FOOD AND DRINK TRENDS 2026 - Flavours Less Travelled

Korean

Once considered niche, the popularity of Korean cuisine now verges on mainstream, particularly with younger consumers. Its appeal is fuelled by interest in fermented foods, the explosion of Korean culture in the media and its combination of bold, spicy flavours with familiar formats in popular Korean foods such as fried chicken, noodles and dumplings.
51% say they would be likely to try Korean cuisine in the next 1 to 2 years*.
43% of consumers are willing to pay more than they normally would to try Korean cuisine*.

Typical dishes

  • Korean Fried Chicken: juicy tender chicken, fried with a crispy coating and served with sweet, spicy or soy-based sauces.
  • Korean BBQ: marinated meats and vegetables grilled on a table BBQ and served with spicy sauces in a lettuce leaf with traditional Korean sides, like kimchi.
  • Dumplings: mandu or gyoza – crispy, crescent-shaped dumplings filled with savoury ingredients like fish, meat or vegetables.
  • Bulgogi: grilled, thinly sliced meat marinated in soy sauce and garlic and grilled or stir-fried.
  • Kimchi: fermented cabbage, radish, cucumber or other vegetables made with chilli sauce or flakes, ginger and garlic.
  • Jeon: savoury pancakes filled with minced meat, seafood or vegetables e.g. spring onions and served with dipping sauces.
  • Bibimbap: claypot bowl of warm rice topped with vegetables, meat or tofu, a fried egg and gochujang chilli sauce.

Key ingredients

  • Kimchi: fermented cabbage, radish, cucumber, or other vegetables made with chilli sauce or flakes, ginger, and garlic.
  • Gochujang: a red chilli paste made with fermented soya beans that give it a gentle sweetness.
  • Soy sauce: dark liquid sauce made with fermented soy beans.
  • Other key ingredients across this cuisine include rice, noodles, chilli, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, spring onion, cabbage, cucumber, bean sprouts, tofu, rice wine, and miso.

3 things you need to know about this trend

  • Appeal to younger consumers

    While Korean cuisine has high appeal – 51% say they would be likely to try it over the next 1 to 2 years – it’s Gen Zs (72%), students (72%) and 30 to 39 year olds (75%) who are the best target market for this cuisine*.

  • Desserts and sweet treats

    Korean desserts are part of a growing desire to try sweet treats from around the world – see our Sweet Adventures trend. Bingsu and croffles are great examples that are trending right now, alongside Dubai chocolate, Basque cheesecake, and Japanese cloud cake.

  • Casual vs traditional

    Korean fried chicken has been popular for some time, but we are now seeing growing appeal of more traditional Korean dishes, like Bulgogi or Bibimbap. In fact, 42% of consumers likely to try it like the traditional nature of the cuisine*.

Try our Korean recipes…

  • Recipes

Recipes

  • Korean pork bowl

    Tender pulled pork coated in smoky Bulgogi, with a fiery kick of Gochujang. Served alongside cucumber in a garlic and sesame dressing, and julienned carrots for added texture. Jammy soft boiled eggs are balanced by the fresh and peppery pak choi.

  • Gochujang beer can roasted whole chicken

    Succulent, spicy and delicious, this Korean-style roasted chicken has a delicious twist.

  • Korean sweet croffle cheesecake

    A sweet Korean croffle with a cheesecake twist, topped with soft cheese, lotus biscoff and raspberry fruit.

3 ways to use this trend

  • Social dining and sharing dishes

    73% of consumers eating out of home would be likely to try new cuisines if they were in small plates, and 68% in sharing platters. Korean cuisine is traditionally a social and sharing experience. Korean BBQ epitomises this, as well as banchan, which are smaller shared dishes, like kimchi, vegetable sides, jeon filled pancakes and mandu or gyoza dumplings*.

  • Street-food inspired options (bunsik)

    40% of consumers who eat out typically visit street-food venues, but these dishes are also great options for on-site menus. Choices like Korean fried chicken, bibimbap, mandu or gyoza dumplings, Korean corn dogs, and jeon filled pancakes work well for both on-the-go and sit-down offers*.

  • Great for plant-based choices

    2% of consumers who eat out describe themselves as vegan, 5% as vegetarian*. However, plant-based choices are increasingly popular, and 20% of consumers describe themselves now as flexitarian*. Korean menus often feature plant-based dishes based on tofu, kimchi, as well as ingredients like cabbage, radish, cucumber, mushroom, seaweed and beansprouts. Many sauces like gochujang and miso are also plant-based.

What are the top trending Korean dishes?

We found that the most popular Korean dishes with UK consumers were Korean fried chicken, Korean BBQ, dumplings – both gyoza and mandu, bulgogi (a dish featuring grilled or stir-fried, thinly sliced marinated meat), kimchi (fermented vegetables made with chilli sauce or flakes, ginger and garlic), jeon (filled, savoury pancakes) and bibimbap (a claypot dish of warm rice topped with vegetables, meat or tofu, a fried egg and gochujang chilli sauce).

Why does the diverse flavour profile of Korean BBQ make it a great choice?

Korean BBQ is a highly versatile dish and cooking method, combining marinated meats and vegetables grilled on a table BBQ, and served with spicy sauces in a lettuce leaf with traditional Korean sides, like Kimchi. You can choose from beef, pork, chicken, fish and seafood, or plant-based proteins like tofu, and offer a variety of dipping sauces like soy mustard, soybean and chilli paste sauces, or simply sesame oil and salt. So, the combinations of flavours are almost endless making it a way of cooking that has broad appeal, offering something for everyone.

What does Korean health food trends include?

In our 2025 survey of consumers eating out of home, 35% of those who said they would be likely to try Korean food in the next 1 to 2 years, perceived Korean dishes to be healthy*. Koreans have traditionally preserved food through fermentation. And so, Korean cuisine features several fantastic, fermented ingredients like kimchi, fermented soy-based sauces like soy and gochujang. Vegetables like spring onion, cabbage, radish, cucumber, and beansprouts are a key part of many Korean dishes, as well as plant-based ingredients like tofu.

Does Bidfood offer any Korean recipe inspiration?

Our chefs have created some delicious savoury and sweet recipes including:

  • Beer Can Gochujang Roast Chicken with fries, slaw and onion rings
  • Korean Pork Belly with an Asian-inspired salad
  • Lentil Bibimbap – a brown rice bowl made with lentils, spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, courgette, gochujang, topped with a poached egg
  • Korean Sweet Croffle , served with cheesecake cream,  Biscoff Crumb and Biscoff sauce
  • Mango Bingsu, a Korean shaved ice and fruit dessert

You can find the full recipes here.

Discover our other food and drink trends for 2026

  • Food and drink trends 2026
  • Flavours Less Travelled
  • Topped and Loaded
  • FastForward Flavours
  • Whole Lotta Goodness
  • Tea Tonic
  • Sweet Adventures
Find out more

Source:

*CGA by NielsenIQ and Bidfood 2026 Food and Drink Trends consumer survey, sample size 2,000 (UK adults); data collected May 2025

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