Other than the school holidays, another thing to look forward to in June is the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on June 22 this year. This is because it’s time to feast on the best bak chang in Singapore again! Beat the queues and order your favourite rice dumplings online and indulge in the soft glutinous rice and savoury fillings. Read on to find out our recommendations on the best bak chang in Singapore in 2023 with delivery options!
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What is bak chang?
Bak chang, more formally known as rice dumplings (zongzi in Mandarin), is a traditional Chinese dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings such as pork and chicken. Some of the best bak chang in Singapore also come with interesting fillings such as red bean and mushrooms. The dish is usually either steamed or boiled, and then wrapped in bamboo leaves with tightly secured strings.
Why is bak chang commonly eaten during Dragon Boat Festival?
Before you indulge in the best bak chang in Singapore, it’s important to know its origins. The act of making and eating bak chang dates way back to 340 AD where a patriotic poet, Qu Yuan, gave his life for his country by drowning himself in a river. To protect his body from being eaten by fish, people threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the water creatures. Hence, this is why there is a custom of eating and enjoying bak chang during the Dragon Boat Festival every year.
Best bak chang in Singapore with delivery services (2023)
1. HW Dragon Boat Premium Bak Chang
Although Hock Wong is known for its signature bak kwa, it also offers another traditional snack that’s well-loved by many Singaporeans – bak chang. What’s more, for salted egg yolk fanatics, you’ve come to the right place! Made with Hock Wong’s traditional recipe, the HW Dragon Boat Premium Bak Chang (available on Hock Wong Singapore 福王) does not contain any preservatives and artificial colours. And not only do these dumplings take less than five minutes to warm up in the microwave, they’re ready-to-eat right out of the vacuum bag!
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivers in 6 – 14 days
$4.99 delivery
*Self-pickup available
2. Gin Thye Rice Dumplings
When it comes to the best bak chang in Singapore, it’s hard not to include these Gin Thye Rice Dumplings (available on Gin Thye Official) on the list. Coming in a bundle of eight, these rice dumplings are available in three different flavours – red bean, nyonya meat and salty pork. As they come frozen, the prep work is simple: all you have to do is defrost them by heating it up in a rice cooker for up to 20 minutes. Made without preservatives, these bak chang can last for up to three months in a freezer — you’ll always have these rice dumplings even after Dragon Boat festival is over!
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivers in 3 days
$3.99 delivery, free for orders above $45
*Orders must be made 3 working days in advance
3. Yongle Rice Dumplings
Founded with the purpose of providing thousands of compatriots the authentic taste of China food while being in a foreign country, we can count on Yongle Dumpling to offer some of the best bak chang in Singapore in 2023. In particular, we love their Yongle Rice Dumplings (available on Yongle Dumpling Official Store) which are made of high quality ingredients. It’s so yummy it’ll leave your taste buds wanting more!
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivers in 3 days
$3.99 delivery, free for orders above $45
*Order before 12.30pm for next day delivery (except public holidays and big sales day)
*Orders after 12.30pm will be delivered on the following working day
4. Xiang Ye Traditional Nyonya Rice Dumpling
Want to impress your in-laws during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival season? You can do so with the Xiang Ye Traditional Nyonya Rice Dumplings (available with Xiang Ye Nonya Dumpling). Known for their stalls that pop up around the island once the Festival rolls around, Xiang Ye and its rice dumplings have only continued to receive rave reviews after they expanded online! Currently, Xiang Ye’s bak changs come in a half-and-half package of 10 pieces, where you can choose two flavours from Nonya, Hokkien, and Salted Egg.
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivers in 6 – 8 days
$4.99 delivery
*Self-pickup available
5. Joo Chiat Kim Choo Rice Dumplings
Priding itself as one of the best bak chang brands in Singapore in 2023, the long queues at the Joo Chiat Kim Choo store are testament to that. Their best sellers include the Joo Chiat Kim Choo Rice Dumpling Bundle (available on Joo Chiat Kim Choo) which embodies a distinctive Peranakan flavour. It is also adored for their perfect ratio of fillings to rice, where every mouthful is full of flavour and texture!
