The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (2024)

Home Recipes Condiments Perfect Dumpling Sauce

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (1)

by: Sarah

498 Comments

Jump to Recipe

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (2)

There are few single food items in this world more perfect than a Chinese dumpling. Chewy, thin dough wrapped around juicy, delicious fillings of endless variety, they’re delicious whether they’re fried, steamed, or boiled, and they’re ideally served with a deliciously contrasting dumpling sauce. I say “ideally” here, because all too often, dumplings don’t get the dumpling sauce they deserve.

A Good Dumpling Sauce Makes All the Difference

I too can be guilty of lazy dumpling sauce habits. I’ve been known to simply splash a plate full of dumplings with a bit of black vinegar, or spoon dollops of chili sauce on top with little thought given to making a full-on dipping sauce.

But I’ve come to realize the error of my ways, because a truly delicious dumpling sauce can make all the difference to your dumpling enjoyment. After crafting this sauce, and happily dunking fried dumplings into it to gobble down with the rest of my family post-photo-shoot on our last blogging day, I realized that the little extra time (literally 5 minutes) it takes to make a good dumpling dipping sauce can take an OK dumpling experience and elevate it to a truly great one.

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (3)

What Makes a Good Dumpling Sauce

The components of a good dumpling sauce are pretty simple, and it comes down to a balance of different flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, and a little bit of tang, or sourness.

The base of the sauce is soy sauce, which provides the salt factor and needs a little bit of thinning out with hot water. The sweetness comes from a little bit of sugar (the hot water helps dissolve it), while the sourness comes from a dash of rice vinegar.

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (4)

The spiciness comes from the addition of chili oil––preferably one with lots of chili flakes like our homemade chili oil––as well as garlic.

I really can’t emphasize the importance of the minced garlic enough. Raw garlic is spicy and sharp, and gives the sauce a much-needed lift.

The final ingredients are sesame seeds and a little bit of sesame oil, for a nutty richness that rounds out the whole sauce.

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (5)

Our love of dumplings at The Woks of Life is no secret.

We’ve posted many dumpling recipes, from our very first “The Only Dumpling Recipe You’ll Ever Need” to subsequent recipes offering very specific variations: vegetable dumplings, chicken and mushroom dumplings, pork and chive dumplings, and more.

We’ve received many requests for a dumpling sauce recipe over the years, and we’re finally delivering!

How to Make the Perfect Dumpling Sauce:

Cook up some Chinese dumplings…

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (6)

And while those are frying (or boiling, or steaming––get our full instructions on how to cook dumplings all those different ways), make the sauce.

Start by dissolving a teaspoon of sugar into a tablespoon of water. Then add 2 tablespoons soy sauce,1 teaspoon rice vinegar,1 teaspoon chili oil,1 teaspoon minced garlic,1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, and½ teaspoon sesame oil.

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (7)

Stir to combine:

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (8)

And serve this sauce with your dumplings!

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (9)

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (10)

Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!

4.91 from 167 votes

Dumpling Sauce Recipe: How to Make Dumpling Dipping Sauce

This dumpling sauce recipe makes the perfect dipping sauce for taking your favorite homemade or store-bought dumplings to the next level.

by: Sarah

Course:Condiments

Cuisine:Chinese

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (11)

serves: 4

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Total: 5 minutes minutes

Print

Rate

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chili oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

  • Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 tablespoon hot water. Then add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, minced garlic, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Stir to combine.

  • Serve with freshly cooked dumplings and enjoy!

nutrition facts

Calories: 27kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 2g (1%) Protein: 1g (2%) Fat: 2g (3%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Sodium: 503mg (21%) Potassium: 19mg (1%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin C: 0.2mg Calcium: 5mg (1%) Iron: 0.3mg (2%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

Did You Make This?Tag us on Instagram @thewoksoflife, subscribe to our email list, and be sure to follow us on social for more recipes!

