These delicious and simple vegetable dumplings are filled with mushrooms, cabbage, onions, and carrots. They’re tofu free and can easily be made vegan friendly or gluten-free.
Dumplings are one of those meals I often forget to make. It’s so easy to get stuck in the same recipe cycle, isn’t it? As a busy mom, I usually opt for whatever’s quick, simple, and I already know off the top of my head, which these days it seems is either a soup, stew, rice bowl, pasta, or salad.
But then your head comes out of the cloud of busyness and you remember that you actually know how to cook more than five dishes, to the delight of your family. Cue homemade dumplings.
Now I’m not going to lie and say this is a meal that can be on your table in 10 minutes, unless you’re fast like the Flash, in which case I’d like to offer you a job to cook for my family! And I blame my use of superhero analogies on my obsessed husband and son who are usually either watching, playing, or wearing something Marvel or DC. Ugh.
But back on topic, these are worth the effort, I promise! It’s not so much the filling, but the homemade dumpling wrappers that are time consuming. The good news is, the more you roll, the faster you get, and even better if you can get your family into the kitchen to help.
You can even make a rule that each person can only eat whatever they roll and see how fast they whip up some dumplings! 😂
These dumplings are delicious and very versatile. Steam, pan-fry, or boil them in soup broth. So many tasty options. I even have another recipe for meat or tofu-filled dumplings here (pictured below) if you’re interested! Enjoy!
Simple Vegetable Dumplings
These delicious vegetable dumplings are tofu free and include a vegan friendly or gluten-free alternative.
Author: Joscelyn Abreu
Recipe type: Entree, Vegan, Vegetarian
Serves: approx 32 dumplings
Ingredients
Homemade Dumpling Wrappers: (optional. Gluten-free alternative included below)
- 2 cups (280g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup (180ml) boiling water
Dumpling Filling:
- drizzle of cooking oil (one for high heat. I like avocado oil)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 peeled and minced garlic clove
- 3 cups (185g) shredded nappa cabbage
- 2 cups (165g) chopped portobello or shiitake mushrooms
- 1½ cups (107g) chopped green onion
- 1 cup (120g) shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari
(gluten-free) or coconut aminos
(soy, gluten and grain free)
- sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
(gluten-free) or 
(soy, gluten and grain free)
Dipping Sauce:
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, tamari (gluten-free) or coconut aminos (grain, gluten, and soy free)
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- pinch of red pepper flakes or black pepper
- pinch of sesame seeds, optional
Gluten-Free Wrappers:
- ⅔ cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
or other good 1-to-1 baking flour blend
- ⅔ cup sweet rice flour such as Mochiko
- ⅔ cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 eggs
- 2-4 tablespoons water, just enough to form dough
or other good 1-to-1 baking flour blend
Instructions
Homemade Dumpling Wrappers: (Can use store-bought as well. Directions for gluten-free wrappers below)
- MAKE DOUGH: Into a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon or rubber scrapper to stir in boiling water. Continue to stir flour and water until the flour is mostly absorbed by the water. Mixture will be crumbly.
- KNEAD DOUGH: Dump flour mixture onto a clean surface to knead the dough. Knead dough for 8-10 minutes, until dough is soft and smooth. Sprinkle in a little more flour, if necessary, to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the board. Shape the kneaded dough into a round disc and using a knife, cut the disc into two equal portions.
- SHAPE DOUGH: Take each portion and form them into round discs. Poke a hole into the center of each disc and shape into a big "O" or bagel, keeping the width of dough even all around. Cover the two bagel forms with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
- CUT DOUGH INTO EQUAL PIECES: Now we're going to cut the dough into even portions to roll out. Each round of dough will make 16 wrappers. After 20 minutes, take one of the bagel-shaped pieces of dough out from under the cover. Use a knife to cut the shape evenly in half. Take the two halves, line them up next to each other and cut them down the center again. Now you should have 4 equal pieces. Line the 4 pieces up to cut down the middle again. You should have 8 equal pieces. Now cut each half in half for a total of 16 equal pieces. Lightly toss the dough pieces with flour to keep them from sticking to each other. Place all but one dough piece back under the towel/plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Repeat process with other piece of dough.
