Korean Sweet Potato Ice Cream and Snacks Tried and Ranked

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It was negative four degrees in Mapo-gu last December when I watched the guy ahead of me at CU buy two piping hot roasted sweet potatoes from the counter display, followed immediately by a frozen sweet potato ice cream waffle from the freezer chest. That contrast defines Korean winter snacking. Korea takes goguma (sweet potato) seriously. We do not just bake it or mash it with brown sugar for Thanksgiving dinner; we turn it into chips, chewy jellies, lattes, and most importantly, ice cream.

Korean sweet potatoes differ from the bright orange, moist garnets you typically find in Western supermarkets. The native Korean varieties—like bam-goguma (chestnut sweet potato) and hobak-goguma (pumpkin sweet potato)—feature dusty purple skin and vivid yellow flesh. They taste insanely sweet, carrying notes of roasted caramel, chestnut, and vanilla. Naturally, Korean dessert masterminds at Lotte, Binggrae, and Haitai capitalized on this flavor profile decades ago. If you stroll into any GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, or Emart24 in Seoul today, you will find an entire sub-category of dessert items dedicated to this humble tuber. Here is my breakdown of the absolute best Korean sweet potato ice cream options and packaged treats available right now.

The Best Korean Sweet Potato Ice Cream and Treat Rankings

1. Lotte Baekjae Gungoguma Ice Cream Sandwich (롯데 백제 군고구마)

If you only buy one Korean sweet potato ice cream in your entire life, make it this one. I picked this up at the GS25 right downstairs from my apartment for around 1,800 won, and it remains an absolute staple in my freezer. The package design looks retro, featuring a cartoon roasted sweet potato bursting out of a red foil wrapper.

When you unwrap it, you are greeted by an ice cream sandwich shaped exactly like a real roasted sweet potato, complete with bumpy, textured wafer crust dyed a soft dusky purple. The wafer shell is light, soft, and slightly chewy rather than crispy. Once you bite through the outer shell, you hit a layer of rich, yellow sweet potato ice cream surrounding a central core of gooey sweet potato syrup.

The taste mimicry is mind-blowing. It captures the smoky, rich taste of gun-goguma (roasted sweet potato) cooked over charcoal. The syrup inside adds a concentrated burst of brown sugar and honey flavor that cuts through the creaminess. Compared to standard vanilla ice cream, it is far deeper and more aromatic. There is zero spice level here, just pure cozy sweetness. Koreans often let this sit on the counter for two minutes before eating so the central syrup loosens up, giving it a texture surprisingly close to warm roasted potato flesh cold-mixed with cream.

2. Binggrae Goguma Samanco (빙그레 고구마 싸만코)

Everyone knows the classic Binggrae Samanco—the famous carp-shaped wafer sandwich traditionally stuffed with vanilla ice cream and sweet red bean paste. However, Binggrae frequently rolls out flavor variations, and their sweet potato version is a masterpiece.

I grabbed this at a neighborhood Emart Everyday supermarket for roughly 1,500 won. The outer wafer is the iconic golden fish shape. Inside, Binggrae swaps out the standard vanilla for a dense, pale-yellow sweet potato ice cream, paired with a layer of sweetened sweet potato paste instead of red bean.

The texture profile is exceptionally satisfying. The wafer gives a clean snap, followed by dense ice cream that leans heavily into a floral, custard-like sweetness. The sweet potato paste inside is thicker than Lotte syrup layer, giving it a jam-like weight. If you dislike red bean paste but want to enjoy the famous Korean fish ice cream, this sweet potato spin is actually superior to the original. It pairs outrageously well with an iced Americano on a humid July afternoon in Seoul.

3. Binggrae Melona Sweet Potato Bar (멜로나 고구마)

Melona melon bars are globally famous, but Binggrae produces several fruity and root-based spin-offs for the domestic Korean market and select exports. The sweet potato Melona is instantly recognizable by its signature rectangular block shape and light cream-yellow color.

I picked a multi-pack of these up at a local neighborhood mart for around 4,000 won. The texture is classic Melona: dense, chewy, and milky. Unlike standard popsicles that freeze rock hard, Melona has a uniquely velvety bite due to its milk content. Flavor-wise, the sweet potato version is milder and creamier than the wafer sandwiches. It tastes like a frozen sweet potato latte blended with condensed milk.

It is smooth, rich, and incredibly soothing. If you find the artificial smoky roasted flavor of filled ice creams a bit intense, this bar provides a softer, milk-forward profile that feels comforting without overloading your palate.

