음식 GuidesFood
Korean sweets to buy online: 8 cakes, cookies and candies
Soft custard cakes, butter cookies, chocolate bites, a rice-syrup classic and green grape candy, all shelf-stable and on Amazon. For each one we note what the maker says and what the label lists for allergens.
Updated Oct 18, 20268 picks
Soft cakes and butter cookies
Orion Custard is the soft one. Each small sponge cake has custard cream inside and its own wrapper, so a box splits easily into lunchboxes or a week of breakfasts. Orion's Korean page lists 12 cakes and 276 g to a box, and the Amazon box is about the same size in ounces.
Crown makes the two crunchy cookies here. Butter Waffle is thin and crisp, pressed with a waffle grid, and Crown's product page nicknames it the aristocrat of snacks. Sando is older: Crown's company history says it came out in 1961 and was a huge hit at the time. Today's Sando sandwiches a sweet milk cream between two biscuits. Both go well with coffee or milk.
Our picks at a glance
Paid links · Store and booking links in this guide are affiliate links: when you buy or book through them, K for All earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability change, so check the store before you buy. How we pick: we compare official information, specs, prices and published reviews; we haven't personally tested every product.
-
1Best for a soft cake in a lunchbox
Orion Custard soft cakes (9.7 oz box)
Small sponge cakes with a custard cream center, each wrapped on its own. Orion's Korean page lists a 12-cake box of 276 g with a six-month shelf life, and the Amazon listing says the cakes are made with 22% fresh egg. Orion lists wheat, egg, milk and soy as allergens.
-
2Best for a crisp butter cookie with coffee
Crown Butter Waffles (11.15 oz)
A thin, crisp butter cookie pressed with a waffle pattern. Crown's own product page calls it the aristocrat of snacks and sells a 316 g box in Korea. The Amazon box is 11.15 oz, made by Crown Confectionery, and its allergy line reads egg, milk and wheat.
-
3Best for a classic cream sandwich cookie
Crown Sando Milk Cream (11.39 oz)
Two crisp biscuits with a sweet milk cream filling, in individually wrapped portions. Crown's company history dates Sando to 1961 and describes it as a huge hit at the time. The listing names wheat flour, sugar, whole egg, soybean and milk among the ingredients.
-
4Best for bite-size chocolate biscuits to share
Lotte Kancho (2 boxes of 54 g)
Bite-size biscuits filled with chocolate cream, made by Lotte Wellfood. This set has two 54 g boxes, and the listing says to store them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. The ingredient note names milk chocolate, wheat, soybean, milk and peanut.
-
5Best for a fun chocolate snack for kids
Orion Choco Boy (Choco Songyi, 144 g)
Sold in Korea as Choco Songyi, or chocolate mushroom: a small biscuit stem with a chocolate cap. Orion's Korean page lists a 50 g box with a 12-month shelf life. The Amazon listing is a 144 g pack, and the label lists wheat flour, skim milk powder and lactose.
-
6Best for a traditional rice-and-syrup sweet
Nongshim U-gua rice crisps (Jocheong Yugwa, 10.23 oz)
Sold in Korea as Jocheong Yugwa since September 1998. Nongshim USA describes it as a traditional Korean snack made from rice powder, shaped and coated in sweet brown rice syrup, and it comes in a large resealable bag. It contains wheat, sesame and soy.
-
7Best for a sweet puffed-wheat snack, by the handful or as cereal
Crown Jolly Pong puffed wheat snack (2 bags of 6.5 oz)
Jolly Pong is Crown's puffed wheat with a sweet coating, and the US bag calls it a cereal snack made since 1972. This listing is two 186 g bags. The US label lists wheat, sugar and palm olein oil first and says it contains wheat, milk and soy.
-
8Best for a sweet-tart fruit hard candy
Lotte Green Grape Candy (5.40 oz)
Hard candy from Lotte Wellfood, made with green grape juice from concentrate. The 5.40 oz (153 g) pouch holds about 18 individually wrapped pieces of 8.5 g, and the listing describes a sweet taste with a gentle tart finish. It contains coconut and is made in a facility that also processes milk, soy and peanut.
Chocolate bites: Kancho and Choco Boy
Both are small enough to eat by the handful, which makes them easy to share on a road trip or at a movie night. Kancho is Lotte's bite-size biscuit filled with chocolate cream. Choco Boy is Orion's chocolate mushroom, sold in Korea as Choco Songyi: a biscuit stem topped with a chocolate cap. Orion's Korean page gives it a 12-month shelf life, so it keeps well in a pantry.
If you want the two best-known Korean chocolate snacks, Choco Pie and Pepero, they are already in our Korean snacks guide, along with Pepero Day on November 11.
