Easy Vegan Dumplings Recipe (Vegetable Gyoza)

This is our family's favorite recipe, Vegan Dumplings (Vegetable Gyoza). This simple recipe requires only vegetables, but it's delicious, flavorful, and so crispy. You might be surprised that it's meatless!

Gyoza (dumplings or potstickers in English) is a delightful comfort food and one of the most popular Japanese home-cooking recipes. All family members can assist in this recipe, and children typically learn how to make homemade dumplings in their kitchen. (I did too!)

Traditional gyozas contain ground pork, but our vegan dumpling recipe is different as it's meatless. The types of dumplings are less juicy than pork gyoza, but they are still delicious and flavorful.

This recipe is for you if:
• You love Japanese gyoza.
• This is your first time to make Japanese gyoza.
• You are looking for a vegan dumplings recipe.

All right, let me show you how to make it. If you want to check the recipe, kindly refer to the recipe card located below. Let's get started!

Jump to:

• About This Recipe
• 📋 Ingredients
• Where to Buy Japanese Ingredients
• 🔪Instructions
• Step 1: Make Gyoza Filling
• Step 3: Cook Gyoza
• Serve
• Helpful Tips
• Storage
• What to Serve With
• FAQ
• Thanks for Stopping By!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

About This Recipe

• Vegetable-only dumpling filling
• Vegan gyoza recipe
• Season with homemade garlic ginger soy sauce

📋 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

• Gyoza Wrappers
• Vegetables: Nira (garlic chives), shiitake mushrooms, green cabbage. You can also use green onions, spring onions, and napa cabbage.
• Salt: Regular or sea salt
• Garlic ginger soy sauce: See below.
• Potato starch: I always use potato starch in my Japanese cooking; however, you can substitute it with corn starch, tapioca starch, or wheat flour.
• Sesame oil: Sesame oil adds a nice nutty flavor to the dish, but you can substitute it with other types of oil, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, and soybean oil.

Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce

Before making the filling, we will need to make the garlic ginger soy sauce. This is one of the key ingredients for this gyoza, so let me explain how to make it first. You can also watch this recipe video for visual instructions.

Ingredients are soy sauce, ginger, and garlic cloves.

1. Mince garlic and ginger: Finely mince garlic and ginger with a food processor (if you don't have a food processor, chop finely with a knife.)
2. Put in a bottle: Put soy sauce, minced garlic, and ginger in a jar and stir.
3. In the fridge: Keep the bottle in the fridge, and you can use it the next day.

The sauce will last in the fridge for 2-3 months. It makes for excellent stir-fry sauce, pairs well with fried rice, and adds a delightful savory flavor.

Where to Buy Japanese Ingredients

If you live in the US, you can find Japanese ingredients in the list below.

• Japanese market: Mitsuwa Marketplace, Marukai
• Asian market
• Whole Foods Market
• Health food stores
• Online stores: Instacart, Walmart, Amazon

🔪Instructions

Let me show you how to make it! Making gyoza consists of three steps:

• Step 1: Make Vegan Filling
• Step 2: How To Wrap
• Step 3: Cook Gyoza

You can also watch this video to help you visualize the process.

Step 1: Make Gyoza Filling

1. Cut Vegetables: Finely chop nira (garlic chives; can substitute nira with green onion) and cabbage in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl. Chop shiitake mushrooms in the food processor and transfer them to a small bowl. (If you do not have a food processor, cut the mushrooms into small pieces with a knife.)
2. Drain: Remove excess water from the nira and cabbage. Place ½ teaspoon of salt in the large bowl, mix, and leave it for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze the vegetable juice with both hands.
3. Season: Add shiitake mushrooms, potato starch, and garlic ginger soy sauce to the large bowl.
4. Mix: Mix well to make the filling. (Please check the taste. Add more sauce if necessary.)

Step 2: How to Wrap

There are different ways to wrap gyoza, but I will introduce the basic one.

1. Place the filling: Place the gyoza wrapper on your palm and place 1 or 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center.
2. Use a little water: Put some warm water on your finger and trace the edges of the wrapper halfway.
3. Make pleats: Fold it in half and pinch it with your thumb and index finger to make 4-5 pleats on one side.
4. Make the bottom flat: Place the gyoza on your palm or cutting board, hold the rim, and lightly press it to make the bottom of the dumpling flat.
5. Line up: Tweak the shape a little into a crescent moon and line them up.

The pleats may not look perfect, but as long as the filling stays inside the wrapper, it's okay!

Step 3: Cook Gyoza

1. Place gyoza: Put some oil into a non-stick pan and heat it on medium heat. Place gyoza one by one with some space between them. (If you pack it tightly, the wrapper will stick together, and hard to separate them later, so it is better to give them a little space.)
2. Steam: Add ¼ cup of water, close the lid of the pan, and steam for 2 to 3 minutes until the water is almost gone.
3. Golden brown: Open the lid, let the water evaporate, add sesame oil around the frying pan, and cook for one minute until golden brown.
4. Check the bottom: Lift one piece and check the bottom of the gyoza. If it is a beautiful golden brown, turn off the heat, place a plate over the gyoza, and turn the frying pan over.

Serve

Don't our finished dumplings look absolutely delicious?

They are extremely tasty on their own, as they are already seasoned. However, you can also enjoy them with a delicious dipping sauce, such as a mixture of soy sauce, chili oil, and vinegar.

Our pan-fried dumplings have a nice crispy bottom and are so flavorful. These fluffy dumplings are so satisfying that you wouldn't think they are made with such simple ingredients! The best part is that they are perfect for everyone, particularly those following a plant-based diet.

Helpful Tips

• Since the filling contains only vegetables, the critical point is to remove the water from the vegetables. Failure to do so may result in difficulty wrapping the homemade wrappers.
• If you have time, it's good to leave the filling in the fridge for one hour allowing the flavors to blend together.
• To prevent the gyoza wrappers from drying out, it is better to cover with cling wrap or cook them right away after wrapping.
• While cooking the gyoza, it's a good idea to check the bottoms for browning, but remember to be patient and avoid checking them too early.

Storage

If you don't cook right away, you can freeze gyoza.

Place gyoza side-by-side on a baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap, and keep it in the freezer. Once they become frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag.

They will last for one month in the freezer. The good news is that when cooking these dumplings, there's no need to thaw them beforehand. Simply cook them as they are, straight from the freezer.

If you have the leftovers, keep them in the fridge in an airtight container, and finish eating by the next day. Since they won't be crispy anymore the next day, the best way is to eat them right after cooking.

What to Serve With

Why don't you try these recipes to have a full Japanese meal for dinner?

• Japanese Steamed Rice
• Eggplant Teriyaki
• Daikon Miso Soup
• Tofu and Seaweed Salad

FAQ

Thanks for Stopping By!

This is not a quick recipe and has a lot of steps. It requires a good amount of meal prep time to make gyoza, but it is worth doing it!

As I mentioned earlier, this is one of my family's favorite dishes. I hope this recipe is helpful and you will enjoy making homemade vegetable gyoza in your home.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this dumplings recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.

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📖 Recipe