Pork Cabbage Dumplings. Crispy, savory, meaty potstickers packed with a deliciously seasoned ground pork and cabbage with garlic and ginger.
These are the best dumplings ever and they are easy to make with store bought dumpling wrappers! A fantastic main dish that will make the whole family happy. They cook in little time if they're pre-made! This recipe was passed down to me by my grandmother, but she made her dumpling wrappers from scratch!
Easy to make!
To anyone’s surprise, these pork and napa cabbage dumplings are actually very easy to make. You’re simply combining all the filling ingredients in one bowl. Then adding your filling into each wrapper.
Finally pan fry them and you have delicious dumplings with crispy bottoms! You can also boil these dumplings as well. If it's your first time making dumplings, don't be intimidated. Just follow my instructions carefully, and you'll be fine!
A Chinese New Year Tradition
In Chinese culture, we make dumplings as a family to bring good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year! It's a wonderful cooking activity to do together with loved ones. It's also a very popular Chinese food that you can find at many Chinese restaurants for dim sum.
Pork dumplings originate from Northern China and became so popular they have spread across Asia to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and more! You can find store-bought dumplings at many Asian or even Western grocers, but homemade dumplings are always the best!
Best pork dumpling recipe!
I know this is a big claim as there are many recipes for this dish online, but I promise you this pork and napa cabbage dumpling recipe is the best! I share many tips and tricks on how to make good dumplings so you can have a happy cooking and eating experience.
Ingredients
For this recipe you’ll need the following pork and cabbage dumplings ingredients. Please scroll down to the bottom Recipe Card for full measurements.
- Store bought dumpling wrappers or homemade wrappers. This is the main ingredient. Store-bought wrappers will be much easier to work with. They are usually made with plain flour, water, and perhaps some salt depending on the brand.
- Any Asian grocery store will carry this ingredient. You may find dumpling skins at your Western grocery store in the frozen section if your grocer carries international ingredients.
- Water: This will be used for cooking our Chinese dumplings.
- Neutral Oil: for frying our juicy dumplings! Any neutral tasting oil like avocado oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil will work.
- I wouldn't suggest olive oil as it contains a slight scent and taste.
Pork cabbage dumpling filling:
- Ground pork: Lean ground pork is best used to make our juicy pork filling. If your pork has more fat in it, it should be work as well and you'll have a juicy filling.
- If you can't eat pork, any ground meat like ground chicken or ground beef can work for this recipe.
- Napa cabbage: or Chinese cabbage. The cabbage leaves compliment the pork very well by loosening up the meaty filling and giving it a subtle yet delicious flavor.
- I would not suggest using regular green cabbage as it's quite thick and not soft enough. Most Asian or Western grocers will carry this ingredient.
Seasoning
- Salt: To help drain the excess moisture from our cabbage. Cabbage retains much water and needs to be drained before adding to the filling or it'll result in soggy dumplings.
- Regular soy sauce: To add a savory umami taste to the filling. Do not use dark soy sauce or light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is darker in color and less salty than regular soy sauce. Light soy sauce is saltier than regular soy sauce. You may substitute with low-sodium soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce or coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce. If you only have fish sauce, you may use that too.
- Sesame oil: To give the dumplings a nutty scent and flavor!
- Cornstarch: Or sub with potato starch or tapioca starch. Starch is the best way to help the filling retain its moisture and bind the filling together, so it doesn't fall apart when you wrap them.
- Garlic: A traditional way to lend flavor and aroma to the filling.
- Ginger: To add flavor and this also helps to tenderize the meat!
- White granulated sugar: To balance the saltiness from the soy sauce. Sugar is commonly used in Chinese cuisine for balancing flavors.
- Chicken bouillon powder: To give the filling a depth of flavor! This can be omitted if needed.
- White pepper: or black pepper as a substitute to flavor the filling.
Dumpling dipping sauce:
- Regular soy sauce: This is the key ingredient to our simple dipping sauce!
- Black vinegar: Chinese black vinegar is a milder vinegar commonly used in dumpling dipping sauces. Most Asian grocery stores or online retailers like Amazon will carry this ingredient. I like the brand by Chinkiang.
- Sesame oil: To add a nutty flavor to our dipping sauce.
- Chinese Chili oil: store bought or for homemade recipe click here. This is optional but it adds a spicy kick to the sauce.
How to make Pork Cabbage Dumplings
Below are brief steps with visuals to show you how to make pork mince and cabbage dumplings. Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details.
- Chop cabbage finely into small pieces.
- Transfer cabbage to a large bowl. Add salt and massage into leaves. Let it sit for 10 minutes to drain excess water.
- Rinse cabbage of salt with cold water.
- Then transfer cabbage to a clean towel and squeeze out excess water as best you can.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pork with filling ingredients along with drained cabbage as listed above.
