Baked dumplings are what happens when you want the crackle of a fried potsticker but refuse to stand over a vat of oil. The finished result: a tray of blistered, golden parcels with steamed-through pork and cabbage inside, edges lacquered with soy and sesame. They come out of the oven in 35 minutes, and roughly half of that time you are doing nothing at all.
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The method is simple and the failure points are few, but they are specific. The most common mistake is a wet filling, which turns the wrapper soggy from the inside and leaves you with a pale, gummy bottom. Salt the cabbage and squeeze it dry first. I flag this early because everything else about this recipe is forgiving.
You will need a sheet pan, parchment paper, a box grater or food processor, a clean kitchen towel, a small bowl for the dipping sauce, and a pastry brush. A wire rack is optional but useful if you want air circulating under the dumplings. Read the whole thing once before you start. Measure twice, then measure again.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
1 lb (450g) ground pork
Use 80/20 for juiciness; ground chicken thigh is a fine substitute if you want it leaner, but add 1 extra tablespoon of oil.
3 cups (300g) napa cabbage, finely shredded
Green cabbage works too, but shred it finer and salt it a minute longer. Buy heads that feel heavy for their size.
1 teaspoon fine salt, for salting the cabbage
Fine sea salt dissolves faster than coarse kosher here; keep coarse salt for the pasta pot.
3 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
Slice the whites into the filling and save the greens for garnish. Leeks or chives substitute cleanly.
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
A microplane gives a wetter, more even grate than a knife. Jarred ginger paste is acceptable in a pinch, use half as much.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Low-sodium soy lets you control the salt level; tamari is the gluten-free swap.
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Toasted, not plain, is the point. If yours smells flat, it has gone off, replace it.
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cornstarch binds the filling and holds moisture in. Potato starch works as a one-to-one substitute.
30 round dumpling wrappers, about 3 inches (7.5cm)
Look for thin wrappers labeled for potstickers; thicker ones need 3 extra minutes in the oven. Keep them covered as you work.
2 tablespoons neutral oil, for brushing
Grapeseed or canola, something with a high smoke point. Do not use olive oil here, it burns before the wrappers brown.
2 tablespoons water, for the wrapper edges
A small bowl and your fingertip is all you need. Skip egg wash, water seals just as well.
3 tablespoons rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon chili crisp, for dipping
Black vinegar is the traditional swap and slightly sweeter. Mix the sauce before the dumplings go in, so it is ready.
Tips & Tricks
Squeeze the cabbage properly
After salting, wring it in a towel until it feels dry to the touch; wet cabbage is the number one cause of soggy baked dumplings.
Do not overfill
A level tablespoon of filling is right for a 3-inch wrapper; more than that and the seams burst open in the oven.
Seal with water, press out air
Air pockets expand at 425F (220C) and split the wrapper, so run a wet finger around the rim and press firmly from the center outward.
Space them on the pan
An inch between dumplings lets steam escape and hot air circulate, which is what actually crisps the bottoms.
Pro Tips
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Heat the oven
Set a rack in the lower-middle position and preheat to 425F (220C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Salt the cabbage
Toss the shredded cabbage with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and let it sit 10 minutes, then wring it dry in a clean towel until it feels almost fluffy.
3. Mix the filling
Combine the pork, dried cabbage, scallion whites, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl and stir in one direction for about 1 minute, until the mixture looks slightly tacky and holds together.
4. Fill the wrappers
Lay a wrapper flat, add a level tablespoon of filling, wet the rim with water, fold in half, and press the seam firmly, pleating one side if you like. Keep finished dumplings under a towel.
5. Arrange and brush
Set the dumplings on the pan an inch apart and brush the tops and sides lightly with neutral oil, about 2 tablespoons total for the whole batch.
6. Bake until golden
Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the wrappers are deep golden brown at the edges and the tops look blistered and dry, rotating the pan once at the halfway mark.
