This is the best dumpling sauce recipe made easy with simple pantry ingredients! The sauce is fully-customizable and ready in 5-minutes - instantly elevating your dumplings. It's flavorful and better than store-bought.
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My easy dumpling sauce recipe is made with soy sauce, Chinese Black Vinegar, sesame oil as the base with optional add-ons, like green onions, ginger, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger and chili oil.
The base itself tastes savory, tangy and nutty and the add-ons can make it taste sweeter, spicy, and more flavorful in general.
This recipe is totally customizable to your liking. Don't like spice, omit the chili flakes or chili oil! Not a fan of ginger, omit that too. But I suggest keeping the sauce base the same and adding a couple additions.
This sauce pairs best with store-bought Chinese or Korean dumplings, soup dumplings, or Japanese gyoza. You can even enjoy it with wontons!
It's also quite versatile and I like to use it on plain noodles, rice, cooked meat, stir-fries, cooked vegetables, savory pancakes and more!
The dumpling sauce can also be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge or make a large batch and freeze it for up to 4 months!
Why this recipe
- Made with minimal ingredients!
- Easily made in 5-minutes.
- Better than store-bought sauce!
- Fully customizable.
- Can be made in large batches.
Looking for homemade dumpling recipes? Check out my Chinese Pork Chive Dumplings, Pork Cabbage Dumplings, or Pork Shrimp Dumplings.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for exact measurements
Sauce Base
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. Avoid using dark soy sauce as it's too thick.
- Chinese Black Vinegar: a sweet fermented black rice vinegar that is less acidic in taste, compared to other vinegars and available at Asian markets. I recommend using the brand Chinkiang vinegar (see FAQ section below for an image). Or substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with a neutral oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil or peanut oil. Not olive oil.
Suggested Optional Additions
- Sesame Seeds: omit if you're allergic to sesame.
- Green Onions
- Chili Oil: for a spicy kick or omit if you can't tolerate spice.
- Red Pepper Flakes: like gochugaru or red chili flakes. Omit if you can't tolerate spice.
- Fresh Ginger
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Variation
- Gluten-free version - Replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce and replace the black vinegar with rice vinegar.
Expert Tips
- Use a whisk to evenly distribute the sauce ingredients.
- If you're adding sugar to the base sauce, mix well until fully dissolved.
- If you're adding ginger or green onions, make sure they're fresh and finely chopped or finely sliced.
- Adding chili oil? Use a brand that you would enjoy on its own. I love using the brand Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp or you can use homemade chili oil.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make dumpling sauce:
- Combine sauce base: In a small bowl, combine regular soy sauce, black vinegar and sesame oil and mix well. This is your sauce base.
- Mix in your choice of additional ingredients: Next add all or some of the above suggested additions you like and mix it into the sauce base. Enjoy with cooked store-bought or homemade dumplings!
Storage
- Unused dumpling sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. To enjoy, let it come to room temperature as oil tends to solidify in the fridge.
- Freezer friendly? Unused dumpling sauce can be stored in a freezer friendly airtight container and frozen up to 4 months. To enjoy, defrost the sauce overnight in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before consuming.
Pairing Suggestions
Dumpling sauce also serves well with:
- rice or fried rice
- fried noodles, plain noodles, or soup noodles.
- cooked meat
- stir-fries
- pajeon (Korean scallion pancakes), or Korean seafood pancake.
- cooked vegetables
FAQ
Dumpling sauce can be made in large batches and frozen for up to 4 months in an airtight container. To enjoy, defrost the sauce overnight in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before consuming.
Chinese black vinegar is dark colored, sweet, and less acidic in taste compared to other vinegars, like white vinegar. It's made of water, glutinous rice, wheat bran, sugar and salt and fermented in claypots for about 6 months. There are many brands of Chinese black vinegar, but I like using Chinkiang Vinegar sold at Asian markets with a yellow label and cap (see image below).
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📖 Recipe
Easy 5-min. Dumpling Sauce (Customizable!)
Ingredients
Sauce Base:
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil or substitute with a neutral oil
Suggested Additions (add all or pick & choose):
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon green onion finely chopped (optional)
- 0.5 - 1 teaspoon chili oil
or add as much as desired (optional) - ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ginger peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes for a spicy version (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine regular soy sauce, black vinegar and sesame oil and mix well. This is your sauce base.
- Next add all or some of the above suggested additions you like and mix it into the sauce base. Enjoy with cooked store-bought or homemade dumplings!
Kathy
I added 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1 tsp mirin. Everyone loved it with our chicken lemongrass dumplings.❤️
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Kathy! Glad everyone loved it with those delicious sounding dumplings!
Jim S
So good! It is quick and easy. It’s a perfect base to build from.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Jim! Glad you found it quick and simple.
CaSaundra
This is easy to make and turned out delicious! I will make this again and again!
Thanks Christie
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! So glad you like it and i hope you continue to enjoy it in the future 🙂
Randi
Ran out of the dumpling sauces I usually have. Made this and it was great. Wasn’t so strong that it covered the taste of the dumplings and enhanced the flavor of the dumplings and made them even better. I will definitely be making this again.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my dumpling sauce, Randi! Happy it worked out and glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Heather Machin
Very useful dipping sauce thank you! Make a triple batch with one of the tablespoons of soy sauce using sweet soy sauce and it suited us perfectly.
Added scallions and sesame seeds at the table for a tasty garnish. Frozen dumplings have never been so good! 😄
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I'm so glad this simple dipping sauce worked out so well and that I could help take your dumplings to the next level!
Sue
This sauce was great and easy to make! Tastes like the sauce we get at restaurants. Thanks for sharing it!
I made more to have on hand. Does it need to be refrigerated? And does the Chinkiang vinegar need to be refrigerated?
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Sue! Glad you enjoyed it with your dumplings. I would recommend refrigerating the dumpling sauce in the fridge. The vinegar can be left out at room temperature or stored in the fridge. Have a lovely day!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love your homemade sauce, it's so much easier to make a sauce when it only requires 3 ingredients! And... I had never heard of Chinkiang Vinegar before, it sounds really really good! 😋
mabbi
These were so grood!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Oh these dumplings look absolutely perfect Christie. Sooo crispy on the outside and delicious!!!
Never Ending Journeys
What a great dumpling dipping sauce! In the past, I've dipped dumplings in spicy mustard, but this sauce looks so tasty. Thanks for sharing this!
Josiah - DIY Thrill
This sauce looks so good!