Growing up, homemade Potstickers have always been one of my favorite foods. I remember helping my mom stuff and fold them up before transferring them onto a giant platter. After about an hour, we would have hundreds of potstickers!
We usually boiled ours up in a broth-based soup with small rice cake discs (the dish in Korean is called mandu-guk). Our Potsticker recipe today is a pan-fried version and is more of a mixed bag of Asian ingredients, but the dipping sauce is very Korean. The reason I love potstickers so much is that the filling is easily customizable and there are several cooking methods for these delicious, savory dumplings.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make ahead and freeze and I almost always have a bag of potstickers in my freezer ready to go!
What Are Potstickers?
Potstickers are a type of dumpling. They are often filled with pork and cabbage, but can be customizable based on personal taste and preference. Potstickers are often seen folded into a pleated crescent shape, but can also be folded in half with no pleats for simplicity.
They can be pan fried, which create nice crispy exterior and a juicy interior, but can also be steamed and boiled for an overall soft texture. They are usually accompanied with a soy based dipping sauce.
How to Make Our Potstickers Recipe
Ingredients
Process
Filling
- Place all filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.
Assembly and Cooking
- Brush perimeter of a wonton wrapper with the beaten egg and fill center with 1 heaping tablespoon of pork filling.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
- Open your dominant hand, palm side up, and hold fingers together. Place the filled and open wonton wrapper onto your fingers and fold the wrapper in half, only sealing the corner of one side.
- To create the pleat pattern, create a curl or mountain with the top of the wonton wrapper.
- Press the curve of the wrapper down into the edge.
- Repeat until you have pleated almost the entire edge, until you have a small opening in the corner left.
- Carefully pinch the corner closed, then gently press around the entire edge to fully seal.
Check out the video below for additional help on how to pleat potstickers!
- Set pleated wontons aside and repeat until all filling and wrappers have been used.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add some oil.
- Add some potstickers to pan (making sure not to overcrowd the pan), so the crimped side is up, and pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add a little water to the pan and cover for 2 to 4 minute or until the wonton wrappers have softened and steamed and the filling has finished cooking through.
- Remove from heat and repeat until all potstickers have been cooked. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Our Korean Potsticker Dipping Sauce (Yangnyeom Ganjang)
We serve our potstickers with a traditional Korean-style sauce called yangnyeom ganjang. It’s typically made with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil minced garlic, sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and Korean chile powder. This dipping sauce is great for pan-fried, steamed and boiled potstickers.
Ingredients
Process
- Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together. Serve with potstickers.
Tools You Will Need
- cutting board
- knife
- wooden spoon
- mixing bowls
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- small spoon
- pastry brush
- large sauté pan
- tongs
Are Wonton Wrapper Gluten Free?
Generally no because they are usually made with wheat flour, but you can find a really great recipe for gluten-free wonton wrapper dough here.
How to Boil and Steam Potstickers
To Boil
Fill a pot with water or broth of choice and bring to a boil. Carefully add potstickers to pot and cook for 7 to 9 minutes or until they begin to float to the surface of the liquid. Using a slotted spoon, lift potstickers from water and serve with dipping sauce or serve potstickers in broth as a soup.
To Steam
Fill a pot with a couple inches of water and top with a bamboo steamer (or a metal steamer basket). Line steamer base or basket with a single layer of lettuce or cabbage leaves (such as savoy cabbage). Place potstickers over lettuce about 1 inch apart and cover with lid. Place pot over medium-high heat and steam for about 10 minutes or until filling has cooked through.
Freezing Instructions for Potstickers
Potstickers freezing VERY well! Just line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper then place uncooked potstickers onto the baking sheet, flat side down, about 1/2 inch apart (they shouldn’t touch one another). Then pop them into the freezer for a couple of hours. Once they are completely frozen you can transfer them into a resealable bag. If properly stored, they will keep for 3 to 4 months.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- It’s important that all the air is pressed out of the filled wrapper before tightly sealing the sides together to prevent the potstickers from bursting when they’re cooked.