@thewoksoflife

You may also like…

  • Chicken Zucchini Dumplings

  • All Purpose Peanut Sauce

  • Whole Wheat Dumpling Wrappers

  • Plum Sauce

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (16)

About Sarah

Sarah is the older daughter/sister in The Woks of Life family. Creator of quick and easy recipes for harried home cooks and official Woks of Life photographer, she grew up on episodes of Ready Set Cook and Good Eats. She loves the outdoors (and of course, *cooking* outside), and her obsession with food continues to this day.

Previous PostHow to Steam Food: 3 Ways to Set Up a Steamer
Next Post Cumin Potatoes (Vegan/Vegetarian!)

Subscribe

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

498 Comments

Newest

OldestMost Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce Recipe - The Woks of Life (2024)

FAQs

What is dumpling sauce made of? ›

Start by dissolving a teaspoon of sugar into a tablespoon of water. Then add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon chili oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. And serve this sauce with your dumplings!

What is the brown sauce served with dumplings? ›

Taking all replies together, I think the core ingredients of the sauce are soy sauce, vinegar (either rice wine or black), and sugar. Additions include (toasted) sesame oil, ginger, garlic, scallion, and chili.

What is inside hoisin sauce? ›

Though regional variations exist, most modern hoisin sauce recipes contain some combination of the following ingredients: fermented soybeans, five-spice powder, garlic, red chili peppers, and sugar. "Hoisin" comes from the Cantonese word for seafood, though it's not commonly associated with seafood dishes.

How to make dumplings more juicy? ›

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

What are the 3 components of dumplings? ›

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt.

What is potsticker sauce made of? ›

Directions. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, gochujang, green onion, and sesame seeds in a Mason jar.

How do you thicken dumpling sauce? ›

Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings

Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir it until it thickens up just a bit about 3 minutes.

Is hoisin sauce used for dumplings? ›

To make Dumplings: Dry carrots, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, cabbage, garlic and cilantro thoroughly, and put into food processor, and chop very finely. Put vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Mix together egg, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and salt.

What is Potsticker sauce called? ›

Great Gyoza sauce for potstickers

Dynasty is my go-to for all great things Asian, and THIS sauce is the best Gyoza sauce available commercially, and even better than some restaurant ones. Warm it a little in the microwave, and bam!

What is Worcestershire sauce made of? ›

Worcestershire sauce is a fermented sauce. It starts with a base of vinegar and is flavored with molasses, sugar, onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovies. Other flavorings, such as lemon and soy sauce, may be used depending on the brand. Each one is a little different.

What is horse in sauce? ›

Hoisin sauce is a condiment based on fermented soybean paste with other flavors and spices. It adds an Asian flavor to dishes, combining umami with sweet, tangy, and spicy elements.

What flavor is hoisin? ›

Hoisin sauce tastes salty and tangy. It has a similar flavor profile to barbecue sauce, but with distinctly different flavors. It may taste slightly meaty or sweet. Hoisin sauce served alongside classic Peking duck.

What is the secret to perfect dumplings? ›

Overworking the mixture, thus having heavy dumplings is a common mistake people make. Dumplings need very gentle handling, so mix only until the ingredients are just combined, and if your recipe involves rolling them out with extra flour, avoid using too much.

How to make dumplings better? ›

A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

How many dumplings per person? ›

You'll want to make at least as many dumplings as your guests can eat in one sitting—estimate about 15 to 20 dumplings per guest, on the generous side. But the real genius of a dumpling party is you can basically trick your guests into making you a week's worth of dinners.

What store bought sauce goes with dumplings? ›

  • Weichuan Dumpling Sauce. ...
  • Golden Dragon Teriyaki Sauce Thick, 455 ml. ...
  • Kikkoman Tempura Dipping Sauce - Concentrated Dipping Sauce Made in Traditional Japanese Style - 296 mL. ...
  • Kikkoman Ponzu Sauce, Bottle, 10 Ounce. ...
  • Kikkoman Ponzu Lemon Soy Sauce & Dressing, Brown, 290 ml (Pack of 1)

What is Chinese dumpling filling made of? ›

Prepare dumplings: Mix pork, garlic, egg, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Place a dumpling wrapper on a lightly floured work surface and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 6001

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.