20 South Korean Ice Creams to Try in 2024 (From a Korean!)

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the 20 South Korean ice creams that made me a chonky little kid.

There’s tons of delicious neighborhood ice cream shops to pick from in the US.

In Korea, we’ve got that too, but the ice cream from convenience stores are a big win. Especially if you’re a kiddo and on a shoestring allowance.

I cherish those hot days of summer, when I’d run around wild, Dora-the-explorer haircut wet not from showering, but from my own sweat. I’d then walk to the corner shop and gawk at the variety of flavors I had in hand.

Which ice cream would I pick for the day? How do you possibly pick from all the amazing ice cream flavours, ranging from honeydew melon to Ice Guy Peach – and do I eat the fish-shaped one or the corn-shaped one??

What a diiiilemma. A lucky, South Korean ice cream dilemma.

For a majority lactose intolerant country, South Korea has an incredible assortment of ice creams.

I’m so excited to share with ya the 20 South Korean ice creams I grew up eating!

Best South Korean Ice Cream

1. Sweet Corn Ice Cream Sandwich (찰옥수수)

Step out of the subway station, and there’d be an uncle standing outside, one hand in mittens in the freezing Korean winter, playfully and procedurally haggling with my mom over cobs of hot and dangerously chewy steamed corn.

I’d then come home and devour the stuff, getting the strands of corn fiber stuck all between my teeth. It was for sure worth it, though.

Sweet Corn ice cream is such an Asian ice cream. The corn-delineated wafer exterior reminds me of traditional Japanese monaka desserts. Why is it flavored like corn? I guess we eat tons of processed food made with corn syrup.

I love the little corn kernels inside the ice cream. It was a treasure hunt each time, and I was determined. They made me eat the whole thing with intention. Gotta live in the moment, right?

2. Samanco Red Bean Icecream Sandwich (붕어싸만코)

Nothing matched a fresh, steaming bungeoppang (붕어빵) – a carp-shaped piece of waffle bread stuffed with sweet red bean – in the bristling cold Korean winters.

Well, in the summers, I had Bungeo Ssamanco to keep me cool!

I still remember how the crispy wafer would stick to my teeth as I munched my way through this fish-shaped ice cream.

3. Melona Honeydew Melon Dessert Bar (매로나)

As a kid, I always craved vanilla or chocolate ice cream – classic kid stuff. But every time I had a Korean melon flavored Melona Ice Cream Bar, it got me confused.

Weren’t melons healthy? Therefore, why would I ever like this healthy, fruit-flavored bar? 🧐

This creamy bar is in its own lane. There’s various flavors of Melona, but the original melon flavor has a distinct scent that electrifies your nose.

The Melona bar is pretty big, so I remember it would always end up dripping down my hands on a hot summer day.

4. Pig Bar (돼지바)

My faaaavorite! I couldn’t resist pigging out on Pig Bars, ’cause they hit the spot in every way.

There’s the smoothness of the vanilla, the crunchiness of the cookie crumble on top of the milk chocolate casing, and the sweet tartness of the strawberry jam core.

It’s not dissimilar to the strawberry shortcake bars that are sold in American ice cream trucks.

5. Jewel Ice Bar (보석바)

Nothing could cool my mouth down after a compromisingly salty and spicy Korean dinner except the refreshing Jewel Ice Bar. It’s a milky ice cream bar that has the icy texture of a popsicle.

The way I’d hunt down for marshmallow bits while eating Lucky Charms, I’d search for the pink, blue and yellow-colored ice jewels embedded in the bar. They’re so satisfying to crunch in your mouth!

6. Snow Ice Milk Shake (설레임)

When my face would get hot to the touch in the summer heat, I’d place Snow Ice Milk Shake on my cheeks and forehead like it was a cooling patch.

Snow Ice is your melted milkshake dream come true. It’s so milky and vanilla-y, and comes in squeezy packaging, like baby puree pouches.

7. Tank Boy (탱크보이)

Mmmm. There’s something so satisfying about shaved ice on a hot day, no? I’m thinking about the rainbow-colored shaved ice I ate while on a family trip in Honolulu, when I was a little kid.

Tank Boy, an Asian pear-flavored shaved-ice slushie in a plastic, Coke-shaped bottle, cooled my innards down like no other. I think it’s the cooling effect not only from the ice pieces, but also from the refreshing Korean pear.

8. Summer Crush (더위사냥)

Summer Crush was my introduction to coffee. Like the cool older kids, who drank coffee milk from the convenience store, I’d get my hands on coffee-flavored Summer Crush.

The packaging is a work of origami. Well, really it’s not that complex, but it’s a fun form factor – you strip a piece of the paper packaging in the middle, break the coffee slushie bar in half, then squeeze the tube to enjoy that satisfying crunch.

The lightness of the iced bar reminds me of bingsu, Korean shaved ice, because it breaks into little sheets in your mouth.

9. Pangtoa (빵또아)

You know, sometimes you just need that heavy load of carbs.

