20 Best Singapore Desserts in 2026
- Monster Day Tours
- Jun 5, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 24
Every stall below was checked against current listings and reviews before publishing — addresses, hours, and prices can still change, so we've flagged anywhere it's worth a quick double-check.
A quick note on how this list was made: Monster Day Tours runs food and walking tours in Singapore, so yes, we have a reason to want you to enjoy this city's food. That's exactly why we're upfront about it. Every stall on this list was picked because it's genuinely one of the best, not because it pays us to be here — none of these stalls are sponsors. If a dessert stop happens to sit on one of our tour routes, we'll say so.
Quick answer the 5 desserts to try first
If you only have room for a few, start here:
Chendol at Four Seasons Cendol, Toa Payoh — the one even a former Deputy Prime Minister queues for.
Orh Nee (yam paste) at Yat Ka Yan, Bugis — a nostalgic dish reinvented for a younger crowd.
Tau Suan at Qing Tian Hot Dessert, Redhill — famous for its "dancing uncle."
Ang Ku Kueh at Ji Xiang Confectionery, Everton Park — the original, one-outlet-only version.
Grass Jelly at Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly, Golden Mile — handmade the same way since the 1940s.
Singapore's dessert scene runs on two things: relief from the heat, and generations of recipes carried over from Chinese, Malay, Peranakan, and Indian kitchens. Below are 20 of the best, organized so you can find something whether you want it icy-cold or spoon-warm, and exactly where to go for each one.
1. Orh Nee (Yam Paste)
This Teochew classic is steamed yam mashed into a smooth, warm paste — sweetened just enough that the yam flavor still comes through. The traditional topping is ginkgo nuts, though it's had a second life recently as a filling for tarts, cakes, and even donuts at newer bakeries.
Where to try it: Yat Ka Yan does a version with durian chendol on the side, plus a modern twist called Orh Nee Brûlée. 📍 190 Middle Road, #02-08, Fortune Centre, S188979 (also at 9 Tan Quee Lan Street) · 🕒 12pm–10pm, closed Tuesdays · Near Bugis MRT
2. Tau Suan
A warm, porridge-like bowl of split mung beans in a lightly sweet, pandan-scented broth, thickened with potato flour and topped with crunchy fried dough fritters (you tiao). It's the opposite of flashy, and that's the appeal.
Where to try it: Qing Tian Hot Dessert at Redhill Food Centre — look for the stall with the disco lights and the uncle known locally as the "Dancing Ice Kachang Man." They've recently gone hot-desserts-only, so this is the place for tau suan specifically rather than iced options. 📍 Blk 85, #01-60, Redhill Food Centre · 🕒 Hours have shifted a few times recently — check their Facebook page (@thedancingicekachangman) the day you go · Not halal-certified
3. Tang Yuan
Glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame, peanut, or red bean paste, served in a light sweet soup. In Chinese culture, the round shape symbolizes family togetherness, which is why tang yuan shows up at reunion dinners and festivals.
Where to try it: 75 Ah Balling, a long-running peanut soup and tang yuan specialist with several outlets around Singapore, does both traditional fillings and newer ones like yam and matcha.
4. Ice Kachang
When Singapore's heat gets to be too much, this is the fix: shaved ice in a rainbow of syrups, hiding red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, and palm seeds underneath. It's less a dessert than a Singaporean coping mechanism for the tropics.
Where to try it: Jin Jin Hot/Cold Dessert at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre is a solid, no-frills version.
5. Chendol (Cendol)
Green rice-flour jelly strips, coconut milk, and gula melaka (palm sugar syrup) over shaved ice — Southeast Asia's answer to needing to cool down in under a minute. Some stalls add corn or durian on request.
Where to try it: Four Seasons Cendol at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market & Food Centre is the one Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong reportedly still visits — his photo is on the stall front. It only serves cendol, nothing else, which tells you something about how confident they are in it. 📍 210 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #01-07 · 💰 Around S$2.20–2.60 a bowl
This part of Toa Payoh also sits along the Singapore City Free Walking Tour route, if you'd rather have someone point out the good stalls as you go instead of hunting them down yourself.
6. Grass Jelly
Grass jelly (chin chow) is made from the mesona chinensis plant, boiled down into a dark, faintly bitter jelly and served cold with syrup — sometimes with evaporated milk or fresh fruit on top. It's one of the few desserts here that's more herbal than sweet.
Where to try it: Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly at Golden Mile Food Centre has been making it by hand since the stall's founder started in 1946; it's now run by the third generation. 📍 505 Beach Road, #01-58, Golden Mile Food Centre · 🕒 Roughly 11:30am–6:30pm daily, though it's worth confirming on their Facebook page since hawker hours shift often · 💰 Around S$1.50–1.80
7. Cheng Tng
A light, amber, faintly medicinal soup with barley, agar strips, lotus seeds, and dried longan, usually served with ice. It's the dessert Singaporeans reach for when they want something that feels more restorative than indulgent.
Where to try it: Most old-school dessert stalls carry cheng tng alongside tau suan and pulut hitam — Qing Tian Hot Dessert (see #2) is a convenient one-stop option if you're already there.
