Homemade Chinese Pork Dumplings Recipe (Potstickers)
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Make homemade Chinese Pork Dumplings the easy way with our authentic recipe!
The dumpling filling is made with ground pork, Chinese cabbage, and a variety of flavorings and is a perfect appetizer for Chinese New Year!
Dumplings are a big part of Lunar New Year celebrations, symbolizing family togetherness. They also represent wealth and prosperity because of their crescent shapes, which look like ancient Chinese gold ingots.
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Chinese Pork Dumplings
Delve into the delicious world of Chinese cuisine with our recipe for homemade Chinese Pork Dumplings! (Also known as pork potstickers.)
We first shared this amazing dumpling recipe back in 2012 for our Year of the Dragon Chinese Banquet.
The juicy filling is a combination of tender minced pork, Chinese cabbage, aromatic ginger, and a blend of Shaoxing rice wine, sesame oil, and soy sauce, all wrapped in delicate dumpling wrappers—they’re a perfect savory bite!
Ideal for both special occasions and everyday meals, these pan-fried dumplings are a delightful mix of crispy and tender, offering a taste of authentic Chinese flavors.
Serve the dumplings as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, as a tasty addition to a bowl of soup (simply add them to some hot chicken broth), or as part of a main course with other Chinese dishes.
Whether you’re a seasoned cook or trying your hand at dumplings for the first time, this dish promises a fun and flavorful journey in every bite!
How To Make Chinese Dumplings
If you want the quick printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post to print it out. But for all the tips, keep reading!
Number of Servings: 18
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes
Step 1 – Gather Your Ingredients
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.
- Pork Mince/Ground Pork – This recipe could also be made with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Chinese Cabbage – Also known as Chinese Leaf, Winter Cabbage, or Napa Cabbage. This can be substituted for spinach if you can’t get cabbage.
- Fresh Ginger
- Spring Onions – Also known as Scallions or Green Onions.
- Dumpling Wrappers – Whether you use homemade wrappers or store-bought wrappers, they need to be round, as it makes folding the dumplings easier.
- Depending on your location, dumpling wrappers may be known as wonton wrappers, dumpling skins, Japanese gyoza wrappers, or potsticker wrappers. They are typically round and about 3.5″/9cm wide.
- Shaoxing Rice Wine – You may find this in your local supermarket, and you will definitely find this in Asian grocery stores—it is a key ingredient in many Chinese recipes! It’s what gives Chinese food its distinctive flavor.
- It is named after its city of origin—Shaoxing—and is one of China’s oldest and most popular rice wines.
- It is alcoholic, so if this is a concern for you, you can leave it out, but this will affect the flavor profile of your homemade dumplings. Replace it with some chicken stock/broth.
- If you are unable to source Shaoxing rice wine, you can substitute it with dry sherry, Japanese Mirin, or cooking sake.
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Light Soy Sauce
- Sea Salt
- Ground White Pepper – A quintessential spice in Chinese recipes. It has an earthier, spicier flavor than black pepper. Do not substitute white pepper for Black Pepper unless you really have to!
- Sesame Oil
- Sugar
- Groundnut Oil – Also known as peanut oil.
- If allergies are a concern for you, or you can’t source this oil (another common ingredient used in Asian cuisine), you can use another type of neutral oil, such as canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil.
- Do not get this confused with sesame oil, which is for dressing food rather than cooking with it.
- White Rice Vinegar – For the dipping sauce.
- Chili Oil – For the dipping sauce. For a sweeter sauce, substitute this for Sweet Chili Sauce.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Step 2 – Kitchen Tools
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping/Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowls
- Rubber/Silicone Spatula
- Large Nonstick Frying Pan or Skillet – With a lid. The dumplings are part fried/part steamed.
- Dumpling Press – While you can shape the dumplings by hand, a dumpling press is a handy tool if you need to make a lot of dumplings.
The complete ingredient list, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Step 3 – Make The Stuffing
Place the pork into a mixing bowl with the cabbage, fresh ginger, Shaoxing rice wine, dark and light soy sauces, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, sugar, and water, and mix well until combined.
Step 4 – Make the Dumplings
To make the dumplings, put a spoonful of the pork mixture into the center of the wrapper.
Use your finger to wet the edges of the wrapper with water.
Fold over and pinch the sides together to form pleats. They should be flat on one side and rounded on the other.
