Singaporeans take eating durians so seriously that there is a joke about how Singapore only has two seasons: durian season, and no-durian season.
And in case you’re wondering, June and July are considered peak seasons for durians!
If you are looking to buy the best, cheapest durians during the peak season and researching about where you can get durian delivery service so you can enjoy the King of Fruits without stepping out of your home, read on to find the answers to all your questions about buying durians in Singapore!
What are the popular durian varieties in Singapore, and how are they different?
D24
Also referred to as Sultan durians, the D24 variety is one of the most famous among durian lovers. With small seeds and plenty of dark yellow flesh, this durian is well-loved for its value-for-money and harmonious balance of sweet and bitter flavours.
XO
If you like strong flavours, XO is the one for you. It has an alcoholic aftertaste (hence its name!), which is cultivated through an extended period of fermentation inside the shell. The flesh also tends to be softer and more watery than the other durian types.
Mao Shan Wang (Musang King)
All durian lovers will surely agree that they love this durian variety – it is, after all, the most highly-coveted one in Singapore! The novelty about eating Mao Shan Wang durians is that you won’t know what kind of flavour to expect: the sticky, creamy flesh can taste either sweet, bitter, or even bittersweet!
Wang Zhong Wang
While Mao Shan Wang is arguably the most well-loved in Singapore, there is actually a type that is arguably even better – Wang Zhong Wang (translates literally to ‘King of Kings’). The smooth texture and fine balance of bitter flavours are definitely worth the higher price tag.
Mon Thong
Mon Thong durians are grown in Thailand, and translates to ‘golden pillow’ in English. The flesh is bright yellow in colour (hence the apt name), and this durian cultivar is well-known for its creamy texture. If you are trying durians for the first time, or are not keen on the stronger flavours of the other varieties, Mon Thong’s mild, sweet taste is just right for you.
Black Gold
This Malaysian durian has greyish-yellow flesh with a silky custard consistency. It has a strong and complex bitter taste that is preferred by old-time durian lovers – definitely not for the first-timers to attempt tackling!
Other popular durian varieties available include Ganja, Hong Xia (Red Prawn), Black Pearl, and Xiao Feng.
How much do durians in Singapore cost?
Last year, several news outlets reported that prices for the fruit had plunged by 50% in Malaysia mainly due to three factors: China’s massive lockdown (the Chinese make up the bulk of the fruit’s demand) back in 2020, the global COVID-19 outbreak, and a decrease in tourism. But insiders contended that the massive price drop will most likely not really affect fresh durians in Singapore.
Based on the price list stated on Durian Delivery Singapore, these are the current price estimates per kg for the common durians in Singapore. The lowest prices are what you can get during the durian season, while the higher prices are what you typically pay for when the fruit is not in season.
- D24: S$12 – S$14
- D101: S$14 – S$16
- Mao Shan Wang (Musang King): S$18 – S$20
- Hong Xia (Red Prawn): S$12 – S$16
- Jin Feng (Golden Phoenix): S$18 – S$22
A news article by Channel NewsAsia recently reported that there’s a greater durian crop this season (June to August 2022), which sees stalls lowering their prices. Checks by the news agency found that Mao Shan Wang costs an average of S$12 per kilogram this season at the durian stalls it visited, much lower than its usual prices.
Where can I get my durian delivery in Singapore?
With so many durian sellers to choose from these days, it may be difficult to figure out which ones are worth spending your hard-earned cash at.
These stores offer durian delivery service and are highly recommended by loyal customers for their high-quality durians and affordable prices.
Royal Durian
Royal Durian is one of the newest players in town, having only started their operations in July 2019. It didn’t take them long to achieve five-star ratings on both Facebook and Google though; their customers highly rave about the service, delivery speed as well as quality of fruit and durian pastries that Royal Durian has to offer.
They specialise in only Mao Shan Wang from Pahang, which they bring in fresh daily. With Royal Durian, you can rest assured that you will never be sold overnight durian as they use excess stock to produce their own pastries and cold confectionery instead of keeping them around for sale.
Free delivery is available for orders above S$80. Otherwise, it’ll cost S$10 per location.
Addresses: 134 Jurong Gateway Road, #01-303A, Singapore 600138
Contact: 8186 8552 | Website | Facebook
Ninety-Nine Old Trees
Get your fix of creamy, fragrant durians in central Singapore at Ninety-Nine Old Trees. Located conveniently at Farrer Park, this store’s durians are said to be freshly picked from trees that grow on rich soil in Malaysia, and every seed is scrutinized to ensure that the fruits are ripe and fresh.
Ninety-Nine Old Trees has been offering durian delivery service even before the pandemic and they currently charge only a flat rate of S$9.90 for delivery. Delivery free for orders above S$150. Self-collection is also available.
Address: 1 Teo Hong Road, Singapore 088321
Contact: 9822 2495 | Website | Facebook
Durian Delivery
Durian Delivery is probably one of the most popular durian delivery services in Singapore, and for good reason. They promise a 60-minute delivery time with no minimum order, how’s that for instant, convenient durian fix?!
On top of that, they even offer free replacements if your durians are unripe or bad – that’s how you know you’re getting good service!
Islandwide delivery is available and fees vary between S$9.70 and S$13.70 depending on how quickly you want to receive your order. Orders above S$100 are entitled to free delivery.
Contact: 9017 2853 | Website | Facebook
Bao Jiak Durian
Run by new-age, social media-savvy sellers, Bao Jiak Durian is yet another new player which set up shop in August 2018.
