The ultimate guide to making Chinese dumplings from scratch. The dough can be used for both boiled dumplings (shui jiao, 水饺) and potstickers (guo tie, 锅贴). The dumpling wrappers are tender and thin, with a silky mouthfeel.
In China, when we talk about dumplings, we’re usually referring to boiled dumplings (or shui jiao, 水饺). Not potstickers, not steamed dumplings, but boiled ones. We consider it a staple, a delicious alternative to rice and noodles. You might think boiled dumplings are not as tasty as potstickers. After all, potstickers have a nicely charred surface and crispy texture and look great, right? But to us, boiled dumplings are the ultimate comfort food that we eat every week. They’re super delicious if you make them the right way.
Boiled dumplings are moist and juicy. With a small bite of a dumpling, the hot and flavorful soup will drizzle from the filling. If you’ve ever tried Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao, 小笼包), you know what I’m talking about. The handmade dumpling wrappers are thin, tender, and delicious. The filling is well balanced with meat and vegetable, not too greasy, nice in flavor, and comforting. Everything works perfectly together to create a fulfilling, healthy, and hearty one-dish meal.
Boiled dumplings are also the most important dish for celebrating Chinese (Lunar) New Year in northern China. My family eats them on New Year’s Eve, when all the family members are gathered at home. It is a ritual comparable to that of the roast turkey at Thanksgiving.
The pronunciation of dumpling (饺子, jiao zi) phonetically also refers to the turning point between the old year and the new year. A dumpling is shaped like an ingot (the kind used as ancient Chinese money), and this shape symbolizes wealth. Eating dumplings is a way to bring good luck, so that everything goes well in the coming new year and that family can be together.
As for the fillings that can be used for boiled dumplings, the list never ends. Today I’ll give you a thorough introduction to making dumpling wrappers from scratch, wrapping dumplings, and cooking and storing them. So no matter which filling you prefer, you can always refer to this recipe to make dumplings. I will discuss dumpling fillings in another post.
Before diving into dumpling making, I need to warn you:
Why you should NOT cook boiled dumplings
- It’s not for beginners. Unlike potstickers and steamed dumplings, boiled dumplings require quite some skills to wrap so that they won’t fall apart during boiling. Unlike wontons, for which it is OK that they fall apart in the soup (because the soup is flavorful), a broken dumpling will lose almost all of its flavor. It will end up plain and tasteless.
- It requires a lot of work. To put it more precisely, it requires teamwork most of the time. One reason is that the wrappers will dry out really fast. So, unless you’re super fast, it usually requires two people for effective workflow – one person in charge of rolling the wrappers and the other person doing the wrapping.
- It’s time consuming. If you make steamed buns, you will find it only takes a few of them to make a filling meal. However, dumplings are small and super comforting, which means it’s easy for one person to finish 20 of them in no time. Thus, you will need to make a lot of dumplings.
If you haven’t closed the tab before reading this point, great! Let me explain:
Why you SHOULD cook boiled dumplings
- They are delicious and comforting. A properly made dumpling is really moist and even soupy. Compared to potstickers, their wrappers are thin and tender. The filling is very juicy and mouthwateringly good. It is the kind of comfort food that you’ll want to eat after an exhausting day at work, on a cold winter day, and when you feel under the weather.
- Teamwork is really fun and rewarding. You can get everyone in the family involved and cooking this dish together, making the cooking easier and faster. Each person will be in charge of one step of the process, and there is plenty of time for chatting and laughter throughout. Then everyone will enjoy the delicious dish that each person worked together to create. Sound good to you?
- It’s healthier and low in calories. Dumplings contain a good amount of protein, vegetables, and carbs, so they are a nutrition-balanced one-dish meal by themselves. Unlike potstickers, they don’t require any oil to grease the frying pan. So each dumpling contains fewer calories.
- It’s delicious. OK, I’ve said this once already. But it’s worth repeating!
Have I convinced you to cook some dumplings at home yet? If yes, keep reading.
Things you should take note of
- Let the dough rest enough. If you don’t have enough time, you can use the dough after it’s rested for 1 hour, at least. But the dough will be smoother and more springy if you let it rest longer.
- Make tougher dough. To make the dough work, it’s better to make it a bit tougher than softer. If the dough is too tough and difficult to roll, let it rest for 3 to 4 hours; it will become soft enough to work with. But if the dough is too soft, it’ll be difficult to wrap and the dumplings won’t keep their shape.
- Move fast once the wrappers are ready. Because they dry out very fast, and it will become difficult to seal the dumplings later. If you work solo, you can make small batches of wrappers (10 to 12) each time and fold the dumplings soon after. Or, you can work as a team. One person can roll the wrappers while the other person simultaneously wraps the dumplings.
- Cook or store the dumplings soon after they’re wrapped. The dumpling filling usually contains liquid from the vegetables, and this will make the finished dumplings moist. But if you let the dumplings sit too long, the moisture will be absorbed by the dough. This will cause the dumplings to fall apart during cooking. What you can do is to freeze each small batch you just wrapped before moving onto the next batch. Cook the frozen dumplings before servings, so their texture is as good as the fresh ones.
- Cook dumplings in small batches in a large pot. Cook 20 to 25 dumplings at a time, or fewer if the dumplings are larger, so the dumplings won’t stick to the pot.
- Never take your eyes off the pot when boiling the dumplings. This is the trickiest part. The whole boiling process will be less than 5 minutes. If you leave the dumplings to cook in the water a bit longer than they need, they will start to fall apart. Check the recipe below to see how to make sure the dumplings are cooked just right.
