Our Favorite Dumpling Recipes, Including Potstickers, Momo, Gnocchi, and More
Is there anything more comforting than a dumpling? Our delicious recipes are exactly what you need when a craving hits.
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Are you ready to delve into the world of dumplings with us? If you are, get ready to go on a delicious journey. Dumplings come in many forms: pot stickers, shumai, pierogi, spatezle, and even gnocchi, such as the Gnocchi with Sausage, Zucchini, and Tomato pictured here. And this isn't an all-encompassing list: In fact, it goes on and on. That's because pretty much every culture and cuisine has a classic dumpling, a food that makes people nostalgic, a dish they hanker after. Those dumplings can be small or large, filled to the brim with meat and vegetables, folded or pleated to seal the fillings in, or simply boiled and tossed with brown butter; they might be fried and doused with something spicy or filled with a savory broth; they might be dinner or a snack, but they always satisfy.
Most dumplings start off with the same basic ingredients: flour and water. Some doughs, like gnocchi, are fortified with potatoes to create an extra light texture. Others add eggs or even cheeses like ricotta which bring more structure to the dough. A few of the recipes here, like our Pork-and-Chive Pot Stickers and the dainty and delicate Chicken Siu-Mai, use store-bought wonton or other dumpling wrappers for ease.
While many dumplings lean savory, there are numerous iterations of the dumpling as dessert—with apples, plums, farmer cheese, coconut, and other tempting flavors. And some are much easier to eat than they are to pronounce: Topfenknoedel (that would be their top-fook-noodle, for the record) is a perfect example.
Ready to take a deep dive into the comforting and endlessly diverse world of dumplings? Try your hand at a few of our favorite dumpling recipes—we're guessing they'll soon become your favorites, too.
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Green-Chile Chicken and Dumplings
There are few things as comforting as pillowy dumplings dropped onto stewed chicken and vegetables. These dumplings are made with cornmeal, which gives them a special texture, and they sit on a hearty bed of chicken, poblanos, and potatoes.
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Spinach Spaetzle in Game-Hen Broth
Somewhere between pasta and a dumpling, that's the German favorite spaetzle. In this recipe, the tender bites of spaetzle are laced with spinach and float in a flavorful broth.
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Inside-Out Pork Dumplings
The flavor-packed filling of dumplings stars here in a pasta-like dish. Ground pork acts almost like a meat sauce that gets tossed with steamed bok choy and al dente wonton "noodles."
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Momos
As fun to make as they are to eat, this take on the beloved Himalayan dumplings get the gives them the vegetarian treatment. A filling of lightly spiced mushrooms and cabbage will keep even the most avid carnivores satisfied.
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Pork-and-Chive Pot Stickers
When you do it right, pot stickers really live up to their name. Start with a simple ground pork filling and store-bought wonton wrappers, then make the dish special with a soy-ginger dipping sauce.
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Potato-Ricotta Gnocchi
Baked russet potatoes are the secret ingredient in our favorite gnocchi. A spoonful of ricotta adds even more fluff. Make them, then freeze the gnocchi in portions to cook up in minutes for a quick dinner.
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Topfenknoedel with Stewed Red Plums
If The Sound of Music was a dumpling, it would be topfenknoedel. The dough is made with farmer cheese and simply boiled in simmering water—this allows the stewed plums to shine.
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Kroppkakor
These rib-sticking Swedish dumplings can be served sweet (with jam) or savory (with bacon or sausage). Potatoes lighten up the dough while also making this finished dish extra hearty.
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Manti
Common in and around Turkey, manti pack a lot of flavor in a small package. In our recipe, a mixture of spiced lamb is folded inside a thin dough, then pan seared.
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Grandpa Wong's Pork and Bok Choy Wonton Soup
These vibrant vegetable-packed wontons are sure to brighten up any soup. Store-bought dumplings work in a pinch.
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Basic Pierogi
As comforting as a warm hug, that's this favorite Polish dumpling. Make sure to let your dough rest before forming, and keep the dough balls dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
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Cinnamon Dumplings with Apple-Cider Syrup
Nothing screams cozy more than a cinnamon-spiced dumpling with a generous drizzle of warm, golden apple-cider syrup. Serve warm with a cooling dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream.
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Brown-Butter Sweet-Potato Gnocchi with Seeds
Sweet potatoes add a touch of earthy sweetness to this flavor-packed dish. Finish by tossing them in a brown butter and sage sauce.
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Chicken Siu Mai
These dumplings get their delicate flavor from lots of scallions and ginger. Each wrapper is packed with plenty of chicken, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.
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Pork-and-Cabbage Dumplings
Fatty pork complements fresh Napa cabbage in these succulent sesame-forward bites.
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Onde Onde
This sweet dessert dumpling, made with starchy glutinous rice flour, pandan, and fresh coconut is known throughout Indonesia and beyond.
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Red-Curry Shrimp Dumplings
A little bit of curry paste goes a long way when it comes to flavoring these dumplings. If shrimp isn't your style, try this recipe with ground beef, pork, or chicken.
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Pierogi with Blueberry Filling and Spiced Sour Cream
Fresh seasonal fruit like berries (try plums and apricots, too!) make for a sweet twist on this Polish classic. Sour cream laced with sugar and nutmeg turns them into dessert.
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Steamed Ricotta Dumplings
These bite-size dumplings make passing hors d'oeuvres feel chic again. The dough is pleated nicely around a mixture of ricotta, prosciutto, and Parmigiano, then steamed.
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Pierogi with Potato Filling and Brown Butter
Sometimes hearty potato dumplings don't need much more than a quick brown butter bath.
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Shrimp Pot Stickers with Sriracha-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Some of the shrimp is blended while the rest is chopped to add different textures to the filling. You'll want to double the dipping sauce for these juicy shrimp dumplings—it's that good.
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Cornmeal Spaetzle
Cornmeal adds a hint of crunchy texture to these bite-size dumplings. If you like polenta, give this recipe a whirl.
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Spring Vegetable Stew with Sweet-Potato Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings often conjure up images of cozy winter suppers. Seasonal artichokes, carrots, and asparagus transform the dish into a spring favorite.
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Whitefish Quenelles with Beets, Horseradish, and Fresh Herbs
In case you're wondering, a quenelle usually refers to a creamed fish dumpling and is always egg-shaped or oval. Taking a cue from Jewish gefilte fish, this version of the fancy-sounding dumplings is made with meaty whitefish and matzo meal and cooked in a homemade fish stock. For added punch, serve them with pickled beets and fresh horseradish.
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Pumpkin Gnocchi with Mushrooms
Sweet sugar pumpkin and earthy chanterelle mushrooms join forces to make a special company-worthy dumpling dish.
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