8. Ondeh Ondeh
Small green balls of sweet potato or glutinous rice flour, coated in grated coconut, with a molten center of gula melaka that bursts when you bite in. Deceptively simple, easy to get wrong, hard to stop eating when it's done right.
Where to try it: Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery in Bedok North has been making Peranakan kueh by hand since 1968 — now run by the third generation — and is halal-certified, which is worth knowing since a lot of traditional kueh shops aren't. 📍 84 Bedok North Street 4, #01-21, S460084 · 🕒 Daily, roughly 5am–5pm · Halal-certified
9. Ang Ku Kueh
A soft glutinous rice cake shaped like a tortoise shell — "ang ku" literally means "red tortoise" — filled with mung bean or peanut paste. The red color traditionally signals good fortune; modern versions come in flavors like corn, coconut, and yam.
Where to try it — and a mix-up worth clearing up: There are two separate businesses with almost the same name. Ji Xiang Confectionery, the original, has exactly one outlet, in Everton Park, and has been run by the same family since 1985. Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh is a different company (started by a family member as a separate venture) with nine outlets across malls and food courts islandwide. Both are good — just know which one you're heading to if a specific outlet matters to you. 📍 Original: 1 Everton Park, #01-33, S081001 · 🕒 Mon–Sat 8am–5pm, closed Sundays · 💰 S$1.10–2 per piece
10. Tutu Kueh
Small steamed rice flour cakes, served on pandan leaf, usually filled with ground peanut or brown palm sugar and coconut. The name comes from the sound the traditional steamer makes while cooking them.
Where to try it: Mr Ho Tutu Kueh at Bendemeer has been run by the same person for over 50 years, since he started selling tutu kueh from a trishaw with his father as a boy. He still prices it at S$0.70 a piece, partly because a lot of his regulars are elderly. 📍 27 Bendemeer Road, Stall 7, Bendemeer Shopping Mall, S330027 · 🕒 Roughly Tue–Fri 2pm–7pm, Sat 9am–4pm, closed Sun–Mon
11. Tissue Prata
A savory-to-sweet crossover: prata stretched paper-thin, fried until crisp, folded into a tall cone, and drizzled with chocolate sauce or condensed milk — sometimes with ice cream on the side. It's the dessert Singaporeans order after midnight, not before.
Where to try it: R.K. Eating House in Serangoon Gardens is open 24 hours, and their tissue prata tower is genuinely built to share among 3–4 people. 📍 1 Kensington Park Road, Serangoon Gardens Estate, S557253 · 🕒 Open 24 hours · 💰 Around S$5.50
12. Gulab Jamun
Deep-fried milk-solid balls soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup — sweet enough that two pieces is usually plenty. It's a staple at Indian sweet shops across the island, especially around Little India.
Where to try it: Any of the sweet shops along Serangoon Road in Little India will have a fresh batch; it's worth comparing a couple since recipes vary noticeably shop to shop.
13. Jalebi
Deep-fried batter piped into pretzel-like coils, then soaked in saffron sugar syrup — crunchy on the outside, syrupy all the way through. Bright orange, impossible to miss on a dessert counter.
Where to try it: Little India's sweet shops along Serangoon Road are the reliable bet, usually sold by weight alongside other Indian sweets.
14. Ice Cream Sandwiches
A slice of ice cream wrapped in bread or wafers, sold from street carts rather than shops — the flavors go well beyond chocolate and vanilla into local options like durian, sweet corn, and red bean.
Where to try it: These carts move around rather than staying in one fixed spot, but you'll spot them regularly near Orchard Road's malls and other tourist-heavy areas. If you see one, it's worth stopping — they're increasingly rare.
15. Durian Pengat
Durian cooked down with coconut milk and sugar into a thick, custard-like dessert — a gentler entry point than eating fresh durian straight, since the fruit's sharper edges get smoothed out by the coconut milk.
Timing tip: Durian in Singapore is best (and cheapest) during the two main seasons, roughly June–August and November–December. Outside those windows, durian pengat made with frozen or imported fruit is more common, and the flavor is noticeably milder.
16. Muah Chee
Soft, chewy glutinous rice dough cut into pieces and tossed in crushed peanuts and sugar — closer to a snack than a plated dessert, and one of the few on this list you'll see made fresh in front of you at hawker centres and pasar malam (night market) stalls.
Where to try it: Look for it at hawker centres islandwide; it's usually made in small batches, so freshly made muah chee (still warm) beats anything pre-packed.
17. Kaya Toast Set
Technically breakfast, but eaten as an afternoon treat by plenty of locals too. Toasted bread with kaya (coconut jam) and butter, served with soft-boiled eggs and a cup of kopi or teh — Singapore's version of comfort food.
Where to try it: Ya Kun Kaya Toast has outlets across the island (including one in the historic Far East Square shop that started it all) and is the most consistent introduction if it's your first time.
18. Bubur Cha Cha
Steamed sweet potato and yam chunks, tapioca jelly, and sago pearls in a coconut milk broth — colorful, filling, and served hot or cold depending on the stall.