4. Haitai Goguma Mattang Snack (해태 고구마맛땅)

Leaving the freezer chest for a minute, let us talk about crunch. Goguma Mattang is a traditional Korean dish made by deep-frying sweet potato chunks and tossing them in a hard, sticky caramelized sugar glaze, often garnished with black sesame seeds. Haitai captured this exact dish in bag form, available in almost every convenience store for around 1,700 won.

The snack chips are small, dense, angled corn-and-sweet-potato puffs coated in a glossy, glassy sugar crust. When you open the bag, you get a strong aroma of toasted sesame and baked sugar. The crunch is extraordinarily satisfying—harder and sharper than a standard potato chip, mimicking the crackly shell of real caramelized sugar.

Flavor-wise, it hits you with immediate caramel sweetness followed by the nutty depth of black sesame seeds and an earthy sweet potato finish. It is addictive, crunchy, and an absolute mandatory snack for movie nights. Koreans frequently pair sweet snacks like this with cold draft beer or unflavored sparkling water to balance the intense sweetness.

5. Crown Dried Sweet Potato Chews / Goguma Malaeng-i (고구마 말랭i)

If you want pure, unadulterated sweet potato without added sugars or waffle wafers, you walk over to the dried fruit and nut section of any Korean grocery store and grab a pack of Goguma Malaeng-i. Brands like Crown, CJ, and various store labels produce these small pouches containing 100% thick-cut, steamed, and dried Korean sweet potato strips, usually costing around 3,000 to 4,000 won per bag.

There are no additives, preservatives, or spices added. The texture is soft, thick, and incredibly chewy, almost like a fruit leather or dense gummy candy. Because the moisture is gently removed during the drying process, the natural sugars concentrate heavily, giving each bite an intense, honeyed roasted potato flavor.

This is the ultimate healthy Korean convenience store snack. Seoul office workers keep these at their desks for afternoon energy boosts, and gym-goers eat them as a clean carb source before workouts.

How to Get It Abroad

Finding Korean sweet potato ice cream and snacks outside of Korea has gotten significantly easier thanks to the global popularity of Korean food culture. Here is where you should look:

• H Mart and Zion Market: Major Korean-American supermarket chains regularly stock the frozen section with Lotte Baekjae Gungoguma ice cream sandwiches, Binggrae Samanco, and various Melona multi-packs. Check the ice cream chest aisles specifically dedicated to Korean imported brands.
• 99 Ranch Market and Local Asian Grocery Stores: Large Pan-Asian supermarkets usually carry frozen Binggrae products and shelf-stable snacks like Haitai Goguma Mattang chips in their snack aisles.
• Online Grocers (Weee! and Yamibuy): Both Asian delivery platforms frequently stock shelf-stable Korean snacks, including dried sweet potato chews and sweet potato chips. Frozen items like Lotte Gungoguma are sometimes available depending on your local delivery zone warehouse.
• Amazon: While frozen ice cream cannot be easily shipped through standard Amazon sellers, you can easily purchase multi-packs of Haitai Goguma Mattang chips and dried sweet potato chews directly delivered to your door.

Verdict

Korean sweet potato ice cream is not just a quirky novelty flavor; it is a masterclass in utilizing natural root-vegetable sweetness to create deeply comforting treats. The combination of earthy caramel flavor, creamy dairy, and soft waffle casings makes these desserts stand out completely from standard vanilla or chocolate offerings.

If you can only try one, go straight for the Lotte Baekjae Gungoguma Ice Cream Sandwich. Its clever design, soft wafer texture, and rich central syrup layer make it an absolute masterpiece of Korean convenience store culture.

Overall Category Score: 9.2 / 10

FAQ

Is Korean sweet potato ice cream actually made with real sweet potato?

Yes, most reputable Korean brands like Lotte and Binggrae include real sweet potato paste, sweet potato powder, or roasted sweet potato puree in their ingredients to achieve authentic flavor and color alongside dairy and natural flavorings.

What does Korean sweet potato ice cream taste like compared to American sweet potato?

American sweet potatoes are often cooked with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, making them taste spice-heavy. Korean sweet potato ice cream tastes naturally nutty, honeyed, and earthy, resembling roasted chestnuts, vanilla custard, and caramelized sugar without any added baking spices.

Are these sweet potato ice creams available year-round in Korea?

Yes. While sweet potato flavor launches peak during autumn and winter in Seoul, staples like Lotte Baekjae Gungoguma and Binggrae Samanco are permanently stocked in convenience store freezers across Korea throughout the entire year.

More Mart Finds

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• Other Binggrae Ice Cream Gems Beyond Melona
• Korean Ice Cream Cones: A Sweet Guide to Popular Toppings & Flavors