Here is a short cooking video about how to make Chinese dumplings.
What if I still want to cook potstickers?
That is OK, because the dough can be used for both boiled dumplings and potstickers. For cooking potstickers, the process from dough-making to dumpling-wrapping is exactly the same. You can refer to the “to cook potstickers” session in the recipe next page.
When you cook potstickers, it won’t cause a big problem if the dumplings aren’t sealed well. However, I still suggest you seal them carefully. If they fall apart during cooking, the liquid will spill and evaporate, and the finished potstickers won’t be as juicy or moist.
Also take note, this dough is not for steamed dumplings. For cooking steamed dumplings, you should use hot water to make the dough, so it will be tender after steaming. See my recipe for making steamed dumplings here.
More delicious dumplings recipes
- How to Make Chinese Dumpling Sauce
- How to Make Steamed Dumplings from Scratch
- Mom’s Best Pork Dumplings with Cabbage
- Chinese Beef Dumplings
- Homemade Vegan Dumplings
- Mom’s Best Lamb Dumplings
- Carrot Dumplings
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it #omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
How to Make Chinese Dumplings from Scratch
Ingredients
Dumpling Dough
- 500 grams (4 cups / 18 ounces) all-purpose flour (*see footnote 1)
- 265 milliliter (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 9 ounces) water (room temperature)
Dumpling filling (About 4 cups preferable dumpling filling)
Dipping sauce
Instructions
To prepare the dough
- Add flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the water into the bowl, mixing them together with a pair of chopsticks.
- When the water is mixed with the flour, dust both hands with flour and start kneading to form dough. The dough will be quite tough and should easily be able to be lifted from the bowl without sticking to the bottom.
- When dough has formed, dust the working surface with flour and dust hands again. Transfer the dough to the working surface and continue to knead it until its surface becomes smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Rinse a clean dish towel with water. Dust the bottom of a large bowl with flour and transfer the dough into it. Cover bowl with the damp dish towel and a lid (or plastic wrap). Let the dough rest for 2 hours. You can let the dough rest longer, 4 to 5 hours.
- After resting, the dough will be softened and have a smooth texture. Dust the working surface and your hands with extra flour and transfer the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough repeatedly for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough hardens again. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes (or longer).
- During this time, you can prepare the dumpling filling(s).
To make dumplings
- Dust the working surface again and transfer the dough onto it. Slice 1/6 of the dough off and place the rest back to the big bowl. Cover it with the damp dish towel.
- Roll the dough into a long stick, 2.5 to 3 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Use a knife to cut the dough stick into about 12 small doughs, each weighing 12 to 14 grams (0.4 to 0.5 oz) (*see footnote 2).
- Slightly dust both sides of each small dough with flour. Work on them one at a time.
- Dust the working surface again. Take one dough and press it to a round disc. Roll it with a rolling pin into a round sheet (refer to the video to see how). Try to roll it so that that the edge is thinner than the center. The wrapper should be about 1 millimeter thick (i.e. almost same as the thickness of a CD), and the diameter should be about 7 centimeters. It is ok if the wrapper is not perfectly round.
- Starting here, you should work as quickly as you can, because the wrappers will dry out quickly. And if they do, you will find it very difficult to seal the dumplings later. If the wrappers dry out when you start to fold the dumplings, brush a bit of water over the edge so you can still seal the dough.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon (or less, so you can easily fold the dumpling) of dumpling filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Hold the dumpling with one hand and start sealing the edges with the other hand (refer to the video to see how to fold a dumpling). Be careful, when you press the edges together to seal the dumpling, do not let filling touch the sealing area (the dumpling will fall apart if you do). After folding, press edge again to seal well. You don’t need to fold beautiful dumplings here; our goal is to make the dumplings hold their shape during boiling.
- Place the dumplings on the working surface and work on the rest of the doughs in the same manner.
- Try to wrap and cook dumplings in small batches (20 to 25 dumplings at a time). If you won't cook dumplings soon after wrapping (within 30 minutes), freeze them first (refer to the session "to store dumpling" below). If you want to know the reason, read the session of "Things you should take note of" above.
To cook boiled dumplings
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Carefully add dumplings one at a time into the water. Use a big ladle to stir the water gently and continuously, until the water starts to boil again, so the dumplings won’t stick to the bottom, for about 1 minute. Adjust the heat so the water is at boiling point, but isn’t bubbling too fiercely.
- When the dumplings float to the surface, continue boiling until the dumplings are filled with air and swollen, and the dough starts to become transparent, about 1 minute (*see footnote 3). Immediately transfer all the dumplings to a plate.
- (*) Be careful, the dumplings cook quickly and you should always stand beside the pot throughout the boiling process. When the dumplings are cooked, they will start to fall apart within seconds, so transfer them as soon as possible.
To cook potstickers
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, place potstickers in the skillet, pleat side up.
- Swirl 2 tablespoons water in the skillet, cover immediately, and turn the heat to medium. Cook covered until the water is evaporated and potstickers are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the cover and flip one potsticker to see whether the bottom side is charred. If not, turn to medium high heat and cook until the bottom side turns golden brown.
- Transfer the potstickers to a plate.
To serve dumplings
- Option 1: Serve with Chinese black vinegar and a few ginger slices.
- Option 2: Serve with 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar + 1 teaspoon light soy sauce + 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.
- Option 3: Serve with Chinese black vinegar and a few drops fresh Chili oil.
