Singapore's Dessert Diary: 10 Places for Your Sweet List — Best Dessert in Singapore

I keep a running list on my phone of every dessert spot I want to return to. It started small, then grew into something closer to a diary — little notes on how the light fell across a café table, or which scoop tasted best on a warm walk home.

This is that diary, shared: ten of the best dessert spots in Singapore, and a practical answer if you’re searching for the best dessert in Singapore across different moods rather than a single one-size-fits-all pick. Some are for slow afternoons with cake and coffee. Others are for hot days that call for shaved ice, or city walks that pair perfectly with gelato.

For those who bring a furry companion along on café days, you can read more here for spaces that welcome both of you. And if you find yourself around Orchard with time to spare, my guide to the best sweet spots around Orchard Plaza covers a few more places worth a detour, much like dessert exploring around Holland Village or One Holland Village.

Shops and Locations Table

1. Nunsaram Korean Dessert Cafe (Bugis Junction) — Cold Desserts & Traditional Chinese Desserts

Price: Regular bingsu from $12.90 · Large from $15.90



Nunsaram is where I go when the heat feels unbearable and I want a refreshing dessert that melts the moment it touches my tongue. Korean bingsu isn't like ordinary shaved ice — the milk ice here is soft, snowy, almost powdery, and it disappears into sweetness rather than crunching.

The Injeolmi Bingsu ($12.90 regular) is the one I always start with. It's dusted with nutty roasted soybean powder and dotted with chewy tapioca balls, gently sweet rather than sugary. On my last visit I shared a large with a friend and we still couldn't finish it.

Perfect for: Sharing on a hot afternoon after wandering Bugis.

Good to know: The portions are generous — a large is a lot for one person, so cold desserts like this are better enjoyed with company, even if your sweet tooth usually leads you to traditional dessert houses and hawker stalls, where local desserts often use pandan, coconut milk, and palm sugar.

Sweet tip: Order one nutty flavour and one fruit flavour if you're sharing — the contrast keeps every spoonful interesting.

2. Vanda Botanical Desserts (313@Somerset) — Dessert Cafes & Local Desserts

Price: Single scoop from $3.90 · Double scoop from $7.80

Vanda turns gelato and ice cream into something quieter and more delicate. Instead of the usual chocolate-and-vanilla lineup, the flavours lean into flowers, herbs, and tropical fruit — a little garden in each scoop.



The White Chrysanthemum scoop (around $4.90) surprised me the first time. It's floral and light, less sweet than most gelato, with a clean finish that felt right after a heavy lunch. Among the gelato spots on this list, it's the one that feels most like a palate reset.

Perfect for: Afternoon shopping breaks and anyone who finds regular ice cream or vanilla ice cream too sweet.

Good to know: The botanical flavour names can sound unfamiliar, but don't let that put you off — they're often the ones you end up going back for.

Sweet tip: Ask for samples before you choose. It's the easiest way to find your favourite without committing to a full scoop.

3. Café de Paris (313@Somerset) — Best Dessert & Cakes

Price: Cakes from $10 · Bonbon series from $14.80

Some dessert cafes are made for slow catch-ups, and Café de Paris is one of them. The interior is airy and romantic, the kind of space that makes you want to linger over a second coffee.

The mille crepe cake (around $10) is the reason to come. Each paper-thin layer is stacked with light cream and vanilla ice cream, and it eats softer and less sweet than it looks. I visited on a weekday afternoon and had a quiet corner all to myself — a small luxury on Orchard Road.

Perfect for: Dessert dates and cake lovers who want a pretty setting.

Good to know: Some cakes lean a little sweeter here, so if you prefer lighter, Japanese-style desserts, keep that in mind before ordering.

Sweet tip: Go on a weekday afternoon for the calmest seating and the best light for photos..

4. Ottie Pancakes (313@Somerset) — Dessert Shops & Asian Flavours

Price: Pancakes from $12 · Sets with drinks from $18

Ottie makes the kind of soft, fluffy pancakes you have to eat slowly and immediately. They're warm, airy, and richly flavoured without tipping into cloying.

