The best yusheng for most people is not the most expensive one. Lou hei platters in Singapore for Chinese New Year 2026 span an absurd range, from a S$13.90 supermarket pack to a S$313.90 hotel showpiece, and the food underneath is broadly the same shredded vegetables, sauce, crackers and a protein. What you pay for at the top end is salmon graded up to abalone, a brand name, a fancy box and, at restaurants, a 10 percent service charge plus 9 percent GST on top. The toss is the same either way. This guide gives you the 2026 prices across every tier, shows you where the markups hide, and works out the cheapest way to put a proper lou hei on the table. Chinese New Year falls on 17 and 18 February 2026, the start of the Year of the Horse, so the ordering window for the good stuff is roughly January to early February.
There is no single best yusheng in Singapore, because the right one depends on how many people you are feeding and whether you are eating it at home or at a restaurant. The dish itself is a commodity. Shredded carrot, radish, cucumber, pickled ginger, pomelo, peanuts, sesame, fried flour crackers, plum sauce and a protein, usually salmon. The difference between a S$30 platter and a S$130 one is the protein grade and the presentation, not the experience of tossing it together.
Work backwards from your table. For a home reunion of four to six, a supermarket or casual-chain set at S$28 to S$45 does the job, and a S$13.90 pack does it for a small toss. For 10 or more at home, a large supermarket or catering set at S$45 to S$70 feeds the room without a restaurant markup. Pay restaurant prices of S$78 to S$150 only when you are already dining out and want it as part of a sit-down menu, because that is when the abalone, the box and the service make sense in context.
The single biggest money lesson here is that the markup is in the meat and the venue, not the toss. Adding abalone to the same chain set costs roughly S$9 to S$15 more, based on Swensen's published 2026 salmon-versus-abalone prices, for a protein most people barely taste under the plum sauce. Treat yusheng like any seasonal cost you can plan for, the same way you would slot a big one-off expense into a personal budget, and the choice gets easy.
Prices below are 2026 Chinese New Year listings captured in January and February 2026 from supermarket, chain and restaurant menus. They split into four clear tiers. Supermarket and DIY packs are the cheapest, casual chains sit in the middle, premium restaurants and hotels run dearer, and abalone or specialty versions add a flat premium on top of any of them.
The headline spread is the story. NTUC FairPrice sells a Harvest Prosperity Yusheng pack at S$13.90 for 500g, while Min Jiang at Goodwood Park Hotel lists a Majestic Prosperous Horse platter at S$313.90 nett for a large takeaway. That is a 22-fold gap for a dish whose base is the same shredded vegetables and sauce. Most reasonable choices live between S$28 and S$70.
Read these as base prices. At a sit-down restaurant, a S$78 platter is rarely S$78 on the bill once you add 10 percent service charge and 9 percent GST, which together push it to about S$93. Supermarket packs and many takeaway sets are nett or near-nett, so the shelf price is closer to what you pay.
| Tier | Outlet and product | Price | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket pack | NTUC FairPrice Harvest Prosperity Yusheng, 500g | S$13.90 | Small toss |
| Supermarket pack | DON DON DONKI Yusheng (small) | S$28.88 | 2 to 4 |
| Casual chain | PUTIEN Prosperity Abalone Yusheng (small) | S$39.80 nett | Small group |
| Casual chain | Swensen's Regular Prosperity Yusheng | S$29.80 | 3 to 6 |
| Casual chain | Soup Restaurant Crispy Yam & Longan Yusheng | S$31.90 | 2 to 4 |
| Casual chain | Spice Village Prosperity Lou Hei (small) | S$38.00 | Small group |
| Casual chain | Sushi Express Good Luck Yu Sheng | S$42.80 | 4 to 6 |
| Catering / large pack | Swensen's Large Prosperity Yusheng | S$44.80 | 6 to 10 |
| Catering / large pack | Four Seasons Catering Prosperity Yusheng | S$66.80 | ~10 |
| Restaurant | TungLok Prosperity Yusheng (6 pax) | S$78 | 6 |
| Restaurant | 5 ON 25 Andaz Signature Yusheng (3 to 6) | S$88 | 3 to 6 |
| Restaurant | Peach Garden Salmon Yusheng | From S$98++ | Group |
| Premium / hotel | Min Jiang Majestic Prosperous Horse (large, takeaway) | S$313.90 nett | Large group |
Three things inflate a yusheng bill, and none of them is the part you toss. The first is the protein upgrade. Swap salmon for abalone and the same set jumps by a flat premium: Swensen's lists its regular Prosperity Yusheng at S$29.80 and the abalone version at S$38.80, a S$9 jump, and the gap widens at the large size, where Swensen's goes from S$44.80 salmon to S$58.80 abalone, a S$14 jump (Nimbu, CNY 2026 listings). The abalone is usually a few small slices buried under plum sauce and crackers, so you are paying a noticeable premium for a garnish.
