunchy snacks as they offer excellent seasoning with a savoury and slightly salty blend.
If you enjoy flavourful yet subtle bites, these chips are meant for you. You can easily get them from your local Asian supermarkets. It is also often a component of vegan Asian snack boxes that you can purchase online.
Nongshim Potato Snack
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CJ Bibigo Crispy Baked Seaweed Crisps
This crispy treat consists of crunchy seaweed crisps baked with a thin layer of rice for more structure and crunch. It is perfect for those who love snacking on seaweed. In addition, you can enjoy them in three different flavours.
The potato flavour gives the feeling of eating potato chips with seaweed in one bite. However, if you prefer a sweeter snack, try the sweet corn flavour instead. And those who want to make it healthier can go for the brown rice flavour.
Ultimately, it is one of our favourite vegan Korean snacks due to its light and crispy texture. Each bite offers a delicate crunch that enhances the snacking experience.
Bibigo Crispy Baked Seaweed Crisps
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Nongshim Vegan Shin Ramyun
This is the meat-free version of one of Korea's most popular instant noodles! Apart from being one of the best vegan Korean snacks, it also makes one of the best vegan Korean dishes.
We love it since it maintains all the flavours packed in the original version. The beloved rich and spicy flavours are still there. Plus, it earns extra points for additional ingredients like shiitake mushrooms and carrots that add a pleasant texture. The noodles also resist sogginess well, so you can take your time to enjoy it!
Nongshim Shin Ramyun Vegan
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Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramyun
Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramyun is a vegetable ramyun for those who don't enjoy spicy noodles. It is reminiscent of Shin Ramyun but is less spicy, making it ideal for those who prefer a milder broth. Despite having milder seasoning, the kimchi-based broth remains flavourful and comforting.
We're impressed by the pleasant texture of the noodles and soup, which tastes homemade. We also love that the broth coats the noodles well despite its thin consistency. Considering its fresh and savoury flavour profile, we are sure everyone will enjoy it!
Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramyun
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LOTTE Sairuru Rice Chip
If you enjoy snacking on Japanese rice crackers, you'll love Lotte's Sairuru Rice Chip. It is one of the most popular vegan snacks in Korea, which is quite like the Japanese treat, yet a little different. The rice chips are made thinner than the traditional salty rice crackers. Therefore, it has a crispy yet soft texture that melts in your mouth.
This healthy snack is one of our favourite vegan Korean snacks because it makes a tasty addition to other snacks! We love topping our ice creams with them and mixing them with our salads. You can also enjoy it with dips like hummus and peanut butter.
Binggrae Vegetable Time
Binggrae Vegetable Time makes veggie crisps that are flavourful and fun, thanks to a combination of vegetables, including carrots, peas, and tomatoes. The snack prides itself on offering a unique blend of sweet and savoury vegetable flavours. It is among the most satisfying vegan Korean snacks to munch on.
Apart from taste, the snack also has great texture. We absolutely adore the satisfying crispy texture of the chips, often leaving us craving more! Thus, Binggrae Vegetable Time is one of the many vegan Korean snacks that are worth trying. It makes an appealing choice for snack lovers, especially those who appreciate a perfect balance of flavour and crunch.
Gimbap
Gimbap is basically a seaweed roll made of rice, seaweed, and vegetables. It is among the vegan Korean snacks that make a delectable meal. We love having it on its own since it is light yet filling. But we also enjoy it as a side dish to our vegan Korean dishes for more flavour. Some dishes that go well with this snack include Bibimbap and Kimchi Ramyun.
This treat is usually savoury and somewhat nutty since it is seasoned with sesame oil. However, its taste can vary depending on the ingredients used. You can make your own at home with rice, seaweed, pickled radish, and other preferred ingredients. Alternatively, you can get pre-made ones from Asian supermarkets and convenience stores.
Haitai Sindangdong Tteokbokki
Haitai's Sindangdong Tteokbokki will fix your cravings for all things crunchy, spicy and sweet. It's also made for those obsessed with the spicy Korean rice cake dish. But be prepared to be entertained in a slightly different way than what the traditional street food offers!
Instead of an intensely fiery hot and spicy flavour, this titbit also has a pronounced sweetness. It only gives off the spicy taste towards the tail-end of the bite. Furthermore, it boasts a satisfying crunchy texture instead of the chewy consistency that most have grown accustomed to.
Therefore we firmly believe it would've been a popular vegan Korean street food had it been sold by street vendors. Nonetheless, it sits among the vegan Korean snacks that we struggle to resist! We appreciate the unique snacking experience it provides and have taken a liking to its flavour. This explains why it is often included in the vegetarian Korean snack box, Seoulbox V.
Haitai Sindangdong Tteokbokki
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Roasted Chestnuts (Gunbam)
Roasted chestnuts, or Gunbam, are usually sold in winter as a warm treat to endure frosty temperatures. This vegan Korean street food is eaten peeled and has a slightly nutty and sweet taste. You'll love them if you enjoy eating roasted sweet potatoes because these chestnuts have similar warm and soft flesh. Besides the flavour, we are also hooked on the delicate, sweet smell that they radiate. It makes the snack more comforting and enjoyable to eat.
Moreover, you can snack on them without guilt because they're one of the healthiest vegan Korean snacks! The best-roasted chestnuts are sold hot and fresh from street vendors. However, you can also make them on your own or purchase them from online and offline supermarkets.