To freeze raw dumplings
- If you plan to store dumplings or won't serve them immediately, always freeze them uncooked. It won’t affect the texture or flavor of the dumplings.
- Dust the bottom of a big airtight box with a thin layer of flour. Place the dumplings, one finger’s width apart. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To cook frozen dumplings
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dumplings into the water. Use a big ladle to stir a few times. Cover and cook until the water starts to boil again. Adjust the heat so the water will keep boiling without spilling. Cover and cook for 3 minutes (up to 5 minutes for bigger dumplings). Uncover pot. Continue to cook for about 1 minute (up to 2 minutes for bigger dumplings), until cooked through. Transfer to a plate immediately.
To store and reheat cooked dumplings
- Store leftover boiled dumplings in airtight container in the fridge and consume as soon as possible, within 1 to 2 days.
- To reheat in microwave - Add dumplings into a bowl and sprinkle with a few drops of water. Cover and heat until warm.
- To reheat by steaming - Place dumplings in a bowl. Place a tall-rimmed plate upside down in a pot and add water to cover. Place the bowl of dumplings on top. Heat over high heat until water is boiling. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- To pan fry - Grease a nonstick skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat over medium heat. When skillet is hot, add dumplings. Swirl in a tablespoon of water, cover immediately, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Notes
- Make sure you sift the flour into the cup and level it with a chopstick. If you scoop the flour with the cup directly, you will end up with 1/3 too much flour.
- This recipe makes relatively small dumplings. They are easier to wrap and work better for fillings that contain more moisture. Depend on the filling you use, you can also make slightly bigger dumplings.
- The cooking time here is just for reference. Actual cooking time will depend on the heat, the type of stove you use, the size of the dumplings, and the type of filling.
Happy New Year Maggie! I love dumplings, but always eat them out! Love the tips and of course the video, so helpful! Pinned!
Maggie, You were not kidding by saying “the ultimate guide to making dumplings.” WOW! Fantastic technique on rolling the dough and I was fascinated there was no need to wet and seal them. You make this look effortless, yet having made these numerous times I know what a labor of love these are. Fantastic post and photos! Thanks!
Thanks Kevin! When you use fresh dough, you can easily seal the dumplings without wet the dough. For my family, it’s the only way we use for boiled dumplings. The pre-made wrappers are better for potstickers, but they don’t work so great for boiled ones. It’s a lot of work, but totally worth the time and effort 🙂
Happy New Year, Maggie! Your dumplings are absolutely perfect! This is such an amazing tutorial too! Hope you are having a wonderful time celebrating with your family! Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
Oh… my… gawd! Maggie, these dumplings look and sound AMAZING! Happy New Year, btw! What a fabulous way to celebrate! I love all of your fabulous tips and your pictures are incredible! Next time I make dumplings, I am definitely following your recipe!
Maggie, oh my gawd girl! you made the dumpling wrappers from scratch!!! Whoa!!! I am amazed!!! These look fabulous and are beautiful! Happy Chinese New Year!!!
新年快乐!!! Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy Chinese New Year! Amazing handiwork, you are such a pro! Fast and perfect are your little delicious shui jiao. We love shui jiao too as it is so comforting and a perfect way to bring in the new lunar year. So now here is the question of the day, how many dumplings can you eat at one sitting? My boys can easily eat 30 of them per teenager… I would need to recruit more help to make these from scratch! You are such an inspiration as I bet your handmade wrappers taste so much better than the ones from the wet market and the texture is just gorgeous! Your videos and step by step process are so helpful and I am sure we all need to bookmark this one to try later. Sharing everywhere, of course!
Hi Bobbi, thanks so much for all the kind words!
Oh, I can easily eat 30 dumplings at one sitting too! You need to tell everyone in the house to help, if you need to make these from scratch. Because you’ll need to make a lot! We make dumplings every year, from scratch of course. It’s amazingly fast when 3 or 4 people make them together 🙂
Xin Nian Kuai Le! And have a great weekend!
Once again, such an amazing post, Maggie! I CAN NOT wait to try this!!!
Hi Maggie,
Happy New Year! I love steamed dumplings. I have been wanting to try making them myself. I love how detailed your notes and recipe are! Even though the dumplings look like a lot of work, I enjoy such challenges (when I have time!), so I would love to try your recipe.
It would be wonderful, if you would post a recipe for pork filling for the dumplings, also.
Hi Kim, thanks and Happy New Year! I’m so glad to hear you like this recipe.
I have a pork and shrimp filling here => http://104.236.198.25/recipes/san-xian-potsticker-with-pork-shrimp-and-shiitake-mushroom
It is a recipe for potstickers, but the filling can be also used for boiled and steamed dumplings. Hope this is helpful 🙂
Happy cooking!
Hi Maggie I would like to know the processes and ingredients for the filling Thanks.
Hi Bethel, you can find dumpling fillings here:
Pork and cabbage: https://omnivorescookbook.com/pork-dumplings/
Lamb and zucchini: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/moms-best-lamb-dumplings
Carrot and egg: https://omnivorescookbook.com/carrot-dumplings
Happy cooking!
So informitive and just what I’ve been looking for.
loved it
I really enjoyed your post. I would love to try making the dumplings. I tried potstickers this week, and was very pleased with the way they turned out.
My husband spends alot of time in Shanghai, and I went with him one time. The lines we saw at the dumpling places was something to see.
I hope to see a post for the filling of the dumplings.
Ruth
Hi Ruth, thanks so much for leaving a comment and I’m glad to hear the potstickers turned out well!
So far I have two dumpling filling recipes.