The second is the venue. At a sit-down restaurant the listed price is almost never what you pay. A S$88++ platter carries a 10 percent service charge and 9 percent GST, which is the rate since 1 January 2024 and unchanged at Budget 2026. That stacks to roughly S$105 on the bill. Supermarket and many takeaway sets skip the service charge entirely and are often nett, so a S$38 takeaway set can undercut a S$88++ restaurant platter by more than S$65 for a comparable amount of food.
The third is the box and the brand. Premium hotel platters at S$150 and above buy a designer tray, a themed name and a delivery slot, which matter for a corporate gift but add nothing to a family toss at home, where the box ends up in the recycling. Money spent on presentation does nothing afterwards, unlike the same dollars in a high-yield savings account.
If value is the goal, buy a base pack and dress it up yourself. A FairPrice Harvest Prosperity Yusheng pack at S$13.90 gives you the shredded vegetables, sauce sachets and crackers. Add your own salmon sashimi from the supermarket chiller, usually S$8 to S$15 for a tray, and you have a full salmon yusheng for a four-to-six person table at around S$25 to S$30, against S$40 to S$90 for the same thing pre-assembled at a chain or restaurant.
The do-it-yourself route also scales better. For 10 or more, two base packs plus two trays of salmon land around S$45 to S$55, under a S$66.80 catering set or a S$98 restaurant platter for the same headcount. You also control the salmon quantity, usually the stingiest part of a budget pre-made set, for about fifteen minutes of plating.
Two timing tricks save more. Supermarket yusheng packs and DIY components are cheapest in the run-up to the festival and then often discounted in the final days before and during the holiday, so buying close to the date can shave the price. And because Chinese New Year 2026 lands on 17 and 18 February, pre-order windows at supermarkets and caterers open from early January; ordering early locks in stock and sometimes an early-bird rate, while last-minute restaurant orders are where prices are firmest. The same per-dollar discipline you would bring to a 1-for-1 dining deal applies here: maximise the food and protein you get per dollar, and ignore the packaging.
Premium yusheng is not a rip-off in every case. If you are already booked for a Chinese New Year reunion dinner at a restaurant, the platter is part of a set menu and the social setting is the point, not the per-gram value. TungLok at S$78 for six or 5 ON 25 at Andaz at S$88 for three to six are reasonable as one course in a larger sit-down meal where you would be paying service charge and GST on everything anyway.
Corporate and gifting situations also justify the top tier. A presentation platter delivered to an office, or a hotel-branded set sent to a client, is buying the brand and the box on purpose, and a S$150-plus platter does that job. For a personal family toss at home, that spend is pure presentation with no payoff once the meal ends.
The version not worth paying for is the abalone upgrade on a takeaway set you are eating at home. The premium buys you a handful of slices that disappear into the sauce, and salmon already carries the dish. Put that S$9 to S$15 difference toward more salmon, or simply keep it, and the toss is no worse for it.
