20 Gluten-Free Places And Food Options In Singapore

It’s been over ten years since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and I knew traveling to Singapore was going to be challenging. Since I have extended family in Singapore, they told me gluten-free options are limited.

Unless I was willing to eat in places like Marina Bay Sands, most places didn’t advertise wheat-free options or carry a special menu. Hawker stalls have little gluten-free knowledge, so I had to be proactive.

In preparation for a month-long trip to Singapore, I packed vital ingredients and decided to limit myself to certain food groups.

While eating gluten-free in Singapore can be challenging, with a high risk of cross-contamination, I found ways to eat and stay healthy during my extended stay. So, whether you have 5 days in Singapore or staying longer, discover foods and places to eat, to remain healthy.

What I Packed For My Trip

Most local cuisine, from sauces to soup bases, is flavoured with soy sauce containing wheat flour. So, I avoided soup dishes and requested no sauce when dining out. 

I could eat plain rice or rice noodles, steamed vegetables, and chicken rice, which I flavoured with my gluten-free soy sauce.

In Singapore, I could purchase gluten-free soy sauce made by Lee Kum Kee. However, I bought the Kikkoman brand at home. Since the smallest bottle is 296 ml, and I wanted to avoid carrying that large container, I filled one of my silicone travel tubes.

Silicone travel tubes are spill-spoof and just the right size for traveling. While customers complained about the silicone discoloring from oily or dark liquid, I was ok with that. Since I was traveling to Asia a few times, I kept my dark colored tube strictly for soy sauce.

In the end, the silicone didn’t stain even with carrying dark soy sauce for a month. If you still need travel tubes, don’t buy them from the dollar stores because they leak. Getting quality ones may cost more, but they are worth the extra money.

Not knowing if I could purchase products in Singapore, I packed my favourite wheat-free items, such as protein bars, crackers, and easy-to-carry snacks. I could buy select celiac-friendly items from Fresh CS (Cold Storage) in Singapore, but their prices are very high.

Also, in case of cross-contamination, I carried Gluten Cutter. Here are some gluten-free restaurants and food options I found in Singapore.

1. The Whole Kitchen

The Whole Kitchen has two locations, and we tried the one in the financial district at 120 Robinson Road. Everything in this bakery is gluten-free, but it offers vegan, dairy-free, keto, and no-sugar options.

I tried the Avo egg sourdough and loved that they didn’t skimp on the avocado. My husband, Brian, tried the scrambled egg and toast and the thick-cut raisin bread with chia berry jam. The jam had an interesting flavour but was delicious.

We found the pricing reasonable, and everything tasted great. I wanted to try a croissant, but they sold out early and I never made it back there again.

2. Tiann’s

A Singapore staple, kaya toast consists of a toasted sandwich served with kaya. The kaya, made from eggs and coconut, adds the right amount of sweetness.

Kaya toast is often served with soft poached or fried eggs. While toast traditionally contains gluten, Tiann’s makes it with wheat-free bread. In fact, its entire restaurant is gluten-free.

Located on Seng Poh Road, this gluten-free bakery serves breakfast, brunch daily, and dinner on Friday nights.

3. Wild Honey

While Wild Honey isn’t a dedicated wheat-free restaurant, its menu includes many celiac-friendly, dairy-free, and vegetarian selections. The restaurant markets its cuisine as breakfast food to enjoy all day.

They have two locations in Singapore: one in Scotts Square and the other in Mandarin Gallery. We ate at the latter and discovered the menu was based on different locations worldwide. We tried the I Love NY and Norwegian dishes, both made with salmon.

Both were packed with flavour and beautifully presented. I completed my meal with the Midnight Grand Cake by Roa, a decadent dark chocolate cake.

Wild Honey has won numerous awards for its food on Tripadvisor and Expat Living.

4. The Butcher’s Wife

The Butcher’s Wife offers a unique dining experience with its entirely gluten-free menu. This Brazilian restaurant specializes in contemporary and innovative dishes for both lunch and dinner. 

The diverse menu allows diners to choose between sharing dishes or full-sized entrees. The Chargrilled Spanish Octopus with white kimchee is considered by many to be the best octopus in Singapore. Try and decide for yourself.

Their menu has a breakdown of what’s included in each item, a godsend to those with more than one food allergy.

5. Botany Singapore

The Botany is a cute café in Robertson Quay. While it doesn’t have a vast menu, some of its items are gluten-free. Even better, its prices are reasonable.

For all-day brunch (served until 6 pm), choose from Avo Toast or Truffle Scrambled Egg and Salmon Toast.