The Black Sesame Pancakes (around $12) are my pick — nutty and comforting, more grown-up than sweet, with cream that balances the earthiness, and a deep, creamy flavour that comes through from the black sesame paste. They arrive looking almost too soft to cut. Unlike the grab-and-go stops on this list, this is a place to sit down and let dessert take its time.

Perfect for: Slow dessert afternoons, leisurely plated desserts, cakes, and pancake lovers who like a twist.

Good to know: These are best eaten fresh at the table — they're not a grab-and-go kind of dessert. Sweet tip: Order as soon as you sit. Pancakes deflate if they wait, so timing matters more than at most spots.

5. Cakebar (Palais Renaissance) — Dessert Spots & Quality Ingredients

Price: Cake slices from $10–$15 · Whole cakes from $60

Cakebar is my quiet indulgence, a boutique dessert bar where every slice feels considered. The flavours draw on Japanese-French influences, all elegant and carefully balanced, with a creamy blend of almond paste and peanut paste. Even the Black Sesame Pancakes stay refined, with a flavour closer to rich black sesame paste than anything overly sweet.



The Earl Grey Hazelnut cake slice (around $12) is beautifully restrained — fragrant, nutty, and never too sweet. If you prefer something more indulgent, look out for bakes with salted caramel accents. This is also the kind of place where polished fruit tarts would feel right at home. It's pricier than most stops here, but the finesse shows in every bite. This is where I'd bring cake for a celebration rather than a casual craving.

Perfect for: Celebrations, gifting, and unhurried afternoon tea.

Good to know: This is a treat-yourself kind of place — the quality justifies the price, but it's worth knowing before you go.

Sweet tip: Try a couple of petite slices before committing to a whole cake. It's the easiest way to find your favourite.

6. Nana's Green Tea (Duo Galleria / Guoco Tower) — Traditional Desserts & Asian Flavours

Price: Matcha parfait from $13 · Matcha latte from $8.50

For matcha, this is my calm corner. Nana's Green Tea builds its whole menu around Japanese tea, and the flavours taste genuinely of the leaf rather than sugar dressed up as matcha.

The matcha parfait (around $13) is a layered thing of beauty — soft serve, azuki beans, jelly, and a gentle bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check. I like sitting here between errands, letting the quiet do its work. It's one of the most soothing dessert cafes on this list.

Perfect for: Matcha lovers and quiet café breaks.

Good to know: If you're after something fruity or very sweet, this one might feel a little understated — the flavour is all about the tea.

Sweet tip: Pair a bitter matcha dessert with red bean or soft serve to balance the flavour beautifully.

7. Nine Fresh Desserts Taiwan (Jewel Changi Airport) — Traditional Hot & Chilled Desserts

Price: Signature bowl $3.50 · Specialty bowls $5.10–$6.80

Nine Fresh is the one that feels most like comfort. It's a Taiwanese dessert counter built around soft bean curd, herbal grass jelly, ai-yu, chewy taro balls, and tau huay, a silky soybean pudding served warm or chilled with sweet syrup — the sort of bowl you build to your own mood.

The Nine Fresh Signature ($3.50) gives you a little of everything: silky bean curd, cooling grass jelly, red bean, and taro balls all in one bowl. Every spoonful shifts between soft, chewy, and lightly sweet. It's easily one of the most affordable dessert shop picks in Singapore for what you get.

Perfect for: Families, airport dessert stops, and lovers of chilled desserts.

Good to know: This is a grab-and-go counter rather than a sit-down café, so plan to find seating nearby once you've got your bowl; for traditional Chinese dessert soups, Ah Chew Desserts is another well-known option.

Sweet tip: New here? Start with grass jelly plus taro balls. If you prefer something heartier, try pulut hitam, a traditional black glutinous rice dessert.

8. Venchi (Takashimaya Orchard) — Dessert Cafes & Chocolate

Price: Single scoop from $7 · Double scoop from $13

When I want gelato that feels a little indulgent, I go to Venchi. The Italian chocolate heritage runs deep here, and the gelato is dense, creamy, and unmistakably rich.