Modern yusheng is a Singapore invention, which is part of why prices here are set by local restaurants rather than imported. The seven-coloured version most people toss today debuted on the second day of Lunar New Year in 1964, created by four chef apprentices, Sin Leong, Hooi Kok Wai, Tham Yui Kai and Lau Yoke Pui, later called the Four Heavenly Kings of Singapore's culinary scene. Lou hei, Cantonese for tossing up, became the communal ritual in the 1970s.
Each ingredient stands for something, which is why sets keep the same components regardless of price. Raw fish stands for abundance, a play on the word yu meaning surplus. Pomelo and lime stand for luck. Shredded carrot and the golden fried crackers stand for gold and wealth, the oil drizzled over for profit flowing in, and the plum sauce poured on top for sweetness in the year ahead. Everyone says the matching auspicious phrase as they add each item and tosses higher for bigger fortune.
Because the symbolism is the point, a cheaper set delivers the same ritual as an expensive one. The vegetables, sauce and crackers carry the meaning; the protein is the only part that genuinely changes with price, which is the practical argument for spending on salmon and saving everywhere else.
The toss has an order, and each ingredient comes with a four-character phrase you call out as it goes in. Most price guides skip this, but it is the part that makes the dish feel like more than a salad, and you do not need to memorise anything to get it right. The sequence below follows the National Heritage Board's account of lohei, so it works whether you are tossing a S$13.90 supermarket pack or a hotel platter.
Lay the shredded vegetables out first, then add the items one at a time, say the phrase, and leave the actual tossing until the very end. The raw fish goes on with nian nian you yu, a wish for abundance year after year. Pomelo or lime follows for da ji da li, great luck and prosperity. The spices carry zhao cai jin bao, attracting wealth, and the oil and plum sauce go on with cai yuan guang jin, for wealth flowing in from every direction.
Then come the shredded roots and the dry toppings. Carrot is hong yun dang tou, good luck on its way; green radish is qing chun yong zhu, staying forever young; white radish is bu bu gao sheng, rising step by step. Peanuts are jin yin man wu, a house full of gold and silver; sesame is sheng yi xing long, a thriving business; and the golden fried crackers are man di huang jin, a floor covered in gold. Once everything is in, everyone stands, digs in with chopsticks and tosses on the call of lo hei, lifting the ingredients as high as they comfortably can, since the higher the toss the better the year ahead. If you want the full phrase list with the characters and pronunciation, our lo hei and yu sheng phrases guide lays them out, and the broader Chinese New Year phrases piece covers the greetings around the table.
| Step | Ingredient | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw fish slices | Nian nian you yu | Abundance every year |
| 2 | Pomelo or lime | Da ji da li | Great luck and prosperity |
| 3 | Spices | Zhao cai jin bao | Attracting wealth and treasure |
| 4 | Oil and plum sauce | Cai yuan guang jin | Wealth flowing in from all sides |
| 5 | Shredded carrot | Hong yun dang tou | Good luck is approaching |
| 6 | Shredded green radish | Qing chun yong zhu | Staying forever young |
| 7 | Shredded white radish | Bu bu gao sheng | Rising step by step |
| 8 | Crushed peanuts | Jin yin man wu | A house full of gold and silver |
| 9 | Sesame seeds | Sheng yi xing long | A thriving business |
| 10 | Fried flour crackers | Man di huang jin | A floor covered in gold |
| 11 | The toss | Lo hei | Tossing up good fortune |
Yusheng built around raw salmon is not suitable for everyone at the table, so it helps to know the halal and vegetarian routes before you order, especially for a mixed family gathering or an office toss. The same value logic still applies: you are paying for the protein and the venue, not the toss.
For a halal table, the safest choice is a venue that is MUIS halal-certified rather than only described as halal-friendly, since certification is the formal standard. Siam Kitchen, a MUIS-certified Thai chain, lists a Smoked Salmon Lohei at S$38.90++ for Chinese New Year 2026. Spice Village markets a halal-friendly Prosperity Lou Hei salmon platter in three sizes at S$38, S$68 and S$98, useful for scaling to headcount. If certification matters for your group, confirm the specific outlet's status with the restaurant or on MUIS's halal directory before ordering, because certification can vary by branch.
