Some festive foods change every year. Bak chang, at its best, does not. Literally meaning “meat dumpling” in Hokkien, bak chang is a savoury glutinous rice dumpling traditionally filled with pork, mushrooms, chestnuts and other ingredients before being wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked.
The best rice dumplings in Singapore are still defined by the quality of what goes inside, the hours spent on preparation and the dialect traditions that shaped them long before food trends entered the picture. Here are our top picks for traditional rice dumplings in Singapore, the time-honoured classics that are worth indulging.
Joo Chiat Kim Choo
Joo Chiat Kim Choo remains the benchmark for anyone serious about traditional bak chang. Each dumpling is made using a guarded 80-year-old recipe and takes eight days of preparation across 21 steps: boiling, washing, thawing, cooking, grinding, frying, and more. The result is a dumpling where, as they say, there are ingredients till the very last bite.
Highlights include the Emperor’s Rice Dumpling, packed with braised pork belly, dried scallops, lup cheong, and salted egg yolk, and the Nyonya Rice Dumpling for those who prefer the Peranakan-style flavour profile. Gift sets range from the Emperor’s Heirloom (six premium dumplings) to the Petite Treasures sets for smaller gatherings.
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Available at over 30 pop-up stores islandwide and online.
Thye Moh Chan
Thye Moh Chan’s bak chang follows the Teochew tradition of pairing sweet tau sar (mashed bean paste) with savoury ingredients: pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, and salted egg yolk, all wrapped into a single parcel. It is a flavour profile rooted in Teochew culinary heritage, and one that sets these dumplings apart from the more widely known Hokkien and Cantonese styles.
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Standouts include the Teochew Double Delight Bak Chang and the Teochew Salted Egg Bak Chang, each at $7.20. Festive bundles offer Buy 6 Get 1 Free ($43.20) and Buy 10 Get 2 Free ($72.00), both with a complimentary limited-edition cooler bag inspired by traditional Teochew embroidery. Available now till 19 June.
Soup Restaurant
Soup Restaurant Dragon Boat Festival lineup brings back the Traditional Hokkien Dumpling with Braised Pork and Salted Egg ($13.90) and the Nonya Braised Pork Blue Pea Rice Dumpling ($12.90), along with a new Red Bean Alkaline Kee Chang ($3.90) for those who like to end on something sweet.
The 8-piece Dragon Boat Festival Gift Pack comes at 20% off for $54.40 (U.P. $68) with a basket bag included perfect for office gifting or family gatherings. Early bird discount of 15% off all dumplings runs from 1 to 14 June 2026. Available at all outlets and online.
Dian Xiao Er
If your office is doing a group order, Dian Xiao Er’s Buy 4 Get 1 Free bundle is worth sharing. Two classic options: the Traditional Salty Pork Dumpling and the Nyonya Pork Dumpling, each at $8.30 (members at $7.90). The bundle includes a complimentary gift box, and a bottle of their signature Chilli Sauce is available at 20% off ($5.85) to round out the order.
