Chinese Dumplings Recipe (Potstickers) – Steaming hot potstickers are soft yet crispy, and perfectly irresistible. You’ll love this easy Chinese dumplings recipe with homemade dipping sauce!

Chinese Dumplings - A plate full of these delicious asian side dish/appetizer of potstickers

Easy Potstickers Recipe

Believe it or not, I learned to make Chinese dumplings on a coffee table in China over 25 years ago.

25 years?! Geeze!!

When I was 17 years old, and fresh out of high school, I had the opportunity to go overseas on a mission/study trip to the north western province of Xinjiang, China. We spent our days studying Chinese history and language, exploring markets and monuments, and making friends.

We spent the summer getting to know our new friends… Their thoughts on life and social issues, family history, and Chinese customs.

And of course, that eventually led us to food.

They were interested in traditional American cuisine, having heard of strange dishes like grits and stuffed turkey. And we were equally enamored by their day to day dishes, like traditional Chinese Dumplings a.k.a. Potstickers, also known as Jiaozi.

Chinese Dumplings - Dump these dumplings or potstickers into some soy sauce

Authentic Chinese Dumplings Recipe

We decided we would prepare a half-American half-Chinese feast together. So we went to the market in search of ingredients we could turn into something very American, which was quite a challenge in the remote town where we were staying.

We settled on fried chicken and home fries as the American portion, bringing back a whole chicken with its head still attached. I ended up with the task of beheading and cleaning the bird… My first experience with boning a chicken. Yet even with our limited ingredient options and lack of experience, our dishes turned out fairly well.

Our Chinese friends taught us how to make an authentic Chinese potstickers recipe, a dish they told us they always made at family gatherings.

We sat on the floor around a coffee table in a small apartment rolling out circles of dough and learning to properly crimp the Chinese dumplings… Laughing through our language barrier, smiling, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Today’s potstickers are the Chinese dumplings I was taught to make so many years ago, with soft pork and vegetable filling and a homemade 2-ingredient dough that blows wonton wrappers out of the water. And let’s not forget the spicy soy dipping sauce!

The meat filling before it is all mixed up to make potstickers

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the dough required in our Chinese dumplings recipe, you only need 2 ingredients: all-purpose flour and VERY hot water. Seriously, that’s it!

Of course, you could substitute the dough for store-bought wonton wrappers as so many do, but you really do lose something in taste and texture. Real Chinese potstickers are doughy, not like the thin wonton sheets.

Here’s what you need to make the classic pork filling:

  • Ground Porkor ground turkey
  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Fresh Ginger – grated
  • Garlicminced
  • Bok Choy – finely chopped
  • Water Chestnutsfinely chopped
  • Scallionsfinely chopped
  • Soy SauceI recommend low sodium
  • Sesame Oil
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Salt and Pepper

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce:

  • Soy Sauce
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Sesame Oil
  • Sugar
  • Garlicminced
  • Chile Garlic Sauce
  • Scallions chopped
  • Oil and Waterfor cooking

This sauce has exactly the right balance of salty, sweet, and spicy, and pairs perfectly with the fresh and savory flavors of the dumplings. I swear you’ll find yourself wanting to make this delicious potstickers recipe just as an excuse to have the dipping sauce.

How to Make Chinese Dumplings

While making a batch of potstickers can be a time-intensive task, the actual process is surprisingly easy.

In fact, if you make rolling and stuffing your dumplings a two-person job (or fun family affair as the Chinese do) it’s a pretty quick process.

First, here’s how you make the dough:

  • Place the flour in the food processor with scalding hot water. (Water can be from the tap if your water runs really hot.) Turn on the food processor and “knead” until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides.
  • Then “knead” in the food processor another 1-2 more minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest while you prepare the other components.

Next, make the filling and dipping sauce:

  • Place all of the pork filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix by hand until smooth, adding 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper towards the end.
  • Mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Warm the dipping sauce (in the microwave) to dissolve the sugar, whisking in between short bursts of heat. Then allow it to cool completely, and set aside until ready to serve.
  • After making the dough and filling, cut the dough into 50-60 equal little pieces. One by one, roll each piece of dough into a ball and then roll out flat on a well floured surface.
  • Then, place a teaspoon of pork and veggie filling in the center of the wrapper and fold up like a taco. Pleat and crimp the edges together to seal.

