These super easy dumpling cups are everything you love about juicy dumplings, in party bite form. Just mix your dumpling filling, press wonton wrappers into a muffin pan, fill and bake. Top with a zingy cucumber salsa and lots of lovely dumpling dipping sauce to serve.
Much like my viral smash dumpling tacos, these are brilliant to try if you love dumplings but don’t love how fiddly folding them can be. These GORGEOUS little bites actually use the same filling I use in the tacos, so if you’ve tried and loved them, you’ll enjoy these too!
Simply mix your dumpling filling, press store-bought wonton wrappers into a mini muffin pan, fill the wonton cups and pop them into the oven to bake. While they cook, I love to make a zingy pickled cucumber salsa and lots of dumpling dipping sauce to spoon on top to serve. The result is an absolute wonder of a bite, packed with so much flavor.
They’re also a fabulous party food idea and a very easy way to make dumplings for a crowd. As someone who recently did make dumplings for a crowd, I wish I’d come up with this recipe sooner because it is 100% easier than trying to pan-fry 100s of dumplings at once!
Ingredients
- Ground pork. You can also use ground turkey, chicken or a plant-based alternative. Always use free-range.
- Wonton wrappers. I’m using regular square wonton wrappers here, but you could use round ones too. You could also use phyllo (filo) pastry or puff pastry.
- Black vinegar. I recommend having this lovely vinegar in your cupboard as it brings a deep savoriness to dishes with Asian flavors – but if you don’t have any or can’t find it, regular white wine vinegar or rice vinegar will be fine.
- Soy sauce. Use regular light soy sauce – not dark – in this recipe.
- Fish sauce. Probably my most used ingredient! It works beautifully in this filling and doesn’t make it taste at all fishy. If you don’t like it, add another teaspoon of soy sauce instead.
How to make them
Mix your dumpling filling, then grease your mini muffin pan and press your wonton wrappers into the pan. Fill the cups with the dumpling mixture and pop into the oven. While they bake, mix your dumpling sauce and make your pickled cucumber salsa.
Once the dumpling cups look golden around the edges, remove the pan from the oven. Carefully remove the cups from the pan, then spoon over the cucumber salsa and drizzle with the dumpling dipping sauce, scatter with cilantro and scallions and serve.
Got a question?
You can absolutely make the dumpling filling in advance (up to 48 hours) and then just fill and pop into the oven when you’re ready. You can fill the cups and pop the tray in the fridge for an hour or two, but I don’t recommend leaving it longer than that. The filling can make the wonton wrappers quite soggy.
Yes! Use ground chicken, turkey or a plant-based alternative.
The cups themselves aren’t spicy, but the dumpling dipping sauce has a bit of a kick. If you’re worried, skip the chili oil in the sauce. Or, you could dollop the cups with garlic aioli or Kewpie mayo before topping with the cucumber salsa.
Like this recipe? Try these ideas next
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Crispy Mini Dumpling Cups
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cups 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
These super easy dumpling cups are everything you love about juicy dumplings, in party bite form. Just mix your dumpling filling, press wonton wrappers into a muffin pan, fill and bake. Top with a zingy cucumber salsa and lots of lovely dumpling dipping sauce to serve.
You’ll also need a mini muffin pan for this recipe – I use this one.
Ingredients
For the dumpling cups –
- 1lb/500g ground pork mince (or use chicken/turkey)
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
- A handful of cilantro leaves (coriander), chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated (or 2 teaspoons ginger paste)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- Black pepper
- Wonton wrappers
- Olive oil, for greasing
For the pickled cucumber salsa –
- 1/2 cucumber, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
For the dumpling dipping sauce –
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chilli oil
- 4 teaspoons black vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
Instructions
- Make your dumpling filling. Start by heating your oven to 400F/200C fan. Add the ground pork, most of the chopped scallions and cilantro (keep some aside to scatter on top to serve), the crushed garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon black vinegar and a good grind of black pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine and ensure all the seasoning is evenly dispersed through the meat. PRO TIP: You can pan-fry a little piece of the filling to check the seasoning if you like.
- Prepare your mini muffin pan. Brush the insides of your mini muffin pan with olive oil. Gently press the wonton wrappers into each hole, folding the edges to create a little cup. The olive oil will help them stay in place.
- Fill and bake your dumpling bites. Spoon a couple of heaped teaspoons of the dumpling mixture into the wonton cups, pressing down to make sure the filling goes to the bottom of the cups. You should get 24 cups out of this mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, rotating it halfway through the cooking time (this will ensure the cups cook evenly).
- Make the pickled cucumber. Add the diced cucumber, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds to a small bowl. Mix to combine, then set aside.
- Make the dumpling dipping sauce. Add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of chilli oil, 4 teaspoons of black vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, the crushed garlic and chopped scallions to a jar you have a lid for, or a bowl. Pop the lid on the jar and shake well to combine, or mix in the bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the cups from the oven. Once the wonton wrappers are looking golden brown around the edges and the dumpling mixture is brown on top, remove the pan from the oven. You should be able to quite easily remove the cups from the pan if you’ve greased it with the oil. I recommend doing this as the cups come out of the oven – if you leave them in the pan they can sometimes be a little harder to remove. The cups themselves won’t be as crispy as the top edges – they’ll be a little more like a pan-fried dumpling (the best of both worlds!)
- Garnish and serve. Transfer the cups to a serving platter, then spoon a little pickled cucumber salsa on top of each. Drizzle with dumpling dipping sauce, then scatter over the reserved scallions and cilantro. Serve with more dumpling dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: You can make the dumpling filling up to 48 hours in advance, then just fill and pop the cups into the oven when you’re ready. You can fill the cups and pop the pan in the fridge for an hour or two, but I don’t recommend leaving it longer than that. The filling can make the wonton wrappers quite soggy.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Swap the ground pork for chicken, turkey or a plant-based alternative. If you’re worried about spice, skip the chili oil in the dipping sauce, or skip the sauce altogether and dollop each cup with garlic aioli and Kewpie mayo before adding the cucumber salsa.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: party food
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 cups
- Calories: 375
- Sugar: 0.8g
- Sodium: 728.1mg
- Fat: 23.6g
- Saturated Fat: 7.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21.7g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 18.4g
- Cholesterol: 62.9mg
Can I make these and freeze them? If so, cooked?
Hello! It’s probably easier here to cook them and freeze them – then you can reheat them on a regular oven tray for about 10 minutes at 360F/180C. Unless you can fit the whole muffin pan in your freezer – in which case baking them from frozen would work too. Just add another five or so minutes onto the cooking time.