My Top 7 Not-Too-Sweet Desserts in Singapore

I’m not a sweet tooth, but here are my top Not-Too-Sweet Desserts in Singapore that made me want to eat more! From classic mango sago to botanical gelato I had to have almost every day of this trip, Singapore has shocked me with how many desserts I ended up loving. If you’re in Singapore, don’t miss all of these deliciously creative and balanced desserts!

Not Too Sweet: The Asian Dessert Standard

If you’re Asian, you know the ultimate compliment for desserts is “not too sweet”. You may wonder, you’re already eating dessert, why don’t you want it to be sweet? This concept isn’t “I don’t want sweetness”, but rather, “I can enjoy the other ingredients besides just sugar in this dessert.” It’s a high praise for the dessert chef that they’re using high quality ingredients well.

Singapore definitely knows that concept well! Even for someone who’s not so into desserts, I find myself loving the dessert scene here! So, here are some of my favorite not-too-sweet dessert spots I’ve discovered on this trip to Singapore!

Mango Sago

First up, we got delicious traditional desserts at Ah Chew Desserts 阿秋甜品. This dessert shop has been popular with locals and tourists alike for around for 22 years, serving traditional and modern dessert soups, or 糖水, made fresh daily. Their menu options include over 50 dessert items from black sesame paste to ginger milk pudding.

Our first time here, we got the mango sago with ice cream (S$4.60), and mango sago pomelo 楊枝甘露. Both bowls uses the same chilled mango-coconut dessert base with big chunks of mango and creamy, chewy sago. This was so refreshingly good! We had to bring our friends back to try these delicious desserts. One of them tried it for the first time and described it as ” like mango sticky rice but on crack”. She might just be right, because these are perfect for any time of the day!

Botanical Gelato

Birds of Paradise is my all-time favorite ice cream shop here in Singapore, but I even dare say the best ever. This is Singapore’s only Michelin Guide-recognized ice cream shop. They’re well known for their botanical gelato flavors featuring fruits, spices, herbs, and flowers from all over South East Asia.

The gelato here is light, perfectly balanced, and the definition of not too sweet. Their must-try flavors include their white chrysanthemum chocolate chip and strawberry basil. The creaminess of the gelato pairs so perfectly with their thyme-infused cones that are made fresh daily. The cone is crispy, light, and can You can actually smell it every time they press the cone batter into the waffle iron. Every bite feels so fresh and elegant, I’m completely obsessed. We visited them probably every single day of this trip!

Nut Based Gelato

Speaking of ice cream, we also hit up Dopa Dopa Creamery, a nut-based gelato heaven. They serve a rotating set of about 8 flavors a day that the staff will scoop out for you straight from the metal Italian pozzetti. Prices are generally S$5–7 for a single scoop and S$7–9 for a double, with a small add-on if you want a croissant or waffle.

We chose their two signature flavors: roasted pistachios and roasted hazelnut. The gelato was rich, smooth, and perfectly balanced. The pistachio flavor was toasty, and tasted just like real pistachios. The hazelnut was full of nutty, creamy flavor, almost like chocolate, but not quite. They are absolutely worth the hype!

Traditional Chinese Shaved Ice

One of my top favorites was Yat Ka Yan Dessert House (一家人), serving classic Chinese diner food and traditional Chinese dessert with a modern twist made fresh daily. This is another one of those places that has a wide range of different options! It is very hard to choose.

We ordered the Avocado Sago (S$8). The shaved ice is topped with creamy blended avocado, taro balls, sago pearls, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The Chrysanthemum Jelly Shaved Ice (S$5.50) was also super refreshing, with floral and fragrant chrysanthemum jelly served over shaved ice, topped with osmanthus jelly and lychee. Not too sweet, but so, so refreshing. These icy desserts are so delicious, absolute 10 out of 10. I highly recommend these shaved ice on a super hot day!

