This study was conducted to develop food for the elderly, which is easier to chew and swallow, using gelification. Various foods for the elderly with chewing and swallowing difficulties were used for sensory assessment. The sensory panel consisted of 10 dieticians (10 women) working in nursing care facilities. The sensory optimal composite recipes were determined by the central composite design (CCD). The optimum formulation of hot pepper paste stir fried pork calculated by the numerical and graphical method was 1.48 g of sugar and 18.97 g of hot pepper paste. The optimum formulation of seasoned spinach was 8.0 g of sesame oil and 5.41 g of soy sauce. Moisture content, hardness, and adhesiveness of hot pepper paste stir fried pork was 76.49%, 2.50, and －1.20, respectively. Moisture content, hardness, and adhesiveness of seasoned spinach was 83.48%, 2.27, and －1.17, respectively. This study provides the basic materials for the development of easily chewable and swallowable foods for the elderly, which can reduce the risk of food going down the wrong pipe, and the preference can be improved by eating solid food instead of porridge or liquid food. The development of food for the elderly, which takes the difficulties in chewing and swallowing among the elderly into consideration and reflects their preference and has sufficient amount of nutrients, is important to enable the elderly to enjoy their meals and it is one of the biggest challenges in Korea, as Korean society is aging rapidly.