25 Dumpling Recipes That Are Easy Enough to Make at Home
With Lunar New Year underway, we have dumplings on the brain. The Chinese word for dumpling represents the exchange between the old and new year, which is why they’re common at new year celebrations. Dumplings also symbolize wealth, since they’re traditionally shaped like silver ingots, an imperial Chinese currency. That said, there are lots of different types of dumplings from China and beyond to sink your teeth into, and some of them are simple enough to prepare at home. Here are 25 dumpling recipes to prepare for the Year of the Tiger (or any weeknight dinner), from traditional pork potstickers to unexpected sausage-and-egg breakfast dumplings.
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How to Make the Best Dumplings at Home
Assembling potstickers may feel intimidating at first, but these tips will make the experience easier (and more successful).
Keep the dough moist. The drier the dumpling skins get, the tougher they'll be to manipulate. Help them stay pliable and prevent tears by keeping a damp towel over the dough or wrappers as you work.
Don't overstuff them. Even if you get the dough to seal, an overstuffed dumpling will likely split open once it's in the pan. Only fill each skin about two-thirds of the way, so the dumplings stay in tact—and so you have plenty of dough for creating Insta-worthy pleats.
Chill the filling before wrapping. If you're working with meat, chilling it first will ensure a juicier final product. The fat won't render as quickly if it's cold when it hits the pan, meaning your wrappers will be less likely to tear or turn soggy, and the juices will stay inside the dough instead of seeping out. (Your filling should also be sturdy and bound together so it doesn't fall apart in the wrapper—you should be able to squeeze a little mound of it together in your hand without it breaking, like a meatball.)
If you're frying the dumplings, keep them as crispy as possible. Leave the crispy sides up in the pan and serve them that way, too. You should also never cover the skillet they're in, since steam will turn them soggy. Fry the dumplings in a nonstick skillet that has enough room for them to cook without touching or overlapping. Let them cook undisturbed over medium to medium-high heat for a few minutes so the bottoms brown evenly.
Draw the moisture out of your veggies. Whether you're using cabbage, bok choy or cucumbers, sweating watery veggies with salt before adding them to the filling will keep excess moisture from affecting your dumplings. Just thoroughly salt the vegetables and let them sit for about half an hour. Then, wrap them in a towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. Some cooks also use cornstarch or breadcrumbs to soak up extra water in the veggies.
Make them as flavorful as possible. Slightly over-salt the filling so it can hold its own against the unseasoned dumpling skins. (You can even cook a bit of the filling first so you can ensure it tastes good before spending time wrapping it.) Substitute chicken stock for water for both fried or steamed dumplings for a richer taste.
Choose the right wrapper. Whether you use store-bought or homemade ones, round wrappers are best for pleated potstickers since they give you more dough to work with, while square ones are ideal for wontons. Also be sure to seal them as tightly as possible to avoid air bubbles in the dumplings, which can cause them to split open in the pan.
Read on for our 25 favorite dumpling recipes to make at home.
1. Pork Potstickers
The best part about making potstickers at home? They freeze like a charm. Just place the uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze them overnight, then transfer them to freezer bags.
2. Japanese Gyoza
These dumplings stuffed with pork, cabbage, garlic and ginger won’t disappoint. (But we’d be lying if we said we weren’t most excited about the three-ingredient chili oil dipping sauce.)
3. Chinese Mushroom Dumplings with Sweet Chili Ginger Sesame Sauce
The secret to these vegetarian gems’ crispy bottoms? Dredging the dumplings in sesame seeds before frying.
4. Jiaozi Chinese Pan-Fried Potstickers
Yup, paleo dumplings are a thing—and they’re delicious. Instead of carby dough, these are wrapped in rounds of daikon radish.
5. Sesame Chicken Potstickers
We have a feeling your kids will be all over this sweet, sticky appetizer.
6. Vegetable Potstickers
Bring on the fresh produce. These dumplings boast bell peppers, button mushrooms, cabbage, scallions, garlic and onion.
7. Spicy Chili Oil Wontons
Sink your teeth into heavenly pillows of shrimp and ground pork, dunked in savory homemade garlic-chili oil.
8. Shumai (Chinese Steamed Dumplings)
If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, a regular stove steamer will work fine. Go the extra mile by topping them with flying fish roe.
9. Pork Dumplings
Assembling these cuties is as simple as putting a rounded tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper, folding it over to create a triangular pouch and pressing the edges together.
10. Shrimp Potstickers
Tender, mild shrimp is just the match for punchy grated ginger and herbaceous fresh cilantro.
11. Miso Dumpling Soup with Autumn Squash
These ground turkey dumplings have a delicious secret: red curry paste. Not only does it turn the flavor up a notch, but it keeps the meat nice and moist as well.
12. Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps
We seriously wouldn’t blame you for skipping the dumplings altogether and noshing on the fried garlic-Panko sesame seeds instead.
13. Pan-Fried Dumplings
Don’t sweat cooking the pork filling before stuffing the wonton wrappers. It’ll cook through in the pan once it’s fried.
14. Paleo Shumai
This dim sum favorite can be made low-carb by trading traditional wrappers for sweet cabbage leaves.
15. Chicken Potstickers
Feel free to add extra veggies to the filling, like mushrooms, bell peppers or broccoli. Chopped water chestnuts would be a great crunchy addition, too.
16. Pork-Shiitake Mushroom Potstickers
Dumplings 101: Don’t overfill the wrappers. If they're excessively stuffed, you'll miss out on the impressive pleats. Presentation is everything, no?
17. Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers
Sweet. Chili. Pomegranate. Sauce. Need we say more?
18. Chinese Pan-Fried Dumplings
You can find gow gee pastry wrappers at your local Asian market. Once they’re assembled, the dumplings can be steamed, fried or boiled in your favorite broth.
19. Spicy Chicken Potstickers
Want them to turn out even hotter? Add a drizzle or two of sriracha to the filling.
20. Paleo Har Gow Dumplings
This type of dumpling is famous for its translucent wrappers, which allow you to see the pink shrimp and green scallions nestled inside.
21. Crispy Sesame Ginger Potstickers with Chive Chili Sauce
BRB, going for a swim in the toasted sesame-chili oil alongside roasted peanuts and fresh chives.
22. Easy Dumpling Soup
Homemade soup in 15 minutes? You’d better believe it. (The key is starting with frozen potstickers.)
23. Chinese Pork Dumplings
Water and flour are all you need to make dumpling dough from scratch. Warm water aids in gluten production, which is key for soft, stretchy dough.
24. Shrimp Shumai
The addition of chopped lemongrass gives the dumplings a bright, citrusy, aromatic je ne sais quoi.
25. Sausage-and-Egg Breakfast Dumplings
Wanna know a secret? You can stuff just about *anything* into a dumpling wrapper, cheddar cheese and breakfast sausage included. Pass the sriracha ketchup, please.
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