How to Make Homemade Dumplings

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4.91 from 11 votes

How to Make Homemade Dumplings

Homemade crispy bottomed dumplings are 100x worth it.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Resting Time1

Total Time2

Course: main

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: dumplings

Servings:

Calories: 322kcal

Ingredients

Homemade Dumpling Wrappers

300 g all purpose flour about 2 cups
165 g very warm water about 2/3 cups, 110ºF-120ºF

Dumplings

1.5 cups cabbage finely chopped
1 tsp cornstarch
1 lb ground pork
2 tbsp ginger minced
2 tbsp garlic minced
1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Instructions

Make the dumpling wrappers

Add the flour to a large bowl and create a well in the middle. Pour the very warm water into the well and use a pair of chopsticks to whisk, incorporating the flour little by little until everything comes together into a very shaggy dough.
Tip the dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead the dough again so that it is smooth and elastic. You can use it right away but it will roll out even better if you let it rest for another 30 minutes. Shape it into a ball. (See notes for stand mixer instructions).

Make the dumpling filling while you wait for the wrappers to rest

Toss the cabbage with a pinch of salt in a large bowl and mix well. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, the squeeze out and drain as much of the extra water as possible.
Mix together 2 tbsp water with the teaspoon of cornstarch and stir into the pork until it forms a paste.
Mix in the ginger, garlic, green onions, soy, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and squeezed out cabbage until incorporated.

Make the dumplings

After the dough has rested, poke the center of the dough with your finger and stretch it out to create a bagel shape. Keep stretching and rotating it out into a large, thin ring.
Cut the ring and you should have a rope of dough. Roll it out until it is about 1.5 inches in diameter. Cut off 6 pieces and weigh the pieces of dough, about 10-12 grams each, which looks like about 1 tablespoon of dough. Cover the rope of dough so it doesn’t dry out.
Take each piece of dough and roll it into a ball then flatten it with your palm until it is about 1.5 inches, lightly dusting with flour as needed. On a lightly floured work surface, use a small rolling pin and roll out the edges of the flattened disk, rotating and rolling so that the edges of the wrapper are slightly thinner that the middle. Aim for the wrapper to be 3.25 to 3.5 inches in diameter. Lightly flour and cover with plastic wrap while you roll out the other 5 portions of dumpling dough. Once you’ve rolled out 6 wrappers, shape your dumplings. (See notes on how many dumplings you should make at a time).
Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold over into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal. You can also pleat/fold the dumplings: start by folding the dumpling skin in half and pinching. From the middle, fold over/ pleat one side of the dumpling skin and push against the back skin to secure. Repeat until you reach the edge the pleat the other side. If you're using store bought wrappers, lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water before folding.
After you’re done making the 6 dumplings, continue to roll out and make your dumplings with the rest of your dough, 6 at a time.

Cook your dumplings

In a nonstick pan, over medium heat, heat up a touch of oil. When hot, lay the potstickers in the pan, in one layer. Cook, until slightly browned, then add 2-4 tablespoons of water and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. When the water has cooked off, lift off the lid and continue cooking until the bottoms are brown and crisp. Enjoy hot, with soy sauce and chili oil!

Notes

Stand mixer dumpling wrappers

Add the flour and water to the bowl and whisk together with chopsticks. Use the dough hook and knead on low until all the water has been absorbed. Mix on medium-low until a dough starts to form, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. When the dough comes together, shape it in a ball, and let rest, covered for 30 minutes before kneading it again.

How many dumplings to make at once

If you’re working with a partner, one of you can roll out dumpling dough while the other makes dumplings, otherwise if you’re by yourself, 6 is probably the right amount. Freshly made dumpling wrappers need to be used almost immediately otherwise they become dry and difficult to shape and the pleats won’t hold together.

Storage

It’s best to use the dumpling wrappers fresh but if you absolutely need to store them for later, make sure you brush them well with tapioca or potato starch in between each wrapper before stacking them together.

Once they are generally dusted and stacked, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and then place in a air-tight container, refrigerate, and use within the next 2 days.

To freeze dumplings once you've made them: space out uncooked potstickers in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to freezer bags. Cook from frozen adding a couple of minutes to the covered cooking time.

Estimated nutrition is based on one serving = 6 dumplings.

Nutrition