- ROLL OUT WRAPPERS: Take your small piece of dough and shape into a round disc. Place on a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle about 3-4 inches in diameter. Place finished wrapper on a lightly dusted board or pan and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Make sure to keep wrappers lightly dusted with flour so they don't stick to each other. If your kitchen is hot and humid, I don't suggest stacking them. Instead lay them in a single layer on a try, slightly overlapping. Repeat process with remaining dough pieces.
Vegetable Filling:
- Place a large skillet or wok on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add oil, ginger, garlic, and cabbage. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt and shrink down.
- Add mushrooms, green onion, and carrots, along with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Continue to cook until liquid begins to evaporate.
- Season with pepper, to taste, and salt only if needed. The soy sauce tends to add enough saltiness for my taste.
- Rolling Dumplings:
- There are many different folding techniques for dumplings, from easy to complex. You can find a plethora of ideas online and a few in in this post.
- To pleat them, as above, place a small spoonful of filling onto the middle of your wrapper. Lightly wet the edges of the circle with water. Bring two opposite sides of the circle up, like a taco, and pinch to seal the middle. Starting on the left side of the dumpling, make a little fold or pleat towards the pinched center with the front side of the dumpling wrapper, leaving the back side of the wrapper flat. Lightly dampen the outside edge if needed. Pinch the pleat to seal and continue to make one or two more pleats on that side. On the opposite side, make 2-3 symmetrical pleats towards the center. Dumpling should naturally curve around in a half moon shape. Place finished dumplings on a flour dusted platter and cover with plastic wrap or a towel while you finish folding the rest.
Steaming Dumplings:
- You can easily steam dumplings in a bamboo steamer
, like the one pictured, a vegetable steamer basket, etc. The important thing is to line the steamer with a piece of parchment paper or cabbage leaf so your dumplings don't stick to the steamer. Place your dumplings onto the parchment in the steamer leaving a little space between each dumpling so they don’t get stuck together. Place steamer over a pan, wok, or pot of boiling water and cook with a rapid steam for 6-8 minutes, or until center is thoroughly heated and wrappers are puffed and slightly translucent. Best if served right away. I included a basic dipping sauce recipe above!
, like the one pictured, a vegetable steamer basket, etc. The important thing is to line the steamer with a piece of parchment paper or cabbage leaf so your dumplings don't stick to the steamer. Place your dumplings onto the parchment in the steamer leaving a little space between each dumpling so they don’t get stuck together. Place steamer over a pan, wok, or pot of boiling water and cook with a rapid steam for 6-8 minutes, or until center is thoroughly heated and wrappers are puffed and slightly translucent. Best if served right away. I included a basic dipping sauce recipe above!Potstickers/Gyoza:
- Place 1-2 tablespoons of oil into a large pan (I suggest non-stick or well seasoned cast iron skillet) and place over medium heat. Once pan is hot, place into the pan leaving a small space between each one so they don’t stick together. Cook for about a minute or so until the bottom turns a golden brown. Place 4-5 tablespoons of water into the hot pan and immediately cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and let steam for 5-8 minutes, or until center is thoroughly heated and water has evaporated from the pan. Serve potstickers with the easy dipping sauce included below!
Dipping Sauce:
- Mix all of the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve along side of potstickers or steamed dumplings.
Gluten-Free Wrappers:
- Combine flours, xanthan gum, and pinch of salt in large bowl. Mix in eggs and then add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, mixing in between, just until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, instead of adding more tablespoons of water, just wet your hands and mix the dough by hand. This adds just a little moisture without making it too sticky. Take dough out and knead it for a few minutes on a lightly flour-dusted surface (I used more of the 1 to 1 baking flour.)
- When dough is smooth, use a knife to divide dough in half. Take one of the halves and roll into a 1 to 2-inch thick log (cover the other piece up with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.) Cut log down the center and line each half up beside one another and cut down the center again. You should have 4 equal halves. Line the 4 halves up and divide down the center and then divide each half in half. You should have 16 equal pieces of dough. Repeat process with the other half of dough from earlier. Cover all of the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel while you roll out each wrapper. Should make about 32 wrappers.
- You can roll, fold, and cook these using the tutorials in this post, just keep in mind that because these wrappers don’t contain gluten, they are a little more fragile and not as elastic as those made with regular flour. Handle the rolled dumplings carefully to ensure they don’t fall apart.
