An easy potstickers recipe for one of your favorite take out foods! Also known as Chinese Dumplings, these homemade potstickers taste amazing!
Table of Contents
- Homemade Potstickers (aka Chinese Dumplings)
- What Are Potstickers?
- Why Are They Called Potstickers?
- What Are These Dumplings Wrapped In?
- How to Fold Wrappers for Chinese Dumplings
- What’s Inside These Potstickers?
- How to Make Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)
- Tips for the Best Potstickers
- How to Make Potsticker Sauce
- Serving Suggestions
- Can You Freeze Chinese Dumplings?
- Get the Recipe
Homemade Potstickers (aka Chinese Dumplings)
Hi, my name is Jessica and I am addicted to Chinese Dumplings, or as you might also know them, Potstickers!
Those little crispy pan fried bottoms and perfectly steamed filling/tops? Better get a double order of them, because I am eating them all! But this shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you, seeing as my other favorite dinner includes dumplings as well. Anyone remember my famous Chicken and Dumplings recipe??
Well guess what, I’m back with another fabulous dumplings recipe! This one is just Chinese instead of American!
We love to order Chinese take out a couple of times a month, when I need a night off from cooking dinner, and pork potstickers are always on our menu. Our whole family will actually fight over the last one! So I figured it was high time I learned how to make our very own Chinese Dumplings at home.
What Are Potstickers?
Potstickers are “steam fried” dumplings made with round wrappers and stuffed with flavorful fillings like pork and cabbage. They are medium sized dumplings that you can usually eat in two or three bites.
Potstickers are different from other Chinese dumplings in that they are lightly browned in oil first. Once they have a bit of color, then water is added to the pan, which is then covered so the dumplings can finish cooking in the steam.
Why Are They Called Potstickers?
According to legend, a chef intended to boil dumplings in a wok, but he walked away for too long and the water boiled off. The dumplings stuck to the wok and the wrappers crisped up – but they were still delicious, so this accidental cooking method became THE cooking method! This new kind of Chinese dumpling was called potstickers. (In Chinese the name for these dumplings literally means “stuck to the wok.”)
What Are These Dumplings Wrapped In?
Potstickers are wrapped in round Chinese dumpling wrappers. I am going to be honest with you…while I do make my own potsticker pork filling, I usually do not make my own homemade wonton wrappers for the dumplings.
Should I? Maybe. Especially if you want to be more authentic!
However, I do not have the patience or time for that with three kiddos running around. If you are like me and would like to use store bought dumpling wrappers, I use Nasoya round wonton wrappers. In my local grocery store, they are sold in the refrigerated produce area and come in a large package.
If you would like to go all out, I recommend this recipe for the homemade wrappers from Steamy Kitchen. They are great!
How to Fold Wrappers for Chinese Dumplings
Potstickers look fancy, but they are actually very easy to put together.
With the round wonton wrappers, you add the filling and fold them in half and pinch the edges together. This is the style that are most commonly seen from most Chinese take out restaurants when you order potstickers.
If you cannot find the round wonton wrappers, don’t fret! The square ones are just as good. I promise the dumplings will taste exactly the same! Just fold them into a triangle and then fold in the edges to make a little purse, just like I showed in the photos above.
What’s Inside These Potstickers?
For these potstickers, I prefer to use a 100% pork and vegetable filling.
Here’s what’s in my filling:
- ground pork
- Napa cabbage leaves
- green onions
- shiitake mushrooms
- bok choy
- bamboo shoots
- garlic cloves
- fresh ginger
- soy sauce
- corn starch
- sesame oil
- sriracha (optional – this is not traditional but I like the flavor it adds!)
Filling Variations
- Sometimes I’ll also add 1/2 cup finely chopped raw shrimp to the ground pork mixture.
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground pork.
Try these with different combinations to discover your family’s favorite and make this Chinese Dumplings recipe your own!
How to Make Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)
Chinese Dumplings are easier to make than you might think. Here’s how to do it:
- Make the potsticker filling: Just put all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Form the dumplings: Fill each wrapper with about a tablespoon of pork filling. Wet your finger in water, then run it along the edges of the wrapper. This will help keep it closed.
- If your wrapper is round: Fold the wrapper over the filling to create a half moon shape, pinching the edges closed to seal.
- If your wrapper is square: Scroll up to see step-by-step photos for folding square wrappers into dumplings.
- Pan fry the dumplings: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Lightly fry the dumplings until the bottoms are golden.
- Steam the dumplings: Add 1/3 cup of water, cover 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!
Tips for the Best Potstickers
These Chinese Dumplings are one of my absolute favorite recipes to make with my kids. Here are my top tips for perfect potstickers:
- 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.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan. Potstickers get bigger as they cook so make sure there is plenty of room for the bottoms to cook evenly.
- Check the bottoms for golden color. While the potstickers are cooking, gently lift one or two periodically to check for golden color.
How to Make Potsticker Sauce
You can serve potstickers with soy sauce, hot chili sauce (like Sriracha), or you can make a delicious homemade 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)
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.
Serving Suggestions
I love eating these with a bit of soy sauce as an appetizer or side dish! Another favorite way to eat these is by turning them into homemade wonton soup.
Can You Freeze Chinese Dumplings?
Yes! These freeze really well. I also included directions on how to freeze your dumplings in the recipe card below. They freeze great and make an easy quick freezer meal!
Chinese Dumplings (Potstickers) Recipe
Ingredients
Pork Filling:
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
- 6 stalks green onions, minced
- 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried – rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
- ½ cup bok choy, minced
- ½ cup bamboo shoots, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons 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 won ton wrappers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- water, as needed
- soy sauce, for serving
- green onions, optional garnish
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)
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 a tablespoons worth of pork filling. Wet your finger, and run along the edges of the wonton wrapper. This will help to seal it closed.
- 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, scroll up to view the step by step images of how I fold my dumplings into a little purse dumpling.
- Once you have filled the dumplings you can freeze them or eat them fresh.
Freeze Dumplings:
- Place the dumplings in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes.
- Then place in a ziplock baggie, where they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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. Fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden.
- Add 1/3 cup of water and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low.
- Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve with soy sauce and thinly sliced green onions.
Steam:
- 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.
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.
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