Vegan Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)

What to Expect From This Homemade Potstickers Recipe

• Easy filling. The filling here isn’t an authentic Chinese recipe, made with pork—I simply used some of my favourite stir-fry ingredients, including tofu, Swiss chard, carrots, and green onions.
• Make them your own. Once you’ve got the technique down, you can make potstickers with any filling you like! 
• Homemade dipping sauce. You can use bottled or jarred dipping sauce for your dumplings, but I’m definitely partial to my sweet ginger dipping sauce recipe. It combines sweet and savory flavours with a heavy dose of ginger and red pepper flakes. It’s the perfect complement to the mild vegan potsticker filling!

Notes on Ingredients

Please note that this is helpful information on the ingredients needed to make these vegan potstickers. The FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.

• Round wonton wrappers – If you buy these frozen, they’ll need to be thawed before you start.
• Carrot – Grate the carrot with a box grater or your food processor. If neither is an option, you can finely mince it with a knife.
• Baby Swiss chard – If you can’t find baby Swiss chard at the grocery store, you can substitute baby spinach or kale.
• Green onions – If you don’t have green onions, any mild, finely chopped onion will work.
• Fresh ginger and garlic – You can substitute these fresh ingredients with their powdered counterparts if you need to. In this case, you’ll need about ⅓ the amount.
• Tofu – The tofu needs to be pressed before you make the filling. Learn more about pressing tofu in my in-depth tutorial, How To Cook Tofu 101.
• Liquid aminos or soy sauce – Whichever you prefer. Liquid aminos are lower in sodium, but you can use low-sodium soy sauce if you’d like.
• Sesame oil – There really isn’t a substitute for sesame oil in Chinese cooking. However, if you have tahini (sesame paste), it will do the trick in this recipe.
• Rice wine vinegar – Make sure you buy plain rice wine vinegar, not the seasoned kind.

Homemade Ginger Dipping Sauce

• Maple syrup or agave nectar – You could use another sweetener here, like raw sugar.
• Soy sauce – Tamari or liquid aminos work here, too.
• Sesame seeds – Use white, black, or a combination of the two.
• Ground ginger – Feel free to use fresh if you prefer.
• Red pepper flakes – Use more or less, according to your taste preferences. Chili sauce, like Sriracha, is also a good way to add heat to the sauce.
• Green onions – Optional, for garnish and extra flavor.

How to Make Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)

You don’t need to cook the filling for these potstickers in advance, so cleanup is very quick and easy. Here’s how to assemble and cook your dumplings, step-by-step.

• Make the filling. Combine the carrot, green onions, ginger, garlic and tofu in a medium bowl. Stir in the pepper, liquid aminos, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. Fill the center of each wonton wrapper with a scant tablespoon of the tofu mixture.

• Fold the dumplings. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water using a brush or your fingertips, then fold it over so the middle meets, creating a half-moon shape. Use your fingers to pinch the edges sealed, adding a frill if you’d like.

Traditionally, potstickers are fried and steamed in the same pan (resulting in the name “potsticker”). However, for simplicity’s sake, I skip the frying step in this recipe. You can steam your dumplings using a specialty bamboo steamer if you have one. Once your potstickers are in the steamer, steam them for 10 minutes until tender.

Otherwise, you can make a steamer by adding boiling water to a pan. Place a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper over the water, and arrange the dumplings on top. Cover the potstickers with foil, and steam.

Serve With the Dipping Sauce

• Make the sauce. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
• Serve. Serve the steamed dumplings with the dipping sauce and additional sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish.

Tips for Success

• Square vs. Round wonton wrappers. If you can’t find round wonton wrappers, you can use square ones. Fold them into triangles, then fold the two far corners together to seal them.
• Seal the dumplings tight. Make sure to wet the edges of the wrappers and pinch the dumplings tightly closed. Otherwise, they may split open while they steam.
• Pan-frying. If you prefer dumplings that are crispy, you can pan-fry them in oil instead of steaming.
• Traditional method. Or, cook them the traditional way, and add the potstickers to the oiled pan, and then pour water into the pan and place the lid on top to let them steam.

More Serving Suggestions

Serve these potstickers as part of a full Chinese-inspired feast, with fried rice, edamame salad, or sesame noodles on the side. For a main, try homemade vegan moo goo gai pan, chow fun noodles, or crispy General Tso’s cauliflower. I also love this easy air fryer orange tofu on a weeknight! As something special for dessert, try homemade Chinese tangulu.

How to Store Leftovers

• Refrigerate. If you have leftover dumplings, you can place them in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat. Warm them up by putting them back in the steamer or by microwaving. To keep the potstickers from drying up in the microwave, you can place a damp paper towel over them.
• Freeze. You can freeze potstickers in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet; once they’re frozen through, place them in an airtight storage container or freezer bag. Reheat them by steaming them or in the microwave, as directed above.

Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan potsticker recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

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• Spicy Ramen
• Vegan Katsu Curry
• Tempeh Stir-Fry