The best local snack brands to try in Singapore

Has the mala rage died down yet? We don't think so. Thrill your tastebuds with snacks from Mala Mala, which come at three levels of spiciness from mild spicy to crazy spicy. Get regular ol' potato chips, fish skin, mushroom chips, potato wedges, or other unique offerings like mala-infused chilli crab snacks or spicy shrimp scallop bites. Maybe have a glass of milk on hand. 

Available online

Famous for its salted egg yolk snacks, Golden Duck has expanded way beyond its signature flavour. The homegrown brand started in 2015 and has definitely changed how we snack. Since then, the team has added to its catalogue of snacks with flavours like Mala and chilli crab, as well as adding a tempura seaweed variant. And they're thinking of expanding even more. 

Available at selected supermarkets, 7-Eleven stores, and online

Uncle Saba's Poppadoms are wildly popular here. Unlike the ones we can get from any good biryani stall here, these lentil chips are bite-sized and healthy – they're made with more protein and fibre, and contain fewer carbs and saturated fats compared to potato chips. Check out flavours like chilli crab, cheese, mala, sweet chilli and more. These chips are also suitable for a vegan and gluten-free diet. 

Available at various supermarkets and online.

This homegrown award-winning craft chocolate brand is known for its handmade chocolate bars that are made in small batches. Don't expect ordinary flavours with Fossa, instead you can try unique and amazing flavours like lychee rose dark chocolate, salted egg cereal, honey orchid dancong oolong and more. 

Available at selected stores and online

This healthy snack brand claims that nuts and seeds that have been soaked and baked in a specific combination—in a process called sprouting—have reduced amounts of phytic acid which can mean that the snacks are more nutrient-dense and easily digestible. Whether or not you get on the sprouted bandwagon for health reasons, one reason you should absolutely get behind With Love, Gretel are its simple trail mixes done right. The sprouted cashews and almonds with truffle salt are made extra savoury with garlic, parsley and olive oil. Meanwhile, sweeter versions with salted caramel or milk chocolate mean you can have dessert as a guilt-free mid-morning snack, as the sprouted nuts and seeds are loaded with your daily dose of heart-healthy fats. 

Available at selected supermarkets and online.

To reduce food waste, this Singaporean startup decided to repurpose ‘ugly’ vegetable produce as crunchy veggie chips. Founder Betty Lu goes one step further by ensuring that all packaging is 100% home-compostable which means you can bury your empty chip bags in the ground and they will compost into fertiliser in a matter of weeks. All veggie chips are baked at a low temperature to maintain nutrients and colour and are available in fun flavours like green curry, teriyaki BBQ, and summer truffle. You can also opt for earthy, umami-rich mushroom chips if you prefer. And if you like your oranges on the crunchy side, Lu even found a way to turn mandarins into crunchy morsels.

Available at selected retailers and online.

Feel the burn with this one, in a good way. As with most mala dishes, the numbing spices really creep on you with every bite of this snack. On top of the signature Szechuan mala flavour, choose between other seasonings such as Xinjiang barbecue, summer truffle, and ghost pepper. While it's highly addictive, it can cause some pain if you wolf it down too fast! 

Available at various supermarkets and  online

Treat yourself to some premium snacks with Renew's range of locally-inspired nut and trail mixes. There's Hainanese cashews that taste like chicken rice, Briyani cashews with blackcurrant, sweet sambal almonds with gula Melaka and kaffir lime, and more modest and evergreen options if you're not feeling that adventurous. These natural and artisan snack packs are the peak of guilt-free snacking. 

Available online

This snack brand is making (heat)waves with its innovative beancurd skin crisp snack. Enjoy innovative flavours like green curry, seaweed wasabi, hot pot tomato, and of course, Sichuan mala. Each airy square of beancurd skin comes coated with piquant seasoning with floral, spicy notes. Bonus: it comes in ultra-adorable packaging, and made without any preservatives. 

Available at selected supermarkets, convenience stores, and online

If regular cinema popcorn won't do for you, check out the gourmet popcorn by local brand The Kettle Gourmet. Munch on flavours like fish head curry, kaya butter toast, chocolate, chilli crab and even nasi lemak. Light, crunchy and hella unique, you'd want to keep this as a permanent fixture in your snack roster. 

Available online

If you're torn between choosing the salted egg yolk snack or the spicy Mala chips, you can actually have the best of both worlds with Crusty's Mala-flavoured salted egg crispy fish skin. Obviously it's going to be indulgent and super rich from the first bite, overwhelming even with the layers of sweet, savoury and spicy coming together all at once. Generous with the spices and seasoning, it's worth the $7 price tag. 

Available at various supermarkets

As the brand name suggests, King of Melon Seeds started out in 1946 selling seeds and nuts. While its speciality is in melon seeds and groundnuts, the brand has kept up with the times and now include a wide variety of traditional and innovative goodies. Favourites include the Sichuan mala Hotpot mix, barbecue cashew nuts, spicy prawn rolls and salted caramel sunflower seeds.

Available at Takashimaya, Tangs VivoCity, Nex, and online

This specialist snack house produces all the stuff your auntie would definitely want to eat while binge-watching her favourite Cantonese drama. Think dried plums, prunes, candies, dried cuttlefish, nuts, seeds, and seafood crackers. The store’s most beloved offering is its iterations of tempting dried plum products – all which make you pucker from that familiar balance of sour and sweet. The dried cuttlefish snacks, too, come in various flavours such as Korean spicy bulgogi, roasted butter, and roasted seaweed. Make sure to try Umeya’s traditional emping crackers made from belinjo nuts, or the ikan batang fishball crackers which will certainly be a talking point at family gatherings.

Available at Bugis Plus, Suntec City, and online.