- Be careful not to overstuff the wrappers with filling which can also make the potstickers burst while cooking them.
- It’s helpful to remove the skillet from the heat before adding the water, then quickly covering before returning the skillet to the stovetop. This will help to prevent any of the oil in the skillet from spattering up and possibly catching on fire from the stovetop flames (particularly if using a gas stovetop).
Variations
My favorite thing about potstickers is that the filling variations are endless! You can add or take away whatever you want depending on your flavor preference. Some of our favorite options are below!
- You can replace the pork in this recipe for ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or chopped raw shrimp.
- If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, you can replace the meat with diced and sautéed mushrooms, my personal favorite is shiitake mushrooms.
- You can swap in spinach leaves, kale, napa cabbage or savoy cabbage for the bok choy.
- Feel free to also omit the water chestnuts for an overall softer texture.
- Kimchi potstickers (specifically napa cabbage kimchi) are popular and definitely a favorite in my household. You can make them vegetarian or incorporate them into a meat filling. Just squeeze as much liquid from the kimchi as you can, chop and stir into the filling!
More Delicious Potsticker and Dumpling Recipes You Will Love
Potstickers
INGREDIENTS
pork filling
- 12 ounces ground pork
- 1 baby bok choy, diced (about 1 1/4 cups, diced)
- 6 water chestnuts, diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
assembly
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 30 round wonton wrappers
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
yangnyeom ganjang
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons gochujaru (Korean chili powder)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.
- Brush perimeter of a wonton wrapper with the beaten egg and fill center with 1 heaping tablespoon of pork filling.
- Open your dominant hand, palm side up, and hold fingers together.
- Place the filled and open wonton wrapper onto your fingers and fold the wrapper in half, only sealing the corner of one side.
- Using your other hand, push small pleats onto one side of the wrapper, pressing and sealing with the hand holding the potsticker.
- Set aside and repeat until all filling and wrappers have been used.
- Heat a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil.
- Add 5 to 6 pot stickers to skillet, so the crimped side is up, and pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add about 3 tablespoons water to the pan and cover for 2 to 4 minute or until the wonton wrappers have softened and steamed and the filling has finished cooking through.
- Remove from heat and repeat until all potstickers have been cooked. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
- Choganjang: Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together. Serve with potstickers.
NOTES
- Makes: 40 Potstickers (10 servings)
- Freeze Ahead: Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment then place uncooked potstickers onto the baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart (they shouldn’t touch one another). Then pop them into the freezer for a couple of hours. Once they are completely frozen you can transfer them into a resealable bag. They will keep for 3 to 4 months.
- To Steam: Fill a pot with a couple inches of water and top with a bamboo steamer (or a metal steamer basket). Line steamer base or basket with a single layer of lettuce leaves (such as savoy lettuce). Place potstickers over lettuce about 1 inch apart and cover with lid. Place pot over medium-high heat and steam for about 10 minutes or until filling has cooked through.
- Tip: It’s helpful to remove the skillet from the heat before adding the water, then quickly covering before returning the skillet to the stovetop. This will help to prevent any of the oil in the skillet from spattering up and possibly catching on fire from the stovetop flames (particularly if using a gas stovetop).
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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PolaM
I love dumplings too! And these potstickers make my moth water even if it is breakfast time and I am not really hungry!
Alexe @ Keys to the Cucina
Wow these look so good! I love to eat pot stickers and your recipe is super easy to follow too :)
Bev @ Bev Cooks
OH haaaaaail yes. We both posted dumplings on the same day. Twinsies! (sorry)
Tammela
There is something so wonderful, comforting, and delicious about dumplings…mmm
Laura
I was lucky enough to be able to live in Japan for 3 months when I was 18 and these were by far my most favorite food to eat. I spent some time with one family where the mom made her own wrappers even. SO GOOD! I will definitely be making this recipe. Thanks for posting it!
