Singapore and Indonesia have been trading, cooking for, and feeding each other for longer than either nation has formally existed. Indonesian snacks are very much part of that story.
Whether you grew up eating kerupuk, discovered emping through a Batam day trip, or recently encountered a bag of Flash-Baked tempeh chips, this guide covers the Indonesian snack landscape in Singapore.
A Brief History of Indonesian Snacks in Singapore
Indonesian snack culture is one of the richest in Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s 17,000+ islands each contribute local ingredients, techniques, and flavour traditions. Many of those snacks arrived in Singapore through the Malay community, through trade, and through the sheer gravitational pull of good food.
Today, Indonesian snacks in Singapore range from traditional products in Geylang specialty stores to modern branded products available online.
The Classic Indonesian Snacks You Need to Know
Kerupuk (Prawn Crackers)
The foundation. The most ubiquitous Indonesian snack — puffed crackers made from starch with prawn flavouring. Available almost everywhere in Singapore: wet markets, provision shops, supermarkets. Quality ranges enormously. The best ones are made with actual prawn.
Emping
Chips made from melinjo nuts — flattened, dried, then cooked to a thin crisp with a distinctive slightly bitter edge. An acquired taste that, once acquired, becomes a specific craving. Available at Indonesian specialty shops around Geylang.
Kacang Bawang
Crispy fried shallots and peanuts, seasoned with garlic and a hint of chilli. Small, intensely savoury, impossible to stop eating. Appears as a garnish across Indonesian and Singaporean cuisines and is equally excellent standalone.
Rempeyek
Thin, crispy crackers made from rice flour embedded with peanuts, anchovies, or dried shrimp. A lacy, delicate structure with a savoury, addictive flavour. Available in Geylang at Indonesian specialty stores.
Serundeng
Toasted, spiced grated coconut — sometimes mixed with peanuts. Somewhere between condiment and snack. Intensely flavourful in small amounts: nutty, slightly sweet, warmly spiced.
The Modern Contender: Flash-Baked Tempeh Chips
This is where the story gets genuinely interesting for 2026.
Tempeh — fermented soybean cake — has been a cornerstone of Javanese cuisine for centuries. Rakuzel’s Flash-Baked tempeh chips take that ancient ingredient and render it into something that bridges traditional and contemporary.
The nutritional profile: nearly 10g protein per 100g, ~5g fibre, 18μg Vitamin D, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, less than 1g sugar. Halal certified, PIRT registered. And genuinely delicious.
Five flavours:
- Mala Madness — Indonesia meets Sichuan
- Symphony of Salt — tempeh’s natural character shines
- Death by Truffle — earthy truffle on earthy tempeh
- Chilisa Inferno — slow-building, unapologetic heat
- Rest in Cheese — deeply, stubbornly enjoyable
Where to Buy Indonesian Snacks in Singapore
Geylang and Arab Street
The traditional heartland. Specialty shops along Geylang Road carry kerupuk, emping, rempeyek, kacang bawang, and more, often sourced directly from Indonesian producers.
NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage
Major chains carry a reasonable range of packaged Indonesian snacks. Finest and FairPrice Xtra locations have more specialty items.
Online — rakuzel.com
For Rakuzel’s Flash-Baked tempeh chips: rakuzel.com delivers across Singapore. S$7.50 single | S$17.99 3-pack | S$28.99 5-pack.
Pepito Supermarket, Bali (10 Locations)
For the well-travelled: Rakuzel is available at all 10 Pepito Supermarket locations across Bali. There’s something appropriate about picking up a Singapore-based Indonesian snack brand while you’re in Indonesia.
Your Indonesian Snack Starter Pack
- Try kerupuk from a good source — hit Geylang for the real thing
- Order a Rakuzel 5-pack — rakuzel.com, all five flavours
- Find some emping — polarising but you need to form an opinion
- Book a Bali trip — pick up Rakuzel from Pepito and feel appropriately cosmopolitan
Indonesian snack culture has centuries of craft behind it and a genuinely exciting present. Start somewhere.
Snack hard. Regret nothing.
Leave a Reply