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Homemade Gyoza Recipe (Best Gyoza Dipping Sauce Ever)

This homemade gyoza recipe is so much better than in the Japanese dumplings you get in the restaurant.  Little delicate dumplings filled with ground pork and veggies pan fried and then steamed to perfection.  Like little bites of heaven!

This gyoza recipe is our favorite and the dumpling sauce is good enough to drink!

If you have never had homemade gyoza dipping sauce, you are in for a serious treat!

A plate full of the best homemade gyoza

What Is Gyoza?

Gyoza are little dumplings filled with meat and vegetables.  They are usually filled with pork or shrimp and then cabbage, ginger, garlic and carrots.  They can also be made vegetarian.   The filling is stuffed into a tiny round wraper and then pinched together.

They are pan fried and steamed, then served as an appetizer or side dish along with a dipping sauce.

The first time I made these gyoza they turned out fantastic!  So now I’m hooked.  Homemade tastes a million times better than store bought or even from a restaurant, even though it is a bit more work.

They freeze really well so Debbie and I always make a whole bunch at once and freeze them so we often have them on hand ready for a craving, if a couple friends drop by, or we need a quick weeknight meal.

A plate full of homemade gyoza and one being dipped in the dipping sauce

Ingredients In This Gyoza Recipe:

Our recipe is pork based and it has the following ingredients:

  • ground pork
  • onion
  • garlic
  • ginger
  • finely shredded cabbage – you can use napa cabbage or regular cabbage
  • grated carrot
  • sesame oil

Ingredient Substitutions:

Get creative!  You can pretty much make these gyoza dumplings from anything you like.   Here are some ideas:

  • ground chicken
  • shrimp
  • fish
  • scallops
  • ground beef
  • mushrooms
  • green onions
  • make them vegetarian
process of how to make gyoza

How to Make the Filling:

Ok, this part is really easy.

  1. Start by shredding the cabbage and the carrots.  Dice the onions really small.  Mince or grate your garlic and ginger.
  2. Add all of these to a bowl with the raw ground pork.
  3. Add the sesame oil on top and a little salt.
  4. Get in there with your hands and mix it up really well.

If you want to, you can throw the onion and cabbage into a saute pan with a little oil and cook just until they are wilted.  Its not necessary, but you might prefer your cabbage to melt into the meat a little more.  That’s fine and totally up to you.  I’ve done it both ways.

Gyoza Wrappers

Gyoza wrappers are found in most grocery stores. Using the store bought wrappers is the easiest.

Try to use proper gyoza wrappers as they are round and work the best.  But if you can’t find any, you could use square wonton wrappers and just use a large ring cutter to cut them into a circle.  Or you can make your own, but that is an undertaking all on its own!

How to Wrap Gyoza:

Now you have to wrap your gyoza filling. 

Wrapping  your gyoza can be a little intimidating, but with a little practice, it becomes pretty easy.

  1. take a wonton wrapper and wet the edges of the wrapper using a finger dipped in water.  (its very helpful to have a little water bowl beside you)
  2. drop a teaspoon size ball of filling in the center
  3. close the wrapper in half around the filling and pinch the center top edge shut
  4. then starting in the center, make a pleat on one side and pinch it.  Then make another and another all down the one side.
  5. go back to the center and pleat the other side.
  6. repeat the process until all your gyoza are wrapped.

Check out this link to watch a tutorial on folding homemade gyoza.  Scroll to the last part of the video as she does 3 different kinds.

It helps to have a friend to do this with.  Or a good show on tv and a glass of wine.  Or some good music.  Whatever makes you happy 🙂

Watch How to Make Gyoza

Sometimes it’s good to have a visual!
 

How to Cook the Dumplings

  1. Add some oil to a frying pan (with a lid) on medium heat.  Add the gyoza and shake the pan so they don’t stick.
  2. Let them cook till they are golden brown on the bottoms or on the one side.  I like to pan fry one side and then the other, but you can just cook the bottoms if you want to.
  3. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan, close the lid, cook for 2-3 mins or until the water is mostly evaporated then open the lid and take them out right away.  They can start to stick to the pan if you wait too long.
  4. If the gyoza start to stick to the pan, add a little water and give them a shake.
  5. If you want the bottoms crispy again you will have to fry them again in a little more oil.