I do enjoy cooking but really just starting to do dumplings. My first try was with store bought wonton skins and I did not like it. Not the color, not the taste.
Second try was with my own dough but I got lots of air pockets inside the dumpling. I noticed that it took me about 4 hours from start to finish, I was hoping by try number 4 to become more efficient. I even got a pasta roller attachment for my kitchenaid. still not getting to where I want to be.
Out of curiosity how long does it take you to do a good amount to feed your family. Any tips you can give? Have you ever done a batch after work or is this a weekend thing. I know you can freeze of course, just curious.
Also as odd as it may sound I never had dumplings from a typical Chinese Fast food restaurant. So I ordered for the first time today, steamed. The first thing i noticed was how thick the dough was, I read that it’s a big no no. I took a bite and I have to say that it was excellent. Keep in mind it’s a typical NYC Chinese food spot. I have to give credit where it is due, that thick and pillowy dough really made the dumplings great.
Making a large amount of dumplings can take a bit of time (at least a couple of hours) especially if you’re making them on your own. I usually get my family members involved in the process. Even though they may not look as perfect or uniform, they still taste delicious!
I would say dumpling making from scratch is definitely more of a weekend thing, unless you have several hours to spare after work (and don’t mind eating a bit later.) You could always make it in batches over a couple of days. You could refrigerate the leftover dough and filling, and continue rolling the dumplings the next day.
I’m sure traditional Chinese dumplings from a popular NYC restaurant would be excellent! It must be nice to live in an area with such delicious food options!
Thank you for this recipe!! It was delicious. I used store bought gyoza wrappers but I look forward to trying to make my own next time around. I did have trouble trying to keep the wrappers closed as they dried out quickly. I kept them covered with a towel. Any other recommendations to prevent from drying too quickly?
So glad you enjoyed these, Nav! Maybe try slightly dampening the towel next time to keep some moisture in with the dumplings. I hope you do try the homemade wrappers next time as they are so yummy! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. What I plan on doing and what we usually do is make them in batches, and freeze what we don’t eat that day. And the next time we want dumplings, it’s only a 10 minute prep job. Defrost, cook in a pot of water and it’s good to go!
I hope you enjoy them, Carmen! They freeze really well and make your next dumpling meal super quick and easy! You don’t even need to defrost, just boil, fry, or steam from frozen! 🙂
Joscelyn, , this looks tasty! These are absolutely mouth watering! It will quickly disappear in our house, very tasty and flavorful!
Wow! What a great recipe. This was my first time attempting dumplings and they came out amazing! My partner is vegan and sometimes it’s a challenge to cook something for the both of us but these we great with easy to follow instructions. Thank you!
This recipe is wonderful! I’ve made dumplings before, but these are much better! My vegan child loved them as did everyone else! Thank you!!
Hi Caitlyn! I’m so happy your family enjoyed these dumplings! It’s one of our favorite dishes to make, especially with friends so we have more hands for rolling and stuffing the wrappers! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Made these for a holiday party yesterday and they were a huge hit, absolutely delicious! Definitely need to flour between the wrappers when you stack them though, nearly had to re-do all of them!
Yes, that’s a great tip as they can get sticky from the moisture when stacked! So happy you all enjoyed these, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by to let me know! Merry Christmas!
I’m thinking of making this dumpling for my first day of school and I think my mom will love it because she’s always busy and me helping out in the kitchen will make her happy
Guess what!!! I am on low carb diet and your recipe is making me think of breaking this diet. It’s yummy my friend. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂
OMG! these dumplings look completely delicious, and I LOVE that you can make them gluten free! thanks a lot for the recipe, will try them tonight! 😀
omg yum!!! This recipe sounds delicious and the photos are making me hungry, and I just ate dinner!
These look delicious! Half the fun of having dumplings is making them, especially if you are making them with friends or family. I will totally have to make these with my boyfriend soon. 🙂 P.S. your food photography is wonderful!
Aw thank you Katie!
So mega that you’re spreading some vegan love with these yummy looking sumplings. You’re really going to get me some plus points with my husband as he adores dumplings, although I guess to really get those points I’m going to have to roll it all myself haha! Thanks for the mega recipe
These look so delicious! I love dumplings but have never made them before. I’ll have to give it a try! Thank you!!!