Pineapple tarts, bak kwa, love letters, prawn crackers, kuih bangkit, shrimp rolls, cookies… the list of Chinese New Year snacks in Singapore goes on and on.
It’s the Lunar New Year and you’re expecting friends over. You’re donning your best cheongsam, stealing fun party games from Christmas and setting the dinner table with a feast. Don’t forget the snacks! Fill your cabinet with pineapple tarts, bak kwa, love letters and lots more. Presenting our top spots to buy the best Chinese New Year snacks in Singapore.
Where to buy Chinese New Year snacks in Singapore
1. Pineapple Tarts Singapore
Fresh bakes and top-notch ingredients are the key to Pineapple Tarts Singapore’s addictive CNY snacks. This bakery whips up a range of delicious goodies to usher in the festive season, and you need to try them out, stat.
Start with the traditional pineapple tarts for a buttery pick, or snack on unconventional flavours like salted egg pineapple tarts for a unique twist. If you’re craving cheese, there are pineapple tarts infused with parmesan too. Grab a few tubs of these goodies before the visiting season begins!
Pineapple Tarts Singapore, available online
2. Wang Lai Bakery
With traditional recipes passed down for four generations, you can’t go wrong with Wang Lai Bakery’s CNY treats. This bakery prides itself on homemade flavours and the finest ingredients for delicious creations. Plus, they’re all incredibly affordable too!
Its encased pineapple tarts are a crowd-favourite for an addictive bite-sized treat, while the open-faced pineapple tarts are the perfect pick for creating a CNY goodies platter. There are also delectable love letters in flavours like chocolate and peanut butter, crunch prawn rolls and more to snack on.
Wang Lai Bakery, available online
3. 603 Tau Sar Piah
Grab a taste of good fortune with the handcrafted yam cake ($28.80). Made from a cherished family recipe, this delight combines hand-cut yam, dried shrimp, Chinese chicken sausage, scallops, and shiitake mushrooms for a flavour explosion in every bite.
Looking for the perfect gift? The Lunar New Year Gift Box (from $50) is a treasure trove of delights. The signature collection ($60) features family favourites like pineapple balls, chocolate chip cookies, peanut cookies, and kueh bangkit. For communal joy, grab the Prosperity Piahs ($22.80) in a 6-inch communal size or an eight-piece gift box (3 inches each). These flaky layers of hand-kneaded dough have a delicious savoury mung bean paste filling.
603 Tau Sar Piah, available online
4. Ah Mah Homemade Cake
Ah Mah Homemade Cake unleashes cuteness with adorable dragon cookies: delicate pastry packed with tangy pineapple jam, ensuring a bite full of fortune. And that’s not all – usher in the festive vibes with traditional pineapple tarts at $15.80 per bottle and the aromatic original butter cookies at the same price. Snatch a bundle of two bottles starting from $23.80.
Ah Mah Homemade Cake, available online and at multiple locations including Paya Lebar Square and VivoCity
5. Joy Luck Teahouse
Indulge in the opulence of Joy Luck Teahouse’s 22K French gold flake egg tarts, adorned with edible gold for that touch of prosperity and luck. Grab a box of four for $19.80 (UP: $22.80) – a dazzling deal in a golden box, ideal for impressing every guest in the room. Don’t miss out on the timeless delight of the pineapple egg tarts, too. Packed with juicy pineapple jam, nestled between a buttery crust and velvety egg custard, it’s the perfect snack to munch on after your reunion dinner.
Joy Luck Teahouse, available online and at multiple locations including Bugis Junction and Junction 8
6. Rasa Sayang
Chinese New Year goodies with an Indonesian twist – that’s what you get when you purchase snacks from this bakery. Besides the standard mini pineapple balls, love letters, and kueh bangkit, there are festive exclusives such as spicy golden rolls and kueh lapis layered with chempedak and durian.
Rasa Sayang, multiple locations including Jalan Pemimpin and Takashimaya Square; also available online
7. Yikowei
Sure, it’s an awesome excuse to snack at this time of the year. But moderation is key. If you’re concerned about your sugar intake, Yikowei offers a low sugar version of its pineapple balls. However, if you’re like the rest of us, go on and get your hands on its delish goodies. We have our eye on the Nyonya pineapple tarts.
Yikowei, available online
8. SunnyHills
We can’t get over the adorable designs at SunnyHills. The pineapple cakes are made with organically grown Taiwanese pineapples. This means they’re free from pesticides, artificial ingredients, and preservatives. Get the assorted gift boxes, where you get to enjoy individually wrapped pineapple cakes together with apple cakes or oolong tea.
SunnyHills, available online
9. Bee Cheng Hiang
Come Chinese New Year, you’ll see snaking queues outside any bak kwa shop. Well, what’s not to like? The iconic pork jerky, marinated with sugar and spices, and barbecued to perfection (charred edges and all), makes us go weak in the knees. Bee Cheng Hiang is one of the purveyors of this popular CNY snack. Try the chilli pork, as well as sliced beef and chicken bak kwa.
Bee Cheng Hiang, multiple locations including Jem and Raffles City Shopping Centre; also available online
10. Kele
You may have an idea of the origins of love letters thanks to their obvious name. In the past, ladies would write sweet nothings to their lovers on wafer-thin biscuits. Eating them would mean the message was taken to heart. And that’s how the snack got its moniker. This light and crunchy treat made with eggs, flour and coconut milk is dangerously addictive. You’ll find them rolled or folded in quarters, but we prefer the former. Kele’s premium love letters are charcoal-grilled to serve a crispy texture and fragrant aftertaste.
Kele, available online
11. Little Nonya’s Cookies
The melt-in-your mouth kuih bangkit is typically made of tapioca flour, icing sugar, flour, egg yolks, coconut milk and pandan. It comes in many forms including popular flower shapes. Little Nonya’s Cookies makes kueh bangkit using the traditional charcoal-baked method so you can enjoy authentic flavours right here.
Little Nonya’s Cookies, #04-10, Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Road, Singapore 188979; also available online
12. Gin Thye
Go to any Chinese household during Lunar New Year and you’ll see tubs of prawn crackers waiting to be eaten. Once you open the seal, it’s a done deal. Between conversations and games of mahjong or poker, these babies will be gone in a heartbeat. Gin Thye’s golden prawn stick crackers are easy to find and never disappoint.
Gin Thye, available at multiple locations including NTUC outlets; also available online
13. Bread Garden
We just can’t get enough of these little pops of flavour. Shrimp rolls are basically crispy mini rolls packed with hae bee hiam, dried shrimp filling with a touch of spice. They’re fried to perfection so you get a crunch with every bite. The rolls are known to resemble gold bars which symbolise wealth. Try Bread Garden’s version and you’ll understand what the fuss is all about.
Bread Garden, multiple locations including Bukit Batok and Yishun; also available online
14. Mdm Ling Bakery
What’s a post-Chinese New Year dinner without some snacks? And these aren’t your usual chocolate chip cookies. From traditional butter, cashew nut and almond cookies to recent offerings like peanut, hazelnut, purple sweet potato, green pea, red velvet and even kopi siew dai, you can count on Mdm Ling Bakery for your fix. Pandan lovers, you’ll be reaching out for their new melt-in-your-mouth fantastic pandan pineapple balls.
Mdm Ling Bakery, available online
Go ahead and stock up on your favourite Chinese New Year snacks in Singapore!