Altori Chestnuts
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Sweet Red Bean Jelly (Yongyanggaeng)
As the name suggests, this is a red bean-flavoured jelly candy. However, it does not hold the same consistency as typical gummies or jellies. Instead, we find it more paste-like, which reminds us of vegan Japanese snacks like mochi and dango. Furthermore, we enjoy its delicate sweetness that isn't too overwhelming.
So, if you love red bean paste, this is one of the many must-try vegan Korean snacks. You can enjoy it by itself or with other snacks, such as by sandwiching it with biscuits. Furthermore, we love topping our ice creams and bingsu with pieces of it.
Haitai Sweet Red Bean Jelly
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Ppeongtwigi
Ppeongtwigi, usually made of grains like corn and rice, are the childhood favourites of many. Therefore, it should be on your vegan Korean snack must-try list. They're fun to eat since they quickly melt in your mouth once you bite them. We also love that they're cheap yet tasty.
Although there are flavoured ones, these puffs are usually neutral or mildly sweet, making them a versatile treat. Eating it with vanilla ice cream is a popular way to enjoy it in Korea. But you can also have them with peanut butter.
Korean Crispy Rice Puffs
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Nongshim Sumi Chip Original
Nongshim Sumi Chip should be your go-to if you enjoy sweet potato crisps. These chips are made from Sumi potatoes instead of regular ones and are among the best sweet vegan Korean snacks. Sumi potatoes contain 11 times more sugar than regular processed potatoes, making their bites sweeter than normal potato chips.
Koreans love pairing chips with alcohol as they go well together. So, you should enjoy them with your go-to adult juice. You can usually find this tasty snack at most Asian supermarkets or online. Some Korean snack box services also include this scrumptious treat in their packages.
Lotte Jaws Bar
Jaws Bar makes one of the best Korean snacks offering a refreshing mix of strawberry and orange flavours. This ice pop is shark-shaped, but rest assured that no sharks were harmed to make it!
We've been fans of this treat for years, and its appearance still amuses us today. The grey outer layer offers a robust orange flavour, while the soft red centre has a delightful strawberry taste. This cool combination of sweet and sour makes the perfect energizer on a hot day.
You can easily grab this cool treat from local Korean convenience stores like CU Mart and Emart. Those outside Korea can also purchase this ice pop at your local Asian grocery store, like HMart.
CROWN Churros
Fix your cravings for the famous Spanish cinnamon-laced snack with Crown's Churro sticks! It does an incredible job of emulating the taste of real churros. The only difference is that it doesn't have the soft bready texture you'd usually get from real churros.
Nonetheless, it is among our favourite vegan Korean snacks since it reminds us of our favourite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Additionally, we are always charmed by the sweet cinnamon aroma that drifts out of the package when opening it.
Crown Churros Snack
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Lotte Natuur Ice cream
You can enjoy ice cream with vegan options in Korea thanks to Lotte's Natuur. It is a popular ice cream brand chain ranging from bars to pints and even fruity sorbets. They're some of the best cooling vegan Korean snacks we've ever tried.
It has several popular flavours like green tea, red bean, and strawberry cheesecake. So, you might want to grab some on your next trip to the Asian supermarket.
Our favourite is Cashew Vanilla ice cream which is available in pints. This treat is made of cashew milk and offers a mild vanilla flavour. Furthermore, we treasure it so much because it also makes a good milkshake!
Mammos Friend Soda Candy
Mammos' Friend Soda Candy offers a light soda flavour and a hint of green apple sweetness within a hard candy. It is a delightful snack to share with friends, and we adore the light refreshment it provides. In fact, this candy is the lifesaver that has saved us from dozing off in many snoozy situations.
However, you might not like it if you prefer fizzy soda candies. Despite being a soda candy, it isn't fizzy. Therefore, it is ideal for those who enjoy sucking on mildly sweet candies without puckering their faces.
Mammos Friend Apple Soda Korean Hard Candy
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Orion Ay! Sour Candy
Orion's Ay! Sour candy will have you making silly faces with its intensely sour soft candy. Besides extreme sourness, it also provides a refreshing green apple and soda flavour.
Those seeking an extra kick in their vegan Korean snacks should go for this. It isn't fizzy, but we love it since it is chewy and filled with sour powder. This will surely add some thrill to your snacking experience.
Korean Orion Super Sour Chewing Soft Candy
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Best Plant Based Vegan Korean Drinks
Besides snacks, there are also several plant-based drinks available and worth trying. We have three Korean plant-based drinks that we love the most.
The first one is Vegemil black soy milk. We're a fan of it since it offers a more fragrant and rich soy taste than the regular ones. We also love quenching our thirst with Sikhye for its sweet and refreshing taste. And finally, we enjoy the warming sensation of sujeonggwa even when it's cold.
You should also try these plant-based drinks with your vegan Korean snacks:
- Woongjin Aloe Vera Juice
- Woongjin Achim Haetsal Morning Rice Milk
- Soju (alcoholic)
- Makgeolli (alcoholic)
- Sahmyook Black Bean & Walnut Soy Milk
- Maeil Soy Milk
- Intake Soy Milk
Follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks for more fabulous munchie recommendations.
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