The pistachio gelato (around $7 single scoop) is nutty and smooth, with a savoury edge that stops it from feeling too sweet. It costs more than the gelato at Vanda, but the texture is noticeably creamier and more luxurious, especially with a little chocolate sauce. I usually eat it slowly while walking the length of Orchard.

Perfect for: Chocolate lovers and premium gelato treats.

Good to know: If you're after something light or botanical, the richness here might feel like a lot — this is indulgent by design.

Sweet tip: Order chocolate and pistachio together. The contrast between deep cocoa and roasted nut is worth every dollar. If you usually go for chilled classics, mango sago is another popular traditional dessert in Singapore. Ice Kachang also stands out as a colorful dessert of shaved ice with various toppings.

9. Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique (Katong / Jewel) — Dessert Spots & Asian Flavours

Price: Single scoop from $6.50 · Double scoop from $12

Birds of Paradise is the gelato I recommend to friends who think they've tried everything. The flavours are botanical, drawn from herbs, spices, and fruit, and the texture is impossibly smooth. For a different award-winning style, Momolato won the Best Asia Gelato World Tour Champion award.

The Spiced Pear scoop (around $6.50) tastes clean and natural, gently warm with spice rather than heavy with sugar. There's a lychee raspberry too that leans bright and floral. If you love gula melaka or coconut milk desserts, you'll appreciate how thoughtfully the natural flavours are handled here. Nearby, yat ka yan is known for unique chendol variations.

Perfect for: Adventurous dessert lovers who want something different.

Good to know: Some scoops are on the subtle side, so if you prefer bold, familiar flavours, this one might feel understated; by contrast, Tofu G Gelato offers plant-based tofu gelato in Singapore and uses Korean soft tofu for a creamy texture, and Birds of Paradise is also noted in the Michelin Guide; check the opening hours before you go, especially at the Jewel outlet.

Sweet tip: Pair one floral flavour with a familiar one, or add chocolate sauce for a richer contrast.

10. Burnt Ends Bakery (Dempsey) — Dessert Shops & Sweet Treats

Price: Croissants from $6 · Cinnamon rolls from $8 · Pastries from $5–$12

I end the diary somewhere warm. Burnt Ends Bakery isn't a shaved ice or gelato stop; it's for buttery pastries and baked treats that reward an early start. If you usually go for a basque burnt cheesecake, windowsill pies, or a celebration cake from edith patisserie, this is the richer, flakier lane to take.

The cinnamon roll (around $8) is generously spiced and pillowy, best eaten fresh while the layers are still soft. The croissants are equally good, but they sell out — I've learned to arrive before the weekend crowd. Among the best dessert in Singapore for pastry lovers, this is my quiet favourite. If you like playful bakery flavours, fat kid bakery is another name worth knowing.

Perfect for: Weekend breakfast and pastry lovers.

Good to know: This is a bakery through and through — if you're chasing cold desserts, save this stop for another kind of craving, and check opening hours before heading to the Katong or Jewel outlet for Birds of Paradise, Singapore's only Michelin-recognized ice cream shop.

Sweet tip: Go early. The widest pastry selection appears first thing, and popular items vanish fast.

A Few More Sweet Notes

If you like pairing dessert with a change of scenery, a couple of extra reads might help. If your sweet tooth also leans toward bakery-led stops, that same wander-through-desserts mood often extends to Fat Kid Bakery. Some readers looking for a polished patisserie fix also end up seeking out Edith Patisserie, while pie-first dessert fans may prefer the style associated with Windowsill Pies. If buttery pastries and baked treats are usually your thing, basque burnt cheesecake is another style pastry lovers often seek out.

Your Sweet List, Ready to Fill

That's my diary, at least for now. Ten dessert spots, each for a different mood — snowy bingsu for hot afternoons, delicate gelato for slow walks, a quiet cake with coffee when the day needs softening.

The point was never to crown a winner. It's to remind you that dessert is one of the simplest ways to slow down. Pick one stop that matches your mood this week, go with someone you like, and let the moment stretch a little longer than usual.



Start wherever your craving leads. Then keep your own list going — that's half the joy of it.