Durian: a must-try if you’re in Southeast Asia. Here’s where and how to pick the best durian in Singapore on a budget.

What is durian?

Durian is a fruit that is grown in Southeast Asia as it thrives in hot and humid conditions. Durian has a spiky exterior, and when opened there are seeds (the number of seeds depends on the variety). The actual fruit, or edible part, is the creamy flesh surrounding the hard, inedible seed inside. The taste and smell of durian is polarizing – you will either love it or hate it. If you don’t like the smell, you probably also won’t like the taste!

Durian can be found year-round in Singapore, however the main durian season is in the summertime. This is when durian will be at the best quality, highest in abundance, and cheaper.

You can also find fresh durian on top of cendol or in pulp form in desserts. However, you need to try the real deal, fresh durian!

What does durian taste like?

What does durian smell like?

Fresh durian has a distinct smell but overall smells floral and fruity. However, this is only for fresh durian in Southeast Asia. I have seen previously frozen (and then thawed) imported durian at the Asian grocery stores in the United States, and after sitting in the store for who knows how long, the durian emitted what smells exactly like natural gas. 

Durian vendors in Singapore do not let the durian get to that level, so you would only smell fresh durian on the streets or in stores (which to some people who don’t like durian, may still smell terrible).

This smell is the reason why durian (even vacuum packed) is banned on all public transportation and in hotel rooms in Singapore. Therefore, to try durian as a tourist, you will need to locate durian stalls with seating and consume it there.

Durian Varieties

In Singapore, the durians are imported from Malaysia. Therefore, the durian varieties sold in Singapore are going to be the Malaysian varieties (which are different from the varieties grown in Thailand). There are quite a few varieties, here is a quick run down of some of the most commonly sold ones:

Musang King / Mao Shan Wang (MSW) – 猫山王: considered to be the best variety of durian (and most popular) with creaminess and bitterness. 
Red Prawn (红虾): sweetest and slightly sticky, with reddish hue
Black Thorn (黑刺): slightly sweet, slightly bitter with more orange hue
XO: strong bitter taste, may taste slightly alcoholic  

How to Pick Durian

At durian stalls, durian is sold 2 ways:

Whole, where for higher end varieties, the durian is priced by weight (kilo) including the shell. Cheaper varieties may have a set price per durian. The vendor will cut open the durian for you after purchasing.

Pre-packed, in a box, where the box is a set price. The variety may or may not be labeled.

If it’s your first time trying durian, here are some tips for you:

• Buy the pre-packed boxed durian – it’s cheaper and you will be able to visually see the durian before you buy it. I saw the vendors in Chinatown cutting and making the pre-packs each morning, but you can also visually inspect if the durian looks fresh or not. The durian will start to look mushy all over, not just on the bottom, if it’s not fresh.
• Because durian is quite polarizing, the variety does not matter. You do not need to shell out money for the best variety (like MSW), because if you don’t like durian, you aren’t going to like any variety. A safe variety to try is Red Prawn – this is the sweetest variety. If that one is not available, just ask the vendor to suggest any “sweet” varieties. Avoid varieties known to be bitter/alcohol-resemblant, like XO, for your first try.
• Since the pre-packs are cheaper and the quantity is smaller than buying a whole durian, if you are solo-traveling (or your travel partners do not like durian), you can eat durian multiple times during your trip without breaking the bank. You can also try different varieties.

When buying whole durian, take note that:

• There is a risk it may be not good inside (watery, dry, bugs, etc). However, whether or not you can swap out the durian one for a better quality one depends on the durian vendor and the price you paid.
• If the price is by weight, ask for the total price before agreeing to buy the durian.
• For expensive varieties, you can ask the vendor to cut the durian and show you the inside before you buy it (whether or not they will do it is up to the vendor).

To pick a good durian in the pre-packs, you should look for:

• Nice and plump with less seed showing
• Does not look mushy or watery
• Medium golden colored

Do note you aren’t allowed to press on the durians, so do your best to identify plump and non-mushy ones with your eyes.

Where can I buy durian in Singapore?

For tourists, the easiest to reach area via public transportation where you can find durian stalls is: Geylang. There are durian stalls nearly every ½ block! There are also 2 durian stalls in Chinatown (though I have not personally tried the durians there, so I cannot speak to the durian quality). Aside from that, I’ve also seen durian being sold at local, non-touristy hawker centers.

Combat Durian, near Farrer Park, is also where I have had durian before, but they only sell whole (expensive variety) durians and ran out by the afternoon.

In April 2024, at the stalls in Geylang, a prepack was anywhere from 8-12 SGD for the non-high end varieties. All the Geylang vendors provide plastic gloves to eat the durian with. People use gloves to avoid the durian smell being transferred to your hands.

Specifically, the 2 vendors I bought pre-packs from and had good quality durian from were: 

Durian 36

Wonderful Durian

The area at Wonderful Durian was brighter, had more seating, free water, and had a large amount of durians on display. The pre-packs of durian were labeled with the variety (but in Chinese only). That being said, each pack started at 12 SGD while Durian 36 had cheaper pre-packs (but no varieties listed). These places are outdoor with no AC, so going at night time will be less hot.