The best and quickest way to make crisp bottom and juicy Pan Fried Dumplings.
A recipe so easy, satisfying and full of veggies; you will never need to get store bought dumplings again!
Chinese food is one of our favorites to make at home. From Fried Rice and Teriyaki Noodles to Black Pepper Tofu or Lettuce Wraps and Quinoa Fried Rice; these recipes make a regular appearance on our dinner menu.
Plus with these recipes; Potstickers or Pan fried dumplings, Steamed Bao and fried wontons are our favorites for appetizers.
Most Asian recipes are pretty easy to put together and always full of so many veggies. And this one is super amazing with all the vegetables and tofu in it.
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Dumplings a.k.a Potstickers
Asian cuisine has so many different ways to make parcels of meat or veggies and serve them in various courses for a meal. Dumpling, wonton, siu mai, bao, mandu, steamed bun etc. are all similar yet unique in their own way.
Dumplings, a popular Asian delicacy made with a dough cover and filled with either meat, tofu or veggies. These have a signature crisp bottom and yet they are soft and delicious inside.
We cook them by a two step process; first pan frying them in oil and then cooking them with some water in a covered pan till cooked.
Mid way between steamed wontons and fried dumplings; these pan fried dumplings have crisp bottoms and juicy filling.
Why this recipe works
- These are made with store bought wrappers; making them quick and easy to put together.
- They are loaded with veggies and tofu. Add, subtract or replace veggies as you like.
- This recipe is great to make potstickers that can be enjoyed right away.
- These however, work perfectly for meal prep as they are a great make ahead recipe.
- It is easy to scale the recipe up or down by reducing the amount of filling and potsticker wrappers.
- A super easy recipe; this can eliminate all the frozen dumplings and those from the restaurant.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegetables: Mixed vegetables are great to use in the dumplings. I like to add broccoli, carrots, spinach, cabbage and scallions. Moreover, mushrooms, cauliflower, Napa cabbage and bok choy work great too.
- Tofu: Finely diced firm or extra firm tofu is great for the recipe. Softer tofu will completely disintegrate in the dumplings.
- Dumpling Wrappers: Round dumpling wrappers are great to shape. Pick the ones that are not super thin like sui mai wrappers. They tend to give away quickly in the water.
- Sauces: I add soy sauce, vinegar and red chili sauce for the recipe.
- Seasonings: The only seasoning we need for the dumplings is salt, pepper and five spice seasoning. No additional seasoning is required.
- Oil: Like most Asian recipes, Sesame oil is the best to use here. However, vegetable oil is good too.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Heat 2 teaspoon sesame oil in a wok/large pan over medium heat.
2- Once hot, add ½ cup minced carrots and ½ cup minced broccoli; sauté for a couple of minutes.
3- Then add ¾ cup finely chopped cabbage and ¾ cup chopped spinach.
4- Sauté for a couple of minutes till the spinach wilts and then add 1 cup finely diced tofu.
5- Then season with these, mix well and cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes.
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper powder
- ½ tsp Five spice powder
6- Then add these and mix well.
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- ½ tsp Vinegar
- ½ tsp Red Chili Sauce
7- Remove from flame and let the mixture cool completely.
8- To assemble the dumpling, wet the sides of the one dumpling wrapper thoroughly and add a tablespoon of the filling.
9- Then seal the edges in a crinkled fashion. However, you may choose to shape them as you like. Continue with the rest of the dumpling wrappers.
Pro Tip: At this stage you may freeze them for future use.
10- To pan fry, heat 2 teaspoon sesame oil in a flat bottom pan over medium flame.
11- Once it heats, lay the dumplings in a single layer. Leave some space between them.
12- Then let the dumpling bottoms turn golden-brown.
13- Once they are crips and golden-brown, increase the flame and add ½ cup water. Let the water sizzle for a couple minutes.
14- Cover the pan and let the dumplings cook for 4-5 minutes; till the pan is dry and dumplings are cooked. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Do not let the wrappers dry out. Keep them covered in a wet cloth or place in an air tight container while you work on wrapping the dumplings.
- Round and square dumpling wrappers will both work for the recipe.
- Whether the dumplings are crinkle wrapped or folded over in a simple way; they taste just as great!
- Make sure all the veggies are chopped fine or processed in a food processor. Large chunks will pierce the skin of the dumplings.
- These can be pan-fried right after wrapping. They make a delicious meal or appetizer.
- Do not skimp on the oil; the dumplings will not have a crisp bottom with lesser oil.
