Golden and crispy, these Chinese dumplings, also commonly known as potstickers, are one of my favorite take out foods to make at home! The filling is so flavorful and juicy, and the technique is way easier than it looks.
Jessica’s Recipe Notes
This homemade Chinese dumplings recipe is one of my favorite things to make when I’m craving takeout but want something fresher and more flavorful. The filling is loaded with savory ground pork, crunchy cabbage, green onions, garlic, and ginger, creating a juicy, well-balanced bite every time.
The texture is what makes them extra special. You get a crispy golden bottom from pan-frying, soft and tender tops from steaming, and just the right amount of chew from the dumpling wrapper.
This recipe is easy to follow, even if it’s your first time making dumplings. I include step-by-step folding tips that make the process simple and stress-free. The filling is also super versatile. You can swap the pork for chicken, turkey, or even tofu for a lighter or vegetarian version.
They freeze really well too, so you can make a big batch and pull out a few whenever you need a quick snack or easy dinner. These dumplings are always a hit at my house and a great way to get the whole family involved in the kitchen.
What Are Potstickers?
Potstickers are Chinese dumplings made with wonton wrappers and a flavorful filling, often pork and cabbage. They are first pan-fried to create a crispy bottom, then steamed to cook the rest of the way. This gives them a crispy bottom with a soft, tender top.
According to legend, a chef once forgot about dumplings boiling in a wok and the water evaporated. The dumplings stuck to the pan but still tasted amazing, so the method became a tradition. The name potstickers comes from the Chinese word that means “stuck to the wok.”
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Below you will find helpful notes and substitutions for a few key ingredients for this Chinese dumplings recipe. Visit the printable recipe card below for ingredient amounts.
- Ground Pork: I like to use lean ground pork, it stays juicy without being greasy. You can easily swap in ground chicken, turkey, or even finely chopped shrimp. Sometimes I’ll also add 1/2 cup finely chopped raw shrimp to the ground pork mixture for a combination of both flavors.
- Napa Cabbage: Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage. I try to squeeze out any excess moisture after chopping to prevent my dumplings from being soggy. If you can’t find it, regular green cabbage or savoy cabbage will work just as well.
- Green Onions: Green onions bring a mild onion flavor and some freshness to the filling. If you are lucky enough to find them, you can also use finely chopped Chinese chives.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Fresh shiitakes are best, but dried ones can be used too, just rehydrate them in warm water before chopping. Baby bella or cremini mushrooms will also work just fine.
- Bok Choy: Bok choy gives a fresh, slightly peppery note and works beautifully with the cabbage. You can use either the leafy tops or the stems, finely chopped. If you don’t have Bok Choy, you can use extra cabbage instead.
- Bamboo Shoots: These add a mild crunch and classic texture found in many dumpling fillings. If you can’t find them, water chestnuts are a good substitute.
- Ginger: Always go with fresh if possible, but in a pinch, you can use ginger paste or even ground ginger. However, I recommend reducing the amount slightly to avoid overpowering the filling.
- Soy Sauce: I use low-sodium soy sauce, but tamari or coconut aminos are good substitutes!
- Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil gives the dumplings their signature nutty aroma and rich flavor. A little goes a long way. If you’re out, a few drops of chili oil or even neutral oil with a pinch of sesame seeds can provide a similar effect, though the flavor won’t be quite the same.
- Sriracha: While this is not a traditional addition to a Chinese dumpling filling, I like the flavor it adds! Feel free to skip it if you aren’t a fan of a little spice.
- Dumpling Wrappers: I use Nasoya wonton wrappers. In my local grocery store, they are sold in the refrigerated produce area and come in a large package. If you want to be more authentic and make your own, I recommend trying this recipe for the homemade wrappers from Steamy Kitchen.
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How to Make Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)
Making homemade Chinese dumplings is easier than you think! Just mix together the filling and get to stuffing your dumpling wrappers! Below is a quick recipe overview with some helpful tips for success. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full instructions.
Make the filling: Add all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. You can use your hands or a spoon, just make sure everything is well combined.