And that’s it.  All done in one pan!

how to cook gyoza

The Dumpling Sauce

I have to say a little something about this gyoza sauce.  I am not actually a fan of the dumpling sauce that you get in restaurants.  To me it just tastes like soy sauce.  Not very exciting.

This one is much different and has green onions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and a touch of heat.  You just mix the ingredients together in a bowl and let them sit for 15 mins.  It gets so aromatic and flavorful.  Now I can’t eat gyoza without it.  Its just not even worth it.  I’m telling you…

What Makes a Good Dumpling Sauce

The best dumpling sauce or gyoza dipping sauce has a balance of flavors.  Its salty, tiny bit sweet, spicy and with a slight tang from the rice vinegar.

We like to make our dumpling sauce a bit before we are going to eat it.  At least an hour before.  You don’t have to, but if you do, the flavors melt together so nicely and it tastes even better.

homemade gyozas cooked and sitting on a plate ready to eat

How to Serve Your Homemade Gyoza:

I would eat these as a meal if I was just making them for dinner for Kevin and I.  Served with a side salad, 6 for me and 10 for him would be enough for us which makes these a super quick dinner if I already have the gyoza made and frozen.

If I was serving these to a group, I would serve 3 – 4 per person as an appetizer only.   I would pair them with a nice big chopped salad with a honeyed ginger and sesame dressing and you have a nice light but very satisfying meal.

Make sure to serve your Japanese dumplings with plenty of dumpling sauce!

Its more than likely that most of your family and friends will have only ever had restaurant gyoza and when they taste your gyoza recipe, they will be blown away because they will be the best gyoza they have ever had.

Even if they don’t look as perfect as they look in the restaurants.  It can take a little practice to make really pretty gyoza.

How to Store Gyoza (Freezing Gyoza)

If you are not going to eat all your gyoza right away, the best way to store your gyoza is to freeze them. They freeze really well in an airtight container or even a ziplock back for a couple months. Because they freeze so well, its a good idea to make a double or triple batch.

Make sure to freeze them before cooking, not after. Lay them on a parchment lined tray, freeze them like this and then transfer them to a bag or container. If you freeze them while they are touching, they will stick together when you try to cook them.

When you go to cook your gyoza, cook from frozen according to the same instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What vinegar do you use for dumpling sauce?

Always rice vinegar!

How long do you boil dumplings?

Not at all!  You should pan fry first and then steam them.   Just for a couple mins.

Whats the difference between a gyoza and a potsticker?

Not much, but there are tiny differences.  Gyoza tend to be smaller and more delicate with a thinner wrapper.  Gyoza are Japanese and potstickers are Chinese.

How do I make gyoza without sticking?

You use the method outlined in this recipe.  Fry – steam – fry.  Fry the gyoza first then add water to steam, which also loosens them from the bottom of the pan.

gyoza dipping sauce with soy sauce, green onions, garlic, ginger, and chili's

Recommended Tools

  1. A nice big tray that fits lots of gyoza, but still fits in the freezer (this one is the best for all kinds of baking as well)
  2. Parchment paper is a must to keep the gyoza from sticking to the tray.  We use parchment paper for SO many things.  Its good to have on hand.
  3. Gyoza Wrappers – these are the perfect little wrappers.
  4. Frying pan with a lid – we LOVE our stainless steel frying pans
  5. Dumpling press –  Ive never tried one of these, but I might one day.  Can you imagine how quick it would be to make a million gyoza with this little guy:

And now your set!  Happy gyoza making 🙂

Other Recipes You Might Like:

If you’ve tried this homemade gyoza recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

Homemade Gyoza

Homemade Gyoza Recipe and the Best Dipping Sauce Ever

Little delicate dumplings filled with ground pork and veggies. Homemade gyoza taste so much better than when you get them in the restaurant.
4.25 from 32 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: gyoza, homemade gyoza, pork dumplings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 507kcal
Author: Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE GYOZA

