Sweet Destinations: Local desserts to try as you travel Malaysia
- Nov 9, 2025
- 3 min read
There is no denying that we love to travel and eat. Since the top of the list of must-eats is usually local desserts, we decided to write about pencuci mulut (mouth washers aka dessert) to hunt down when you cuti cuti Malaysia (go on a holiday). The word kuih refers to many types of delicacies ranging from sweets to savoury treats or snacks. If we go back to the history of kuih, we will find that these sweet delicacies have been influenced by the migration of Chinese, Indians, and other explorers or visitors in the olden days.
Hunting down traditional kuih will take you to the most exciting pekans in town such as Pekan Rabu, Kedah, which is actually open daily | Credit: Tourism Malaysia
Note that most of the deserts that we have listed under a specific state can easily be found across the country. This means that you can try popular kuih almost anywhere and look for the local nuances. This is when you turn into a kuih connoisseur.
This list of local desserts, to try as you travel across Malaysia, starts in Penang, a haven for local street food. The open secret here is that if you need a good place to eat, just follow the crowds. The bigger the crowd or the longer the queue, the better the taste!
Sweet Destinations: Malaysia Dessert Tour
Penang
During the lockdowns, many street vendors received grants and financial aid to sell on food delivery platforms | Credit: Tourism Malaysia
Penang is a food lover’s paradise with some of the best street food in the country. Even tourists have heard about the famous Hokkien mee, char koay teow, assam laksa and curry mee. Though much has been said, written and filmed about Penang’s amazing street food, most people are unaware of the different local desserts to be discovered in Penang. Other than the famous cendol, here are a variety of sweet desserts for you to try when visiting.
Cendol
Penang’s most iconic dessert – most people will travel for hours just to try this authentic dessert. Made from shaved ice, coconut milk, gula melaka (palm sugar) and stripes of green jelly, this sweet dessert is a must-have sweet treat for locals and visitors alike. Those in the know will make a trip to Lebuh Keng Kwee, as that stretch of road is home to two street cendol stalls with over 60 years of history and are often touted as the best cendol to be had in Penang.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul aka Penang Chendul is another popular stall. The first stall started on Penang Road in 1936. Now, you can find Penang Chendul franchise stalls in malls and shopping lots. Yes, we know – nothing comes close to the original. So go early to Penang Road and be prepared to queue.
APOM BALIK
A warm, crunchy and childhood treat sold at popular roadside stalls and night markets, apom balik is a fluffy pancake made from flour, sugar, eggs, butter and often topped with tasty toppings such as peanut butter, (halal) ham and corn. This pancake is usually made to order and best eaten fresh. It is the warm crunchy and soft combination that brings a smile to those chewing on an apom balik pancake. Note that in Penang, ban chan kueh refers to a slightly thicker version of apom balik.
Aki Pancake in Super Tanker, Taman Lip Sin is the place to go for extraordinary apom balik. Toppings range from raisins, tuna, cheese, chocolate, and coconut besides the usual peanut and corn. Fans say you can’t stop after one slice.
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