Mom’s Best Pork Dumplings

Name: Mom’s Best Pork Dumplings
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground pork ((at least 20% fat)); 1/2 lb shrimp (about 16 medium-size shrimp) (, peeled and deveined and chopped to small pieces); 1 tablespoon grated ginger; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce ((or regular soy sauce)); 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine ((or dry sherry)); 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; 1 lb napa cabbage; 4 green onions (, finely chopped); 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 1 package frozen dumpling wrappers

By Maggie Zhu

• Published May 20, 2026

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My pork dumplings are a Chinese steamed dumpling I learned from my mom, with juicy pork, chopped fresh shrimp, and napa cabbage folded into pleated wrappers and finished in a bamboo steamer over whole cabbage leaves. These are great to serve as an appetizer or as a main dish.

The version on the blog is the one my mom makes frequently on the weekend when I was growing up, a northern style steamed dumpling that lands somewhere between a daily dinner and a holiday tradition. Where most pork dumplings rely on pork and cabbage alone, ours folds chopped fresh shrimp into the filling for a sweeter bite and a lighter texture against the meat. If this is your first time wrapping, my step by step guide on how to make Chinese dumplings walks through the pleating in more detail than this post will.

The fresh shrimp twist came from my grandmother in the north, where dumplings were closer to a daily staple than a celebration food, so dried shrimp was the practical move and fresh shrimp was a quiet luxury. My uncle thought she was wasting good shrimp on something so ordinary the first time he watched her chopping it into the filling, and then he asked for the recipe by the second round. I have wrapped these with my mother in her kitchen, with my husband at our own counter, and now with my son standing on a stool with a floured ball of dough.

To pull this together, I basically mix ground pork with chopped shrimp, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper into a sticky paste, then chill the meat while I salt and squeeze the napa cabbage to pull water out of the leaves. Once the napa cabbage is lightly dehydrated, I fold it back in with green onion and sesame oil, scoop the filling into wrappers, pinch the pleats closed, and line a bamboo steamer with whole cabbage leaves before steaming the dumplings. I love placing a small dish of black vinegar with a little chili oil, call my family to the table, and the meal is full enough on its own to skip a side. I highly recommend giving my mom’s pork dumplings recipe a try.

pork dumplings on a plate with chili oil

Ingredients

Pork dumplings hide most of their work in 2 places, the seasoning of the pork and the moisture management of the cabbage. I keep the rest of the list pared down on purpose, below are all the ingredients you need to make this recipe:

The pork and shrimp filling base: I use ground pork with at least 20% fat, which creates a juicy filling than the lean type. Fresh shrimp is the difference between an everyday filling and the version my grandmother made, since the bite is bouncier and the flavor turns sweeter than dried shrimp ever does.

The seasoning: Fresh grated ginger, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sea salt, and white pepper season the meat.

The vegetables and finishing oil: Napa cabbage is salted, rested, and squeezed dry before it goes into the filling. Chopped green onion and toasted sesame oil go in at the very end so the cabbage stays crisp and the oil flavors the filling without getting beat up by the salt cure.

The wrappers and steamer setup: I roll my own steamed dumpling wrappers for this recipe, since the dough is mixed with hot water and stays soft and pliable after steaming. Cold water dough is the one to use for boiled dumplings instead, because it turns tough under steam, so I do not swap one for the other here. A few whole napa cabbage leaves line the bamboo steamer, which keeps the dumplings from sticking and saves me from cutting parchment to size every time.

Do not want to make the dumpling wrappers from scratch?

That’s totally OK too. Store-bought dumpling wrappers works just fine. I would use a slightly larger type such as Shanghai style Chinese dumpling wrappers, which is good for both boiled dumplings or pan fried dumplings. Because this filling is quite juicy, a larger and thicker wrapper holds more filling and won’t turn soggy during cooking. I would avoid small gyoza wrappers (usually found in Japanese grocery stores) since those are too thin.

How to Make

1. Mix the pork base: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped shrimp, grated ginger, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sea salt, and white pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prep the cabbage so the salt and wine work into the meat.

Everything you need to know about making dumpling dough, dumpling filling, workflow, and how to cook and store, with step-by-step photos and video.

3. Reserve cabbage leaves for the steamer: Pull off 6 to 8 whole napa cabbage leaves and set them aside. They will line the steamer later.

4. Salt the chopped cabbage: Dice the rest of the cabbage as finely as you can manage, transfer to a bowl, and toss with a couple of pinches of salt. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the cabbage releases its water.

5. Squeeze the cabbage dry: Wrap the cabbage in a clean cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze with both hands until it stops dripping.

6. Combine the filling: Add the squeezed cabbage, chopped green onion, and sesame oil to the pork mixture. Stir again in one direction until everything is evenly distributed.

7. Wrap the dumplings: Place a generous spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper. Wet the wrapper edge with water, fold the wrapper in half over the filling, and pinch the middle closed first.

8. Pleat the edges: Working from the middle outward, fold pleats along one side of the wrapper and press them firmly into the back side to seal. Set the finished dumpling on a floured board if you are cooking right away or on a foil lined sheet if you are freezing. Always keep the dumplings and the wrappers covered, with a wrap or damp paper towels, to prevent them from drying up.

9. Line the steamer: Lay the reserved whole cabbage leaves across the bamboo steamer baskets so the leaves cover the bottom completely.

