For me, food is the best souvenir to bring home. It reminds you of the wonderful trip and allows you to bring joy to your friends and family back home.
And when you buy food souvenirs from Singapore, you take all the best flavours in the city home with you, from classic dishes like Hainanese chicken rice and laksa to the unique flavours of salted egg and durian.
But if you are wondering what to buy in Singapore, keep reading. I’ll show you all the must-buy Singapore food souvenirs and where to buy them. Save some room in your luggage so you can bring all the flavours of Singapore home.
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Where to buy food souvenirs from Singapore
Before searching for Singapore souvenirs, take a look at my Singapore solo travel guide and learn about the city first. I included recommendations for must-see attractions and ideas on where to stay and eat in Singapore.
As for buying Singapore food gifts, here are the best places to buy food souvenirs in Singapore:
- Supermarkets – FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, and Redmart have many food gifts.
- The lower level of shopping malls – typically, food stalls and specialty stores sell local snacks like bak kwa, popcorn, fish skin and chips. Malls like ION Orchard Mall, Takashimaya Department Store, Raffles City Shopping Centre, VivoCity, all have food souvenir shops.
- Chinatown – especially around the Chinatown Street Market area. Look for food souvenir shops on Smith Street, Trengganu Street, and Eu Tong Sen Street.
- Bugis MRT Station – Bugis Junction and Bugis Street (shopping malls) and adjacent shopping streets in the area.
- Jewel Changi Airport – has specialty food shops and a FairPrice supermarket at the lower level. If you didn’t get your food souvenirs already, this is your last chance before you leave Singapore!
What to buy in Singapore: 8 best Singapore food souvenirs to take home
I love eating in Singapore, which makes leaving Singapore a bit bittersweet. That’s why I’m so glad I can take many Singapore food souvenirs home for my friends and family.
So in no particular order, here are my top 8 favourite food souvenirs from Singapore:
- Salted Egg Fish Skin and Chips
- Chips and Popcorn in classic Singaporean flavours
- Bak Kwa
- Durian-flavoured food souvenirs
- Kaya jam
- Sambal Belacan
- Hainanese Chicken Rice and other Singaporean sauces
- Bak Kut Teh soup mix
1. Salted Egg Fish Skin and Chips
This is THE Singapore food souvenir you want to bring home because it combines the most unique flavours of Singapore.
First, Salted Egg is a preserved food made with duck eggs. The eggs are soaked in brine before they are cooked. By itself, the taste is very intense and has a buttery and rich texture. And yes, very salty.
And when you add salted egg yolk flavour to fried fish skin, it is magic!
Irvins is the most popular brand for Salted Egg Fish Skin. Irvin’s standalone stores are available, or you can find them in supermarkets. Try the original Salted Egg Fish Skin or Salted Egg Salmon Skin. But if you are not super adventurous, there is also a potato chip with the classic salted egg flavour.
There are many other (cheaper) brands in supermarkets. They are just as tasty.
Try not to eat the whole bag of fried fish skin in one sitting. It is that addictive!
2. Chips and Popcorn in classic Singaporean flavours
When it comes to potato chips, there are so many Singaporean-flavoured chips in local supermarkets. Flavours like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa, etc. And they taste pretty close to the actual food.
And there are a lot of Shrimp chips. I always associate these prawn crackers with Chinese dishes like crispy chicken. Super tasty and super shrimpy!
If you like popcorn, look for Eureka. It is a brand that exclusively sells popcorn. They literally have so many flavours that I cannot name them all. But one of the most unique flavours is the salted egg popcorn.
These Singaporean food souvenirs may take up a lot of room in your luggage, but it might be worth it!
3. Bak Kwa
Originating in Hokkien in the province of Fujian, Bak Kwa is barbecued meat slices. The translation of the phrase means “dried meat”. But in reality, Singapore’s barbecued meat slices are not dry. It tastes like Cantonese barbecue pork but much sweeter. And very juicy!
And Bak Kwa is typically made with pork where it is barbecued over charcoal for many hours. The meat is usually in squared slices.
Century Bak Kwa is a boutique specialty shop that sells Bak Kwa only, but they make some of the best pork jerky I have ever had! Buy individual pieces or different flavours in a jar.
If you don’t want to spend that much, look for Bak Kwa at specialty shops like Bee Cheng Hiang, which is all over Singapore.
However, check to ensure you can bring these savoury and sweet treats home. Some countries are strict with what you bring home, i.e. no meat. Um, sorry, Canadians and Americans!
4. Durian-flavoured food souvenirs
Ah, durian! Durian is a spiky fruit with a creamy and buttery texture. It tastes sweet and custardy and has the consistency of cheesecake. Some say it tastes like caramel and vanilla. Sounds good, right?
However, durian has a strong smell; very pungent, according to some.
You either love durian or hate durian. There is no in-between!
Those who love this spiky fruit will surely enjoy all the sweet treats infused with durian flavours. In Singapore, you can find durian cookies, wafers, cakes, tarts and etc.
It is one of the most unique food souvenirs in Singapore. I don’t think you can find this anywhere else!