Rice and puffed wheat: U-gua and Jolly Pong
U-gua is the traditional-tasting pick. Nongshim USA describes it as a traditional Korean snack made from rice powder, shaped and then coated in brown rice syrup, which gives it a deep, caramel-like sweetness. In Korea it has been sold since 1998 as Jocheong Yugwa, and Nongshim's Korean site describes it as made with traditional yugwa and sweet jocheong, the Korean word for grain syrup.
Jolly Pong is much older. It's Crown's puffed wheat with a sweet coating, and Crown's US bag calls it a cereal snack, made since 1972. Eat it by the handful, or do as the Amazon listing suggests and add milk to have it as cereal.
Sticky sweets for exam day
Every November, during the national college entrance exam called the Suneung, sales of sticky foods go up in Korea. The Korea Herald explains why: the verb butda means both to stick and to pass a test. Yeot, a rice taffy, is the classic choice. It gets its sweetness from grain syrup made by simmering cooked rice with barley malt. The JoongAng Daily adds chapssaltteok, soft glutinous rice cakes, as the other traditional gift for test-takers.
We couldn't find a Korean-made, shelf-stable yeot or chapssaltteok on Amazon to link right now, so neither is in our picks. U-gua comes closest in spirit, since it is also built on rice and grain syrup.
Build a sampler box
If you're new to Korean sweets, or buying for a party or a care package, pick one from each group instead of a lot of one thing. A good first box is one soft cake (Custard), one crisp cookie (Butter Waffle or Sando), one chocolate snack (Kancho or Choco Boy) and one rice snack (U-gua). Add the green grape candy if you want something to keep in a bag or a desk drawer.
Individually wrapped packs make sharing easier. Custard cakes and Sando come in single portions, and each green grape candy is wrapped on its own. U-gua and Jolly Pong are the opposite: U-gua comes in one big resealable bag and Jolly Pong in 186 g bags, better for a family movie night than for handing out.
Chocolate can soften in hot weather, so in summer it's worth having Kancho and Choco Boy shipped when you'll be home to bring the box inside.
Allergens at a glance
Labels change, and a Korean box can differ from the US one, so read the package you get, especially if you are buying for someone with a food allergy. This is what the makers or the store labels said as of October 2026. Some of these are made in facilities that also handle nuts or seafood, so check the may-contain lines too.
- Orion Custard: wheat, egg, milk and soy, per Orion. Choco Boy: wheat flour, skim milk powder and lactose on the US label; Orion's Korean page also lists soy and beef.
- Butter Waffle: egg, milk and wheat on the Amazon allergy line; Crown's Korean page adds soy. Sando: wheat flour, whole egg, soybean and milk.
- Kancho: milk chocolate, wheat, soybean, milk and peanut.
- U-gua: wheat, sesame and soy, made in a facility that also processes milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and crustacean shellfish. Jolly Pong: wheat, milk and soy on the US label; other export bags list a peanut flavoring, so check yours.
- Green grape candy: contains coconut, and is made in a facility that also processes milk, soy and peanut.
FAQ
Why do Koreans give yeot and rice cakes before exams?
It's a pun. In Korean, butda means to stick and also to pass a test, so sticky yeot and chapssaltteok are given to students before the Suneung in November as a wish that they will pass.
Is Orion Custard the same as Choco Pie?
No. Both are individually wrapped Orion cakes, but Custard is a sponge cake with custard cream inside, while Choco Pie is a chocolate pie with marshmallow cream. Choco Pie is in our Korean snacks guide.
What is U-gua?
It's Nongshim's rice snack sold in Korea as Jocheong Yugwa. Nongshim USA describes it as a traditional Korean snack made from rice powder, shaped and coated in sweet brown rice syrup. It contains wheat, sesame and soy.
Do these Korean sweets need to be refrigerated?
No. Everything in our picks is sold for room-temperature storage. Keep them somewhere cool and dry, as the Kancho listing advises, and check the date on each pack. Orion gives Choco Songyi a 12-month shelf life and Custard six months in Korea.
Read next on K for All
Korean snacks: Choco Pie, Pepero and moreKorean chips and crackersKorean drinks: Milkis, Chilsung Cider and moreDalgona sugar candy recipe
Sources (12)
Orion – Custard (Korean box details)Orion – Choco SongyiCrown Confectionery – Biscuits (Butter Waffle)Crown Confectionery – Company history (Sando, 1961)Nongshim USA – Rice Crunch Snack (U-gua)Nongshim (Korean) – Jocheong Yugwa brand pageOpen Food Facts – Crown Jolly Pong, US bag (cereal snack since 1972, ingredients, allergens)Open Food Facts – Crown Jolly Pong, export bag (peanut flavoring)Amazon – Crown Jolly Pong, 2 bags of 186 g (directions)The Korea Herald – Luck or curse? Korean yeot taffy's contrasting symbolismKorea JoongAng Daily – Fun gifts for quirky Korean holidaysAmazon – Lotte Green Grape Candy (ingredients, allergens, pieces)