10. Arrange the dumplings: Set the dumplings on the cabbage leaves with a finger width of space between each one so they do not stick together as they steam.

pork dumplings on napa cabbage in a steamer

11. Steam the dumplings: Bring water to a boil in a wok or a steamer, with enough liquid to sit just below the steamer base. Set the steamer on top, cover, and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.

12. Serve hot: Carry the steamer baskets straight to the table and serve the dumplings while the wrappers are still glossy.

Cooking Tips

Stir the filling in one direction: I always stir the pork in one direction until the mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl in a sticky mass. This builds the protein into a paste that holds together inside the wrapper instead of crumbling apart when you bite into it.

Use pork that is at least 20% fat: A leaner grind dries out under the steamer and turns dry, so I ask the butcher for shoulder or buy regular ground pork instead of the lean labels at the supermarket.

Wring the cabbage harder than you think you need to: The first time I made these on my own, I went easy on the squeeze and ended up with a puddle of cabbage water in the steamer. Now I twist the cheesecloth tight enough that the cabbage looks almost dehydrated before it goes back into the filling.

Chill the filling before wrapping: A cold filling stay intact inside the wrapper while you pleat, which makes the seal stronger and the dumpling rounder. If the kitchen runs warm, I park the bowl back in the fridge between batches.

Freeze on a tray, then bag: Frozen dumplings stick into a clump if you bag them straight off the wrapping board, so I lay them flat on a foil lined sheet, freeze for an hour until firm, and only then transfer to a zip top bag for longer storage.

Steam frozen dumplings without thawing: I drop frozen dumplings straight onto the cabbage leaves and steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Thawing on the counter softens the wrapper and the dumplings tear when I lift them into the basket.

How I Love Serving

Most weekends my husband and I set up an assembly line on the counter, where one of us rolls the filling and the other pleats, and we eat the first basket standing at the kitchen island with small dishes of black vinegar and chili oil before anyone bothers to set the table. For a fuller meal around the dumplings, I add a quick egg drop soup, plus a quick stir fried green like garlic baby bok choy on the side.

For a dumpling party, I rotate the filling through my mom’s lamb dumplings and carrot dumplings for the vegetarian eaters. I will fold a batch of pork and sauerkraut dumplings when there is a jar of sauerkraut to use up, and serve all 3 fillings from the same bamboo stack so the table looks generous without three times the wrapping.

Frequently Ask Questions

What if I cannot find fresh shrimp?

I swap the shrimp for an extra quarter pound of ground pork plus a pinch of dried shrimp soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and chopped fine. The flavor leans more savory than sweet, but the filling still stay intact and the texture stays close to the original.

Can I pan fry these instead of steaming?

I do this when I want the bottoms crisp. Heat a thin layer of oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat, set the dumplings flat side down, sear for 2 minutes, then pour in a splash of water, cover, and steam for another 6 to 8 minutes until the water cooks off and the bottoms turn golden.

How long do these keep frozen and in the fridge?

Uncooked dumplings hold in the freezer for up to 1 month in a zip top bag with the air pressed out. I do not keep them raw in the fridge, since the wrappers turn soft within a few hours, and any cooked leftovers go in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days, then back into the steamer for 5 minutes to warm through.

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5 from 36 votes

Comments

Chloe

02/07/26

Could the pork be omitted to make a meatless dumpling? one member of our family does not eat meat, but the rest of us would enjoy the pork.
- Reply
- Maggie Zhu
  
  02/08/26
  
  I wouldn’t directly skip the pork. The pork is the binder. Without it, the napa cabbage will be very hard to wrap up and the dumplings won’t taste good.
  If you only want to make a small serving of meatless ones, maybe you can consider getting a vegan meat (like Beyound meat) to replace the pork. Another method is to add scrambled eggs or tofu into the filling to give it more texture and flavor. I personally like scrambled eggs paired with napa cabbage. But again, just remember that without the pork, it’s harder to wrap in a lot of filling into the dumplings.
  I have an egg and pepper dumpling recipe that I like a lot: https://omnivorescookbook.com/egg-and-pepper-dumplings/ Just in case if you want a vegetarian filling.
  Reply
Donna

01/24/26

These were absolutely delicious! It was my first time making any dumplings and my first time eating a dumpling besides the wonton in wonton soup. It was a bit difficult to make them thin enough. I will have to work on my folding technique as well. I did use mushrooms instead of shrimp, the only change. Thank you, Maggie for your guidance. You are the only chef I currently follow.
- Reply
Donna

01/23/26

Hello… I’m not a “natural” who has a “knack for cooking”. I am, however, our default family cook, out of cooperative necessity and a desire to eat well. I have been following you for quite some time, and have tried many of your recipes. They are outstanding and actually come out well and make me look like a good cook (LOL Thank you!!). So, it’s my first time making dumplings (steamed); Can I use green cabbage instead of Napa cabbage/ Thank you for your recipes that are truly delicious and successful for us elementary cook!
- Reply
- Maggie Zhu
  
  01/23/26
  
  You totally can! I think it would be delicious.
  This is not directly related, but I have a pork and sauerkraut dumpling recipe that I like a lot: https://omnivorescookbook.com/pork-and-sauerkraut-dumplings/
  If you like sauerkraut, definitely check this one out too 🙂
  Reply
Cassie Turner

12/28/25

This turned out perfectly! The only thing I did differently was adding some garlic into the filling. Will definitely make again!
- Reply
Gary

09/08/25

Outstanding
- Reply

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