Ground lamb with zucchini and carrot: http://104.236.198.25/recipes/moms-best-lamb-dumplings
Ground pork, shrimp and mushrooms: http://104.236.198.25/recipes/san-xian-potsticker-with-pork-shrimp-and-shiitake-mushroom
Is there a specific filling recipe you’re looking for? (For example, a filling with beef, chicken, shrimp or vegetarian?) Let me know and I can develop a recipe for you 🙂
thanks for this post! Would love to see a post for the steamed dumplings! Thanks!
Hi Linda, thanks for leaving a comment and the suggestion! I’d love to write a post about steamed dumplings. Will keep you updated 🙂
Thanks for this walk through Maggie! I always have a problem getting my dough thin enough, but now I’m going to try your technique! Wish me luck! 🙂
Good luck Pamela! Making dumplings do require a lot of patience and practice. I hope you’ll nail the dough and create mouthwatering dish!
Do I have to let the dough set? Will it turn out differently if I just use the dough right after and I make it and knead it? And I looovvveee this tutorial! So thorough and they look delicious!
You need to let the dough to rest so it will get tender enough to roll out. Otherwise you’ll find it very difficult to roll into a thin sheet. Also, resting the dough will let the flour and water corporate thoroughly, so the dough will become smooth and taste better after cooking. If you’re in a hurry, you can rest the dough for 30 minutes the first time, knead it again, and rest for another 30 minutes. I hope this is helpful! Let me know how the dumplings turn out 🙂
Hi Maggie,
Can we used boiling water instead of room temp water to make the dough?
Thanks.
Foqing
You will be making a different dumpling dough (for steamed dumplings, not boiled) if using boiling water.
If you want to learn the boiling water dough, here is a recipe: http://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/
Looks so yummy!! I love all your tips for the dumpling skin. So helpful! Do you happen to have a good vegetarian dumpling recipe? We have some friends who are vegetarians and I’d love to be able to offer them dumplings too.
Thanks!
Hi Amy, I actually have two vegetarian dumpling recipes and I’ll write about them soon. When we’re cooking vegetarian dumplings, we usually make it to buns or steamed dumplings. They are bigger in size and easier to wrap. I will let you know when I post the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear you like my recipe and enjoy cooking them! They are so time consuming to make, but the result is definitely rewording 🙂
Maggie:
I will definitely be making these. Love Lamb!
They will be the perfect dish to christen my new wok. It’s cast iron and I can’t wait to use it!
Can I ask where you got your wall hanging? It is really beautiful.
What does it say?
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Hi Charlie, I got my wall hanging back in China. It is a blessing for good fortune. I haven’t seen these in Asian market, but I found very similar ones on Amazon: http://amzn.to/243ldtT
I’m so glad to hear you like the dumpling recipe! I like lamb a lot because it makes the dumpling filling very flavorful. Happy cooking and let me know how the dish turns out 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
Can make the dumpling and freeze it for 1week in the freezer ?
Or can I make the dumpling skin and freeze it? I think it take longer time to make the skin (need time to rest the skin) ?
Pls kindly reply
Thank you
Hi Janet, yes you can make the dumplings ahead and freeze them, up to a month. I won’t suggest pre-make dumpling skins, since the fresh ones are much easy to wrap. Happy cooking and hope the dumplings turn out great 🙂
Wow.. Amazing guide. Thank you so much for the effort you have put in for all this.. now I know how to make Chinese Dumplings!!!
I’m glad to hear the post is helpful Mercy! Happy cooking 🙂
Fantastic Details. Love your tips & info. Well done!
I make my dumplings from scratch too! But I LOVE your photos and direction.
I have been making from scratch since I was a little kid with my parents. But I find that using a kitchenaid with the kneading attachment and the pasta attachment (to flatten dough) makes the process super easy. And I use a Stainless Steel Round form (like a biscuit cutter) to cut it into identical sizes.
I usually make 60 or so dumplings in one sitting by myself. I use wax paper with flour and baking dishes to cover the finished skins so they don’t dry out.
Hi Juliette, glad to hear you like my post! It is interesting to hear about your experience of making dumpling wrapper by using KitchenAid. I’ve never used the KitchenAid pasta attachment but I tried it with a traditional pasta machine. My problem is, sometimes I found dumpling dough is bit too tender to roll out through a pasta machine. I always thought dumpling dough is supposed to be tenderer than pasta dough, otherwise the dumpling will turn out tough. Seems like I was wrong! Do you use the KithcenAid to make cold water dough or hot water dough? Or is it possible to do both? Now I’m super intrigued and want to buy the KitchenAid attachment to try out!
It works really well! i use flour on the roller itself so it doesn’t stick. and instead of the cold water (like you use), I use boiling water in my dough. I haven’t tried cold water, but will try on my next batch.
Using the roller doesn’t impact the quality at all. I do knead it a lot though.
I usually make the dumplings by myself, so i really don’t have the time to roll them out by hand.
I definitely suggest you give it a try and see what your thoughts are 🙂
Thanks for your prompt reply Juliette! When I make dumpling dough I use the cold water dough for boiled dumplings and hot water dough for steamed dumplings. It’s just the way my mom taught me. I think cold water dough might work even better, because the dough is usually tougher.
Me too, I make dumplings myself and I don’t like the packaged wrapper at all. I usually prepare a whole afternoon, make a huge batch and freeze them. So happy to know I can make them faster now! Rolling by hand is too time consuming.
Will keep you updated once I try it out 🙂
Would this work with spelt flour?