If Using A Round Wonton Wrapper: Add the filling to the center of the wrapper and slightly off set just a little to one side. Using your finger, wet the edge of the wrapper with water (this will help it to seal). Fold the wrapper over the filling to create a half moon shape, pinching the edges closed to seal.
If Using A Square Wonton Wrapper: Follow the above directions, but fold the wrapper over the filling to create a triangle shape, pinching the edges closed to seal. Then wet the two corners of the edges and fold them over the center, almost like the dumpling is hugging itself.
Pan fry the dumplings: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Lightly fry the dumplings until the bottoms are golden brown. Do not flip them to cook the other side!
Steam the dumplings: Add 1/3 cup of water, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, and steam the dumplings until the water has cooked away. Uncover and cook for another 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
Serve: Remove from heat and serve your dumplings with soy sauce and thinly sliced green onions!
Chinese Dumplings (Potstickers) Recipe
Ingredients
Pork Filling:
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
- 6 stalks green onion, minced
- 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried – rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
- ½ cup minced bok choy
- ½ cup minced bamboo shoots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha, optional (non-traditional but I like the flavor it adds!)
Dumplings:
- 36 wonton wrappers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- water, as needed
- soy sauce, for serving
- green onions, optional garnish
Optional Potsticker Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine
- 1 teaspoon chili oil or chili sauce/paste, to taste (optional)
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Instructions
Pork Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine all pork filling ingredients until well combined.
Form Dumplings:
- You will need a clean workspace, wonton wrappers, prepared pork filling, a small bowl of water, and chopsticks.
- Begin by filling the wonton wrapper with about 1 tablespoon worth of pork filling. Wet your finger, and run along the edges of the wonton wrapper. This will help to seal it closed. Don't overfill the wrappers. If you try to stuff too much filling inside they won't seal properly and some filling will escape during cooking.
- If your wrapper is round, fold the wrapper over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal. If you wrapper is square, fold the wrapper over the filling to create a triangle shape, pinching the edges closed to seal. Then wet the two corners of the edges and fold them over the center, almost like a little purse or envelope. Watch the recipe video below for help, if needed!
- Once you have filled the dumplings you can freeze them or cook and enjoy them fresh. See notes below for how to freeze the uncooked dumplings.
Pan Fry:
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet and place dumplings in an even layer. Potstickers get bigger as they cook so make sure there is plenty of room for the bottoms to cook evenly.
- Fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden brown. While the potstickers are cooking, gently lift one or two periodically to check for golden color.
- Add 1/3 cup of water and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook until the water has boiled away.
- Then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat. Serve with soy sauce, or potsticker sauce, and thinly sliced green onions.
Steam Only:
- Place dumplings in a steamer basket on a single layer of cabbage leaves or a piece of parchment paper and steam for about 8 minutes. Serve as desired.
Potsticker Sauce:
- Whisk together all ingredients and serve in a shallow bowl to dip your potstickers in! You can make this ahead and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Categories:
Serving Suggestions
I love eating these with a bit of soy sauce or potsticker sauce (recipe above) as an appetizer or side dish! Another favorite way to eat these is by turning them into a bowl of my easy wonton soup.
More Homemade Takeout Recipes To Try
- These pan fried noodles are exploding with flavor!
- Making crockpot sesame chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
- This Chinese BBQ pork recipe is so juicy and impressive.
- Bourbon chicken is ready in just 30 minutes!
- These chicken lettuce wraps are one of my all time favorites.
- You won’t be able to stop eating these Asian chicken meatballs.
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Thank you for your recipe! We doubled it and thinking about freezing them. Might not, Sooo good. We can just keep eating them!!!
I let the meat rest overnight. It really came together well.
First time ever making dumplings, made fresh dough and this recipe for the filling. Omg what a hit, everyone from family to work family loves them, said better than restaurant. Making again today with ground chicken
Thank you
Nearly perfect. Too much ginger for our taste (and we like ginger – just out of balance with other flavors). I’ll make these again and dial it back in half.