  • 500 g ground pork
  • 1/2 large onion finely chopped or grated
  • 5 cloves garlic grated or minced
  • 2 tsp ginger grated or minced
  • 1/2 cup carrot shredded
  • 2 cups napa cabbage , finely sliced
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 pkg round gyoza wrappers

FOR THE GYOZA SAUCE

FOR COOKING

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (coconut, olive, sunflower)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

FOR THE GYOZA

  • Add the pork, onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, cabbage, sesame oil and salt to a large bowl and mix well.
  • When you are ready to start wrapping the gyoza, lay a few wrappers down on a clean surface and wet the edges of each one all the way around with a wet finger. (it helps to have a little bowl of water beside you)
  • Spoon 1-2 tsp of filling into the middle of the wrapper and fold the wrapper in half over the filling. Pinch the edges to seal and then make little folds and squeeze them together along the edge of the gyoza.
  • Lay the gyoza on a tray and make sure the gyoza dont touch each other. They can stick easily.
  • Add some oil to a frying pan (with a lid) on medium heat.  Add the gyoza and shake the pan so they don’t stick.  Let them cook till they are golden brown on the bottoms or on the one side.  I like to pan fry one side and then the other, but you can just cook the bottoms if you want to.
  • Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, close the lid, cook for 2-3 mins or until the water is mostly evaporated.  Add 1/2 tsp sesame oil or other oil and shake to coat the bottom of the pan and cook till the bottoms of the gyoza are crispy again. 

FOR THE GYOZA SAUCE

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, green onion and chili flakes.  Let the sauce sit for around 15 mins before you start dipping.

Notes

To learn how to fold gyoza like a pro, check out the link below this recipe.
If you freeze them, make sure you do it on a tray so they dont touch. Then once they are frozen you can put them into zip lock bags.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/6 of the recipe) | Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 1546mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1920IU | Vitamin C: 10.5mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 3.7mg

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44 Comments

  1. Those look so good!
    We also have a meat grinder for the pork filling.
    Realizing we could make gyoza here in jungle (thanks to you) was Possibly the greatest food epiphany ever. Jenn drinks the dipping sauce straight after (or during) dinner.

    1. Hi Caroline. Thanks for the comment! You will be surprised how easy these are to make! Give it a shot! U won’t be disappointed…

  2. Looks so YUMMY!

    As Julie mentioned, my man and I live in the bush in Congo. It was thanks to Julie when we were wondering what to do with our cabbage surplus that we discovered we could make Gyoza. Man was that a breakthrough!

    The basic ingredients: pork, flour, ginger and garlic are always available here. The sauces in bottles we ship in up the Congo river. And the rest we substitute.

    The pork we grind ourselves. Well ok, that’s Tristan’s job. We don’t always have cabbage so we use whatever other tough greens we have: canola leaves, or cassava leaves usually. I ship in dried mushrooms from the big city, and I like to saute them in miso before I chop them up. We also usually pan fry pine nuts and chip them up for some texture and we always grate the garlic and ginger as it breaks up the plant cells better and adds more flavour.

    Rolling the shells is a time consuming process, but they are so so yummy and we can do it in the middle of nowhere were there are not Asian food sections.

    The great thing about gyozas is that you can put almost anything in them as per what you have at home or what your tatses ar. Enjoy!

    And yes Julie, I will be digging in your freezer soon.