To cook the dumplings: 

  • Heat a large skillet with oil and pan fry the dumplings to create a crispy crust, and then steam them with a bit of water in the same skillet. Be prepared, the aroma that will waft out of the pan is utterly intoxicating.
  • Dip the warm potstickers in the homemade spicy soy sauce and swoon over your made-from-scratch Chinese dumpling masterpieces.

Get the Complete Printable Chinese Dumplings Recipe (Potstickers) + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!

Here are some handy photos of the dumpling-making process:

Tips & Tricks

  • They don’t have to look perfect! These take a lot of practice to make look good. They definitely don’t have to look perfect, just seal them enough so that the mixture stays in the middle!
  • Don’t cook them in too much oil, since you are adding water at the end to steam them. You want just enough oil to coat the pan. Then when you add the water, there will be a lot of sizzling. Just add the water and then immediately top with the lid so that the steam stays inside to further cook these pan-fried dumplings!
  • Serve with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauces!

Serving Suggestions

Serve these savory potstickers as a delicious appetizer with a little bit of soy sauce! Or turn them into a comforting wonton soup. If you want to make a Chinese-inspired feast, serve them with some of my favorites:

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can I Make This Gluten Free?

For those of you who are interested in a gluten-free potstickers recipe, check out our Paleo Chinese Dumplings!

Also try this Kung Pao Chicken Recipe from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts!

How Long Do These Leftovers Last?

Potstickers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can you make the dough without a food processor?

It’s easiest in a food processor. However, you can make the dough with a good electric mixer as well. Hope this helps!

How To Fix My Crumbling or Too Stiff Dough?

Try adding just a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is pliable, but still firm.

Can you boil these and if so would you cook the meat first?

I would not recommend boiling them. However, you can steam them in a traditional bamboo steam basket, or in a skillet with a shallow bit of water and a tight lid. Either way, cook for 5-6 minutes. There’s no need to cook the filling ahead of time.

Am I Able To Assemble The Chinese Dumplings Ahead Of Time and Freeze Them At All Before Cooking Them? 

We have frozen them a few times, uncooked, then sauteed a little longer than listed. The key is to freeze flat on a wax paper-lined baking sheet so they don’t stick together. Happy Cooking!

Chinese Dumplings Recipe - Final potstickers on a plate ready for consumption

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Chinese Dumplings Recipe + VIDEO

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Chinese Dumplings – Steaming hot potstickers are soft yet crispy, and perfectly irresistible. You'll love this easy Chinese dumplings recipe with homemade dipping sauce!
Servings: 50 dumplings

Ingredients

For the Potsticker Dough:

  • 4 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
  • 1 1/4 cups HOT water

For the Pork Filling:

For the Potsticker Dipping Sauce:

Instructions

For the Dough:

  • Place the flour in the food processor with scalding hot water. (Water can be from the tap if your water runs really hot.) Turn on the food processor and "knead" until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides. Then "knead" in the food processor another 1-2 more minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest while you prepare the other components.

For the Filling and Dipping Sauce:

  • Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix by hand until smooth, adding 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Warm the dipping sauce (in the microwave) to dissolve the sugar, then allow it to cool completely.
  • Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Press out into an even rectangle and cut the dough into 50-60 segments.
  • One at a time, roll the segments into a ball. Place each ball on a flour surface and roll into a flat thin circle 3 to 4 inches across. Don't worry about it being perfectly round, focus on thin! Then place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pork filling in the center of the circle and bring the sides up to pinch at the top, forming a taco shape. Gently fold the sides toward the middle forming pleats against the back side of the dough. Pinch each pleat down to seal. Place the finished dumpling on a floured baking sheet, and repeat, repeat, repeat. (At this point you could flash freeze some of the dumplings to save for later.)
  • Now place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Once it's hot, quickly place the potstickers down into the skillet to sear. Brown the bottoms for approximately 2 minutes, then quickly flip the potstickers and add about 1/2 cup warm water to the skillet–enough water to come a third of the way up the side of the potstickers. Cover and let the dumplings steam for 2-3 minutes, until the water has evaporated. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
  • Serve warm with soy dipping sauce.

Video

Notes

Potstickers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1dumpling, Calories: 75kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 56mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Vitamin C: 0.7mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.7mg
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Author: Sommer Collier
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