Homemade dumplings are one of those things that require some time to make, but you’ll find them totally worth the effort. This vegan dumplings recipe was developed based on our family recipe, handed down from my grandma to my mom. But I’ve made some changes with plenty of recipe notes, so you can easily adapt it with more common ingredients. The dumpling filling has a well-balanced texture with veggies, tofu, and vermicelli. It’s seasoned with plenty of aromatics, soy sauce, and just a dash of curry powder to enhance its richness. My husband described its flavor as “Singapore noodles in dumpling form”.
In a previous post, I mentioned that our daily diet has shifted to mostly plant-based food after my husband started his vegan blog Gastroplant. I still cook with meat and dairy here and there, especially when I develop Chinese recipes for my blog. But so far I’m very happy with the plant-based diet. I feel more energetic and less heavy during the day. And I noticed that I crave fast food much less nowadays.
Vegan dumplings are our favorite snack and quick lunch fix. Sometimes we buy them from the Asian market. But when I want some really good dumplings, I prefer to make them at home. Yes it does take some time to wrap the dumplings. But if you make a big batch ahead and freeze them, it will be so easy to heat them up for a quick snack.
Vegan Dumplings Cooking notes
1. Dumpling wrappers
In a perfect world, you would use fresh homemade dumpling wrappers every time. The real advantage of homemade wrappers is, they’re bigger than the store-bought type and easier to wrap. Different from meat filling, vegan dumpling filling doesn’t bind together as well. So it will be a bit of a challenge to wrap a lot of ingredients into each dumpling if using store-bought wrappers. If you have the time, I highly recommend using this recipe to make wrappers for steamed or pan-fried dumplings. If you want to make boiled dumplings, use the cold-water dough from this recipe to make the wrappers.
Of course, you can use store-bought wrappers if you’re short on time. Try to find wrappers that are slightly bigger in size if possible. Store-bought dumpling wrappers can be a bit dry and difficult to wrap sometimes. I usually wet a few layers of paper towel and cover the wrappers when I work on the dumplings. This helps the wrappers stay pliable.
2. Dumpling filling
The goal of this recipe is to create a filling with a balanced texture that is rich enough to serve by itself without dipping sauce.
The main texture of the filling comes from the tofu and vermicelli. Alternatively, you can skip the vermicelli and double the amount of tofu. It will produce a great filling as well.
I used dried shiitake mushrooms to add a rich taste and wood ear mushrooms to add a crunchy texture. Both ingredients are very common in northern Chinese cuisine. If you cannot find those ingredients, I’ve included notes in the recipe so you can replace them with more common ingredients.
3. How to wrap dumplings
I talked about this in previous posts so I will only include links to avoid repetition.
You can view my previous carrot dumpling recipe to see the wrapping pictures.
You can also check out this video to see dumpling-wrapping in action.
Alternatively, you can use spring roll wrappers to make the filling into egg rolls. They’re so much easier to wrap and faster to prepare. I’ve tried using the same filling for egg rolls and they worked out great. You can refer to this post to see how to wrap and cook egg rolls.
4. How to store dumplings
The best way to store dumplings is to freeze them right after wrapping. You don’t need to thaw them before cooking and they will turn out just as great.
On the other hand, if you’ve cooked all the dumplings, you can store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or freeze them for up to a month. I always prefer to reheat them in the air-fryer to avoid using oil and still get crispy results. You can reheat them in a lightly greased pan on the stovetop as well.
5. Dumpling dipping sauce
I included a couple dumpling dipping sauce recipes in this post. Personally, the first recipe is my favorite and that’s how I make all my dumpling sauces. But feel free to explore other options. I also highly recommend adding a few drops of homemade chili oil to your sauce if you like to spice things up.
6. A word on chopping veggies
This recipe requires quite a lot of chopping. I prefer to chop the ingredients using a knife so I have total control over the texture. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to chop the veggies quickly.
