Potstickers
Homemade potstickers are easier to make than you think, and they taste 10000x better than the store-bought ones!
Growing up in a very Korean household, we had homemade potstickers at least once a week – steamed, fried, boiled, kimchi filling, mushroom filling, shrimp filling…you name it. So it’s no surprise that I always have to order a plate of potstickers when we eat out at an Asian restaurant. But at the end of the day, nothing will ever beat homemade potstickers.
The best thing about homemade potstickers is that it’s so easy to put together and you can completely customize the fillings. I’ve made shrimp potstickers before so I tried something a little different with a pork filling with tons of shiitake mushrooms. But feel free to use your favorite kind of protein, although I’ve found that pork really creates a more tender filling than any other kind of ground meat. You can even add in your favorite veggies that you have on hand!
You can even make a huge batch of potstickers and pop them right in the freezer – that way, you can indulge in your Asian food cravings whenever you want! Just be sure to freeze them on a baking sheet first before throwing them into a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat, you can toss them right onto the skillet without thawing, although cooking time may be longer than usual.
So there you have it – easy homemade potstickers with customizable fillings that you can make ahead of time and freeze. Now, who still wants store-bought potstickers?!
Potstickers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon hoisin
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha*, or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 36 won ton wrappers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Soy sauce, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, hoisin, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha and white pepper.
- To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Is ground pork the same as pork sausage?
No, they are not the same. Pork sausage is made with a sausage maker and generally has spices mixed in them.
I have only been able to find rectangular shaped won ton wrappers in our local grocery. Would I be better off looking at a more Asian cuisine specific grocery? I just can’t imagine square potstickers or having to cut each wrapper into a circle first! Lol!! I’m anxious to try these out!
You can definitely use the square ones. They will not alter the taste at all. Circles are just more fun to eat!
I was wondering what the sauce is called for dipping and if you have a recipe for it?
Thanks
I use soy sauce topped off with Korean chili flakes. If you do not have Korean chili flakes on hand, crushed red pepper flakes would work as a great substitute.
Friday when I got home from work my two daughters (ages 12 and 15) had put these potstickers together. These were delicious and very easy to make. Definitely adding these to our recipe book. Thanks a bunch.
OMG, made these tonight!! Awesome!! I had to give up eating out Asian due to soy allergy, but I skipped the hoisin sauce, and skipped the dipping sauce. Amazing, I don’t feel like I am missing out anymore!! Thank you so much!!
What brand of won ton wrappers do you recommend?
Grace, I actually don’t recommend a particular brand. Feel free to use whichever brand you have on hand.
I wonder what the history of the name potsticker is. I’ve never heard it before. We Brits call these dumplings, same as the lovely traditional flour and water dumplings in a traditional English stew.
Hi Pete, I have been cooking potstickers for a few years now so not as experienced as Chung-Ah. I was taught to fry them with a little bit of oil in a pan for a few minutes at which time they stick to the pot. Then I add about a quarter of a cup of water put the lid on and steam for a few minutes at which time the steaming process cooks them through. The water should be evaporated by now I take them off the heat let them sit for a minute then give the pan a good shake and this releases them from the bottom of the pan. I was told this is why they are called potstickers, how true it is I don’t know, but it sounds good to me. Our family love making and eating potstickers I hope you enjoy yours.
Catherine, I’ve always made mine the same way. Potstickers stick to the pot as you fry them in a bit of oil for two minutes. Then I add liquid (I use chicken broth) and put a lid on the pan. As they steam for a minute or two, they come loose. My family just loves them! They’re worth the little bit of effort. BTW- I’m not as talented as Chungah when it comes to the beautiful little gathers on the edges! I just fold the little squares in half and we have triangle shaped potstickers. They’re not as pretty, but they still taste great!
I know you recommend pan frying, but if we wanted to steam them after they have been frozen, how long do you recommend they be steamed? I am not sure how much more cooking time is needed to thoroughly cook the pork mixture in the pot sticker when it is frozen. Also, if steaming and panpose frying, am I correct in assuming you steam first and then pan fry?
Michell, when steam-pan frying, you would pan fry first, and then steam until fully cooked through. You will have to add a little more time when steaming at a frozen state. I recommend that they are steamed for at least 3-4 minutes, but please use your best judgement to ensure that the potstickers are fully cooked through. Cooking time can range quite a bit depending on how much filling is in each of the wrappers.
I was wondering what the recipe was for the dipping sauce? Maybe I missed it somewhere, but please point me in the right direction!!
Jonique, the dipping sauce is simply soy sauce topped off with Korean chili flakes. If you do not have Korean chili flakes on hand, crushed red pepper flakes would work as a great substitute.
Michell, the worry about under cooked pork isn’t what it used to be as the way pigs are raised has changed dramatically. While I’m not encouraging anyone to under cook pork, the dangers of yester year have diminished greatly.
