Homemade Chinese potstickers with pork scallion filling. You’ll never have to order these dumplings from a restaurant again with this recipe!
What was your favorite childhood food and do you still crave it? Well, I used to love eating handfuls of delicious potstickers! Growing up eating Chinese food, at least, four times a week, especially dim sum, it set the tone for my taste buds.
There is something about these handmade moon-shaped dumplings, filled with savory pork and scallion filling, and then dipped in salty and tangy soy and vinegar sauce that made for one of my ultimate comfort foods. I’m excited to share my favorite homemade Chinese potstickers recipe with you, perfect for Chinese New Year!
This Chinese potstickers recipe makes 25-30 dumplings, so you can freeze the ones you don’t cook and have them ready when the next craving hits or if you have guests over! Just follow the same cooking instructions in the recipe, super easy!
If you are looking for a quick and flavorful dipping sauce, I like to mix soy sauce with some Rice Vinegar (add vinegar to soy sauce until you get the tanginess you like, about 1:1). Don’t be afraid to try different fillings, the dough is the perfect dumpling base, so you can get as creative as you like!
If you’ve ever told someone that you love to cook, then this recipe is your proof! Making homemade dumplings from scratch requires a little bit of sweat, patience, and finesse.
After kneading the dough for fifteen minutes, you will have worked muscles in your arms and hands you never knew existed! But don’t worry, it’s all worthwhile because as you practice, your perfect potsticker pleats will be gorgeous when steamed and the taste is heavenly!
Once you get the recipe down, make sure to recruit some of your favorite eaters for a dumpling party! It will make the experience, even more, fun and enjoyable!
Why does kneading the dough take so long?
To create the beautiful elastic dough, perfect for rolling and filling potstickers gluten bond formation needs to occur in the mixture. This happens when water hydrates proteins (glutenin and gliadin) in the dough and is mixed. If you don’t add some shear (kneading), the gluten bonds will not form. Kneading will create the elastic and pliable dough you need for shaping the potstickers and holding the meat inside when cooked. So don’t give up and roll those sleeves up!
Chinese Potstickers
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cups water, boiling
- 1 tablespoon water, cold
Filling
- 1 cup ground pork
- 2 cups napa cabbage, finely shredded and chopped
- ¼ cup green onion, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ cup chicken stock, or broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Potstickers
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying
- ⅔ cup water, for steaming potstickers
Instructions
- Sift together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and gradually add the boiling water, mixing with a spoon (it will look clumpy). Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cold water to the dough, knead for about 2 minutes until combined and a ball has formed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured cutting board and knead until smooth, sprinkling additional flour as needed for 15 minutes. Tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
- Combine all filling ingredients. Cook a small amount of the filling in a frying pan, taste and season if needed. Set aside until ready to fill the potstickers.
- Divide dough into two parts and roll each into a rope 1-inch in diameter and about 12-inches long. Make sure to keep the dough covered with plastic wrap until ready to roll to prevent dough from drying out.
- Cut rope into 1-inch slices and roll into a ball. Lightly flour if sticky, then flatten and roll out each piece to a 3 ½-inch diameter circle, ⅛-inch thick. If you would like a more symmetrical circle, use a round biscuit cutter.
- To assemble the dumpling: Place about 1-2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold the dough into a moon shape, pressing the edges together and making sure the filling stays inside. Create 8 small pleats on the side of the dumpling; make a small fold, then press the fold down to create the pleats.
- Place potstickers on a tray dusted with flour; keep covered with a cloth.
- To cook, heat a heavy 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until drops of water sprinkled on the pan sizzle and dry up. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to coat the bottom evenly.
- Add enough pot stickers to fill the pan, arranging them closely together. Reduce heat to medium and pan-fry for 2 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.
- Add enough water (about ⅔ cup) to the pan until the potstickers are slightly less than halfway covered. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.
- Remove cover and continue to pan fry until they can be moved around easily. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Michele Hyson says
Question! This recipe sounds amazing! The picture shows the steamer, but you don’t use this in the recipe it seems – or do you transfer it to the steamer after you fry them? I’ve made dumplings before but just placed them in the steamer shown until the quick-read thermometer was at least 165. Do you have a video?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Michele- I added the potstickers to the steamer for presentation, but you can steam them if you don’t want a crispy bottom. I don’t have a video, but good idea!
Christine N Markwart says
For my first try at making potstickers, I couldn’t believe how amazing these turned out!! The dough was super easy to work with – I used my stand mixer for the kneading. I couldn’t believe how the simple flavors were absolutely delicious, with a great presentation. Will definitely make these again!
Jessica Gavin says
You are a rockstar! I love that you are willing to try new techniques, great job!
Paul says
Jessica, when you remove them from the freezer do you let them thaw or cook frozen. Thanks! They were delicious!
Melissa says
Can I use a stand mixer for the dough? I just got one for Christmas and have never used it before.
Diane Barringer says
These are listed in the gluten free section, but all purpose flour is mention, as well as developing the gluten by kneading. Can you recommend a particular gluten free flour for best result? I’ve made potstickers successfully before going gluten free, and would like to have best chance at a good result considering the time that goes into making them. Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
I like using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking flour when substituting for all-purpose wheat flour.
luna says
can i use won ton wraps instead of making the dough
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, wonton wrappers can be used. They will be thinner in consistency, more like gyoza.
christian says
how easy are this to make
Jessica Gavin says
They take a little work to make the wrappers from scratch but once you get it going they are easy to fill and cook.
Marie Morgan-Roth says
Is it 1 cup or 1 pound of ground pork?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Marie- It’s 1 cup of pork. With the rest of the ingredients, the volume increases and you’re only adding in a small amount of filling per dumpling.
Jen says
Do the pot stickers hold up well in the freezer?
Also, what dipping sauce would you recommended for a sweet and sour preference?
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, they hold up well in the freezer. Freeze them in a parchment paper lined sheet tray and then transfer to a resealable bag so they don’t stick together. I have a sweet and sour sauce recipe on my website!
Becky Mullins says
Do they need to be cooked before freezing them?
Jessica Gavin says
No, you can wrap and then freeze them. If you want to boil them and then freeze to make it easier to reheat that can be done as well.
Lisa C Carter says
Question is the filling raw when assembling? You’re just cooking a small amount to taste for flavor.
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, the filling should go in raw. Just cook a small amount for taste.
Susan V Young says
Love the recipes, lettuce wraps used chicken or shrimp & some tofu.
Wonton soup YUMMY!
Potlickers we need a good dipping sauces.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for your feedback Susan! Do you like soy based or more sweet and sour dipping sauce?
Carl Dehne says
1 cup white vinegar, syrup from one 20 oz. can of leeches, 1 cup white sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp rice wine, 1 tbsp soy sauce, red food coloring, or ketchup to color, 1 tspn garlic powder dash of sesame oil. Put it in pan and heat until cs thickens.