5. Kaya jam
Kaya jam or “kaya” is a big part of a traditional Singaporean food eaten at breakfast time. Basically, it is a creamy coconut jam made with coconut milk, eggs and sugar. It is flavoured with pandan leaf, giving it a greenish colour and is best eaten with butter and toast.
Legend has it that Kaya was originally adopted from the Portuguese Doce de Ovos (sweet egg cream), which is made with egg yolks and sugar. I love these Portuguese sweets! I had so many when I was in Aveiro and Porto. No wonder I like Kaya so much!
You can find this coconutty jam at any supermarket in Singapore. But try looking for Kaya jam at Ya Kun Kaya Toast, a franchise breakfast place in Singapore. There are many locations all over the city.
6. Sambal Belacan
Sambal is made with red chillies, lime sauce, salt and sugar, while Belacan is made with fermented finely crushed shrimp. And when you put these two ingredients together, it is dynamite!
One of the best ways to use Sambal Belacan is in a vegetable stir-fry. Singaporeans love morning glory with Sambal Belachan. It is a very popular vegetable dish in Singapore.
This spicy, garlicky and fishy sauce is also excellent as a condiment. Eat it with rice, congee or Nasi Lemak (Malaysian rice dish).
Or you can make other classic dishes like Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice) or Mee Goreng (fried noodles). Basically, it goes well with any fried rice and noodle dishes. And also great with chicken, fish and shrimp.
7. Hainanese Chicken Rice and other Singaporean sauces
Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the best food in Singapore. You can recreate this classic dish when you buy a complete meal sauce kit at the supermarket. It comes with a premix and sesame soya sauce oil for the chicken. And it also comes with ginger and soya sauce as dipping sauces.
Or you can get individual packets of sauces for cooking meat, seafood or vegetables. With these sauces, you can make authentic Singaporean dishes like Laksa, Mee Rebus, Mee Siam, Prawn Mee, Prima Satay, Rendang, Singapore Chilli crab, Singapore Curry and Singapore Satay.
You can recreate any Singaporean dishes back home with these packets of sauces. These flavourful mixes can really elevate your cooking game!
8. Bak Kut Teh soup mix
Bak Kut Teh means “meat bone tea” when you translate it into English. The dish is made with pork ribs in a flavourful broth, but it does not have any tea at all.
In Singapore, a typical Bak Kut Teh is made with white pepper broth, garlic, and herbs. Malaysia, Singapore’s northern neighbour, makes this specialty with dark soy sauce in an herbal-y broth.
But lucky for foodies, there are Bak Kut Teh soup mixes for both types in Singapore.
When you buy a package of soup spices, it includes all the dry ingredients to make the soup. You have to add the meat, garlic, and other ingredients as indicated.
One of Singapore’s franchise restaurants, Old Street Bak Kut Teh, serves really yummy Bak Kut Teh. And they sell the spices for you to make at home.
Or you can find different Bak Kut Teh soup mixes (like A1) at supermarkets.
Looking for tours in Singapore? Check out these experiences:
Where to stay in Singapore
Here are a few recommended boutique hotels in Singapore so you can get a good night’s sleep in between all your food adventures in Singapore.
- Lloyd’s Inn Singapore ($$) – a small minimalist boutique hotel near Orchard Road. I wrote a full review of Lloyd’s Inn Singapore on why I love this hotel.
- Check prices & reviews: Agoda
- Wanderlust ($$) – a boutique hotel in a 1920s Art Deco building in Little India.
- Check prices & reviews: Agoda
- The Warehouse Hotel ($$$) – the most luxurious boutique hotel in Clarke Quay.
- Check prices & reviews: Agoda
Which of these food souvenirs from Singapore are you going to get?
Food is always the best souvenir to take home, and these snacks are excellent gifts from Singapore.
Depending on where you live in the world, you might be able to find some of these snacks and food mixes at a Chinese supermarket, ethnic grocery store, etc. I grew up in Toronto, Canada, so I know it is possible to get some food mixes at T&T Supermarket and other local Chinese grocery stores.
But specialty items like Bak Kut Teh soup mix and fish skin chips are harder to find. So if you see these in Singapore, get them before flying home.
I hope you enjoyed this post and will enjoy some of these Singapore snack souvenirs. Let me know which is your favourite!
Thank you for reading my Singapore food souvenirs post
You might also like these other posts:
Singapore posts:
- Singapore solo travel guide for first time travellers
- How to spend 2 days in Singapore
- 21 free things to do alone in Singapore
- Where to stay in Singapore
- Lloyd’s Inn Singapore hotel review
- 10 best hiking trails in Singapore
- Gardens by the Bay attractions and itinerary
- 10 best instagrammable places in Singapore
- 9 neighbourhoods to find street art in Singapore
- Singapore food culture: 21 must-try food
- Where to eat Michelin star street food in Singapore
Food around the world:
- What to eat in Sofia Bulgaria: 21 best Sofia food
- Vienna food guide: 23 must-try food
- Budapest food guide: 26 Best Budapest Food
- 25 Bucharest Food: What to eat in Bucharest
- Porto food guide: 17 Best Porto Food
- 15 traditional Hong Kong food
- Japanese Food Culture: 11 must-try food
- 22 must-eat food in Taiwan
- 15 Ximending food for foodies travelling to Taipei
- Taiwan 7-11 food: 10 must-eat
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