TIP! Do not overfill the dumplings with too much filling; you don’t want them to split when folding and cooking.
MAKE AHEAD! Preparing these dumplings for a party? Store in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.
Step 5 – Cook the Dumplings
Heat the groundnut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan (or large skillet) over medium high heat. Place the dumplings flat-side down in the pan and cook for two minutes or until golden brown.
Pour the water into the pan, cover with a lid, and reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 10-12 minutes. If the water dries out during this time, add some extra to avoid burning.
When the Chinese pork dumplings are cooked through, remove the lid and allow any excess moisture to evaporate and for the bases to return to their crispness.
Step 6 – Make Dipping Sauce
Make the dipping sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, white rice vinegar, and chili oil (or sweet chili sauce if you prefer a sweeter dipping sauce) to combine.
Serve with the dumplings and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
- Storing Leftovers:
- While these dumplings are best served fresh, if you have any leftovers, cool them (within 1-2 hours), transfer them to an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat the dumplings, steam them to reheat, then give them a quick pan fry to crisp up the bottoms again.
- Freezing Instructions:
- You can freeze uncooked dumplings.
- Place dumplings in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for a few hours until solid.
- Transfer them to freezer bags or freezer-safe containers and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Label with the dish’s name, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
- Defrost the frozen dumplings in the fridge, then follow the recipe card for cooking instructions.
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking
- You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Printable Chinese Pork Dumplings Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below. Please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Chinese Pork Dumplings (Potstickers)
Ingredients
For the Dumplings
- 18 Round dumpling wrappers
- 110 g/4 oz minced pork
- 75 g/3 oz Chinese cabbage finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- ½ Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry if you can’t find this
- ½ Tbsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1½ Tbsp finely chopped spring onions
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp cold water
For Cooking
- 1 Tbsp groundnut oil
- 75 ml/⅓ cup water
For the Dipping Sauce
- 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp white rice vinegar
- 2 tsp chili oil or sweet chili sauce
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Place the pork into a mixing bowl with the cabbage, fresh ginger, Shaoxing rice wine, dark and light soy sauces, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, sugar, and water, and mix well until combined.
- To make the dumplings, put a spoonful of mixture into the center of the wrapper. Use your finger to wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold over and pinch the sides together to form pleats. They should be flat on one side and rounded on the other.
- Heat the groundnut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Place the dumplings flat-side down in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Pour the water into the pan, cover with a lid, and reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 10-12 minutes. If the water dries out during this time, add some extra to avoid burning. When the dumplings are cooked through, remove the lid and allow any remaining water to evaporate and for the bases to return to their crispness.
- Make the dipping sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, white rice vinegar, and chili oil (or sweet chili sauce if you prefer a sweeter dipping sauce) to combine. Serve with the dumplings and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the appetizer, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Salad: Asian Cabbage Salad with Warm Spicy Peanut Dressing
- Main Dish: Kung Po Chicken
- Side Dish: Stir-fried Chinese Vegetables
- Beverage: Jasmine Iced Tea
- Dessert: Toffee Banana and Toffee Apple
More Appetizer Recipes
Want to make more appetizers for your gathering? Check out these recipes next:
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe
- Crispy Lemon Panko Fried Shrimp Recipe
- Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Look here for more: Appetizer Recipes
Michelle
February 12, 2012 @ 8:27 pm
So glad you tried them out Tish and that they came out yummy (in the end!).
I had trouble too with small wrappers – the solution for us? Buy bigger wrappers!
Tish
February 12, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
Mrs P, I tried this recipe (with a few disasters along the way, LOL) and the last batch turned out beautifully! Now for the disasters – used the last of the soy on the honey and soy chicken wings, thinking there would be more in the party, but no. Then, the pork mince was frozen! Luckily I had put the chicken wings in the oven already, so I broke up the mince into chunks, and just kept adding the ingredients (sans the soy), plus some chopped up straw mushrooms, lime juice and chili. I had the tiny round wrappers, so it was difficult to get a bite of filling squashed in and sticking closed. They all fried up really well, and I left them in until they were dark golden and almost bubbling, and then flipped them upside down in the simmering water, so the previously uncooked top was covered by the liquid, and the crunchy bottom was now the top. The first batch stuck to the bottom of the pan quite badly, but the second batch was perfect! And I made a dipping sauce of chili oil, lime juice and fresh coriander – OMG, YUM!!