Hi Belsante, I’ve never cooked with spelt flour before. From what I read online, you can use white spelt flour to replace all-purpose flour. If you’re using whole spelt flour, you probably need to use a different flour water ratio and the dumpling might come out a bit tough. The article also mentioned the gluten in spelt flour is more fragile, so you should knead it gently to prevent it from over-kneading. I would test it by making a small batch if using whole spelt flour.
Merci Maggie, tes recettes sont extra. J’adore ta cuisine.
De rien Lucie. Je suis tres heureuse de l’entendre 🙂
This is a great recipe, I can’t wait to make these for my family.
One question though: When I had these in Tianjin, the dumplings were served in bowls of water, the water they served it in was delicious, you could drink it, it was so salty and full of flavour, would they have added things to the water? or was that simply the result of boiling the dumplings in that water?
Hi Liam, we usually serve the dumpling water separately, by itself. It is usually plain, or seasoned with just a pinch of salt. If the broth you tried was flavorful, it is probably a broth (maybe chicken and / or pork), some soy sauce, and sesame oil. To make a quick broth, you can use this recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/soy-sauce-noodles (and of course replace the noodles with dumplings).
Happy cooking and hope your dumplings turn out great 🙂
Hi Maggie,
This is the best explanation and detailed ever.
Thanks for sharing.
You’re the most welcome Indra! happy cooking 🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderfully descriptive write up! I’m at the store and they don’t have any papers… So as I already promised friends we could make them tonight I was googling and found your recipe 🙂
Lots of tips also on the dumpling mistakes I have been making… I’m excited to try your technique!
Will have to check out more of your blog – I love cooking Chinese food too.
can I steam the dumplings instead?
Hi Sinita, this recipe is designed for boiled dumplings. If you want to make steamed dumplings, please refer to this recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/
Happy cooking and looking forward to hearing your feedback!
I have a question: Can this dough be used also for steamed dumplings? maybe doing it a little thinner?
Thank you!
Hi Catarina, I highly recommend this recipe for steamed dumplings: https://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/
This dumpling dough is designed for boiled dumplings, and it will turn quite tough if you steam them.
Happy cooking and I hope the steamed dumpling recipe works for you!
Made these and they turned out wonderful! Only wanted to do a small batch since it was my first time, so divided the recipe by 5 and got about 8 dumplings out of it. Also was a bit impatient and formed them only after waiting 40 mins for them to rest. Next time will definitely try for longer.
Hi very good recipe and all but in your video your not showing dumpling stuffing how to make and what is the main Ingredients for stuffing
Hi Maggie,
Can you refrigerate the dumpling dough overnight and form the dumplings the following day? Or does it all have to be made the same day?
Thank you
Hi Joanna, yes, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. It will get quite soft the next day and you might need to knead it a few minutes to bring it back before rolling out.
Happy cooking!
I made a double portion of this, and it was a big hit! Definitely upped my Chinese street cred. I made these in winter, so the dough definitely took 4-5 hours to soften up. At the 3 hour mark I was a bit panicked since guests were going to arrive and help make these, but by the 4 hour mark, they were much better. In the past, my parents would use boiling water, which speeds up the resting process significantly (1 hour). Serious Eats offers similar directions. However, I would say that with the boiling water technique the dough does come out softer, and has more of a tendency for the pinched seams to open back up. With these, they stayed perfectly sealed before cooking. Also, really follow the directions about boiling 20-25 dumplings at a time for no more than 3 minutes (room temp) or 5 (if frozen). I did one batch per directions (great!) and another mom took over and put in 50-60 dumplings in the pot. That took much longer to cook, and in that time many dumplings fell apart. The potsticker version is also fantastic, and the skins held up perfectly.
Thanks!
Hi Maggie, can i refrigerate the wrappers to make potstickers some other time? or use this dough recipe to make bulk wrappers for potstickers. Do you have recipe for wonton skin too?
I haven’t tried your receipt yet but I will soon! I live out in the county away from a town that has required ingredients. 🙂 My son has a girlfriend that is oriental decent and they made Chinese dumplings! They were WONDERFUL!!!!! We have a Chinese restaurant in town and they have fried won tons!! I had to learn how to make some!!!! After having the dumplings I have to make some of them!! They make a big batch of them and freeze them. I look forward to see your other recipes!!!! Dorene
My 2 young grandsons want me to make “chinese dumplings” – they have seen a picture in their Chinese classroom in MN. BUT they are asking if I can make them without meat, fish or vegetables! They Want Cheese! Have you ever heard of such a thing, and would you be able to advise me what to do? If not, I will follow your Great Video and experiment with a “cheesy” filling. Thanks!
Hi Maggie thanks for the dumpling recipe, Will the try out the recipe
Looks like a easy solution and value of deliciousness can fulfill my expectations Let me try.
My daughter (7) has fallen in love with Grace Lin’s books, most recently Dumpling Days, and now REALLY wants to make dumplings (there’s a recipe in the back of the book). I’m a decent cook, but I have no experience making dumplings and fear it may be too difficult for us. Can you recommend something similar, but easier, that would be a fun introduction to Chinese cooking for kids ? Thank you!
To preface, I have sever Celiac disease, which means zero gluten tolerance. That said, someone said that the dough can be made with rice flour. If so, would please tell me that recipe? (BTW, Found this one on Pinterest.)
Unfortunately, I haven’t able to develop a great gluten-free dumpling wrapper recipe and it’s still a work in progress.
Whatever dumpling skin recipe you end up using would probably have some combo of rice flour w/ another springy or chewy one, like sweet rice flour or tapioca starch (or arrowroot). Otherwise, the texture’s just kinda hard and lacks that bounce.