That’s when I’d gravitate toward Pangtoa – I knew I’d get cookies and cream ice cream with the pleasant weight of coffee, but wedged between two slices of soft, custardy slices of bread that would melt in my mouth.

10. Jaws (죠스)

My brother, who loves fruity sorbets, loved Jaws. It was his go-to at the convenience store.

Like the legendary shark, Jaws is designed to look like a sharky bar, with a blue exterior that’s actually orange-flavored, and a pink strawberry core.

11. Pure Milk Bar (순수밀크바)

For a majority lactose-intolerant country, we Koreans love “milk” flavored stuff. Love the concentrated taste of milk powder or condensed milk?

Then you’ll love the simple but rich flavor of the Pure Milk Bar.

12. Nougat Bar (누가바)

Nougat sounds like “Noo-ga?” which means “Who?”

That’s why this ice cream bar’s slogan roughly translates to, “Who’s watching? Eat it secretly!”

Nougat Bar has been around since 1974. To me it tastes less like nougat, and more so like a nutty, peanutty ice cream bar.

Nougat Bar has a layer of nougaty chocolate surrounding a vanilla core.

13. Power Cap (뽕따)

I loved ripping the plastic top off of the bottle-shaped, blue soda flavored Power Cap. It’s basically shaved ice, and you can hear and feel the crunch of the little ice pieces in your mouth.

If you’re a fan of Icees and Slurpees, you’re in luck!

14. Bravo Cone (브라보 콘)

To be honest, the only thing I could think about while eating the vanilla ice cream in the Bravo Cone was the thick, conical chunk of milk chocolate waiting for me at the bottom of its crunchy cone.

Oh goodness. Sometimes, my dad would interrupt my own little feast by offering his chocolate piece before I’d find my way to mine. I’d gobble it down quickly (but graciously) because I didn’t want my ice cream to melt!

Created in 1970, Bravo Cone is the OG ice cream cone in Korea.

The chocolate happy ending was actually created by mistake. Haitai would slather chocolate on the inside of the cone to prevent it from getting soggy, but inevitably, some of it would end up slipping to the bottom of the cone. Turns out that customers loved it – and thus it became a defining feature of the Bravo Cone!

15. B.B.Big Red Bean Ice Bar (비비빅)

B.B.Big was my grandma’s favorite. I’d pick some flashy ice cream bar, but she’d almost always pick B.B.Big. Why would anyone pick ice cream in boring black packaging that tastes like red bean?

Well, every time I stole a bite from my grandma’s ice cream, I had to admit to myself that that stuff was actually pretty darn tasty.

The vanilla base and the subtle but enduring sweetness and deep flavor of red bean kept me chomping down on that popsicle.

16. The Excellent (엑설런트)

My mom grew up eating this stuff! (Does that make this brand old… or young?)

Koreans used to eat individually wrapped rectangles of vanilla ice cream. The Excellent has been a Korean staple since 1967. My mom describes it as an old-school, tacky, provincial classic (“촌스러운 맛이지”).

She’s right. There’s the vanilla ice cream that tastes like fresh vanilla bean. Then, there’s The Excellent, which reminds me of the fakely fragrant but addicting butter-flavored oil they have at American movie theaters.

17. Screw Bar (스쿠루바)

Screw me? No, screw you!

Haha. My mouth is watering thinking about this strawberry and apple popsicle.

It’s satisfyingly big and has edges that swirl like a screw, which made it fun to lick.

(I hope that wasn’t some sick joke by the creators of the bar.)

18. Ice Guy Peach (아이스가이 피치)

When I was overheating from running around the playground in the humid af Korean summers, there’s only one thing that could cool me down quickly: an Ice Guy Peach.

They’re literally peach-flavored ice cubes in a plastic container. Yup, it did the trick (beware, if you munch on them too fast, you’re putting yourself at the risk of brain freeze!).

The peachy scent was just so refreshing after all that sweating. It reminds me of those peach Impact Mints in those pastel pink pocket-sized metal containers.

19. Amana Red Bean Flavored Ice Bar (아맛나)

Another classic oldie, Amana (it’s pronounced more like “ah-mat-nah” in Korean), is a milky ice cream bar with red bean paste inside.

It’s been around since 1972, and I get why! Even though it’s more subtle than today’s dessert flavors, it’s a very convincing bar that you’re sure to finish once getting started.

20. World Cone (월드콘)

When you’re craving a simple cone of vanilla ice cream, you know World Cone’s got your back.

They’ve been a reliable source of joy since 1986.

20 Best South Korean Ice Creams

In this guide, we went over the best ice cream you can get at Korean supermarkets.

These best sellers go back as far as 1967. I’m confident that once you try these unique flavors, you’ll understand why these ice creams have remained popular choices among Koreans for a long time!

Here are the 20 most amazing South Korean ice creams:

Thank you for checking out my guide to all my favorite South Korean ice creams!

20 South Korean Ice Creams to Try in 2024 (From a Korean!)