The best rice dumplings in Singapore for Dragon Boat Festival 2024

Jade at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is back this year with their ever-popular Jade Classics Rice Dumpling Collection, this time with a special twist – liquor-infused dumplings. The latest creation is a Moutai pork and dried scallop rice dumpling ($24), stuffed with 48-hour Moutai-infused pork belly that’s both tender and smoky. Other premium flavours include the traditional Hong Kong style abalone rice dumpling ($58) for sharing, and the vegetarian truffle five-grain rice dumpling ($20). The blue pea Nyonya ($18) and Hokkien salted egg yolk ($18) rice dumplings are also back this year by popular demand, for those who prefer to skip the modern iterations and stick with familiar flavours and ingredients.

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 6.

Joo Chiat Kim Choo is a specialty rice dumpling brand which started out as a humble stall at 34 Joo Chiat Place. They’ve since become a household name which regulars flock back to for the Dragon Boat Festival every year. All their dumplings are made with time-honoured recipes and tied with different coloured strings representing various flavours. For example, the Cantonese bean rice dumpling ($7.80) is wrapped in bamboo leaves and yellow string, while the Nyonya zhang ($7.50) comes with pandan leaves and a red string. Other dumpling variations to try include the Hakka pork belly with preserved vegetables ($8.80), pulut hitam Nyonya rice dumpling ($8.80) and the sweet kee zhang ($3) made with alkaline glutinous rice. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 17.

This year, you can order a trio of handcrafted dumplings from Yi by Jereme Leung at Raffles Hotel Singapore. The restaurant helmed by the Masterchef China judge is presenting two savoury creations and one sweet kee zhang, prettily packaged in boxes that resemble bak zhang themselves. The Eight Treasure 12-Head Abalone rice dumpling ($49) is a hefty parcel that’s great for sharing, containing premium abalone and preserved meats. There’s also a special bak kut teh and salted egg yolk rice dumpling ($22) available this year, with a mild peppery kick. And for a subtle twist to the classic kee zhang, try their Yunnan rose petal kee zhang ($28) with a faint rose flavour, best eaten slathered with the Raffles Signature Kaya. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 10.

Go back to basics with Thye Moh Chan’s Teochew bak zhang, readily available across selected Breadtalk, Toast Box and Thye Moh Chan stores. If you’re strapped for time this year in the lead-up to Dragon Boat Festival, you can even order these dumplings via Grabfood, Foodpanda and Deliveroo. Tuck into the Teochew Double Delight and salted egg bak zhang ($7.20 each), infused with the fragrant aroma of pandan leaves. The former comes with pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts and mung beans, while the latter contains fried dried shrimp and salted egg for a more savoury combination. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 10.

This esteemed restaurant at the St Regis recently refreshed its dining space and introduced a new executive chef, and for Dragon Boat Festival this year, they are introducing a lean but mean selection of three classic bak zhang. Indulge in premium glutinous rice dumplings with abalone and golden dried scallops ($41) or pork belly and salted egg yolk ($24). There is also a vegetarian option available, featuring monkey head mushrooms and preserved vegetables ($21). Looking to make an impression? Purchase the dumplings as a set of three ($80) – they’ll come nicely packaged in a St Regis bag that’s ideal for gifting. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 10. 

The one-Michelin-starred Summer Palace at Conrad Singapore Orchard will be offering four of their best-selling rice dumplings for Dragon Boat Festival this year. Craving something more luxurious this year? Get the steamed abalone rice dumpling ($82) which comes packed with premium ingredients like abalone, kurobuta pork and roast duck. Health conscious folks can opt for the steamed morel mushroom five-grain dumpling ($38) which features a medley of mushrooms and truffle mixed in with lotus seeds, bamboo piths, oat, barley, sweet corn and green beans. And for something different but not entirely unfamiliar, try the restaurant’s unique steamed lotus paste rice dumplings as a sweet treat. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from May 27 to June 10.

If unique dumpling flavours are on your radar this Dragon Boat Festival, look no further than Golden Peony at Conrad Centennial Singapore. They do a decent Hong Kong-style rice dumpling ($38.80), but also come up with inventive creations each year, like the Singapore Black Pepper Chilli Crab dumpling ($36.80), as well as a multigrain rice dumpling featuring kimchi sauce ($24.80). Other flavours include the Thai mango sticky rice dumpling with coconut milk ($18.80) – a twist on the traditional kee zhang that’s typically drizzled with gula melaka. To sample the entire line-up of five dumplings, get the Golden Peony Luxury Bundle ($188) which will also come with a bottle of the restaurant’s homemade XO chilli sauce as a condiment. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 10. 

You wouldn’t expect a Japanese mart to jump in on the festivities during Dragon Boat Festival, but this is actually the third year that Kuriya is offering the ‘zong-nigiri’ – a special onigiri-inspired bak zhang that’s wrapped in seaweed instead of pandan leaves. These mini dumplings are affordably priced, starting at $4 each, and come in six flavours. Basic flavours like pork, Nyonya chicken and chestnut mushroom are available, but you can enjoy premium ones like XO dried scallop and abalone unagi at a reasonable top-up of 50 cents each. Simply heat them up in the microwave for 40 seconds or steam them for 15 minutes to enjoy them piping hot. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 23.

This Dragon Boat Festival, Paradise Group presents five rice dumplings reminiscent of classic dishes. Prepared Hong Kong-style, the dumplings come in flavours like abalone with salted pork belly ($17.80), slow-cooked braised pork belly with mui choy ($14.80), and the sweet osmanthus gula melaka red bean paste rice dumpling ($6.80) with pleasant floral notes from the osmanthus petals. Looking for a corporate gift or a treat for the in-laws? The rice dumpling gift set ($69.80) comes with all five dumplings, of which two flavours are only available in the bundle – the braised pork belly with XO sauce and the Chinese sausage with conpoy and mushroom rice. 

Available for pick-up and delivery across Paradise Group restaurants from now till June 10.

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant at Marriott Singapore Tang Plaza is another reliable restaurant to get your dumplings at this Dragon Boat Festival. The dumplings here are prepared Cantonese-style, with a dose of luxurious ingredients like karasumi (dried mullet roe), iberico pork and even crab meat. The crab meat dumpling with XO conpoy sauce is an easy crowd-pleaser, featuring generous, plump morsels of Sri Lankan crab meat, mixed in with salted egg yolk and black bean. Or try the five-head abalone with karasumi, scallops and iberico pork ($38) – the karasumi boasts a texture similar to caviar, pairing well with the fatty chunks of iberico pork. 

Available for pick-up and delivery from now till June 10.