Easy Homemade Pork Dumplings
Pork Dumplings: A Universal Comfort Food
There’s something magical about gathering in the kitchen with family—sharing stories, laughter, and, of course, incredible food. Growing up, my family get-togethers in Colorado often revolved around the kitchen, with everyone chatting, snacking, and sneaking bites before the main meal. On one such occasion during Thanksgiving, my talented cousin-in-law Thao captured some stunning photos of one of my favorite recipes: homemade pork dumplings. You can see from the pictures that the kiddos in the family, savored each and every bite!
Homemade pork dumplings are one of my all-time favorite foods, and it’s no wonder—they’re a universal dish that transcends cultures. Across Asia, dumplings come in countless varieties, reflecting the unique flavors and traditions of the region. In Japan, you’ll find crispy-bottomed gyoza, while China is known for its steamed or pan-fried jiaozi and the juicy xiao long bao. Dim sum offers a variety of dumplings that may be steamed, fried or boiled. Korean mandu, Tibetan momos, Filipino siomai, and Indian samosas are just a few examples of how this humble dish has endless interpretations. Despite their differences, one thing is consistent: dumplings are a symbol of comfort, care, and the joy of gathering.
This recipe will guide you through making Japanese-style gyoza, complete with savory pork filling wrapped in thin, delicate dough. If you’re looking to mix it up, you can try vegetarian fillings like mushrooms and chives or even experiment with making crispy winged gyoza (which I’ll cover in a future post!). For me, pork is the go-to protein—it binds the flavors together beautifully and creates a truly traditional gyoza experience. These easy pork dumplings are meant to be the foundation to making all different kinds of dumplings in the future.
Ingredients for pork dumplings:
Yield: 36 - 40 dumplings (depending on how much you fill them)
1 lb ground pork (or protein of your choice) - I also recommend shrimp, ground chicken or shiitakes for a vegetarian version
1/4 head of napa cabbage (sliced and diced)
7-8 soaked shiitake mushrooms (chopped) - optional and okay to omit
2-3 scallions / green onions (chopped) - you can also use 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
1-2 tbsp grated ginger (depending on how much you like)
4-5 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
Kosher salt and white pepper
1 tbsp sake or mirin - optional and okay to omit
1 tbsp shoyu
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
Circular dumpling wrappers (often called wonton wrappers). If you can’t find circle ones, you can use the square shaped ones and cut them with a lid to form a circle. I use this brand from H-Mart.
Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
Light soy sauce, my preferred brand is here.
Seasoned rice wine vinegar (use as much of this as you do shoyu.)
Refer to my article on Japanese ingredients here if you need a refresher on brands.
Directions:
Because cabbage is a tougher, leafy green, you’ll want to soften it up a bit before you put it in the mixture. An easy way to do this; sprinkle some kosher salt over the cabbage and let it sit. The excess water will come out within 15-20 minutes and then you can just soak it up with a paper towel. Once it’s nice and soft, chop it up. You don’t want long, stringy pieces coming out of your dumplings. You can also blanch your cabbage to obtain a softer texture.
Next, mix up all the above ingredients in a bowl. Make sure everything is dispersed evenly among the mixture. Using your hands is helpful to get a thoroughly mixed filling.
Taste test your filling! Add a small spoonful of dumpling filling to a pan on medium heat. Pan fry until it's done and taste. Adjust the mixture to your liking.
Take a spoonful of the mixture and put it in the middle of your dumpling wrapper. Lightly add some water around the edge and begin your folding process.
To fold your dumplings, fill a small bowl with water. Dip your finger in the water and outline the edge of the wrapper with water, this helps to create a seal.
Fold options: You can simply press the ends together to make sure they are sealed. To make pleats (folds) working from the middle make pleats from the right side moving towards the middle and then from the left side working towards the middle. It will create a pretty folded pattern. The video on the right shows how to do this folded pattern from right to left. Get as creative as you want!
To cook the dumplings, put some oil in a frying pan. Lightly brown the bottoms and then add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Put the lid on and steam for 3-5 minutes. The wrappers should begin to turn translucent. When the water has evaporated, add a little bit of sesame oil in the pan and stir fry a couple minutes longer until the bottoms are nice and crispy. Now, we’re ready to eat! You can simply boil the dumplings to cook them as well. Boil water, add your dumplings, one they begin floating to the top - they are ready to eat!
In between cooking, make your dipping sauce. The way I make this changes all the time but the essentials are soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and chili garlic (or chili crunch) sauce depending on how spicy you want the dip to be. Mix this up in a bowl and you’re ready to eat your dumplings.
Whether you’re cooking for family, hosting a potluck, or just craving some hands-on fun in the kitchen, these pork dumplings are sure to be a hit. Let’s get wrapping!
Bonus Filling: Chicken Cabbage Miso Dumplings! If you’re tired of pork (or you don’t eat pork) try using ground chicken. You can really fill these with whatever your heart desires.
1.5 lbs of ground chicken (thighs will be the tastiest)
1 cup or about 1/4 small head of napa cabbage (sliced and diced)
4 scallions (chopped)
1 tbsp ground ginger
1.5 tbsp white miso paste
2 tsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp sake or mirin
4-5 garlic cloves (diced)
2 tsp of brown sugar
1-2 tsp of kosher salt
The only different thing you’ll do with this recipe, is cook a little less than 1/2 of the chicken in oil. Mix this in with everything else and follow the same steps above.
Tips and Tricks
I use store bought dumpling wrappers. You can make your own skins which yield a delicious and more pliable dough. I recommend checking out Little Fat Boy’s blog, he is one of my favorite bloggers and has great articles on making dumplings.
You can use a variety of greens in addition to cabbage. If you’re not big on green onions, replace with Chinese chives, pea shoots, or bok choy. Don’t feel restrained by the ingredients I’ve listed.
To speed things up, I like to blanch my cabbage, pea shoots and greens and then throw them into the food processor.
You can use tube garlic or ginger if you don’t want to chop all of that up by hand.
Drop any other questions below!
Gather all your ingredients together.
Get everything prepped. All the filling goes into one bowl!
Give everything a good mix - you’re dumpling filling is done!
Fold your fillings into wrappers, get creative! This takes practice, you can see which ones were the starters, hehe.
Make your sauce - it helps to have the cutest sous chef.