More vegan Chinese recipes
- Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
- Mapo Tofu
- 15-Minute Garlic Noodles
- Vegan Hot and Sour Soup (From my husband’s blog)
- Vegan Egg Rolls (From my husband’s blog)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Homemade Vegan Dumplings (素菜锅贴)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (7 to 8 small mushrooms) (*Footnote 1)
- 2 tablespoons dried wood ear mushrooms (or 1/2 cup minced bamboo shoots) (*Footnote 2)
- 1/2 pack dried rice vermicelli (*Footnote 3)
- 2 cups cabbage , shredded
- 1/2 block (225-g / 8-oz) firm tofu , crumbled by hand
- 1 cup carrot , shredded (about 4 carrots)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil, separated, and more to fry the dumplings)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce , separated
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup green onions , finely chopped
- 50 packaged frozen dumpling wrappers , thawed OR homemade dumpling wrappers (*Footnote 4)
Instructions
Prepare the filling
- Add the shiitake mushrooms to a medium sized bowl and add at least 1 cup of hot water to cover. Rehydrate until the mushrooms turn completely soft, 30 minutes or so. Gently rinse with tap water and drain. Remove the tough stems and mince the mushrooms. It yields about 1/4 cup of loosely packed minced mushrooms.
- Add the dried wood ear mushrooms to a medium sized bowl and add at least 1 cup of hot water to cover. Rehydrate until the mushrooms turn completely soft, 30 minutes or so. Gently rinse with tap water and drain. Remove the tough ends, if any, and mince the mushrooms if they are big, or thinly shred them if small. It should yield about 1/2 cup of loosely packed minced mushrooms.
- Cook the dried rice vermicelli until tender according to the package instructions. Drain and and measure 1 cup of cooked vermicelli. Coarsely chop them to about 1/2-inch (1 cm) length pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil into a large nonstick pan and heat over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
- Add the rehydrated and chopped shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and carrots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and curry powder. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, until the cabbage turns tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Transfer everything to a big plate to cool.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the same pan. Add the tofu. Stir and cook the tofu for 1 minute. Further break up the tofu into smaller chunks with your spatula while cooking. Add the cooked vermicelli, the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the maple syrup. Cook and stir until all the liquid has evaporated, 2 minutes or so. Transfer everything into a big mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
- Once the tofu and the cabbage mixtures have cooled to a warm temperature, add the cabbage mixture into the same mixing bowl with the tofu. Add the green onion. Stir to mix well.
Wrap dumplings
- Prepare your working station by placing the dumpling filling, wrappers, and a large tray on your table. Fill a small bowl with water and set it aside.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dumpling filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and use it to wet the edge of the wrapper. Hold the dumpling with one hand and start sealing the edges with the other hand. After folding, press the edges again to seal well. You can use any method to fold the dumplings as long as you’re comfortable with it.
- (Note, If you’re wrapping dumplings using homemade wrappers, you can add more filling, as much as you can handle, when you fold the dumplings. You also won’t need the water to wet the wrapper edge if you’re using homemade wrappers.)
Storage
- Now you can freeze these dumplings if you don’t cook them immediately. Place them onto a baking tray and seal them in with a plastic wrap. You can store the dumplings in the freezer for up to 1 month. Once the dumplings are completely frozen, after about a day, you can transfer them to a gallon zipper bag to save freezer space.
Cook the dumplings
- Cook the dumplings in batches.
- Option 1 – Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add dumplings in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side turns golden. Add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook until the dumplings are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Option 2 – To get a crispier result, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the dumplings in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side turns golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the dumplings, add 2 tablespoons water, and cover. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom turns golden brown.
- Immediately transfer the dumplings to a plate. Cook the rest of the dumplings according to the same method.
- You can serve the dumplings immediately with dumpling dipping sauce or a simple drizzle of Chinkiang vinegar.
Reheating
- The best way I’ve found to heat up cooked dumplings, by far, is to use an air fryer. It crisps up the dumplings well without using any more oil. Alternatively, you can reheat the dumplings on the stovetop, using a nonstick pan with a thin layer of oil, covered.
Cooking frozen dumplings
- The method is almost the same as cooking freshly made dumplings. But you will need to cook them covered for 2 to 3 minutes longer. I also add a bit more water, about 1/4 cup, to make sure it generates enough steam to heat the filling through.
Notes
- Dried shiitake mushrooms add a rich smoky taste to the dumpling filling. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup of minced fresh mushrooms.
