Pork Potstickers are always a favorite, but they can sometimes be a pain to make–all those folds can be difficult to get a hang of if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’re posting this easy potsticker recipe–the lazy cook’s potstickers that require NO complicated folding whatsoever. Ok, I just wanted to repeat that here again. These are the easiest pork and cabbage potstickers ever and you should add them to your go-to list of quick meal or dim sum recipes!
They’re actually “open,” and not fully sealed. This might sound strange, but we saw them prepared this way in many places in China, where they’re called guotie (which literally translates to “pot stick.” Imagine that!). Even in grocery stores, they’d have a bunch of different fillings and they would cook them to order so that you could take them home or just eat them on the spot! It’s a little odd that I have never seen potstickers made this way here in the US. I’ve never tried making dumplings with this method before this Pork and Cabbage Potstickers recipe, but they really exceeded my expectations and have to be the most simple of all dim sum recipes we have.
Flashback–while on a business trip in Nara, Japan years ago, a colleague and I frequented a small restaurant that served Japanese gyoza and fried rice. It was our go-to cheap and quick dinner. Back then, we were away from our families a lot, so our approach was to save money on dinner and use the rest of our per diem allowances to buy gifts for loved ones. Of course, the gyoza were great and something about the texture of the filling was really appealing. I like to think that after 20 years, all those meals finally inspired the recipe for these super-easy to make pork and cabbage potstickers.
All you need is dumpling skins, ground pork, napa cabbage and leeks. Grab the food processor, and you’re only minutes away from a fantastic plate of crispy potstickers. The key for this recipe is using the food processor to finely chop the pork and napa cabbage. The mixture is quite “juicy” and loose, which is why despite the fact that they’re not sealed, they’re still very moist and flavorful. You can literally wrap a dozen of these in the couple minutes it takes for you to heat the pan! If you happen to have extra filling and dumpling skin, keep them in the fridge in separate airtight containers, and you can have fresh potstickers any time in minutes.
For more dumpling ideas, check out our foundational post, The Only Dumpling Recipe You’ll Ever Need, an epic Shanghai Soup Dumpling post, or our Simple Wonton Soup.
You’ll need:
- 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1/2 cup leeks or scallions
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of fresh ground white pepper
- 1 pack of round egg dumpling skins (look for the ones that are yellow, rather than white)
- Vegetable oil
Put the napa cabbage, ground pork and leeks/scallions into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Reserve about a tablespoon of egg for folding the pot stickers, and add the rest to the bowl. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir until very well combined. 
Take about 2-3 teaspoons of filling and place in the middle of each dumpling skin. 
Fold in half and use the egg to seal the top. Leave the sides open. 
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the dumplings in the pan. Once they begin to sizzle, add a quarter cup of water to the pan and cover immediately. Allow the dumplings to cook until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure nothing is burning, and add a little more water to the pan if necessary. Next, remove the cover and let them cook uncovered until all the water has evaporated to also let the bottoms get crispy (another 1 to 2 minutes). It’s an essential step or these will really become potstickers and stick to the pan!
Use a spatula and flip the potstickers upside down onto a plate. Serve with chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce…whatever you prefer! 
Better yet, use our traditional dumpling sauce to go with this easy potsticker recipe.
- 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 8 oz. ground pork
- ½ cup leeks or scallions
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of fresh ground white pepper
- 1 pack of round egg dumpling skins (look for the ones that are yellow, rather than white)
- Vegetable oil
- Put the napa cabbage, ground pork and leeks/scallions into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Reserve about a tablespoon of egg for folding the pot stickers, and add the rest to the bowl. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir until very well combined.
- Take about 2-3 teaspoons of filling and place in the middle of each dumpling skin. Fold in half and use the egg to seal the top. Leave the sides open.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the dumplings in the pan. Once they begin to sizzle, add a quarter cup of water to the pan and cover immediately. Allow the dumplings to cook until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure nothing is burning, and add a little more water to the pan if necessary. Next, remove the cover and let them cook uncovered until all the water has evaporated to also let the bottoms get crispy (another 1 to 2 minutes). It's an essential step or these will really become potstickers and stick to the pan!
- Use a spatula and flip the potstickers upside down onto a plate. Serve with our favorite easy-to-make dumpling sauce.
Katie says
Hi, I had great success with the other dumpling recipe but now ready to try something faster with my remaining wrappers. Any experience with using kale? That’s all I have right now and don’t want to make a special trip.
Also, any advice on what to use instead of sesame oil? My daughter has an allergy. Thanks!
Bill says
Hi Katie, if you use kale, you may want to blanch it first, since it can be a bit rougher than cabbage. As for the sesame oil, you can leave it out or use peanut oil in its place if your daughter is not allergic to peanuts. Happy cooking!
Lance Owens says
Fusion Italian/Chinese Ravioli —
I have loved steamed Jiaozi ( 饺子) since I was a child. And I like making my own noodles and pasta. But Jiaozi take a huge amount of time doing the folding.
So I decided to try some fusion dishes — Ravioli made with home-made egg pasta, stuffed with various things used as fillings for Jiaozi.
This recipe works well. I cut quantities in half, and it made about 48 large ravioli. I rolled my egg pasta very thin — setting 7 on most pasta rollers. I used spinach and napa cabbage with the pork. Instead of water, I added a beaten egg with a little water. My pork was very fatty, so I skipped the oil. My only recommendation is to cut back on the sesame oil; I like it, but it is a little too strong for an Italian fusion dish.
The ravioli turned out great. I ate some immediately with Sichuan pepper oil and dark Chinese vinegar. But I will serve these to guests next week with a creamy garlic and parmesan sauce. My guests are Italian, so this is going to be a culinary stretch…
Lance Owens says
Forgot to say in that above comment — I added in three finely chopped scallions and three crushed cloves of garlic to the mix. They add a little kick. It is winter, so I will not be seeing any of the chives in my garden for several more months. I think chives would have gone well in this stuffing.
Bill says
Hi Lance, a very interesting idea and I do love fusion recipes! I suggest that you kick up the fusion and add a teaspoon or more of soy sauce in your sauce with one or more tablespoons of butter. I imagine that the soy butter combo with parmesan will be fantastic!