- Mix in one direction until the filling becomes a paste. The meat should be broken down and sticky, about 4 minutes.
- Optional tip: take a 1 tbsp of the filling and pan fry or microwave for 60 seconds until cooked. Taste the filling and if needed, adjust the raw filling by adding more seasoning as you desire.
Assembling dumplings
- Fill a small bowl of water and have it nearby. Keep dumpling wrappers covered with plastic wrap or cling wrap to keep them moist and only remove one to a few wrappers at a time when you're ready to assemble.
- Place dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand. Spoon ¾ tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper. Do not add too much filling. Tip: I find using two spoons very helpful and keeps my hands clean for the sealing part.
- With your index finger, dab a little bit of water along the edge of the wrapper, but not too much. Tip: I like using the spoon as this keeps my hands dry for the sealing part.
- Fold the wrapper over so you have a half moon shape.
- Fold and pinch the edge of your half-moon shape dumplings until well sealed.
- Place folded dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with paper towels or a damp towel to keep the dumplings moist.
Pan-Frying Dumplings
- In a large non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil into your pan. Once oil is hot, add about one batch (approx 12-14) dumplings bottom side down in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow the bottoms to fry for 30 seconds. Then pour ½ cup water or enough water into the pan to cover the base of the pan. Cover with a lid. Allow the dumplings to cook covered for at least 7-8 minutes.
- Once the water has fully evaporated, lift the lid and allow the dumpling bottoms to crisp up until golden brown, another 1-2 minutes. Be sure to check every now and then. Once browned, remove from heat. Optionally serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!
Boiling from Fresh or Frozen
- On high heat, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once you have boiling water, carefully lower 10-12 dumplings into the water uncovered. Boil for 5-6 minutes or until they float.
- Remove dumplings from hot water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving plate. Optional: to prevent them from sticking to each other, drizzle a bit of oil over top and mix the dumplings together so they're evenly coated. Enjoy with dipping sauce!
Freezing Dumplings for Later
Place a large freezer friendly resealable Ziplock bag onto a small baking sheet. Place remaining dumplings into bag in a single layer with the bottom side facing down. Seal the bag and freeze the dumplings on the baking sheet in the freezer for 60 minutes, then remove the baking sheet. The baking sheets prevents the frozen dumplings from sticking to each other. Frozen dumplings will last a long time in a freezer friendly bag, about 2 months or until you see freezer burn.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this easy pork and cabbage dumpling recipe:
Can I use regular cabbage instead of Napa in dumplings?
I would highly recommend using napa or Chinese cabbage for this recipe as it’s softer and not as hard as regular cabbage. If you can't find napa cabbage, sub with bok choy or shiitake mushrooms.
Do you precook pork for dumplings?
No, we use raw ground pork.
Can I use chicken or beef for dumpling filling?
Yes, you can use ground chicken or beef.
Can dumplings be frozen?
Yes, they can be frozen on a single layer in a reusable zip lock bag and cooked from frozen for later.
Can they be frozen and cooked later?
Yes! Cook them the same way as instructed in the recipe card below but add another 1-2 minutes or until an internal temperature of 145 F for ground pork.
May I steam or boil these?
Yes! Steam them for the 8 minutes over medium heat. Please see below for boiling instructions.
How long should you boil dumplings?
You can boil these dumplings if you prefer not to fry them. I would recommend boiling them for 6-7 minutes.
How do you tell if pork dumplings are cooked?
If frying, open the dumpling, the meat filling will not look pink and will look grey. If boiling them in water, the dumplings will float to the top.
Can I use a food processor to make the filling?
Yes, but I would manually mix in the drained cabbage at the end and do not process it.
Other Dumpling recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this pork and napa cabbage dumpling recipe, you may enjoy these other recipes:
- 3-ingredient Dumpling Sauce
- Chinese Pork Chive Dumplings
- Pork and Shrimp Dumplings
- Pork Chive Dumplings
The Best Pork Cabbage Dumplings
Ingredients
- 454 grams thin dumpling wrappers store-bought (or see Notes section below to make dumpling wrappers from scratch)
- ½ cup water for cooking dumplings
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or any neutral oil, for frying one batch (about 12 dumplings)
- 1 tsp salt to drain cabbage of excess liquid
Filling:
- 1 lb ground pork or sub with ground chicken
- 4 cups Napa cabbage finely chopped
- 2.5 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce!
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or sub with potato starch or tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- ½ tbsp white granulated sugar
- ½ tsp chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper or sub with black pepper
Dumpling dip
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce!
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar Chinese kind
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Chinese Chili oil store bought or to make homemade version, click here
Instructions
- Chop cabbage finely into small pieces.
