All you need is flour and water to make amazing homemade dumpling wrappers. Once you realize how easy they are, it’s hard to go back to store-bought. They’re cheaper, fresher, easier to work with, and give you soft, tender dumplings every time. This simple dumpling dough recipe works for potstickers, boiled dumplings, steamed dumplings, or even air-fried dumplings.
Table of Contents
- Homemade Dumpling Wrappers, at a Glance
- Why Homemade Dumpling Wrappers Are Worth Making
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Dumpling Wrappers
- How to Use Dumpling Wrappers
- Kate’s Dumpling Tips
- How to Store Homemade Dumpling Wrappers
- Dumpling Wrapper FAQs
- Everything You Need For Dumpling Night
- Like This Recipe? Try These Better-Than-Takeout Ideas Next
- How To Make Dumpling Wrappers (2 Ingredients) Recipe
Homemade Dumpling Wrappers, at a Glance
- ⏰ Prep time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Makes: 50 wrappers
- 🛒 Ingredients: Flour, water
- 🧠 Skill level: Beginner-friendly
- ❄️ Make ahead: Yes – refrigerate or freeze
- 🥟 Best for: Potstickers, boiled, steamed, air-fried dumplings
Why Homemade Dumpling Wrappers Are Worth Making
Whenever I make dumplings, I tend to make a big batch. Once you get into the swing of things, it’s actually quite a therapeutic process – and a fun one to get the kids involved with too.
You can use store-bought wrappers if you like – but these homemade ones really take things to the next level.
- Store-bought wrappers tend to dry out quickly and often need a lot of moisture to seal, which can make them fiddly to work with.
- Because these are made fresh, they stick together super easily and give you that lovely, soft, chewy texture that makes dumplings so delicious.
If you’re new to dumplings, I have a guide that shares three easy ways to fold dumplings, which I recommend you have a look at. But honestly, don’t stress too much about how they look. Folding is something you naturally get better at over time, and no matter what they look like, they’ll taste amazing.
Need filling ideas? These chicken and mushroom potstickers, juicy pork dumplings, or crispy cheeseburger dumplings are a fun place to start.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need two ingredients to make homemade dumpling wrappers, but a couple of small details make a big difference to the texture.
- All-purpose flour. You don’t need specialty dumpling flour to make great dumpling wrappers. Regular all-purpose flour is absolutely fine and is what I use. If you happen to only have bread flour, that works too – it’ll give you slightly chewier wrappers, and you may need to add a tiny bit more water.
- Water. This is a hot water dough, which I find much easier to roll and shape than a cold water dough. The hot water softens the gluten in the flour, so the dough is more pliable and won’t spring back as much. It also means you can use it straight from the fridge if you make it in advance. With cold water dough, you usually need to let it come back to room temperature first, or it can be quite stiff and tricky to roll out.
- Salt. This is optional, but recommended. It’s not traditional, but I like a little flavor in the wrapper itself. It’s very subtle but makes the final dumplings taste more rounded overall.
How to Make Dumpling Wrappers
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the dumpling dough and how to fold your wrappers – the full recipe with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Add your flour and a little salt into a large mixing bowl, then pour in the just-boiled water. Mix it really well with a fork or a chopstick – I find this is the easiest way to mix it thoroughly.
- It will look shaggy and lumpy at this point – this is what we want.
- Carefully (the mixture will be hot because of the water), get your hands into the bowl and give it a couple of squeezes and quick kneads in the bowl to bring the dough together.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, flat surface, then knead it for a couple of minutes. Form it into a ball, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- When you’re ready to form your dumplings, slice about one-quarter of the dough off the main ball. Roll the piece out into a long, thin rope.
- Cut the rope into small pieces (about 1 inch long).
- Place the cut side of the dough on your floured surface. Use your hands to press it into a rough circle, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a small, thin circle, about 2 inches (5cm) in diameter.
- Continue with the remaining pieces of dough. Use as much flour as you need on the surface if the dough is sticking.
How to Use Dumpling Wrappers
My biggest tip here is don’t worry about making them look perfect! They’ll taste lovely no matter what.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of your filling into the centre of your wrapper, then fold it up. If you need filling inspiration, try these chicken and mushroom potstickers, or juicy pork dumplings.
- Fold your dumpling in whatever style you like – if you’re new to dumplings, I recommend taking a look at my post that shares three easy ways to fold dumplings for a more detailed photo guide.
- Seal your dumplings well – because the wrappers are fresh, they’ll seal easily. The wrapper should stick to itself, but a little water will help if needed.
- You can now cook the dumplings straight away, refrigerate them, or freeze them to cook later.
Kate’s Dumpling Tips
If you’re worried about kneading the dumpling dough, I have a whole post that breaks down how to knead dough. You don’t have to knead this dough for as long as bread dough – it’s just about bringing it together.
My biggest tip if you’re new to making dumplings is not to overfill them. If you do, you might find it tricky and messy to fold up and seal your dumplings. Start with a small amount of filling, then once you get used to folding them, you can add more.
How to Store Homemade Dumpling Wrappers
One of the best things about making dumpling wrappers from scratch is that they’re very make-ahead friendly.
My personal preference is to make the dough ahead of time, then roll out and fill the dumplings when I’m ready, but you can store rolled wrappers if you like too.
- Storing Rolled Dumpling Wrappers
- I recommend dusting each wrapper with a little cornstarch (cornflour) before stacking them (this will prevent them from sticking). If you only have all-purpose flour, you’ll need to layer the wrappers with parchment paper to prevent any sticking.
