Tteok, the traditional Korean rice cake, is emerging as a popular dessert among younger consumers. Spending on rice cakes rose more than 30% over the past year, with buyers in their 20s and younger posting the steepest increase of any age group.
Rice Cake Spending Climbs 31.2% in a Year, Led by 45.5% Jump Among Under-30s
Spending on rice cakes totaled an estimated 151.9 billion won ($106 million) in the 12 months through August, market research firm Embrain said on the 22nd, based on purchase data drawn from a receipt panel of 20,000 consumers. That was up 31.2% from about 115.8 billion won a year earlier.
The rebound came swiftly. In the 12 months through August 2025, rice cake spending had fallen 1.8% from the previous year before swinging to double-digit growth over the past year.
The number of receipts, a proxy for transaction volume, rose 23.0% over the same period. Because spending grew faster than transactions, consumers are not only buying rice cakes more often but also spending more each time.
Growth was most pronounced among younger shoppers. Spending rose more than 20% across every age group, but buyers in their 20s and younger led with a 45.5% increase.
That group accounted for just 11.5% of total spending, the smallest share of any age bracket, yet it expanded faster than the rest. Analysts attribute the trend to the so-called "tteok open run" — shoppers queuing outside rice cake shops before they open — spilling over into sales of packaged products.
Social media posts have described long lines forming before opening hours at popular rice cake dessert shops, including Hanjeongseon Nok, which specializes in chapssaltteok filled with fruit and yogurt.
Spending by Shoppers in Their 50s Surges 40%, While 40s and 50s Account for More Than Half of Sales
Consumption also climbed sharply among middle-aged shoppers. Spending by consumers in their 50s rose 40.0% from a year earlier, the second-fastest growth after the under-30 group.
By share of spending, consumers in their 40s led with 27.8%, followed by those in their 50s at 26.7%. Together the two groups accounted for 54.5% of the total, more than half the market.
While younger consumers are taking to new rice cake desserts, demand has also widened among middle-aged shoppers, the traditional core of the market.
The data point to rice cake consumption spreading across all generations rather than remaining confined to a single age group.
Injeolmi and Chapssaltteok Hold Their Appeal as Mochi Spending Jumps 2.6-Fold
By variety, chewy rice cakes showed the strongest gains.
Spending on injeolmi, a rice cake coated in bean powder, rose 63.8% from a year earlier, keeping it the top-selling type.
Chapssaltteok, a glutinous rice cake, grew even faster. Spending rose 88.7%, lifting it to second place this year from third a year earlier. The popularity of fruit-filled versions eaten as desserts appears to have carried over into routine grocery shopping.
Chaltteok, garaetteok, kkultteok, songpyeon and skewered or stir-fried rice cakes followed. The top seven varieties together accounted for 64.5% of all rice cake spending.
Outside the top tier, mochi stood out. Spending on mochi rose about 2.6-fold from a year earlier. Its 161.5% increase was the highest among varieties with spending of 3 billion won or more.
The figures suggest rice cakes, long regarded as a traditional snack, are increasingly consumed as an everyday dessert.