The owners, who are two friends with no background in durian supply or fruit-selling, dived headfirst into the business because of their love for affordable durian and their desire to sell good durian in an honest way – no such gimmicks as switching varieties behind customers’ backs here. Thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations and their business ethics, they now sell up to 200kgs of durians daily!
Bao Jiak Durian has both à la carte and 10kg bundle deals, and offers vacuum packaging for all orders. Aside from fresh durians, the store also has sliced and seasonal fruits (such as lychee) for sale. WhatsApp them to check on their delivery fees.
Address: Blk 202, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, #01-1682, Singapore 560202
Contact: 9172 9091 | Facebook
Durian Studio
If you’re a durian fanatic like us and are looking to stock up in bulk, Durian Studio is your best bet. They update prices on their social media accounts daily so you know what you can expect.
Orders for delivery or self-collection are to be arranged via WhatsApp.
Address: Blk 510, Bedok North Street 3, #01-27, Singapore 460510
Contact: 9123 0780 | Facebook | Instagram
Sin Durian
Don’t want to stick to just one durian flavour? Then, you’ll be glad to hear that Sin Durian is currently running promotional combos where you can mix a variety of durians in your order!
A mixed bundle is priced at S$145 (inclusive of delivery fee).
Daily delivery slots are available in two timings: between 2pm and 5pm, as well as 6pm and 9pm.
Address: Blk 113 Aljunied Avenue 2, #01-15, Singapore 380113
Contact: 8247 8111 | Facebook
Other popular durian stalls to visit
Combat Durian
Combat Durian has been around for more than 50 years, and its famed clientele even includes Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat.
They are known for their high-grade Mao Shan Wang durians, and usually sell out often in the early evenings. We’ll highly recommend that you drop them a WhatsApp message to check on availability before heading down.
Pre-order is also available through WhatsApp. Simply send a message in this format for quicker confirmation:
*Time of collection:*
Address: 206 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218452
Contact: 9278 9928 | Facebook
Sindy Durian
Sindy Durian is a family business in Whampoa that has been serving hordes of loyal customers for more than 30 years. In fact, did you know that Sindy Durian is the first-ever stall to offer vacuum packaging that is suitable for overseas travel in 2005?
To make a reservation, contact Sindy directly via WhatsApp to place your order. Delivery is free for orders above S$150.
Besides durians, the stall also sells durian mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn festival season. It’s usually very popular and you can follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.
Address: Block 89 Whampoa Drive, #01-835, Singapore 320089
Contact: 9710 2427 | Facebook
Ah Seng Durian
Operating out of Ghim Moh Market, Ah Seng Durian has been in the durian delivery business for over 40 years, so you can count on the team to bring you durian that surely won’t disappoint.
The best part about Ah Seng Durian? They update their menu and durian arrival time on Instagram daily so you can do your price research before ordering.
You can pre-order your preferred durian variant online before you head down to your preferred outlet to collect your order.
Address: 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-119 to #01-122, Singapore 270020 | Blk 119, Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-24, Singapore 151119
Contact: 9465 6160 | Website | Facebook | Instagram
How do I choose the best durians?
With most durian sellers opting for just deliveries at the moment to minimise potential crowding, we might have to take a leap of faith and rely on durian sellers to recommend and pick the fruit for us for the time being.
But for those who want to be absolutely sure that they are getting their money’s worth, bookmark this page and study this handy guide for your future durian shopping. Here are some factors to take note of when choosing the best durians:
Smell
Smelling a durian can tell you about the ripeness of the fruit – you don’t want to get one that is unripe or overripe.
Take a sniff along the lines, where the durian pikes run parallel. If you are unable to detect a decently strong scent, it means that the durian is unripe. If the smell is overpowering, you can be sure that you have an overripe one.
Shape
When we shop for fruits and vegetables, we tend to look for those that have a more regular shape. Should you do the same for durians? Surprisingly, the answer is no!
Pick the durians that come in irregular, oblong shapes – the flesh tends to be more fragrant and creamier than those with rounder shapes. It is said that while rounder-shaped durians have more flesh-covered seeds, they actually contain less flesh. Interesting!
Joints
You would want to have the freshest possible durians, and an indicator of how long the durians have dropped is actually the colour of the stems. Durians that have dropped for a few days have stems that are darker in colour, whereas the freshly-dropped ones sport green stems.
If you see durians that are missing their stalks, give them a miss – the durian sellers may be trying to pass off poor-quality durians as good ones!
What are the durian seasons to take note of?
These days, you can actually have durian all-year-round, partly due to the fact that Singapore not only grows its own fruit, and also because we import from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand.
But Dylan from Royal Durian shared that the best time to start buying would be around two to three weeks after the start of the season. (Editor’s note: That’s right about now!)
“However, you can purchase the durians any time if you have a trustable seller. Just like the stock market, there is no need to time the market because of various factors to base a purchase on. So instead of timing the market, spending more time in the market with a reliable seller will be more beneficial,” Dylan added.
This being said, note that durians are definitely a lot cheaper during the peak seasons, typically in the middle and end of the year.
Below is the availability of durians every month (info taken from Durian Delivery, which was last updated in February 2021).
- January: Medium
- February: Medium
- March: High
- April: Medium
- May: Medium
- June: High
- July: High
- August: Very High
- September: High
- October: Low
- November: High
- December: Very High
Additional reporting by Lynnett Yip.
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