Vegetarian yusheng swaps the raw fish for extra vegetables, mushrooms, seaweed or nuts while keeping the sauces, crackers and the full ritual, so the toss and the phrases are unchanged. LingZhi Vegetarian lists a plant-based Prosperity yusheng at S$68 for six and S$88 for 10, and Peach Garden offers a pistachio and almond vegetarian version from S$78++. As with salmon sets, the cheaper option carries the same meaning, so there is no value penalty to going meat-free.
| Type | Outlet and product | Price | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halal (MUIS-certified) | Siam Kitchen Smoked Salmon Lohei | S$38.90++ | Small group |
| Halal-friendly | Spice Village Prosperity Lou Hei (small / medium / large) | S$38 / S$68 / S$98 | Scales by size |
| Vegetarian | LingZhi Vegetarian Prosperity Yusheng | S$68 (6 pax) / S$88 (10 pax) | 6 to 10 |
| Vegetarian | Peach Garden pistachio & almond yusheng | From S$78++ | Group |
Timing decides both whether you get the set you want and what you pay for it. Restaurant and hotel pre-orders for Chinese New Year 2026 open well ahead of the festival, with collection and delivery running through the first few days of March, and most kitchens ask for a few days' notice. Peach Garden opened orders as early as 2 December 2025, running to 3 March 2026; TungLok takes orders for collection from 4 February to 3 March; 5 ON 25 at Andaz runs 2 February to 3 March. Several venues close on the first day or two of the new year, so a platter you want for the 17th or 18th of February usually has to be collected before the holiday itself.
Early ordering is also where the discounts sit. Restaurants commonly run early-bird rates for orders placed before late January, and bank-card promotions can knock a further chunk off, so the same platter is cheaper in early January than in the panicked week before. Supermarket packs move the other way: stock is plentiful and prices firm in the run-up, then often marked down in the final days before and during the festival, which suits a last-minute DIY toss. The split is simple. Pre-order the restaurant and hotel sets early for stock and early-bird pricing; leave the supermarket components late for end-of-season markdowns.
Delivery adds a layer to plan for. Many caterers and restaurants deliver within a set window with a minimum order, and slots around reunion dinner fill first, so the popular evening of 16 February books out earliest. If you are self-collecting, check the outlet's festival opening hours, since reduced hours over the new year can clash with your toss. Treat the whole thing as a small seasonal line in your personal budget, the same way you would plan the ang bao and new notes you set aside for the season, and the spending stays under control.
| Outlet | Order window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peach Garden | 2 Dec 2025 to 3 Mar 2026 | Long window; salmon, abalone and vegetarian versions |
| 5 ON 25 at Andaz | 2 Feb to 3 Mar 2026 | Dine-in and takeaway; vegetarian option |
| TungLok | 4 Feb to 3 Mar 2026 | Collection through early March |
| Supermarket packs (e.g. FairPrice, Donki) | Run-up to the festival | Often discounted in the final days before and during CNY |
Turn it into a quick decision you can run before you order.
First, count your table and pick the tier: a pack or casual set under S$45 for four to six at home, a large pack or catering set up to S$70 for 10 or more, a restaurant platter only if you are dining out anyway. Second, decide on protein honestly, because salmon carries the dish and abalone is a costly garnish you will barely notice. Third, if value matters, buy a base pack and add your own salmon to cut the price by a third or more. Fourth, at restaurants, read the ++ and add roughly 19 percent for service charge and GST so the bill does not surprise you. Fifth, time it: pre-order early for stock and early-bird rates, or buy supermarket components close to the date for end-of-season discounts.