- Dumplings are great to make ahead too. Simply label and freeze the remaining dumplings. They are great for 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Enjoy these dumplings with chili garlic sauce, soy based sauce or gyoza dip.
Storing
It is easy to make a big batch of these dumplings. While I pan fry some the same day, I store the others for a quick dinner for some other day.
To freeze, place the wrapped dumplings on a baking tray leaving some space between them.
Freeze till hard; a couple of hours. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and store them. Also, do not forget to label the date of preparing.
The frozen dumplings can be cooked directly from frozen as thawing them might make the wrappers soggy.
Serving
Serve these dumplings with a gyoza dipping sauce or a mix of soy sauce, minced garlic, sesame oil and scallions.
They can be served with hot sauce too. Or dip them in a bowl of manchow soup to enjoy!
Moreover, I like to add them to a bowl with steamed edamame, fried rice and a tofu based curry too. It makes a delicious meal.
Recipe FAQs
Most of the vegetable dumplings are Vegan. We use vegetables and tofu in the filling; all Vegan compliant.
We do add a ton of veggies and use lots of tofu for these dumplings. Though they are flour coating and are sautéed in oil, they are still super healthy.
These Asian dumplings are made with a flour covering and filled with assorted fillings. On the other hand American Dumplings are simply dough balls mixed and dropped in a curry or soup and cooked along with it.
These are great to enjoy with a soy sauce based dipping sauce. Serve them with vegetable stir-fry, steamed edamame, soups, noodles or fried rice.
Yes. They work perfectly to make and freeze ahead of time. They are great to freeze up to 3 months. Sauté them directly from frozen; no need to thaw them.
Pairings
These pan fried dumplings pair wonderfully with soups, salads and appetizers. Here are some of my favorite pairings for them.
More Vegan Recipes
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Pan Fried Vegetable Dumplings
Ingredients
For the Dumplings
- 30 Dumpling Wrappers
- 1 cup Firm Tofu (diced)
- ½ cup Carrot (minced)
- ¾ cup Cabbage (finely diced)
- ½ cup Broccoli (minced)
- ¾ cup Spinach (minced)
- ¼ cup Scallions (chopped fine)
- 2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Sauce
To pan fry
- 2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
Making the Dumpling Filling
- Heat sesame oil in a wok/large pan over medium heat.
- Once hot, add carrots and broccoli; sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Then add cabbage and spinach.
- Sauté for a couple of minutes till the spinach wilts and add tofu.
- Season with salt, pepper and five spice seasoning. Mix well and cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes.
- Then add chili sauce, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well.
- Remove from flame and cool completely.
To assemble the Dumplings
- Wet the sides of the dumpling wrapper thoroughly and add a tablespoon of the filling.
- Seal the edges in a crinkled fashion. You may choose to shape them as you like. Continue with the rest of the dumpling wrappers. At this stage you may freeze them for future use.
To pan fry the Dumplings
- Heat some sesame oil in a flat bottom pan over medium flame.
- Once it heats, lay the dumplings in a single layer. Leave some space between them.
- Let the dumpling bottoms turn golden-brown.
- Once they are crips and golden-brown, increase the flame and add water.
- Let the water sizzle for a couple minutes.
- Cover the pan and let the dumplings cook for 4-5 minutes; till the pan is dry and dumplings are cooked.
- Once all the water is absorbed, remove from flame and serve immediately with your favorite dip and steamed edamame.
Video
Notes
- Do not let the wrappers dry out. Keep them covered in a wet cloth or place in an air tight container while you work on wrapping the dumplings.
- Round and square dumpling wrappers will both work for the recipe.
- Whether the dumplings are crinkle wrapped or folded over in a simple way; they taste just as great!
- Make sure all the veggies are chopped fine or processed in a food processor. Large chunks will pierce the skin of the dumplings.
- These can be pan-fried right after wrapping. They make a delicious meal or appetizer.
- Dumplings are great to make ahead too. Simply label and freeze the remaining dumplings. They are great for 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Enjoy these dumplings with chili garlic sauce, soy based sauce or gyoza dip.
Gita says
Hi , we love dumplings , but the thought of making the wrapper always stopped me from making it. I never knew we get dumpling wrappers. which brand is good for the dumpling wrapper ? Could you please share that. Thanks !
Smruti says
Hi Gita. Making them with store bought wrappers has been the life changing hack for me! Here is the one I use: https://amzn.to/44dls9L They are available at Asian stores and often at Safeway too.