I’ve already made this recipe (with a friend’s filling: carrots, fried eggs, green onions, parceli and ginger…yum yum !) and I’ll continue using it because it is easy and SOOOOOO very good !! Thanks for sharing it ! ^^
Thanks for teaching me how to make Chinese dumplings! Your WRITTEN instructions were helpful beyond words.
Videos are “quick”, but don’t inform sufficiently. Being Jewish, I’ve always enjoyed KREPLACH [Jewish filled dumplings made with eggs & olive oil & flour]. I now have a much greater appreciation for the love & labor involved in creating filled dumplings of any kind. But…the effort is totally worth it! I now understand Chinese dumplings thanks to you. Thanks again, Joram.
Hello! We just returned from our first visit to China and I am going to try to make dumplings. In Shanghai, they had a soy sauce vinegar mix, is that with black vinegar? And I believe cilantro and fresh garlic. Also…how do you make the dumplings that have the soup in them? If I succeed at the regular ones!
Hi Heather, I’ve never tried the soy sauce vinegar mix, but if it’s a dumpling sauce, it’s usually made with black vinegar.
I’m going to share a soup dumpling recipe soon, stay tuned! 🙂
Excellent giude Maggie.
Made these with the addition of chili and fennel in the filling and had a home made mexican salsa as an additional dipping sauce when seerving. I guess this is some kind of law breaking but it tasted good.
Also serve them on top of some steamed pak choi leaves.
Very tasty in deed, a new favourite that will return many dinners to come.
Hello , Im a culinary teacher at a high school and we are going to celebrate the new year with some of your recipes.
iWe will me making the dumpling. I will post pics if you would like.
I want to make them before my students do but I am gluten free. Could I use rice flour or something else.? My students will AP flour but I so want to eat them… thanks for this amazing recipe.
Hi Kathrin, I’m afraid you cannot use rice flour or other gluten-free flour for this recipe. There are some dim sum recipes that use gluten-free flour, but the cooking methods are totally different. I’d love to share some gluten-free options in the future but I’m afraid I don’t have any right now.
Maybe look at some other websites that have gluten-free dumpling wrapper recipes.
Hi thanks so much for the detailed recipe. Am planning to make for our cny eve dinner tmr. I wanted to check how many grams is 4 cups of filling.
Thanks a bunch ! 🙂
It was perfect the first time. This is very really unique helpful information.I learn so much from you as well! Thank you so much for sharing your helpful information. Keep it up.
Habs heute ausprobiert war echt super lecker. Jedem hat es sehr gut geschmeckt und das machen hat auch spaß gemacht. (I had tried it Today and it was super delicious. Everyone thought it is verry good in Taste and the cooking was a lot of fun too.)
Maggie! I made dumplings from scratch finally! And they were delicious!
Thank you so much for such a comprehensive guide. I spent an unreasonable amount of time researching how to make dumplings from scratch and your instructions made the most sense and explained everything the most clearly. I’m glad I took your advice to let the dough rise for a good length of time (5 hrs first rise, 1 hr second rise, 50% due to bad time management), because it made the dough very easy to work with. The first few were very touch and go and rather large lumps, but the last few were perfect. I also found I’d developed new muscles on my forearm when I woke up the next morning 😀
What advice would you give for folks who want to make dumplings earlier in the day? Could the first rise be done in the fridge overnight? Thanks again for all you do!
Forgot to review!
Great recipe easy to follow! My 6 year old made these today and they were amazing! We even posted them on his Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-IFOanhSzKuHh0MRf5_0-zypM8RZkZ9CS1ISQ0/?igshid=1i3hnlsd3fcmt
Maggie I need to now what is the ingredients of dumpling
I have a few dumpling filling recipes here:
lamb http://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/moms-best-lamb-dumplings
pork http://omnivorescookbook.com/pork-dumplings/
beef http://omnivorescookbook.com/beef-dumplings/
vegetable https://omnivorescookbook.com/vegan-dumplings/
Hope this is helpful and let me know if you have other questions!
Hi Maggie – thank u for such an informative post 🙂 I got 60 dumplings out of the recipe, each made of about 12g of dough but I found that my dumplings seem to have a lot more dough per dumpling than your photos? Also – the meat filling I used didn’t cook in the time specified (looked about the same quantity as your pics, 1/2 tbsp filling per dumpling, maybe bit more). Any tips?
Cheers!
B
Hi Bianca, my mom helped me made these dumplings back when I was in China. She’s very skillful and can roll and wrap with thin dumpling wrappers. (My dumplings use more dough than hers.) I think that might be the cause of shorter cooking time in my recipe.
Dumpling cooking time varies a lot, depending on the size etc. The best way is to observe, cooking until the skin turns transparent and the dumplings start to swollen. If your dumplings use a bit more dough, it might take a bit longer to cook through. You can try cover the pot (and leave a small gap so the water won’t spill) after adding the dumplings, that will help the filling cooking a bit more. Then uncover the pot after the dumplings floating to the top.
These dumplings turned out delicious! They weren’t the most beautiful looking, because it was my first time doing them. Comforting and tasty nonetheless.
I filled the dumplings with carrot filling without bamboo, replaced some of the carrot with cabbage and used campions instead of shiitake. It worked great texture-wise. Had to work with what we had at home since I live in Finland and I did these during corona quarantine.
There was left over dough, because the recipe for carrot filling wasnt quite enough. I wonder if I could make Sujebi out of the leftover dough.