    Jenn
    Inongo, Democratic Republic of Congo
    #cookingincongo on instagram

    1. Jenn, you guys have done me proud out there! I love how you have figured out how to make so many things with just the (very) basics. I officially dub you the camp cook when we are out in the forests of BC. You can cook, we can drink… Debbie will be with me on this one 😉

  3. When you say: spray the surface you put the dumblings on so that they dont stick do you mean spray the surface of the board or whatever with water or with cooking spray?
    What of I dont own a steamer? Is there another way to do it without a steamer? What happens if I put them in a pan to fry without steaming first? I am worried about them steaming part…
    Great recipe and wonderful instructions even to a German living near Munich hoping so much for a response
    Carmen

    1. Hi Carmen,

      Sorry if we werent clear in our instructions. “Spray the surface” means to spray the surface of your steamer with spray oil. You dont have to, but I find that sometimes the gyoza stick when I use a steamer that is metal. I havent been able to get my hands on a proper bamboo steamer, but that might work different.
      If you dont have a steamer, you can heat up a frying pan, add a little oil, throw some water in, throw in the gyoza and cover it. The gyoza will get steamed in the pan. After a few mins, uncover the frying pan and let the gyoza saute in the pan for a bit. Dont forget a little oil otherwise the gyoza will stick after the water is gone.
      I know this works because I make gyozas like this when Im short on time. Hope that helps!

  4. Love this recipe! I would suggest to make the gyozas ahead of time, so you don’t spend all of your time in the kitchen. Also, I would put the filling in the food processor for a quick spin (easier to spoon on the wrappers). My dumpling folding leaves something to be desired but …practice, practice. I also agree that this is the BEST dipping sauce ever!

    1. Hi Celia. We love hearing that you enjoyed the recipe. I agree, making the Gyoza ahead of time is the way to go. Great idea about giving the filling a little pulse in the processor! Im sure that would make it easier to keep everything together. Im going to give it a try next time.

  5. Thanks for the dipping sauce directions! I only had the rice wine vinegar & ginger to add to soy sauce but it was so awesome!! I grew up on Gyoza, having worked in a Japanese restaurant at the age of 12! They weren’t served on the menu, just to the staff after work. Such a special treat! They’re so good we started making them at home and yes, if you’re going to go thru the trouble of making them you better make about a zillion! We have never pre-cooked the pork though – just roll a little meatball & place in the Gyoza skin & pop it right into the skillet. Can’t wait to make a big batch & freeze them! Thanks for the tips!

    1. Hi Bridget, really happy you loved the dipping sauce. I don’t think its worth eating Gyoza without that sauce. Maybe… I have never made them without cooking the meat first. I wonder if that would be easier to get the filling in there! I will have to try it. Thanks 🙂

      1. I have never heard of cooking the pork first, I always fry the gyoza a little, to get colour, add about 1/4 cup water, quickly put the lid on, steam for about 4 minutes, take lid off and let the water dry up and voila, done 🙂 I found your site looking for a new dipping sauce for my dumplings that I have just made 🙂 Thanks

        1. Hi Lee, thanks for the comment. Yes, I think Im going to have to try filling the gyoza with raw meat next time. The only thing is that I love how the pork tastes when it gets all browned and some little crispy parts, but maybe it will taste just as good. We will see…

  6. The dipping sauce is the best for gyoza I ever had, restaurants included! We so love Asian Cuisine and today I again made the gyoza as shown in the Wagamama Noodles Cookbook (they are called Won Tan there, but it’s gyoza!). I do never cook the meat, but fill the gyoza with raw filling. Then frying in 1 tbsp sesam oil for a minute on each side, giving 3 tbsp water in the frying pan, covering at once and leave cooking for 2-3 minutes. Perfect! Ans the dipping sauce made my day today

    1. Hi Stephanie, thanks for checking out our dipping sauce recipe. I think I will have to try gyoza with raw filling next time and see if it makes much difference. I just like the vegetables cooked down and soft so maybe I will saute the veggies and then mix with the raw meat when cool. Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the sauce 🙂

  7. My boyfriend and I had the most delicious Friday night dinner thanks to this recipe! The dipping sauce was to die for. I will never be able to dip in anything else! I also used raw pork, but sautéed the veggies until soft and pulsed them in my food processor before mixing into the ground pork. I cut a gyoza open after a few minutes steaming and it was completely cooked. I can’t wait to make these again! Quick question-I froze a bunch, what is the best way to cook them? Do you steam them frozen, let them defrost, par-boil them? Wasn’t sure of the best method! Thanks again!