- Store the wrappers in an airtight container in the fridge, or wrap them in plastic wrap.
- You can keep them in the fridge for 24 hours, but are best used the same day.
- Storing Dumpling Dough.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, or pop it into an airtight container.
- Pop it into the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Because this is a hot water dough, you can roll it into your wrappers straight from the fridge, without having to bring it back to room temperature.
- Freezing Dumpling Wrappers.
- Dust your wrappers with a little cornstarch, then freeze them in a single layer on a parchment paper lined tray until firm, then transfer them to a ziplock bag or container to store.
- They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Dumpling Dough.
- Wrap your dough in plastic wrap, then freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Defrost it overnight in the fridge before using.
Dumpling Wrapper FAQs
You can freeze the wrappers (see detailed storage tips above), or turn them into something else fun. I love using this same dough to make cheesy gochujang pizza bites – they’re a bit of a hybrid between a pan-fried dumpling and a grilled cheese, and make a wonderful snack.
Remember that if you do freeze the wrappers, you dust them generously with cornstarch (cornflour) on both sides, so they don’t stick together.
You can, but it’s not my favorite approach. Rolling, dusting, and stacking wrappers for storage takes time, and they need to be coated very well in cornstarch to stop them sticking together. Flour won’t work here – it gets absorbed into the dough and the wrappers will stick.
I recommend either:
– Making and filling the dumplings in one go, then freezing the formed dumplings.
– Or, make the dumpling dough ahead of time. Wrap it in plastic wrap and it’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Then you can roll and fill your dumplings when you’re ready.
You can – and this is actually the best option for storage.
They freeze beautifully. Just arrange the dumplings on a lined baking sheet in a single layer, freeze until solid, then transfer them to ziplock bags to store. You can then cook them straight from frozen (an ideal excuse to make these viral one pan satay baked dumplings).
Everything You Need For Dumpling Night
Like This Recipe? Try These Better-Than-Takeout Ideas Next
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How To Make Dumpling Wrappers (2 Ingredients)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 50 dumplings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
All you need is flour and water to make amazing homemade dumpling wrappers. Once you realize how easy they are, it’s hard to go back to store-bought. They’re cheaper, fresher, easier to work with, and give you soft, tender dumplings every time. This simple dumpling dough recipe works for potstickers, boiled dumplings, steamed dumplings, or even air-fried dumplings.
Ingredients
- 300g (2 cups) plain flour
- 185g (3/4 cup) just boiled water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Add your flour and salt to a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Pour in the just-boiled water, then use a chopstick, or a fork, to mix into the flour. Once the mixture starts to look lumpy, CAREFULLY (the dough will be hot), use your hands to squeeze the mixture together to get rid of the lumps and dry patches, to form a rough dough.
- Knead and rest. Transfer the dough to a clean, flat work surface and knead it for a couple of minutes, until it’s looking smoother and more cohesive. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to roll. Need help with kneading dough? Check out my guide sharing how to knead dough.
- Roll out the wrappers. Lightly flour a flat surface, then cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap the rest to keep it from drying out. Roll the piece out into a long, thin rope, about 1 inch thick. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Working with one piece at a time, place the cut side on the floured surface and use your hands to press it into a rough circle. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a larger circle, about 3.5 inches (9cm) wide. Continue with the rest of the pieces, covering the rolled-out wrappers with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. PRO TIP: I prefer to roll out and then fill the wrappers as I go. Fresh wrappers are less likely to dry out and much easier to fold and shape.
- Fill the dumplings. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of your filling into the middle of your wrapper, then fold up and seal your dumpling (use my guide with three ways to fold dumplings if you need help here). Place onto a baking paper lined tray or plate, then repeat with the rest of your wrappers. If you’re new to dumpling making, I recommend starting with a little less filling as it will be easier to wrap them.
- Cook or freeze. You can cook the dumplings straight away, or freeze them for later. Freeze them on a single layer on a lined tray or plate until solid, then transfer them to ziplock bags to store. Refrigerating them is tricky especially if you have quite a wet filling, as the bottoms can get sticky, so I always recommend either freezing them or cooking them right away.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can freeze the wrappers, but you’ll need to coat them liberally with cornstarch (cornflour) first, otherwise they’ll stick together when you stack them. Flour won’t work as it will just be absorbed into the dumpling wrappers. Once you’ve coated them, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out then pop into the freezer. But personally, I much prefer to fill the dumplings, and then freeze them. Prepping the wrappers for the freezer takes time and is a bit of a pain. Or, you can make the dough, wrap it in clingfilm then place it in the fridge for up to 48 hours before using it.
WHAT TO MAKE WITH THEM: Make a batch of chicken and mushroom potstickers, juicy pork dumplings or even these crispy cheeseburger dumplings. Or, you can re-roll any leftover dough and make my favourite cheesy gochujang pizza bites – they use this same dough.
NUTRITION NOTE: This has been estimated based on approximately 50 dumpling wrappers per batch. Nutrition will vary depending on wrapper size.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 wrapper
- Calories: 22
- Sugar: .02g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: .08g
- Saturated Fat: .01g
- Unsaturated Fat: .07g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4.6g
- Fiber: .15g
- Protein: .6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
I gave this recpie five stars because from my perspective it was good explained and it was easy to understand. It wasen’t too difficult and now i know how to make dumplings.
I gave this recpie five stars because from my perspective it was good explained and it was easy to understand. It wasen’t too difficult and now i know how to make dumplings.