30 Dumpling Recipes That Are Easy Enough to Make at Home

From gyoza to shumai

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Published Oct 26, 2023

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dumpling recipes: shrimp shumai with soy sauce for dipping

Spoon Fork Bacon

It doesn’t matter if we’re coming up on Lunar New Year or any old day of the week: We always have dumplings on the brain. BTW, the Chinese word for dumpling represents the exchange between the old and new year—that’s 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 tons of different types of dumplings from China and beyond to sink your teeth into, some of them easy enough to prepare at home. Here, 30 dumpling recipes to whip up for the Year of the Dragon (or any weeknight dinner), from traditional pork potstickers to shrimp shumai to unexpected sausage-and-egg breakfast dumplings.

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 intact—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, make 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’s roomy enough 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 any watery veggies with salt before adding them to the filling will keep excess moisture from affecting your dumpling recipe. 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, round wrappers are best for pleated potstickers since they give you more dough to work with, while square ones are ideal for wontons. 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 30 favorite dumpling recipes to make at home.

birthday dinner ideas: crystal dumplings

Healthy Nibbles and Bits

1. Gluten-Free Crystal Dumplings

Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Why I Love It: vegan, gluten-free, make ahead

Not only is this dumpling recipe gluten-free (the wrappers are made with tapioca and potato starches instead of the usual wheat), it’s also freezer-friendly to boot. And the zingy dipping sauce? *Chef's kiss.*

30 Dumpling Recipes That Are Easy Enough to Make at Home

From gyoza to shumai

How to Make the Best Dumplings at Home

1. Gluten-Free Crystal Dumplings

2. Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

3. Pork Potstickers

4. Japanese Gyoza

5. Chinese Mushroom Dumplings

6. Jiaozi Chinese Pan-Fried Potstickers

7. Sesame Chicken Potstickers

8. Vegetable Potstickers

9. Spicy Chili Oil Wontons

10. Shumai (Chinese Steamed Dumplings)

11. Pork Dumplings

12. Shrimp Potstickers

13. Miso Dumpling Soup with Autumn Squash

14. Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps

15. Pan-Fried Dumplings

16. Paleo Shumai

17. Chicken Potstickers

18. Pork-Shiitake Mushroom Potstickers

19. Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers

20. Chinese Pan-Fried Dumplings

21. Spicy Chicken Potstickers

22. Paleo Har Gow Dumplings

23. Crispy Sesame Ginger Potstickers with Chive Chili Sauce

24. Easy Dumpling Soup

25. Chinese Pork Dumplings

26. Shrimp Shumai

27. Shanghai Soup Dumplings

28. Pork and Kimchi Potstickers

29. Smash Gyoza

30. Sausage-and-Egg Breakfast Dumplings

Food Editor