    1. Hi Devon! Thanks so much for the comment. Were so happy that you loved this recipe, though Im not surprised 😉 it really is so good! I always freeze some of these when I make them and when I’m ready to eat them, I don’t bother to defrost them, I just steam them first and then pan fry them quickly. They don’t take long, even from frozen.

    1. Hi Em, I have never tried. I imagine you could, but I really don’t know. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.

  8. These were so good. Made half a batch of pork and half a batch with shrimp substituted. Served with some steamed edamame and me and the hubby enjoyed an awesome dinner.

    Made it by myself but definitely will make it a group activity next time around!

    Photo proof of deliciousness: https://www.instagram.com/p/BG52Ip0r7l6/?taken-by=naturallybc

    You guys are right, it does freeze really well. Just as good the second time around.

    Thanks for the recipe – this will be in my rotation:)

    1. Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them. I have been craving these lately but haven’t got around to making a batch. Ive got to get on it, your picture made me start drooling 🙂

  9. Hi love your very clear instructions! By the way not pre cooking the pork is a chinese way of doing it and delicious!! reminds me of soup dumplings I had in Hong Kong (but they were basically Gyoza) The juice stays inside the wrapper so you use a soup spoon under the dumpling to guide it and chopsticks whilst eating! Nibble an end off, slurp up the hot delicious cooking juice then eat the dumpling with your amazing dipping sauce ???? soooo good.. and now I’m hungry.. again.. haha

  10. For a super fast and easy dipping recipe, try soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce, a splash of rice vinegar simple syrup, and dilute 50% with water. You can make it in 30 seconds and it’s great. ( I always have rice vinegar simple syrup in the fridge for sushi rice). Start the steamer, make the sauce and eat. Yum. I used you recipe but substituted ground duck and they were fantastic.

  11. Your dipping sauce is my favorite recipe and the one I always use. It’s fantastic, better than most restaurants and even better than some places in Japan. I sometimes add a little chili oil along with the sesame oil to give it a little more bite. Gyoza are typically steamed or pan-fried. I like them either way but I also have cooked them in a deep fryer. It’s faster if you have a lot of them to cook. The dipping sauce freezes well and incidentally, so do the uncooked gyoza. We make a whole bunch at one time and freeze the excess so they can be defrosted and cooked later. Thank you for the heads-up about the dumpling press. My mom was Japanese and made gyoza for 40 years and I’m sure she never knew about it either.

    1. So happy to hear you love the sauce! We love it too, and chili oil is a great idea! Im going to try that next time. I like a little bite 🙂

  12. Hi I have tried so many recipes but your one is one of the best ones, my kids love everything from the dipping sauce to the gyoza , my 11 year old daughter ended up making the dipping sauce and drinking it , thank you very very much for the fabulous recipe .

  13. Our gyoza didnt turn out (we cooked them wrong), but I wanted you to know that with an egg and a handful of crackers the left over filling made AMAZING meatballs.

    1. So glad you were able to turn around and make something great anyways. Meatballs were a great idea! I bet they were so good. I will have to try that on purpose sometime!

  14. I was so happy I found this recipe for the sauce! I added about a tsp of brown sugar to it to take the intense acidy out of the sauce!

  15. Hi there, thank you so much for the recipe it looks delicious! I am trying to make these for my friend but she is severely allergic to sesame seeds. Do you know if I could substitute any other oil instead?
    Thank you!

  16. I made the gyoza sauce alone for some noodles for dinner, didn’t have the spring onions and I added a pinch of sugar and finishe finished it off with a fried egg on top. BEST SAUCE EVER will be adding the spring onions for sure and some teriyaki mushrooms and tofu!!

  17. How long can you keep the sauce in the fridge. I would like to make plenty and either store or freeze so I don’t have to make it each time. Green onions come in bunches and it is a shame to wast them🙂 I don’t use them very often.

    1. I think you can try to freeze it! Your onions might not be perfectly green after, but it will still taste good! Otherwise I have used my sauce out of the fridge for just over a week. If you don’t put green onions in it, then you could go longer if your sauce is in an airtight container, it could last for quite a while in the fridge.

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