Where to try it: TingKat PeraMakan, a Peranakan restaurant with several branches around Singapore (including Alexandra Retail Centre and PLQ Mall), serves it as part of a full Nonya meal — a good option if you want bubur cha cha alongside dishes like babi pongteh and ayam buah keluak rather than as a standalone stop. 💰 Bubur cha cha is typically around S$3+ as a side to a set meal
19. Modern Orh Nee (Tarts, Cakes, Pastries)
Yam paste has spread well beyond the traditional bowl — bakeries around Singapore now put it into tarts, Swiss rolls, and cream puffs. Which bakery has the best version tends to change month to month as new spots open, so this is one where a local's current recommendation is genuinely more useful than a name printed months ago.
If you're on our Singapore Street Food and Night Tour, ask your guide which bakery is doing the best orh nee pastry that week — we update our own list constantly, which is hard to do in a static article.
20. Pandan Chiffon Cake
Light, fluffy, and colored a natural green from pandan leaves, with coconut milk giving it a richer edge than a standard chiffon. CNN has called it Singapore's "national cake," and it's easy to see why — it pairs with coffee, tea, or nothing at all.
Where to try it: Bengawan Solo, with outlets across the island including Chinatown and Changi Airport, is the most consistent version if you want a reliable slice without hunting down a specific stall.
All 20 desserts at a glance
Dessert | Best served | Where to try | Approx. price | Halal-friendly? |
Orh Nee | Warm | Yat Ka Yan, Bugis | Café pricing | Check on-site |
Tau Suan | Warm | Qing Tian Hot Dessert, Redhill | S$1–2 | No |
Tang Yuan | Warm | 75 Ah Balling (multiple outlets) | S$2–4 | Check on-site |
Ice Kachang | Cold | Jin Jin, ABC Brickworks | S$2–3 | Check on-site |
Chendol | Cold | Four Seasons Cendol, Toa Payoh | S$2.20–2.60 | Check on-site |
Grass Jelly | Cold | Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly, Golden Mile | S$1.50–1.80 | Check on-site |
Cheng Tng | Cold or warm | Qing Tian Hot Dessert, Redhill | S$1–2 | No |
Ondeh Ondeh | Room temp | Lek Lim Nonya, Bedok North | Under S$1/pc | Yes |
Ang Ku Kueh | Room temp | Ji Xiang Confectionery, Everton Park | S$1.10–2/pc | Check on-site |
Tutu Kueh | Warm | Mr Ho Tutu Kueh, Bendemeer | S$0.70/pc | Check on-site |
Tissue Prata | Warm | R.K. Eating House, Serangoon | ~S$5.50 | Check on-site |
Gulab Jamun | Room temp | Little India sweet shops | S$1–2/pc | Yes (most) |
Jalebi | Room temp | Little India sweet shops | Sold by weight | Yes (most) |
Ice Cream Sandwich | Cold | Street carts, Orchard Rd area | S$1.50–2 | Check with vendor |
Durian Pengat | Room temp | Peranakan restaurants (seasonal) | Varies | Check on-site |
Muah Chee | Warm | Hawker centres, pasar malam | S$2–3 | Check on-site |
Kaya Toast Set | Any | Ya Kun (multiple outlets) | S$5–7/set | Check on-site |
Bubur Cha Cha | Warm or cold | TingKat PeraMakan (multiple outlets) | ~S$3+ | Check on-site |
Modern Orh Nee Pastries | Any | Rotates — ask a local guide | Bakery pricing | Check on-site |
Pandan Chiffon Cake | Any | Bengawan Solo (multiple outlets) | S$10–15/cake | Check on-site |
Frequently asked questions
What is Singapore's most iconic dessert? Chendol and ice kachang are usually the two locals mention first — both are shaved-ice desserts built for the climate, and both have stalls with decades of history behind them, like Four Seasons Cendol in Toa Payoh.
Are traditional Singapore desserts halal? It varies by stall, even among ones selling the same dessert. Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery is halal-certified, for example, while Qing Tian Hot Dessert is not. Little India's Indian sweet shops are generally halal. When it matters to you, it's worth checking signage or asking directly, since certification isn't universal even for similar-looking stalls.
What's the best cold dessert for Singapore's heat? Chendol, ice kachang, and grass jelly are the three most common answers from locals — all shaved-ice or chilled desserts designed specifically to counter the tropical heat.
How much should I budget for hawker desserts in Singapore? Most hawker-stall desserts run S$1.50–4 a bowl. Café-style spots like Yat Ka Yan or dessert-forward restaurants like TingKat PeraMakan cost more, closer to S$5–10.
What's the easiest way to try several of these in one trip? Most of these stalls are spread across different neighborhoods, so hitting more than 2–3 in a day on your own usually means a lot of MRT rides. A guided food route, like our Singapore Street Food and Night Tour, covers several dessert and savory stops in one evening without the back-and-forth planning.
This guide will keep getting updated as stalls change hands, hours shift, or new spots open — if you visit somewhere on this list and find something's changed, we'd genuinely like to know, since hawker stalls are some of the hardest businesses to track from a desk.