Bak chang delivery details:
$8 delivery, free for orders above $80
6. Gim Tim Traditional Nyonya Rice Dumpling
The Gim Tim Traditional Nonya Rice Dumpling (available on Gim Tim) sports the same patchy blue-and-white complexion as the Nyonya kueh, pulut tai tai kuih that the Pernankans would be familiar with – it’s a dainty look that’s not as common when it comes to the average bak chang. The two-toned design of the glutinous rice dumpling is certainly unique and eye-catching! But the star of the show is what’s inside the dumpling – the Gim Tim bak chang is packed with sweet-and-savoury meaty goodness, mushrooms, and candied melon, making it taste even richer than most bak changs!
Bak chang delivery details:
$8 delivery
*Self-pickup available
7. Love Dumpling Chinese Rice Dumplings
While Love Dumplings may not be a renowned brand with a long history, this home-based online dumpling delivery service is gaining a cult following as we speak. In fact, it makes some of the best bak chang in Singapore, given how it follows a family recipe that’s been passed down for generations. The homely taste of these Love Dumpling Chinese Glutinous Rice Dumplings (available on love.dumplings) will surely make you feel nostalgic. They come in varieties like kiam bak chang (salted rice dumpling), premium kiam bak chang (salted rice dumpling with abalone and scallop) as well as plain and red bean kee chang.
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivery available on Wednesday and Sunday
$8 delivery, free for orders above $150
*Orders must be made three working days in advance
*Self-pickup available
8. Yuen Chen Siang Red Bean Rice Dumpling
If you’re looking for that nostalgic taste that comes with your mother’s cooking, Yuen Chen Siang Red Bean Rice Dumpling (available on Haoliao) might just be the snack to take you down memory lane. But unlike your typical red bean paste bak chang, these Red Bean Rice Dumplings fuse both sweet and savoury flavours in a combination red bean paste, pork nuggets, mushrooms, and shrimp. And despite containing no preservatives, these dumplings have a shelf life of up to three months – ready to be savoured whenever you wish!
Bak chang delivery details:
$1 delivery, free for orders above $15
9. Veg Handmade Salted Dumplings
For vegetarian and vegan foodies who may feel the “FOMO”, don’t worry – Vegetarian World Food’s got you covered! The brand offers both vegetarian and vegan options, with its Veg Handmade Salted Dumplings (available on Vegetarian World Food Pte. Ltd.) being made with vegetarian chicken and Monkeyhead mushroom, respectively. Like the original versions, these dumplings are seasoned with five-spices powder and are made with mushrooms and glutinous rice. Not only are these some of the best bak changs in Singapore, they’re also easy to prepare as you only need to thaw and steam the dumplings for 30 minutes.
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivers in 2 – 5 working days
$8 delivery, free for orders from $60
10. Classic Five Blessings Rice Dumpling
Another frontrunner on this list of best bak chang in Singapore has got to be these Classic Five Blessings Rice Dumplings (available on Pan Seas). It certainly lives up to its name – with the five crowd-favourite ingredients that include chicken, dried shrimp, mushroom, chestnut, and salted egg yolk, your bak chang cravings will certainly be blessed five-fold! To make sure there’s enough to go around, these Pan Seas bak changs are slightly larger in portion at 240g. They’re also halal-certified, so more can enjoy this delectable snack. The more the merrier!
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivery available from 4 May – 30 June 2023
$8 delivery, free for orders above $80
*Order before 2pm for next working day delivery
11. Tunglok Rice Dumplings
Managing over 35 restaurants in Asia, Tunglok is definitely a household name when it comes to the best bak chang in Singapore. Filled with pork belly and preserved vegetables, their Tunglok Rice Dumplings (available on Tunglok Group Official Store) sure packs a punch since they are hand-wrapped and cooked meticulously for the best flavour. And if you expect a rice dumpling with premium ingredients to be expensive, you’ll be glad to know that these are affordably priced below $50 – what a steal!
Bak chang delivery details:
Delivery available from 12 May – 22 June 2023
$8 delivery, free for orders above $100
*Order before 11am for next day delivery (subject to availability)
Indulge in the best bak chang in Singapore (2023)
Other than filling your bellies with the best bak chang in Singapore this Dragon Boat Festival, you might also want to try learning how to make some of your own too. Thankfully, we have this list of bak chang recipes from different dialect groups that you can follow for some easy suggestions! If not, we’re sure you’d love to feast on these best kee chang in Singapore that you can dip in sugar, kaya and everything nice! Don’t forget to also check out our 6.6 Great Shopee Sale for amazing deals on your favourite bak chang!
This article was updated on 16 May 2023. Additional research done by Foo Pei Shi.