Very informative and helpful recipe, thank you!
I so want to make this a staple in my cuisine for my family as well as attempt the team effort😳🙏🏽!
Very Excited. Thank you 😊
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! So excited to try it! Wondering if we can store the dumpling wrappers if we’re not wrapping the dumplings immediately. If so, how?
Hi Samantha, you can store the dumpling dough by cover it with plastic wrapper and store in the fridge, but I don’t recommend store the wrappers.
The dough is designed for boiled dumplings and is quite soft. To store the wrappers without sticking together, you need to dust a lot of cornstarch on both sides so you can stack them. That will affect the texture and the wrappers will become more stiff.
I’ve never made or eaten them before always saw it on television and wanted to make them so finally got the chance and loved it! It was easier than I thought it would be still need to practice the folding ro look more pro.
hi…. i was wondering if i can just make the dough a little softer in the begging and not use a wet cloth to cover …. would it be possible?
and can u suggest me chicken filling for dumplings which have chinese taste but are halal….?
For the filling, I’m thinking of using this recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/san-xian-potsticker-with-pork-shrimp-and-shiitake-mushroom#wprm-recipe-container-15302 – this recipe says it requires 40 dumpling wrappers.
Does that mean that if I halve the recipe on this page for the dough, it would be the correct “dough : meat filling” ratio?
Thank you for this!
Yeah, if you halve the dough, it should be about the correct ratio, maybe a bit dough left.
Looks great
hi there
I would like to know the dough with boil water or cold
Thank you
Hi Shaina, this dough uses cold (room temperature) water. It’s for water boiled dumplings.
I have another dough using hot water: http://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/ This one is for steamed dumplings and potstickers.
First timer and it turned out perfectly! Used Mom’s Best Pork Dumpling as the filler. It was a lotta tasty fun with friends. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes and explaining them so well!
This was my first time making Shui Jiao (though I’ve eaten 1000s of them, especially during my abroad study in Hangzhou, years ago. I will admit mine were not the most beautiful dumplings I’ve seen, but they came out delicious and my family couldn’t get enough! I love how detailed the instructions are, and the video helped a lot. Next time I’m gonna solicit help wrapping them, though. The whole process was almost 5 hours by myself in the kitchen. It was fun though! Thank you.
Cooking Frozen Dumplings. Pan fried dumplings are a favorite of mine. With your excellent, detailed directions I feel confident to try this. I need to make them tomorrow but they wont be serveduntil the following day. Should I make them and freeze them for 1 day. Or should I cook them after making them and reheat the next day? If the answer is to freeze, how do I cook them pan fried (the directions for cooking frozen ones only talks about boiled ones.) Thanks!
If you plan to pan fry the dumplings, I highly recommend you to make the steamed dumpling dough: http://omnivorescookbook.com/steamed-dumplings/
It’s more suitable for pan frying, creating crispy texture without turning tough.
This dough is made exclusively for boiled dumplings so I didn’t include the cooking frozen pan fried dumplings.
Re your question – you should freeze the dumplings if you plan to serve them the next day. The filling contains a lot of moisture and it will penetrate the wrapper and make the dough soggy if not cooking immediately after wrapping.
To pan fry the frozen dumplings, heat a bit oil in a nonstick pan, spread the dumplings and pour in a small cup of water (1/4 to 1/3 cup). Cover to steam for a few minutes to cook the inside, then uncover to cook until the wrapper turns crispy.
Thank you, I will use the steamed dumpling recipe. I wont eat the dumplings until the next day, My question was, should I steam them right away and reheat by pan frying the next day? Or, should I freeze them right away and pan fry the next day? Thanks so much Maggie — I’m very excited to try these.
Hi Therese, I would freeze them right away and pan fry the next day.
Happy cooking and hope the dumplings turn out well 🙂
Thanks Maggie. My 8-year old daughter loves Chinese Culture and have been asking to make “Chinese Dumplings”. We are caribbean and we make dumplings that we eat in soups or with a fish gravy. she has made dumplings before which she ate with Chopsticks or her dad put in his curry crabs. We also boil our dumplings. We will definitely try your recipe.
I’ve never had the Caribbean style dumplings but that sound so delicious! We have dumplings in broth too but most of the time we just serve the boiled dumplings with a dipping sauce. Happy cooking and looking forward to your feed back 🙂
I am a die hard fan of those yummy dumplings, they look so delicious and perfect. Everything is so nicely described that helped me to make those at home easily. Thanks for this and looking for more in future too.
Hi good day! I love love love this recipe.
I made it and it was delicious.
In my first attempt the dough was way too sticky and Wasnt forming properly.
In my second attempt I shortened the time for the dough to rest and it was much easier to work with the dough. I also used my own recipe for the filling.
I made it and everyone on my instagram loved it.
Is it okay if i post a video of how i made on my ig with your recipe?
Hi Aliya, of course! Would love to watch your dumpling video 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed the dish.
Hello, I’m Nigerian and a great fan of Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately most chinese restaurants in my country don t serve dumplings. I learnt about them on CGTN documentary Channel! I am definitely going to try this.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’ve wanted to make dumplings from scratch for the past couple years, and I talked my parents into trying it with me over the holiday; we put a LOT of work into it, especially with rolling the wrappers, we need to work on our arm strength! But we all worked together and made far too many dumplings and feasted, with enough frozen for another meal!
We used the pork/shrimp/cabbage recipe and the carrot/egg/mushroom/bamboo recipe, and both were delicious. Can’t wait to try this again and use other stuffings too!
