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.
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 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.
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…
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, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil.
Stir to combine:
And serve this sauce with your dumplings!
Dumpling Sauce Recipe: How to Make Dumpling Dipping Sauce
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!
Jim says
My fiancee has been unsuccessfully trying to recreate a dumpling sauce recipe for forever! I’m going to tweak this for taste and surprise her. You guys always make the easiest at-home recipes for Chinese food, thank you!
Sarah says
You’re welcome! A dumpling surprise is the best kind in my opinion! :)
Vera says
This was a yummy sauce! Thank you!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Vera!
Johan says
I never comment on stuff because I always forget, but just wanted to say that this simple sauce is very good 👌🏻
Have a great weekend.
Sarah says
Thanks Johan!
Joline says
This sauce has a wonderful flavor. I also made some without the chili oil for a guest who doesn’t like her food hot. It was still excellent to serve with the dumplings.
Sarah says
Thank you so much, Joline!
Amy Oung says
Just made them to accompany my dumplings. Soooo tasty!
Sarah says
Thanks, Amy!
Mark says
If made in a larger batch any idea how long this would last in a fridge? Enjoyed the recipe!
Sarah says
Hi Mark, because it contains raw garlic, I wouldn’t keep it longer than a week!
Verena says
I’m commenting on how long this will last . Only max a week in the refrigerator but I do triple batches and freeze2 portions …. lasts 3 months this way and the flavours meld out beautifully…. thanks for such a great recipe
Sarah says
Thanks for that tip, Verena!
Heather says
I’ve made this twice now and I love it each time I make it. The ingredients are simple and the flavor really brings everything together. I don’t need any other dipping sauces. I’ve started making this in larger batches to keep for our frozen dumplings as well as our homemade ones. This can’t be beat. Thank you for sharing it with everyone!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Heather!
Chelsea says
I have been using your recipes for a little while now, especially during these past few months in quarantine. This one was the one that made me finally write a review.
Chef’s kiss! So much flavor. I was skeptical of the texture of minced raw garlic, but I recently got a box grater and grating the garlic into the sauce gave it a nice bite. The heat from the flakes of chili oil, the toasted nuttiness from the sesame seeds—those bits and pieces in the sauce put it over the top for me.
I didn’t expect to be making a dip that would turn out to be as just as much a star of the show as our ‘bought frozen from our favorite dumpling spot’ dumplings.
Anyway, thank you for this great sauce, and for all the recipes you’ve proven to me and mine for all these years!
Sarah says
You’re welcome!