The mains consist of Grass-fed rib-eye, Crabmeat Aglio Olio, Truffle Mushroom Pasta, or a Botany DIY meal of Quinoa Kale with Pan-Seared Salmon.

We liked that the rib-eye came in two sizes, 200 grams and 300 grams. The 200-gram size was plenty, served with mashed potatoes and spinach. 

6. Paper Rice

The Paper Rice Vietnamese Restaurant has several celiac options in the Plaza Singapura. Grilled chicken rice, pork rice, and beef rice suit those with a larger appetite.

The Vietnamese crepe is another excellent choice, with prawns, bean sprouts, and vegetables served in an egg crepe.

I tried the Rice Vermicelli with grilled pork and gave my husband the spring rolls made with wheat wrappers.

The following map marks some Singapore restaurants with gluten-free food. The foods below can be found in multiple places.

7. Chwee Kueh

Chwee Kueh (meaning water cake) is an excellent allergy-free breakfast option. It consists of a steamed rice cake base with a flavourful topping. The rice dish batter is primarily made from rice and water but sometimes has the addition of tapioca flour. Either way, it’s naturally gluten-free.

The rice cake is shaped into shallow cups and steamed to retain moisture. It’s often topped with either a savory or sweet filling. For a savory option, go for the chai poi (a preserved turnip) and sambal chili. 

Sweet options include peanuts, coconut, and chocolate. The topping makes this dish great since the rice cakes have little flavour.

Chinatown Tan’s Tutu is a popular choice for kueh and is also sold as a coconut cake. It sells cakes with plain, coconut, and peanut fillings.

8. Teochew Porridge

Teochew porridge might be Singapore’s version of North American oatmeal. While I consider porridge a breakfast food, Singaporeans eat it for lunch and dinner too.

Made from rice with no seasoning, the porridge is simmered to create a creamy texture. While it can be eaten plain (which lacks flavour), it’s best enjoyed with sides of salted egg, pork, spinach, duck or steamed fish. Adventurous eaters might even try the frog porridge.

9. Laksa

Laksa is a hearty soup that’s both sweet and spicy. While most versions start with a soup base, I found several hawker centres selling dry laksa. 

Indonesian laksa consists of rice noodles in a coconut milk broth flavoured with coriander, turmeric and lemongrass. Malaysian laksa starts with a fish broth, usually made from mackerel or eel. 

While 328 Katong Laksa may have won a hawker stall challenge against Gordon Ramsey, I favoured the one from Depot Road Zhen Shen Mei (Alexandra Hawker Center), served in a clay pot.

10. Thosai

Thosai, an Indian crepe, is made of rice and sometimes lentils. If you’re concerned about calories, it has fewer than prata and other local breakfasts. This makes it a favorite for health-conscious eaters. 

Thosai can be eaten plain or filled, usually served with chutney. Head to the Tekka Centre in Little India for the tastiest thosai selection. Choose from egg, ghee, cheese, Rava, or Masala.

The Masala filling with spicy potato is a top pick with several spicy sauces. While it didn’t look appealing, we loved the flavour, but be warned, since we ate with our fingers, it was incredibly messy.

In Singapore, many hawker stalls sell this item as thosai or dosas.

11. Meat Stick Or Satay

Satay, a popular Southeast Asia dish, consists of skewered and grilled meat, perfect for meat lovers like me. This delicious food, made from chicken, beef, pork, mutton, or seafood, gets its flavour from spices like turmeric and lemongrass. 

Then, they are grilled over an open flame, giving them a distinctive smoky flavor. However, where it’s purchased determines whether it’s Chinese or Muslim style.

Satay is usually accompanied with a peanut sauce, adding a creamy, savory taste. Accompaniments include cucumber and onion slices, adding freshness and crunch. 

Lau Pa Sat is a great option to try satay, and it’s open each evening from 7 pm onwards. Head to stall #8 for the best satay. Satay sets include a mix of chicken, mutton, and prawns. We found the mutton a bit tough, but the chicken was super tender and flavourful.

Head to Chuan Kee Satay at the Old Airport Road Food Centre for the best pork satay.

12. Chili Crab

Chili crab is an iconic Singapore dish, and I found many places to eat it. It’s a messy dish to consume, so pass up your best duds and be prepared to don a plastic bib to savor this seafood.

The sauce is naturally gluten-free and made from shrimp paste, tomato sauce, and sweet chili. However, double check with the vendor to see if the sauce contained soy sauce, which has gluten.