Trisha
I love this kind of thing – really great. Would I be able to get the wanton from any asian supermarket? x
Jenny Park
Yes! And most local grocery stores (albertsons, piggly-wiggly, Ralph’s, Jewel-Osco, etc) should have them too!
Della
These look and sound awesome!!! Is the filling mixture the traditional kind that is served in small town Chinese restaurants? The recipe sounds so easy, we really have no excuse for not making them anymore!!!! Thanx everso for the prodding!
Tieghan
I love pot stickers and actually made my own around christmas last year. SO freaking amazing! I can’t wait to try these!
Jamie | Jamie's Recipes
I have been obsessed with dumplings this summer. I went a little crazy at our Asian market and purchased six different bags of frozen dumplings. My favorite is one with kimchi in it. I need to replicate it.
Your dumplings are beautiful. Mine never come out that gorgeous.
angela@mykikicake
Love pot stickers or any type of dumpling. Looking at these makes me hungry!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit
These dumplings look awesome! Such neatness and deliciousness!
Tasha
I don’t eat pork so I was wondering if I could swap it out for shrimp. Would I need to adjust anything else in the recipe if I did this?
Jenny Park
Yes you can, I would just make sure to chop the shrimp up pretty fine. I would also skip the whole egg and only add the egg white, as the yolk would make the shrimp filling a little on the heavy/gummy side. Good luck!
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
I. Love. Pot Stickers. Thank you.
Cate @ Chez CateyLou
These look delicious! I am really into Asian food these days, so this looks like the perfect recipe for me to try!
Karen
Looks delicious! If you want to freeze them do you cook them first or freeze them raw?
Teri Lyn Fisher
You would freeze them raw!
Sophie
OH MAH GAH! I love dumplings also, a little too much maybe — NAHHH, no such thing as too much dumpling love :) I live on the West coast and there are some good dumplings around here, but the last time I visited New York I ate sooooo many dumplings! Japanese dumpling, Korean, Tibetan, everything was so so so good. These sound absolutely delicious and your choganjang looks INSANE! Bravo, ladies! Can’t wait to make a wholllllle bunch of these beauties.
Libby
Just this weekend, my boyfriend and I decided that we have to learn to make potstickers. And lo and behold.
It’s a sign.
Rowena
I only started making my own pot stickers at home recently and realized how easy they are. I need to try it with Choganjang next time.
Rowena @ rolala loves
Quyen
I have fond memories making potstickers as a kid. Each member in the family had their role in the potsticker assembly line! It was so much fun, but lots of work!
Alison
I do have a tee that says “I <3 Pot Stickers" from the mid 2000s.
Angie
omg…. I. LOVE. DUMPLINGS….. like REALLY, REALLY love ’em. If you make that shirt, I am so buying one. My friends and family always tease me when we go to certain restaurants, because I always say “I’ll have the dumplings” and they’re like, “okay we could share those for an appetizer” and I’m like “do whatever YOU want for an appetizer, I’m having them for Dinner! and oh yeah, I am NOT sharing….” I have a basic filling that I use (it’s delicious…) and I usually keep a bag of frozen dumplings in my freezer, but alas, my freezer is currently bare of dumplings, so I can’t wait to try your recipe, because frankly there’s (almost) no such thing as a bad dumpling (I had one once at a Thai restaurant.. I don’t want to talk about it). What I can’t believe I haven’t tried is a Korean dipping sauce. I can’t wait to do this! Yum and thanks!!
Valentina (Many Kitchens)
I’m a HUGE dumpling fan as well. Went to the NYC Dumpling Festival this weekend. Thanks for posting this – I’m definitely going to give them a try!
mari
I absolutely am crazy about pot stickers as well and these were so good!
Rebecca
I love making pot stickers they are so much fun to make and the fiddliness is totally worth it as they taste great!
Will have to give you filling recipe a go next time :)
Maura @yellowlemontreeblog
Wow. These were really good. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.
Lydia
Me too