- It’s a Chinese tradition to use rehydrated dried wood ear mushrooms to add crunchy texture to the dumplings. Canned bamboo shoots will work just as well.
- Vermicelli is another way to add a soft and “meaty” texture to the dumpling filling. You can replace it with 1/2 block of tofu as well.
- Although I used frozen dumpling wrappers in this recipe, homemade dumpling wrappers are highly recommended. Vegan dumpling fillings don’t bind together so well, so it’s a bit more difficult to wrap them. Back in Beijing, my mom always makes bigger sized steamed vegetable dumplings so every dumpling holds more filling. Use my homemade dumpling wrappers to make bigger steamed dumplings. Or you can use this dumpling wrapper recipe to make boiled dumplings. Note, boiled dumplings should be smaller in size so they won’t fall apart during cooking.
These dumplings look completely delicious, and I love that you can make them vegan! thanks a lot for the recipe, will try them tonight!
Can I make this with rice noodles instead of vermicelli?
Yes!
Thank you for this vegan dumplings recipe! Can’t wait to make them tomorrow. Quick question: for the dried vermicelli, how big is this 1/2 pack? There are so many different brands and packaging 😅
Can’t believe I didn’t measure this! Sorry about that.
It should be 1/2 bundle, actually very little. It is about 1 cup after rehydrated (I forgot the exact brand I used, but it should be around 40 to 50 g dried vermicelli).
These look great and cant wait to try them. I would also love to make them for my friend that is a vegetarian. HOWEVER, they don’t like mushrooms (must be tough to me vegetarian but not like mushrooms). Do you think there is anything that could adequately replace the mushrooms? I would use bamboo shoots as you suggested for the woodear, but curious if you have any suggestions on the others.
Hi Adam, I’m afraid there’s no great alternatives for the mushrooms called in the recipe to replace the flavor exactly. I think dried lily flowers might be the best next choice (you need to pre-soak it first). It’s possible to use other ingredients as well but then you need to adjust the seasonings to replace the lost flavor. Thinly julienned carrots can be nice if you like the dumplings a bit sweeter. You will need to saute it in oil to cook it fully before adding to the filling.
Hi! If i want to make these the day before and cook them the next night, do I have to freeze them or is keeping them uncooked in the fridge ok? Thanks!
You will need to freeze them because the vegetables will start releasing water once seasoned and it will get the wrapper soggy, which leads it to break apart while cooking. Once frozen, they stay fresh pretty well and the cooked result will be as good as fresh.
Hi Maggie,
I’m very excited to try your vegan dumpling recipe this weekend! That said, I wanted to share an inaccuracy I noticed in the nutritional information of this recipe.
Just brightly about myself, I have two degrees in human nutrition (Ba Science Applied Human Nutrition, a Master of Science Applied Human Nutrition, and a current PhD candidate) – I tell you this only because it relates to the information below.
In the nutrition information you say “Serving: 50dumplings | Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.8g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 1.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.6g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.4mg”. This information might be misleading. I am thinking you meant to write the nutritional information not for 50 dumplings, but perhaps 1-3?
Thanks again for the wonderful recipes!
Cheers,
Catherine
You’re totally right! I just updated the recipe with the more accurate info.
Thanks so much for pointing it out!
Happy to help!
Again, love your recipes. I’ve been trying to branch out my cooking methods and your site has been very helpful.
Cheers,
Catherine
yummy
This was fantastic! One of my kids absolutely hates (pre-made frozen) dumplings and said “wow, I actually like these!” The only major difference is I used a drizzled a teriyaki sauce over the tofu instead of using curry powder. Thank you for a lovely recipe! It will be a keeper, for sure.
Finally made these and they didn’t disappoint!!!
hi! i was wondering if these would work being cooked in a bamboo steamer? thank you!
Yes! You can totally cook them in a bamboo steamer.
Hi Maggie! Big fan of all your recipes and your book. Making these for a group of friends tomorrow and was wondering if it’s possible to make the filling the day before, store it in the fridge, and then wrap & cook the dumplings the day after? Thanks!
It’s totally fine to make the filling a day ahead!