Banana Pie

If you love classic local flavors, you also can’t miss Dona Manis Cake Shop’s Banana Pie, one of Singapore’s best hidden gems. This cafe in Katong opened in 1992 and has been serving baked treats fresh daily in small batches for 30+ years. All of their treats use quality ingredients with no preservatives, and you can really taste it in their pies.

Even after so many years, their banana pie still sells out almost every single day at about S$5.5 a slice. These baked fruit pies have a light, flaky crust packed full of buttery chunks of real caramelized bananas. The rest of the filling includes shredded roasted coconuts and a generous layer of chopped nuts on top. They also have a chocolate-banana pie, with the perfect hint of chocolate. Served slightly warm, their slices are individually packed so they’re pretty easy to enjoy on the go.

Sourdough Donuts

For doughnut lovers, you have to check out Pralet. This busy cafe in Tiong Bahru serves sourdough sandwiches, coconut yogurt smoothies, and the fluffiest sourdough doughnuts with creative flavors. Walking in, you see a range of their baked pastries in the glass cabinet. The kitchen is all glass, so you can see everything going on inside. Watching them make trays and trays of doughnuts is honestly a little mesmerizing.

It’s hard to imagine that donuts would be a not-too-sweet dessert, but somehow they’ve done it here. They use a 16 year old sourdough starter as part of their dough base. and ferment it for 3 days. The result is an extra chewy, extra fluffy perfection with a bit of that sourdough bite. The donuts are iconically cut into square shapes, with a round hole in the middle.

What’s special about Pralet’s doughnuts isn’t just their dough, but also their unique combinations of flavors. We tried their signature burnt butter honey glaze ($3.80), their take on the classic glazed donut. It is a sweet and salty heaven! My personal favorite is their fairy dust ($4.20). This mix of chicken floss, furikake, and kombu aioli is unreal umami magic. If you’re the adventurous type, they also have some unique limited flavors like laksa, teh tarik, and salted nori. Trust me, don’t miss these doughnuts!

Matcha Ice Cream Mochi

Matcha fans, you have to check out Yuen Yeung Dessert House 鴛鴦. This is a Chinese-style dessert house with a modern artisan twists, focused on preserving natural flavors of quality ingredients. They have all the crowd-favorite classics, from mango sago to sesame paste. But, they also add some creative Asian shaved ice flavors as well.

The one that caught my eye was their Matcha Mochi Peaks (S$6.4). This bowl of warm, house-made rice mochi paste is topped with a scoop of earthy matcha with chewy brown sugar pearls. As you’re enjoying the bowl, the ice cream slowly melts into almost a sauce instead. It just somehow works. For a matcha-love like me, this was a surprisingly fun find!

We also tried their Longan Coconut Snow (S$8.6), with creamy coconut shaved snow at the very bottom. It’s topped with clear jelly, longan, and some crunchy shaved coconut. It was fresh, creamy, and definitely not too sweet. It’s the perfect hot weather dessert vibes! Yuen Yeung is only a few minutes from Maxwell MRT Station. So, if you’re in Singapore looking for a sweet treat, definitely try this out!

Food Forest Garden High Tea

Here’s a little bonus spot: 1-Arden, the world’s highest garden-to-table high tea. Home to the world’s highest food forest all the way up on the 51st floor, this rooftop garden restaurant has the sustainable garden afternoon tea of my dreams. The views, oh my goodness, were absolutely breathtaking. Overlooking the city skyline, this was such a cool, quiet afternoon escape.

With 10,000 square feet full of herbs, fruits, and fresh veggies that go straight into the menu, the food was nothing short of stunning. The afternoon tea set serves 2 people, at S$75 per set. It comes with 5 sweet and 4 savory bites, laid out in a beautiful zen garden scape. There were mini pavlovas mango-lemon curd, mini lemon tarts, salmon maki rolls, and more. Of course, we’re also sipping on their garden infused teas, like Hojicha with fresh mint and lemon myrtle. Every single dish looked like art, and tasted seasonal and fresh. By the end of the meal, I was refreshed, recharged, and ready to conquer the city all over again. 

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