We had Chinese Take out yesterday and I said to hubs we need to make pot stickers! So happy I found your recipe! Pinning to make <3 Nettie from Moore or Less Cooking Food Blog
I have not yet tried your recipe, however, it is very similar to other recipes we have been making lately. To answer a few questions from some of your other posters, what we have found that works well when cooking these, is to first off find yourself a good non-stick fry pan, one that you can also find a good tight fitting lid, maybe from another pot as we did. Then add the tablespoon or two for frying in and once it comes to a shimmer over med-med-high heat, add your potstickers in bottom side down, arranged in like a bicycle spoke as tightly as you can around the outside edge of the pan, set a timer and heat these for 2-3 mins, then add 1/4 cup of water to pan after frying, immediately cover with lid, turn down to medium heat and cook about 3 mins longer, remove lid, we generally now turn these on their back side, and continue cooking uncovered until the water is completely gone, about 2 more mins. We have found these to be delicious. We have experimented with several dipping sauces, as we find the straight soy to be toooo salty. We generally enjoy our with more of a sweet/sour/salty taste, so we keep experimenting with dipping sauce recipes. I hope this helps other posters, who may have been questioning the doneness of the pork, this method should leave them feeling much better about the cooking time, although I am sure your recipe itself is quite delicious.
My girlfriend Debbie and I have made these for the past six months, and we generally make up at least a double batch, around 60+ wrappers each time. We had to go to the asian market in our town to find the proper round pot sticker wrappers. They were frozen, but also they were a little thicker than the square wonton wrappers you find in the refrigerated section of our local grocery story. Trust me, they are worth finding. Thaw them in your refrigerator or on the countertop, if you are in a hurry. Always make sure that you keep a dampened papertowel over the exposed wrappers, while making your dumplings, so that they do not dry out. When sealing these, if water along the edge has not proven effective for some of you, try a little eggwash, one egg beaten with about 2 tablspoons of water, dip your finger or a small brush in to get the edges before sealing. I found a great website for making the dumplings with the creases, and my girlfriend has become quite the little expert. http://www.steamykitchen.com/718-potstickers.html Make sure to use a silpat mat on the bottom of the sheet pan when making these, or something similar, like wax paper, so that they do not stick when freezing. Place as many as you can on the sheet pan without touching, then freeze for a couple of hours before storing them in freezer containers. This way the dumplings will not stick together.
Are the cooking times you have listed for frozen potstickers or when they are still fresh?
The cooking time is for freshly made potstickers.
Just made these tonight and they were fantastic. My fiance and his cousin devoured them within minutes 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Made these last night and they were amazing!!!! We had them with your orange chicken recipe (also AMAZING!!!). We will definitely be having them both again!! Thanks for the great recipes!!
Can I make the filling and wrap these ahead of time? I’d like to get that done during nap time and keep them in the fridge and then fry them up right before dinner. I don’t want then to get soggy. What do you think?
Unfortunately, making them ahead of time and refrigerating will result in sogginess. It is best to freeze and thaw as needed if you would like to make them ahead of time.
Made these today! Wow, they were scrumptious!
I am going to try this delicious looking recipe, but I need to clarify something. It says to fry a couple minutes a side, but the picture looks like its just fried on the bottom. I would just like to know before I start. Your answer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Ruben, the directions are correct. These should be fried on both sides. You could alternatively fry on the bottom only and steam for several minutes as well.
What is hoisin? And where might I find it?
Hoisin is a Chinese barbecue sauce and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
Made these tonight with my husband. They turned out really good, but we ended up having to steam them first before frying them, other wise the pork was not cooking all the way through. Had plenty of leftovers to freeze, looking forward to cooking them again.
I’m so glad you had a chance to make this! As for steam-frying them, you can always fry them for a bit longer at lower heat to make sure the pork is cooked through – that’s how we prepare them. I’m not entirely a fan of the steaming method!
Just bought most of the ingredients to make these. I love restaurant pot stickers so heck might as well try making my own. I did have a question is there substitute for the hoison sauce. I can’t seem to find it at Ralph’s lol
There really isn’t an appropriate substitute for Hoisin. I recommend visiting an Asian market such as 99 ranch or purchasing it from Amazon.
Found it!! I had one last question lol do I chop the ginger’ or grate it? I know it sounds dumb but I’ve never used ginger in anything I’ve made lol
Marie, as indicated in the recipe, you should use 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger.
Or you can make your own hoisin sauce. Really easy and you probably have the ingredients in your pantry.
I made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious! My husband and two year old loved them. The only thing I did different was add celery, since I had it. Perfect recipe 🙂
I am wondering, do they need to be crispy at all or could I just steam them? How long would you suggest I steam them for?
You can certainly steam them. I recommend about 3-4 minutes, or more, as needed.