JUMBO Seafood is a well-known brand that sells chili crab. They have locations in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Tai Pei, and six areas in Singapore, including Changi Airport. So, if it’s on your Singapore bucket list to see The Jewel, you can do it while enjoying chili crab.

13. Chicken Rice

Chicken rice is comfort food for the soul, and every hawker stall sells it. However, none make it as good as the Michelin Star Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall at the Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown.

The plain chicken is steamed, keeping it moist and flavourful. Tian Tian Chicken Rice consistently makes the Bib Gourmand, a list of inexpensive places with great food. Get it without the soy sauce and add your own gluten-free option instead.

This venue always attracts a crowd, thanks to Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. I avoided peak times as the wait can be an hour long. By going at 10:30 am, we waited five minutes to order and received our meals immediately.

If it’s busy, check out Ah Tai, two stalls down that sell the same dish with three sauce options.

14. Appam

Hailing from Sri Lanka and South India, appam is a simple bowl-shaped snack made from fermented rice batter. Mixed with coconut milk, allowing the batter to sit gives it a sour flavour.

Fried into lacey bowls, the edges are crisp, with a spongy centre. Mr. Appam (in the Maxwell Food Centre) provides innovative versions of the classic original Appam. 

So, choose from orange sugar and coconut, egg and cheese, chocolate, or an ice cream topped with bananas and peanuts.

15. Nasi Lemak 

Nasi lemak, a popular breakfast dish in Malaysia and Indonesia, is also served in Singapore. It consists of rice served with various toppings. These include spicy sambal, dried anchovies, peanuts, cucumbers, chicken wings, and hard-cooked eggs. 

The aromatic rice is usually flavored with coconut and pandan. In Singapore, nasi lemak is available at local hawker centers, food courts, and specialized eateries. 

Ponggol Nasi Lemak is a popular venue to try it. Order it without the deep-fried chicken to get a gluten-free meal.

16. Nyonya Kueh

Nyonya Kueh is naturally gluten-free and made from coconut milk, rice, and sometimes tapioca flour. The sweet or savory treat often comes in enticing bright colors that are often too pretty to eat.

Purchase them at a gluten-free bakery or hawker center, and eat them whole or peel the layers.

Kim Choo Kueh Chang, which has been in business for over 75 years, makes a good selection of kueh. Choose from the traditional balls rolled in coconut or the multi-colored layered kueh.

17. Chicken Curry

If you love a rich coconut-flavoured curry, Queensway Original Chicken Curry in Queensway Shopping Centre is the place to go. I received a healthy portion of chicken and potato, served with white rice.

Hawker centres also sell many types of curry, but head to Little India for curry with a kick. As long as the sauce is thin and not thickened, chances are, it’s gluten-free. However, double-check with the vendor. Order it with rice instead of bread.

Singapore curry is a great choice. Made with coconut milk, it is both gluten- and lactose-free.

18. Sambal Stingray

In some countries, stingray is a throwback fish. However, Singaporeans consider it a delicacy. While vendors sell stingray cooked a few different ways, avoid the BBQ version to get a celiac-approved meal.

Stingray comes with a spicy sambal sauce. If chili is too hot, ask to have the sambal on the side. We found the stingray tender with a mild flavour. The sambal adds the kick that the stingray needs.

19. Roasted Pork

The best roasted pork is juicy with cracking skin and has the right amount of fat. It makes a celiac-friendly meal with rice, gluten-free soya sauce, and optional steamed vegetables.

You can buy roasted pork at most hawker centres and stand-alone restaurants. Some vendors sell it with a combination of meats such as steamed chicken, roasted duck, or black-peppered beef slices.

20. Carrot Cake

A far cry from North American carrot cake, Singapore’s dish consists of radish, not carrots! While I could purchase a black or white version, only the white was wheat-free.

The pan-fried savory dish consists of white radish (sometimes called white carrot) rice flour, and eggs. Since the black version has lots of soy sauce, I enjoyed a healthier dish without the added sodium.

Wrap It Up

Even though it can be challenging to avoid gluten in Singapore, by doing my research, I found delicious gluten-free food in many areas.

Choosing to eat at a hawker centre is a personal choice depending on the degree of gluten intolerance. However, if you plan to buy from a particular vendor, know that each stall creates its own hours, even if the venue claims it’s open 24 hours. 

To avoid long waits, plan to visit during off-peak times, although we found 50% or more stalls closed.

For an extra splurge, head to the civic district, to enjoy a gluten-free afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel, an iconic landmark in Singapore. Bon appetite!