Vegan Chinese Desserts in Singapore: Plant-Based Sweet Treats Guide

Here is something funny about growing up in a Chinese Singaporean family: my grandmother was basically a vegan dessert chef and she had absolutely no idea. Green bean soup with pandan leaves. Red bean paste. Sweet potato balls in everything. Not a single drop of dairy in any of it. She would have been baffled if you told her she was cooking "plant-based."

The truth is, most traditional Chinese desserts have been vegan for generations. Bowls of green bean soup simmered at neighbourhood kopitiams, silky smooth red bean paste at hawker stalls, chewy sweet potato balls at pasar malams — all plant-based, long before the word entered anyone's vocabulary.

TL;DR — Key Takeaways

- Most traditional Chinese tong sui (sweet soups) are naturally vegan

- Sweet potato balls, green bean soup, red bean soup, and cheng tng are all plant-based

- Singapore's vegan food scene grew by an estimated 30% between 2020–2024 (Euromonitor)

- Home-based makers offer fresher, more traditional alternatives to hawker stalls

- Always check for lard or eggs — some traditional recipes do use them

---

Why This Is Having a Moment

Singapore's plant-based food scene has expanded fast. Between 2020 and 2024, plant-based food sales grew by approximately 30% according to Euromonitor International — and Chinese desserts have ridden that wave without having to change much at all.

Traditional tong sui have always been simple, ingredient-forward, and rooted in plant-based cooking. Grandmothers across Hougang, Tampines, and Toa Payoh have been making these desserts dairy-free and egg-free for decades. They just never marketed it.

More Singaporeans are now actively seeking plant-based options, driven by health awareness, environmental consciousness, and Singapore's growing vegetarian Buddhist community. The good news? You do not have to compromise on flavour or nostalgia. These desserts were already there, waiting.

---

What Counts as Vegan?

A vegan Chinese dessert contains no meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, or honey. Most traditional tong sui naturally meet this standard — they are built around legumes, root vegetables, grains, and natural sweeteners like rock sugar.

The exceptions tend to be modern or Cantonese-influenced desserts that bring in milk, egg custard, or condensed milk. Here is a quick cheat sheet:

---

The Classics Worth Trying

Green Bean Soup (绿豆汤)

The ultimate comfort bowl. Simmered low and slow with pandan leaves and rock sugar until the beans are tender and the broth turns a warm golden-green. Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a "heaty-reducing" food, which is basically every Singaporean grandmother's first line of defence against sore throats and skin breakouts.

Nearly every hawker centre serves it. The best versions have beans that are just soft enough to dissolve on the tongue without being mushy. It sounds simple, but getting that right takes patience.

Red Bean Soup (红豆汤)

Sweeter and heartier — red bean soup is slow-cooked with dried tangerine peel, rock sugar, and sometimes lotus seeds or dried longan. Traditionally associated with good luck, you will see it at plenty of Chinese New Year celebrations. For more on festive Chinese desserts, see our guide to Chinese New Year desserts Singapore traditions.

Cheng Tng (清汤)

The unsung hero. This clear, lightly sweetened soup contains an impressive mix — dried longan, barley, lotus seeds, white fungus, ginkgo nuts, and dried persimmon, all simmered together. Hot or cold. Every ingredient is plant-based, and the variety of textures — chewy, silky, slightly crunchy — makes it surprisingly complex for something so gentle-looking.

Sweet Potato Balls

This one is close to our hearts, obviously. Sweet potato balls are made by mashing cooked sweet potato with glutinous rice flour, shaping the mixture into rounds, and boiling them until they hit that delightfully springy QQ texture. Entirely plant-based. Naturally free of gluten wheat. Served floating in green bean soup, pandan syrup, or simply on their own.

One thing we get asked a lot: are sweet potato balls the same as tang yuan? They are not — they are actually quite different in origin, texture, and serving style. Tang yuan are rice balls typically stuffed with fillings and tied to the Dongzhi festival. Sweet potato balls are a distinct snack or dessert in their own right.

At Ah Ma QQ Bowl, we make them by hand in our Hougang kitchen — every batch shaped, boiled to order, and served in fragrant green bean soup. No frying, no shortcuts. It is the kind of thing our family has been eating for decades, and now we get to share it.

---

Where to Find Them

Hawker Centres

Almost every major hawker centre has at least one tong sui stall. The ones with big clay pots simmering on the stove are usually a good sign. Some of our favourites:

• Maxwell Food Centre (Chinatown) — several tong sui options
• Chinatown Complex Food Centre — older-school stalls with traditional recipes
• Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre — solid East Singapore dessert options

At pasar malams, you will often find sweet potato balls and other traditional sweets. Our pasar malam desserts Singapore guide covers what to look out for.

Home-Based Food Businesses

Singapore's home-based food scene has flourished since SFA introduced the home-based food business scheme. These micro-businesses — typically run from HDB kitchens — produce some of the most flavourful traditional food precisely because they work in small batches with personal care.

If you are looking for vegan-friendly handmade desserts, home-based makers are a great place to start. Our guide to vegan desserts Singapore: sweet potato balls goes deeper into plant-based options available for delivery.

And if budget matters, keep an eye on WhyNotDeals for the latest food and dining promotions, including dessert deals worth bookmarking.

---

Great for Gifting and Elderly Family Members

Plant-based Chinese desserts make thoughtful, culturally resonant gifts — especially for older family members who may have dietary restrictions or who simply appreciate traditional flavours over Western sweets. Green bean soup and sweet potato balls are soft, easy to eat, and familiar in a way that feels like home.

If you are looking for something to bring to elderly parents or grandparents, our guide on desserts for elderly parents in Singapore covers soft, nutritious options that are both safe and meaningful.

---

Are They Actually Healthy?

In general, yes — traditional vegan Chinese desserts are among the more nutritious dessert options available:

• Green beans are high in protein (about 24g per 100g dry weight), fibre, and folate
• Sweet potato is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium
• Red beans are high in iron and anthocyanins (antioxidants)
• White fungus contains natural polysaccharides linked to skin and gut health in TCM
• Most tong sui use rock sugar rather than refined white sugar

The main thing to watch is sugar content — hawker stalls sometimes go heavy on the sweetening. Home-based makers often let you request less sugar, which is one of the perks of ordering from a small-batch producer.

---

Ordering Tips

• Ask about lard. Some traditional recipes use it for flavour. Rare in desserts but worth checking at older-school stalls.
• Specify "no milk." If ordering modern desserts like sago or ice kachang adaptations, confirm no condensed or evaporated milk is used.
• Look for the SFA licence. Home-based food businesses must be registered. This gives you confidence the kitchen meets food safety standards.
• Order ahead for delivery. Many home-based dessert makers operate on pre-order systems. Plan a day or two in advance, especially for bulk or gift orders.

---

Sources & References

1. Singapore Food Agency — Home-Based Small-Scale Food Business Scheme
2. HealthHub Singapore — Nutritional Benefits of Legumes and Root Vegetables
3. Channel NewsAsia — Singapore's Plant-Based Food Market Growth
4. National Environment Agency — Hawker Centre Information
5. Euromonitor International — Plant-Based Foods in Asia-Pacific (via CNA reporting)