Serving up a big platter of homemade dumplings is guaranteed to impress. These juicy pork dumplings use my favorite shortcut to extra flavor: a little sausage meat in the filling. They’re easy to prep ahead, so they’re perfect for entertaining or quick weeknight meals. Steam, pan-fry, or air-fry them; it’s up to you!
If I could live off dumplings, I honestly would. They’re the perfect little bite and jam-packed with flavor. And this lovely pork dumpling recipe is my go-to.
While making dumplings might be a bit of a labor of love, they are 100% worth it. I love spending an afternoon in the kitchen making a big batch of these beauties and stashing them in the freezer for quick meals.
Store-bought wrappers save time, but homemade dumpling wrappers have superior flavor and texture if you want to try them (I promise they’re easy!)
Why You’ll Love These Pork Dumplings
- Shortcut to the best, juicy filling. This is the secret to the best dumplings. My hack to achieve this every time is using a mix of ground pork and pork sausage meat. This adds fat (the key to keeping things nice and moist) as well as extra flavor.
- Fabulous for prepping ahead. Make a big batch and pop them into the freezer, then cook when you’re ready for a quick, easy meal anytime.
- Brilliant for entertaining and parties. Cook them straight from frozen for a super impressive party main that your guests will love.
- Versatile cooking options. Steam them (generally my preferred option), pan-fry or even air-fry the dumplings. It’s your choice!
If you like the sound of these pork dumplings, try these chicken and mushroom potstickers, one pan satay baked dumplings, dumpling stuffed flatbreads, smash dumpling tacos or cheeseburger dumplings next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground pork. Go for good-quality, free-range pork if you can, with a decent percentage of fat. You can use another ground meat, like chicken, turkey, beef, or a plant-based alternative, if you like.
- Sausage meat. This is my little shortcut to super moist, flavorful dumplings. Sausage meat has a high-fat percentage, which is necessary for a great, juicy dumpling filling. Use sausages without a lot of added flavors, or flavors that don’t mesh well with the Asian ingredients included here.
- White cabbage. You could also use Napa cabbage.
- Ginger. Fresh is best if possible. I like to grate ginger using a microplane or the fine side of a box grater – that way, you don’t need to peel it. If you don’t have any fresh, use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Cilantro (coriander). Swap this for mint or Thai basil if you’re not a cilantro fan.
- Fish sauce. This brings a lovely, deep savoriness to the dumplings (nothing fishy at all!), and I definitely encourage you to try to include it.
How to Make Juicy Pork Dumplings
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the dumplings. The full instructions and ingredients list with quantities are at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Massage a little salt into your shredded cabbage (this will help to soften it and bring out any excess water). Add to a mixing bowl with the ground pork, sausage meat, and the rest of the ingredients.
2. Use a chopstick to mix everything well. I always like to pan-fry a little bit of the filling before making the dumplings, to check the seasoning.
3. Spoon roughly a tablespoon of the filling onto your dumpling wrapper.
4. Shape your dumplings however you’d like – pictured here is the shape I normally go for (and I promise it’s easy once you do it a few times). If you’re new to dumpling making, have a look at my guide that shares three easy ways to fold dumplings, which will help.
5. Continue folding your dumplings until you run out of the filling. Even if the dumplings end up messy, it won’t matter! They’ll still taste fabulous.
6. Line a steamer with parchment paper and make little cuts with a knife through the paper, so that the steam has somewhere to go. Arrange your dumplings in the steamer, leaving about an inch in between each (this prevents them from sticking when they cook – they’ll expand a bit).
7. Steam the dumplings for until they’re plump and glossy. The filling should feel firm if you give the dumplings a squeeze. You can also pan-fry or air-fry the dumplings. The full recipe at the bottom of the page and the FAQs below go into more detail.
8. Drizzle a serving platter with your favorite chili oil (I recommend trying this 30-minute chili oil) and this three-minute dumpling dipping sauce, then arrange the dumplings on top. Scatter with cilantro and scallions, then serve while hot.
Juicy Pork Dumplings FAQs
You can – the filling will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge. This makes it even easier to prep ahead before assembling your dumplings.
Yes! Often, when I make dumplings, I steam half, then pan-fry the rest. To pan-fry the dumplings:
– Heat a little oil in a frying pan or skillet that you have a lid for.
– Arrange the dumplings in the pan, leaving a little space in between each.
– When the bottom of the dumplings starts to turn golden (pick one up to check), pour in enough water so that it comes about halfway up the sides, then pop the lid on.
– Cook until most of the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another few minutes, until all the water has evaporated and you’re left with gorgeous, crispy-bottomed dumplings.
Hands down, freezing them. Formed dumplings don’t keep well in the fridge – the filling will start to seep through the bottom and make them soggy. I like to freeze the dumplings on a lined tray, transfer them to ziplock bags, and then you can cool them straight from frozen whenever you want a quick meal (also brilliant for prep-ahead entertaining!)
You can. Air-frying is a super fun way to get crispy dumplings with no faff:
– Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C) – if your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat option, just run it at that temperature for 2 minutes.
– Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bottom of your air fryer basket (this helps keep them juicy).
– Arrange your dumplings on your basket tray, then lightly spray with cooking oil.
– Air fry them for roughly 8 to 10 minutes, checking them halfway and turning them over to ensure even cooking.
Everything You Need For Dumpling Night
Like this recipe? Try these better-than-takeout ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Juicy Pork Dumplings (Steam, Pan-Fry, or Air-Fry)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 40 dumplings
Description
Serving up a big platter of homemade dumplings is guaranteed to impress. These juicy pork dumplings use my favorite shortcut to extra flavor: a little sausage meat in the filling. They’re easy to prep ahead, so they’re perfect for entertaining or quick weeknight meals. Steam, pan-fry, or air-fry them; it’s up to you!
Ingredients
- 1/4 head white or Napa cabbage, finely shredded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb (500g) ground pork (preferably free-range)
- 7oz (200g) pork sausage, removed from casing
- 4 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
- Handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (optional)
- Two-ingredient dumpling wrappers (or use store-bought wrappers)
- Three-minute dipping sauce, to serve
- 30-minute chili oil, to serve
If you’re steaming the dumplings, you’ll need a bamboo steamer or regular steamer pot, and parchment paper for lining.
Instructions
- Soften the cabbage. Add the shredded, chopped cabbage to a small bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, then use your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage. Leave the cabbage for 5 to 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess water and discard it. This will help it soften and release any excess water that can make your dumplings soggy.
- Make the filling. Transfer the cabbage to a large mixing bowl, then add the 1 lb of ground pork, 7oz of sausage meat, the chopped scallions, cilantro, crushed garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of white pepper, and 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine if you’re using it. Use a chopstick to mix everything into a sticky, cohesive filling. PRO TIP: I like to pan-fry a little of the filling to check the seasoning at this point.
- Prepare your workspace and wrappers. Lightly flour a flat surface and prepare your dumpling wrappers. Spoon roughly a tablespoon of the filling onto your wrapper. If you’re using store-bought wrappers, you’ll want to use your finger to brush a little water around the edge of your wrapper to help it stick to itself and seal properly.
- Shape your dumplings. Choose the way you’d like to fold your dumplings (I have a guide that goes into three easy ways to shape dumplings if you need help). The simplest way is to bring the edges together and form a half-moon shape. Make sure you press the edges together to seal your dumplings firmly – you don’t want them to burst when they cook.
- Arrange your dumplings in your steamers. Line a steamer (either a bamboo steamer or a regular steamer pot) with parchment paper. Use a knife or scissors to make a series of small slices in the paper, so that the steam has somewhere to go. Arrange your dumplings in the lined steamer, leaving about an inch in between each.
- Steam the dumplings. Place the steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and pop the lid on. Steam the dumplings for about 12 minutes, until they look plump and glossy and the filling feels firm to the touch.
- Garnish and serve. You can serve the dumplings straight from the steamer basket, or transfer them to a serving plate and drizzle with lots of the chili oil and a little dumpling dipping sauce. Serve with more chili oil and dipping sauce on the side, and enjoy.
Notes
HOW TO PAN-FRY DUMPLINGS:
- Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet or frying pan you have a lid for, over medium heat.
- Arrange the dumplings in a single layer, leaving space between each. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.
- Pour in enough water to reach about halfway up the sides of the dumplings, then cover with the lid.
- Steam for 5 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Remove the lid and cook a few more minutes to crisp the bottoms. I love steaming half the batch and pan-frying the other half for more texture and interest!
HOW TO AIR-FRY DUMPLINGS:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C). Or, just run the air fryer at that temperature for 2 minutes if yours doesn’t have a preheat option. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the air fryer basket.
- Lightly spray the dumplings with a little oil. Then place them in your air fryer basket, on the tray, in a single layer, leaving space between them.
- Air fry them for 8–10 minutes, checking on them halfway and turning them over to ensure even cooking.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The filling itself will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. If you want to store your shaped dumplings, I always recommend freezing them. Whenever I make these, I make a big batch to stash in the freezer for easy meals. All you have to do is arrange the dumplings on a lined tray or plate, then freeze until solid. After that, transfer them to ziplock bags (and label them so you remember what the filling is!) You can cook them directly from frozen.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use your favorite sausages, just be careful they’re not too strongly flavoured, or you risk them overpowering the rest of the ingredients. Swap ground pork for ground chicken, turkey, beef, or a plant-based alternative.
LOOKING FOR MORE? Try these gorgeous, crispy sesame seed chicken and mushroom potstickers or fluffy Korean chicken steamed buns.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 dumplings
- Calories: 516
- Sugar: 0.9g
- Sodium: 821mg
- Fat: 21.7g
- Saturated Fat: 6.8g
- Carbohydrates: 41.1g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 36.9g
- Cholesterol: 81mg
This was so easy to follow – thank you! So tasty and juicy. Can’t believe I haven’t tried making dumplings before