Steamed Chinese Dumplings Recipe
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Craving Asian dumplings? This easy-to-follow recipe will teach you how to make delicious Chinese dumplings at home. They’re perfect for a family meal or a special occasion. Or anytime you’re in the mood for takeout– at home!
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What I Love About Chinese Dumplings
One of my favorite kitchen tools is my bamboo steamer. I have found endless uses and countless recipes for it. Steamed Salmon is a favorite layered on leaves of lettuce or cabbage, and dumplings are a family favorite! And the cleanup is virtually non-existent. It doesn’t get better than this.
Chinese Dumplings Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a list of what you will need.
- Cabbage leaves: I prefer Napa cabbage, but any cabbage (or even bok choy) will work.
- Ground pork
- Aromatics: Minced green onions, garlic, and ginger
- Shitake mushrooms, minced
- Bamboo shoots, minced
- Large egg
- Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Gyoza or round wonton skins
- For serving: fresh cilantro or parsley leaves for garnish
Kitchen Tools List
Here are the tools I use to make this Chinese dumplings recipe.
- Bamboo Steamer: I love using my bamboo steamer for these dumplings, of course, but also for steaming fish (like salmon and shellfish), vegetables, and more.
- Skillet: Use a skillet large enough that the base of the steamer fits into.
If you don’t have a bamboo steamer (a very inexpensive kitchen tool I love to have around), you can also use a steamer basket that fits into a pan or an electric steamer.
How to Make This Chinese Dumplings Recipe
The recipe card at the bottom of this post also provides step-by-step instructions, but this will give you a quick overview of how to steam dumplings.
Step 1: Steam Cabbage Leaves
Line the steamer with cabbage leaves, then set the rack over a skillet filled with boiling water and cover. Let the cabbage steam for 1-2 minutes or until the leaves are limp.
Remove the cabbage from the steamer, pat dry with a towel, and finely chop to measure 1 cup.
Step 2: Make the filling
Combine chopped cabbage with the remaining ingredients, except the wonton skins and cilantro leaves.
Step 3: Form Chinese dumplings
Loosely cup a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Top with a cilantro or parsley leaf and bring the sides up to cover the filling, making pleats around the top. The wrapper should tightly hug the filling.
Gently flatten the bottom of the dumplings by pressing with your fingertips. As you make the dumplings, be sure to cover them so they won’t dry out.
Step 4: Steam the dumplings
Line the base of the steamer with additional cabbage leaves or lettuce; this keeps the dumplings from sticking. You can also use parchment liners made for steamers.
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large skillet or wok that fits your steamer basket.
Place each dumpling on either a 2″ square of aluminum foil on top of the cabbage or directly on the parchment liner and set inside the steamer. Dumplings should be at least 1″ apart. Stack baskets on top of each other and cover the top with a lid—place over the simmer water and steam for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
How to Fold Dumplings
While it takes a bit of time, here is a folding technique on how to form Chinese Soup Dumplings.
Tips for Cooking with a Bamboo Steamer
Multi-tiered bamboo steamers are one of the most fun tools I have in my kitchen. They’re a healthy and delicious way to prepare food! Vegetables are perfectly steamed to a crisp-tender perfection, and proteins are super moist and tender.
Another benefit is that you can quickly expand the tiers (I’ve used up to 10 basket levels) to cook a lot of food or use one or two layers to cook for two to four people.
Cooking with a steamer
Bring an inch of water in a large saute pan or wok (any pan that fits the base of your bamboo steamer). Then, add aromatics like lemon and herbs to the water to boost the flavor of whatever you’re cooking.
Place the steamer inside the pan and begin building your fish. Add the ingredients that take the longest to cook in the bottom layer and work up from there.
Lining the steamer baskets with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent sticking makes for easy clean-up.
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Steamed Chinese Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 large cabbage leaves like napa
- ¾ pound lean ground pork
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger root finely minced or grated
- 4 shitake mushrooms minced
- 3 tablespoons bamboo shoots minced
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 40 round wonton skins like Gyoza
- fresh parsley or cilantro for serving
Instructions
Steam Cabbage
- Place cabbage leaves on the rack of a steamer. Set over boiling water, cover the steamer basket and steam 1 to 2 minutes, or until leaves are limp.
For the Filling
- Remove cabbage from the rack, pat dry with a towel and finely chop to measure 1 cup. Place cabbage in a bowl along with ground pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, egg, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix until combined.
Form Dumplings
- Loosely cup a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Top with a small cilantro or parsley leaf. Bring sides up to cover the filling, making pleats around the top. The wrapper should tightly hug the filling.
- Gently flatten the bottom of the dumplings by pressing with your fingertips. Cover the dumplings with a towel as they are made so they don’t dry out, and repeat until the filing is used.
Steam Dumplings
- Bring about 1 inch of water in a large skillet or wok that fits your steamer to a simmer.
- Line a steamer basket with cabbage leaves, lettuce leaves, or a round parchment liner made for steamers to prevent the dumplings from sticking. Place each dumpling on either a 2″ square of aluminum foil over cabbage leaves or set on the parchment liner at least 1 inch apart. If needed, stack additional baskets on top of each other as needed.
- Cover the top basket and steam for 20 minutes, or until the filling is cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.