- Transfer cabbage to a large bowl. Add salt and massage into leaves. Let it sit for 10 minutes to drain excess water.
- Rinse cabbage of salt with cold water.
- Then transfer cabbage to a clean towel and squeeze out excess water as best you can.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pork with filling ingredients along with drained cabbage as listed above.
- Mix in one direction until the filling becomes a paste. The meat should be broken down and sticky, about 4 minutes.
- Optional tip: take a 1 tbsp of the filling and pan fry or microwave for 60 seconds until cooked. Taste the filling and if needed, adjust the raw filling by adding more seasoning as you desire.
Assembling dumplings:
- Fill a small bowl of water and have it nearby. Keep dumpling wrappers covered with plastic wrap or cling wrap to keep them moist and only remove one to a few wrappers at a time when you're ready to assemble.
- Place dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand. Spoon ¾ tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper. Do not add too much filling. Tip: I find using two spoons very helpful and keeps my hands clean for the sealing part.
- With your index finger, dab a little bit of water along the edge of the wrapper, but not too much. Tip: I like using the spoon as this keeps my hands dry for the sealing part.
- Fold the wrapper over so you have a half moon shape.
- Fold and pinch the edge of dumpling until well sealed.
- Place folded dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with paper towels or a damp towel to keep the dumplings moist.
To Pan-Fry Dumplings (Cooking Method 1)
- In a large non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil into your pan. Once oil is hot, add about one batch (approx 12-14) dumplings bottom side down in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow the bottoms to fry for 30 seconds. Then pour ½ cup water or enough water into the pan to cover the base of the pan. Cover with a lid. Allow the dumplings to cook covered for at least 7-8 minutes.
- Once the water has fully evaporated, lift the lid and allow the dumpling bottoms to crisp up until golden brown, another 1-2 minutes. Be sure to check every now and then. Once browned, remove from heat. Optionally serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!
To Boil from Fresh or Frozen (Cooking Method 2)
- On high heat, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once water is boiling, carefully lower 12-14 dumplings into the water uncovered. Boil for 5-6 minutes or until they float.
- Remove dumplings from hot water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving plate. Optional: to prevent them from sticking to each other, drizzle a bit of oil over top and mix the dumplings together so they're evenly coated. Enjoy with dipping sauce!
Dipping Sauce
- In a small bowl, mix together Dipping Sauce ingredients as listed above until well combined. Enjoy with dumplings!
Freezing Instructions
- Place a large freezer friendly resealable Ziplock bag onto a small baking sheet. Place remaining dumplings into bag in a single layer with the bottom side facing down. Seal the bag and freeze the dumplings on the baking sheet in the freezer for 60 minutes, then remove the baking sheet. The baking sheets prevents the frozen dumplings from sticking to each other. Frozen dumplings will last a long time in a freezer friendly bag, about 2 months or until you see freezer burn.
Notes
Dumpling Wrapper Recipe
Yields approximately 50 wrappersIngredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (or sub with gluten-free all purpose flour if needed)
- 1 ½ cups hot boiling water
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
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In another large mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Pour hot boiling water into the dry ingredients. Then mix together until it forms a clumpy ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, sprinkle a few more tablespoons of flour over top and knead it into a ball until it's no longer sticky. Note: Proofing is not required for this dough.
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Flour your working surface. Then pierce a hole into the middle of the dough ball. Then shape it into a very loose circular "hoop". The hoop should be 1.5 inches thick.
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Cut the hoop in half to form two long pieces.
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Then slice those into 1 inch wide pieces or until you have 50 equal sized pieces.
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Roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls back into the mixing bowl and cover them with a moist clean towel so they do not dry out.
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Re-flour your surface and roll out one ball at a time with a rolling pin until thin. The wrappers should be about 3 inches wide in diameter.
These dumplings look so perfect and thanks for the valuable tip of not touching them once in the pan. Thanks
Your easy step by step instructions make this recipe so easy to make. I could eat these gorgeous dumplings all day long!
Another of my favorites which I will make soon.
What is the name of the Chicken Powder you use please?
Thank you Christie and Happy Easter..
Hi Garry! Happy Easter! I hope you enjoy my recipe! The chicken powder I use is by Knorr and it's called "Knorr Chicken Flavored Broth Mix". Hope this helps!
OMG these pot stickers are the bomb!
Thank you so much for making my dumplings and for such a kind review, Grace! I'm really happy you enjoyed them 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Are there a gluten free version of the dumpling dough available do you know? If not is there a way to make the gluten free dumpling dough?
Unfortunately, I haven't seen a gluten-free version in stores. But to make the dough gluten free, you can substitute the all purpose flour with your choice of gluten-free all-purpose flour. I've updated the Recipe Card (under Notes section) on how to make from scratch dumpling wrappers. Hope this helps!