Hey Maggie! I have made these dumplings before, but now I can not eat anything with wheat anymore – can I just substitute with spelt flour? Any recommendations or tips?
Best regards
Luzie
I’ve never tried using spelt flour in this recipe so I’m not so sure. According to some research I saw that you can use it to replace regular wheat flour. I think you can definitely give it a try. Just note that the water ratio might be different.
Clear concise descriptive instructions. I’ve made dumplings numerous times, however, reading new recipes allows me to review and enhance my cooking skills. These instructions were wonderful! I ♥️ Maggie!
Making this recipe now but realized it is only for boiled dumplings. Could I boil them and then pan fry some for variety? Happy Chinese New Year!
Yes! Happy Chinese New Year 🙂
I love this recipe!!! It’s the perfect dough and just the right crisp, and texture and the pork and napa filling is amazing!! One question: how long can the dough last in the fridge??? Can I prepare it the night before and leave it in the fridge for as long as I want?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. The instructions and video were so helpful. I really enjoyed making and eating homemade Chinese dumplings for the first time!
Hello Maggie. Made those a while back and forgot to say how good they are. We had never had boiled dumplings before. It is now our favourite way, with a spicy dipping sauce. Thank you
Oh… And happy new lunar year. Really like the updated site
so easy to follow, amazing taste
Can’t wait to try your recipe!! If I freeze the raw dumplings and want to cook it potstickers way, do I fry immediately from frozen or should I boil them first? Thank you !
You should cook the frozen dumplings directly without thawing it first. Happy cooking!
Delicious recipe! I swapped the green onions for ramp leaves since they are in season, and it was delicious. I am not sure what to do with the extra filling – I have a lot leftover, and no more dough.
Glad to hear you like the recipe! For the leftover filling, you can use them to make meatballs in the soup like this one: http://omnivorescookbook.com/napa-cabbage-soup
So this is made without yeast? Can you confirm? Also, what is the purpose of letting it rest if there’s no yeast? Sorry, I’ve never made these before. Thanks!
This is made without yeast. The kneading develop the gluten for the texture, and the resting will allow the gluten to relax so it’s possible to roll out and the dough also become more smooth after the water is thoroughly absorbed. (if you don’t rest the dough, you will notice the wrapper immediately shrink back when you roll it out)
That’s so helpful, thank you!
It was great though it was a little unclear. :/
I thank you for this recipe. It was labor intensive but so worth it. I appreciate them more now than ever. The video helped greatly.
Wonderful instructions even for the very beginner! I’ve been making this recipe at least once a month for more than 3 years now and it’s perfect every time. I just got a mold to make dumplings so my kids can join in too. Thank you!
Today is the fourth time we have made dumplings using your recipes. They are great!
We have some left over wrapper dough. Can we freeze it?
Hi Emily, you can freeze the dough. Glad to hear you like the recipe 🙂
Hey. Thank you for detailed and helpful instruction with wonderful recipes.
Hi Maggie! Thanks for explaining so well. When I make dumplings, I always add an egg cause I’m scared the flour and water ones will fall apart when dipped in for boiling. I’m pakistani and my family loves dumplings, will try this recipe, for sure an diet you know. Happy New year :)!!!!
The key is to make the dough fresh and pliable enough so the sealing stick together. You definitely need to cover the dough and dumplings all the time to prevent the dough from drying out, which also affect the cooking. As long as the dough is made fresh (and not the dumpling wrappers you purchase), it should hold up in the water.
Happy Lunar New Year!
Because of the pandemic, my brother’s partner hasn’t been able to see her family in central China for the past two years. She was missing the tradition of making dumplings with her family, so I followed your recipe to make it happen at ours! The dough turned out great and though the dumplings were not quite Instagram-worthy, they held together thanks to these thorough instructions and were tons of fun to make, involving my husband, brother and his partner, my mom, and my grandma. It was so much fun that I think we’ll make it a tradition in our (southern Chinese) family too. So gratifying to be able to learn something new and to make memories while doing it. Thanks so much Maggie!
I loved this recipe, it was very practical and easy to follow.
I’m desperate to try making and eating these delicious looking dumplings, however I have a gluten intolerance, do you know if it’s possible to make them with gluten free flour and if so which one would you recommend please?
I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with gluten free flour. I think you might find more information on other gluten-free website.
I also think if you’re using a gluten free flour, the dumplings should be steamed or pan fried instead of boiled, so they won’t fall apart during cooking.
Good Evening Maggie, please the plant base cookbook is the only cookbook you have. I am looking for a cookbook with meat of all the beautiful recipe you have. Thank you
I just finished making these; it was easy and simple to follow. I did both the boil and potsticker with same dough. They were delicious so much that I didn’t even get to take pics my family ate them literally out of the pot. I have dietary restrictions and digestion issues so I can’t eat alot of food; I have been told to just go vegan but hard with kids (13 & 4 yrs) so I used cabbage, carrot, egg and pokchoy mix with almond butter for the oil and the filling was just right too. Thank you, I have one more food in my corner now. 🙂
I’m glad to hear you liked the recipe, and thanks for leaving a positive review! For dumplings made from scratch, you should be eating them out of the pot when they are the most fresh 🙂 My family back in China always eat it like that.
For veggie heavy dumpling fillings, I think these recipes are fun:
Vegan dumplings: https://omnivorescookbook.com/vegan-dumplings/
Carrot and egg filling: https://omnivorescookbook.com/carrot-dumplings
Thanks for the video, I usually buy the ready make. This Recipe I will keep and can made dumplings any time.