7. Check the interior
Pull one dumpling and cut it open; the pork should read 160F (71C) on an instant-read thermometer and show no pink. If it is under, return the pan for 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Broil and serve
Switch to broil for 2 to 3 minutes to darken the tops, watching closely, then scatter scallion greens and serve hot with the vinegar-chili sauce.
Delicious Variations
Chicken and shiitake
Swap the pork for ground chicken thigh and add 1 cup finely chopped shiitake caps for an earthier, lighter filling.
Vegetarian
Replace the pork with 12 oz (340g) crumbled firm tofu, drained and pressed, plus an extra teaspoon of soy for seasoning.
Spicy Sichuan style
Add 1 tablespoon chili bean paste and a pinch of ground Sichuan pepper to the filling, and serve with black vinegar.
How to Store Baked Dumplings
Refrigerator
Store baked dumplings in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a 375F (190C) oven rather than a microwave to bring back the crust.
Freezer
Freeze unbaked dumplings on a tray until solid, then bag them for up to 2 months; bake from frozen at 425F (220C) for 24 to 26 minutes without thawing.
Reheating
Reheat at 375F (190C) for 8 to 10 minutes on a parchment-lined pan; a splash of water under a foil tent for the first 4 minutes keeps the filling from drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I boil dumplings before baking them?
No, do not boil them first. The oven steams the filling through the wrapper while the outside crisps, and pre-boiling makes the wrappers soggy and prone to tearing.
Q: Why did my baked dumplings come out soggy?
The filling was too wet, almost always because the cabbage was not salted and squeezed dry. Wring it in a towel until it feels dry, and do not overfill the wrappers.
Q: Can I bake frozen dumplings without thawing?
Yes, bake them straight from frozen. Add 5 to 6 minutes to the total time, so about 24 to 26 minutes at 425F (220C), and brush them with oil while still frozen so it adheres.
Q: What temperature should I bake dumplings at?
425F (220C) is the sweet spot for crisp wrappers and cooked filling. Lower heat dries the wrapper before it browns, and higher heat scorches the edges before the pork reaches 160F (71C).
Q: How do I keep dumpling wrappers from drying out while I work?
Keep the stack under a lightly damp towel and cover finished dumplings as you go. Wrappers dry out in minutes and cracked edges split in the oven.
If you make these, tell me whether you went pork or tofu, and whether your cabbage was dry enough. That last part matters more than anything else in this recipe. Measure twice, then measure again.
Baked Dumplings
Baked dumplings deliver shatter-crisp golden wrappers and a juicy pork-ginger filling without deep frying, ready in under an hour.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) ground pork
- 3 cups (300g) napa cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, for salting the cabbage
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 30 round dumpling wrappers, about 3 inches (7.5cm)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, for brushing
- 2 tablespoons water, for the wrapper edges
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon chili crisp, for dipping
📋 Instructions
- 1Heat the oven — Set a rack in the lower-middle position and preheat to 425F (220C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- 2Salt the cabbage — Toss the shredded cabbage with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and let it sit 10 minutes, then wring it dry in a clean towel until it feels almost fluffy.
- 3Mix the filling — Combine the pork, dried cabbage, scallion whites, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl and stir in one direction for about 1 minute, until the mixture looks slightly tacky and holds together.
- 4Fill the wrappers — Lay a wrapper flat, add a level tablespoon of filling, wet the rim with water, fold in half, and press the seam firmly, pleating one side if you like. Keep finished dumplings under a towel.
- 5Arrange and brush — Set the dumplings on the pan an inch apart and brush the tops and sides lightly with neutral oil, about 2 tablespoons total for the whole batch.
- 6Bake until golden — Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the wrappers are deep golden brown at the edges and the tops look blistered and dry, rotating the pan once at the halfway mark.
- 7Check the interior — Pull one dumpling and cut it open; the pork should read 160F (71C) on an instant-read thermometer and show no pink. If it is under, return the pan for 3 to 4 minutes.
- 8Broil and serve — Switch to broil for 2 to 3 minutes to darken the tops, watching closely, then scatter scallion greens and serve hot with the vinegar-chili sauce.