Prices range from about S$13.90 for a 500g supermarket pack at NTUC FairPrice to over S$300 for a premium hotel platter such as Min Jiang's S$313.90 nett set. Casual chains sit between S$28 and S$45 for a small-to-regular platter, large supermarket or catering sets run S$45 to S$70, and sit-down restaurants charge S$78 to S$150 before service charge and GST. For most home gatherings, a set between S$28 and S$70 covers it, and a DIY pack plus your own salmon is cheaper still.
A supermarket pack is the cheapest pre-made option, with NTUC FairPrice's Harvest Prosperity Yusheng at S$13.90 for 500g. The cheapest way to get a full salmon yusheng is to buy a base pack at S$13.90 and add your own tray of salmon sashimi from the supermarket chiller for S$8 to S$15, giving you a complete platter for a four-to-six person table at around S$25 to S$30, well under the S$40 to S$90 a chain or restaurant charges for the same dish.
Supermarket and takeaway sets are far cheaper, mostly because they skip the 10 percent service charge restaurants add and are often sold nett. A S$38 nett takeaway set can undercut a S$88++ restaurant platter by more than S$65 once you add the service charge and 9 percent GST to the restaurant price. Restaurant platters only make financial sense when you are already dining out and the yusheng is one course in a larger sit-down meal.
For a home toss, usually not. On chain sets the abalone upgrade adds roughly S$9 to S$15 over the same salmon set, going by Swensen's published 2026 prices, but it buys a handful of small slices that get lost under the plum sauce and crackers. Salmon already carries the dish. If you want to spend the difference, put it toward more salmon, which you will actually taste. Abalone makes more sense at a restaurant where it is part of a larger menu.
Chinese New Year 2026 falls on 17 and 18 February, the start of the Year of the Horse. Supermarket and caterer pre-order windows typically open from early January, with self-collection through late January and February. Ordering early locks in stock and sometimes an early-bird price, while supermarket packs and DIY components are often discounted in the final days before and during the festival, so last-minute buying can be cheaper for those.
A regular platter that serves three to six people, such as a S$28 to S$45 chain set, suits a small home reunion. For 10 or more, choose a large set serving six to 10, like a S$44.80 to S$66.80 catering platter, or buy two base packs and two salmon trays for around S$45 to S$55. Sizes on supermarket and chain sets list pax served, so match the listed range to your headcount rather than over-ordering.
Look for a venue that is MUIS halal-certified rather than only labelled halal-friendly, since certification is the formal standard for a Muslim table. Siam Kitchen, a MUIS-certified Thai chain, lists a Smoked Salmon Lohei at S$38.90++ for Chinese New Year 2026, and Spice Village sells a halal-friendly salmon Prosperity Lou Hei in three sizes at S$38, S$68 and S$98. Certification can differ by outlet, so confirm the specific branch with the restaurant or on MUIS's halal directory before you order.
Yes. Vegetarian yusheng replaces the raw fish with extra vegetables, mushrooms, seaweed or nuts while keeping the sauces, crackers and the full toss, so the ritual and the auspicious phrases are unchanged. LingZhi Vegetarian lists a plant-based Prosperity yusheng at S$68 for six and S$88 for 10, and Peach Garden offers a pistachio and almond vegetarian version from S$78++. The cheaper set carries the same meaning, so going meat-free costs you nothing in symbolism.
Each ingredient has a four-character phrase you call out as it is added, before the final toss. Raw fish goes on with nian nian you yu for abundance, pomelo with da ji da li for luck, carrot with hong yun dang tou for good fortune, peanuts with jin yin man wu for a house of gold, and the crackers with man di huang jin for a floor of gold, among others. Everyone then tosses together on the call of lo hei, lifting the ingredients as high as they can, since a higher toss is said to bring a better year.
The modern seven-coloured yusheng was created in Singapore, debuting on the second day of Lunar New Year in 1964. Four chef apprentices, later known as the Four Heavenly Kings of Singapore's Cantonese cuisine, refined it for fragrance, colour and texture, and the communal lou hei toss was adopted by diners in the 1970s. Because it is a local creation, prices are set by Singapore restaurants and supermarkets rather than driven by import costs.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.