Name: Pork Potstickers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: FOR THE FILLING; 500g (1 ¼ lb.) ground pork; 2 baby bok choi, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups); 2 tsp sesame oil; 2 tsp salt or to taste; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped; 1 egg, lightly beaten; FOR THE WRAPPERS; 400g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour, sifted; 100g (1/2 cup) cornflour (corn starch) plus more for dusting and rolling; 250ml (1 cup) water; 1 tsp salt

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You can make these pork potstickers with the protein of your choice.

Whenever I go back to California to visit family, our local Chinese restaurant is one of my first stops for a good night out. Pork potstickers are always on the table along with potstickers with other fillings. It’s a must!

It’s nice to go out and order something you love so much. Although convenient, you can also make amazing pork potstickers (fried dumplings) at home and in this post I’m going to show you how it’s done.

Believe it or not… you can make potstickers just as amazing at home as those served at most Chinese restaurants.

What are potstickers?

Potstickers are fried and then steamed dumplings. In the step by step photos and recipe card below, you will see how easy these Chinese dumplings are to prepare.

Potstickers are also known as fried dumplings or gyozas in various Asian cuisines. They can be filled with minced meats such as chicken, pork, beef and shrimp (prawns) and there are also vegetarian potstickers. The filling contains different seasonings all wrapped up in a thin dough wrapper.

You might also like to try momos which are similar but just steamed dumplings. Give chicken momos, beef momos, vegetarian momos or the king of them all tandoori momos a try!

Why are they called potstickers?

There are many explanations but the most popular is as follows.

They Stick to the Pan:
- The name is derived from the way potstickers are cooked. Traditionally, potstickers are pan-fried on one side until they get a crispy texture. When the dumplings are placed in the hot pan with oil, the side that comes in direct contact with the pan gets crispy and sticks to it. The other side, which is exposed to steam, remains soft and tender.
Clever Marketing:
- The name “potstickers” was coined as a clever marketing strategy. It describes a distinctive cooking technique that sets these dumplings apart from other types of dumplings that are either steamed or boiled. The name is catchy and easy to remember, contributing to the popularity of these delicious dumplings.

Can this potstickers recipe be made easier?

You bet! I make my own wrappers as it isn’t all that difficult and I find it more convenient usually. You could use shop-bought wonton or gyoza wrappers instead.

Your pork potstickers will be just as good if you do. In the photos below, you will see how to prepare the wrappers but sometimes it’s a lot more convenient to have them made for you!

How do you substitute other fillings?

You can substitute another minced meat for the pork below. Just use the same weight of another meat or use a vegetarian alternative such as chopped mushrooms.

Do this and the seasonings will compliment your potstickers perfectly.

Can you work ahead?

Yes. You can prepare the dough for the pork potstickers a day or two ahead of rolling it out. You can also combine the filling ingredients a day or so ahead of cooking. This will allow the flavours to develop so it is a good idea to do so if you have the time.

How long will the finished pork potstickers keep in the fridge?

It is best to eat your potstickers just after steaming. If you do have any leftovers, you can keep them for about 3 days in the fridge. Be sure to cover them tightly.

If you do store your leftovers in the fridge, the wrappers might become a bit tough but they will still be good. To reheat, simply place them in your microwave or steam them, the best option, for about 3 minutes or until heated through.

Can you freeze potstickers.

Yes. For best results, I recommend making the pork potstickers and freezing them in convenient batches before frying and steaming them. Then just let the potstickers defrost and come to room temperature before carrying on with the recipe.

You can also freeze pork potstickers that have been fried and steamed. Just allow them to defrost and then steam or microwave them.

What do you serve pork potstickers with?

These delicious dumplings are really good simply dipped into soy sauce. You could also add some chopped chillies or spring onions to your soy sauce. The soy sauce is also good with some sriracha added to taste.

I like to serve pork potstickers with some homemade crispy chili oil too.

Step by step photographs

Ingredients for Chinese chicken potstickers

Get your ingredients together before starting. It’s much easier that way.

Place the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands to combine.

Begin kneading and forming the flours into a dough. It will be quite dry at first but will eventually form into a nice, soft dough.

Kneading dough for the potsticker wrappers

Take the dough out of the bowl and continue kneading for about 10 minutes until you have a soft, not sticky dough.

Dough ball resting before rolling out into wrappers.

Allow the dough to rest for at least an hour under a damp cloth. This will make it easier to roll the wrappers out.

The potsticker dough rolled out and divided.

Roll the dough into a thin, snake shape and divide it into three parts for easier work.

Divide one of the dough pieces into smaller balls that are about 13 to 14g. Weigh them if you want uniformly sized potstickers or just do it by eye.

Roll each dough ball out until thin and about 10cm in diameter.

A note about the wrappers.

You could roll and fill each of the pork potstickers individually. Keep the dough for the wrappers covered with a damp cloth so that it doesn’t dry out.

If you would prefer to make all the wrappers at once, you can do this too. Dust each wrapper with a little cornflour so they don’t stick and stack them. It is best to do this or at least store the wrappers in a cool location to avoid sticking.

Place about a tablespoon of the meat mixture on a wrapper. Dampen the edges with a little water. Then seal one end and continue sealing by folding the top over to pleat and seal.

Finished potsticker ready for frying and steaming.

Your finished pork potstickers should look like this. If they don’t, don’t worry. Just ensure they are sealed shut so none of that delicious filling can escape.

Heat about 3 tbsp oil in a pan and add the potstickers. Don’t let them touch. For for about 3 minutes or until nicely browned on the underside. Then add about 4 tbsp of water.

Cover the pan and allow to steam for about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the water to evaporate. You can turn the potstickers of you like. This will brown the other side. Not necessary.

Arrange on a plate with the potsticker dipping sauce and serve.

You are going to love these potstickers!

You might also like to try some of these Chinese-American favourites too!

I am adding new Chinese recipes to my blog regularly so be sure to check out the Chinese section often. For now, why not try some of these Chinese-American classics?

Have you tried this pork potstickers recipe?

If you have, please give the recipe a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

Yield: 6 - 8