I teach a Kids in the Kitchen cook-along via Zoom once a month for my local library. The focus is on savory foods that kids can make for a family dinner. In February 2024, we’ll be doing potstickers in honor of the lunar New Year. I came across this recipe and it seems like a winner. The instructions on how to steam-fry are great, and there re many options for the filling. I’ll be doing a few test versions this week before I send out the link to the families who sign up. Thanks!
Respectfully, this is not helpful. Please post comments after completing the test versions so you can share results.
Yummy Yummy in my tummy
Just made this recipe, without bamboo shoots, as I couldn’t get any. But the flavour is awesome anyway. I did add a little bit of ground chilli. Perfecto!!
Thank you
Great recipe! Store didn’t have pork or bamboo shoots so I used beef and water chestnuts. I found 1tbs of filling to be a bit too much for square wrappers, but maybe it’s not for round? Made enough to use the whole package or wrappers and tastes great!
If you freeze them, do you thaw them out before you cook them?
Just wondering if pork is cooked enough to eat with a 15 minute cook time?
Yes, they should cook through, the dumplings are small and cook fairly quickly, even from frozen.
You can cook them from frozen! Or thaw! Either way works with these!
Wow!!! Wow!!! WOW!!!! Absolutely delicious!!!! Made this and my husband and I are so in love with this dumpling recipe! Thank you Jessica!!
These came out amazing! Thank you
I am not a commenter. I have to say I have been searching for years and THIS recipe is it. Seriously, if you landed here just stop looking. Its absolutely perfect. A thousand thank you’s. My kids and I ate 50 last night for dinner and we still have about 2 cups of filling left (which I will likely sneak and eat on my own)
So glad you all enjoyed it as much as we do! 🙂
These are absolutely amazing, not so keen on the dumping sauce it’s not bad but something is missing. But the dumplings,WOW! I may never order out Again.
melted into a mushy, gooey mess.
Hi Sohbet, what melted? The dumpling wrappers? What kind of dumpling wrappers did you use?
Would the filling be good to make eggg roles as well. How much filling would be needed for eggriole with egg role washer
Really enjoyed your post. I am dying to actually make them. I will keep in touch, some how….
Hi Doug! Eggroll filling is a different filling than dumplings. So I’d recommend googling a good egg roll filling instead. 🙂
I usea gingersauce for my Peking dumplings
I made these today but the won ton wraps were so small I went and bought the egg rolls wraps instead. They are delicious. I found the egg roll wraps at Target. I also cooked the meat first then added all the veggies and seasonings and sautéed for a little longer. Yum!
These pot stickers look and sound delicious. I would like to give them a try, but I can’t use corn starch due to corn product allergy. Would flour work in place of corn starch?
Hi Susan, yes you can thicken it with flour instead!
WHEN FREEZING
Do I prepare through assembly stage, then freeze and allow to come to room temp, before frying/steaming?
Or prepare full recipe and freeze?
So eager to try. Please respond.
Great thanks
Hi Lou! You can do either honestly. I prefer to freeze them after they are assembled, but before cooking. Then I do let them thaw and cook as directed!
How would I do the them in soup
You can add them to soup and bring to a boil them for 3 to 4 minutes, until the dumplings float to the top. I have a recipe for wonton soup using them if you would like to check that out too: https://thenovicechefblog.com/wonton-soup-with-homemade-dumplings/
I loved this recipe. I made my own wrappers which was fun and made it even more delicious. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with the world (and me)!
I just wanted to say, I’ve been making dumplings for years and I find it works best for me if I mix all the ingredients together and let it sit in fridge for a few hours before filling the dumplings. The cabbage wilts a bit, making it easier to wrap and the flavors get to meld .
I like it very much, and celebrate all cooking recepies very interestingly.
This looks wonderful (and easy). A question, please. What would you recommend to replace the mushrooms, & how much? Someone in our house has a severe mushroom allergy, and to keep the consistency & quantity of filling, I’m hoping for recommendations! Might water chestnuts or celery work, or are they too fibrous? Thank you!
I think either of those would work, but you could also do additional onion!