In a previous post, I mentioned that our daily diet has shifted to mostly plant-based food after my husband started his vegan blog Gastroplant. I still cook with meat and dairy here and there, especially when I develop Chinese recipes for my blog. But so far I’m very happy with the plant-based diet. I feel more energetic and less heavy during the day. And I noticed that I crave fast food much less nowadays. Vegan dumplings are our favorite snack and quick lunch fix. Sometimes we buy them from the Asian market. But when I want some really good dumplings, I prefer to make them at home. Yes it does take some time to wrap the dumplings. But if you make a big batch ahead and freeze them, it will be so easy to heat them up for a quick snack.
Vegan Dumplings Cooking notes
1. Dumpling wrappers
In a perfect world, you would use fresh homemade dumpling wrappers every time. The real advantage of homemade wrappers is, they’re bigger than the store-bought type and easier to wrap. Different from meat filling, vegan dumpling filling doesn’t bind together as well. So it will be a bit of a challenge to wrap a lot of ingredients into each dumpling if using store-bought wrappers. If you have the time, I highly recommend using this recipe to make wrappers for steamed or pan-fried dumplings. If you want to make boiled dumplings, use the cold-water dough from this recipe to make the wrappers. Of course, you can use store-bought wrappers if you’re short on time. Try to find wrappers that are slightly bigger in size if possible. Store-bought dumpling wrappers can be a bit dry and difficult to wrap sometimes. I usually wet a few layers of paper towel and cover the wrappers when I work on the dumplings. This helps the wrappers stay pliable.
2. Dumpling filling
The goal of this recipe is to create a filling with a balanced texture that is rich enough to serve by itself without dipping sauce. The main texture of the filling comes from the tofu and vermicelli. Alternatively, you can skip the vermicelli and double the amount of tofu. It will produce a great filling as well. I used dried shiitake mushrooms to add a rich taste and wood ear mushrooms to add a crunchy texture. Both ingredients are very common in northern Chinese cuisine. If you cannot find those ingredients, I’ve included notes in the recipe so you can replace them with more common ingredients.
3. How to wrap dumplings
I talked about this in previous posts so I will only include links to avoid repetition. You can view my previous carrot dumpling recipe to see the wrapping pictures. You can also check out this video to see dumpling-wrapping in action. Alternatively, you can use spring roll wrappers to make the filling into egg rolls. They’re so much easier to wrap and faster to prepare. I’ve tried using the same filling for egg rolls and they worked out great. You can refer to this post to see how to wrap and cook egg rolls.
4. How to store dumplings
The best way to store dumplings is to freeze them right after wrapping. You don’t need to thaw them before cooking and they will turn out just as great. On the other hand, if you’ve cooked all the dumplings, you can store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or freeze them for up to a month. I always prefer to reheat them in the air-fryer to avoid using oil and still get crispy results. You can reheat them in a lightly greased pan on the stovetop as well.
5. Dumpling dipping sauce
I included a couple dumpling dipping sauce recipes in this post. Personally, the first recipe is my favorite and that’s how I make all my dumpling sauces. But feel free to explore other options. I also highly recommend adding a few drops of homemade chili oil to your sauce if you like to spice things up.
6. A word on chopping veggies
This recipe requires quite a lot of chopping. I prefer to chop the ingredients using a knife so I have total control over the texture. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to chop the veggies quickly.
More vegan Chinese recipes
Vegan Dan Dan NoodlesMapo Tofu15-Minute Garlic NoodlesVegan Hot and Sour Soup (From my husband’s blog)Vegan Egg Rolls (From my husband’s blog)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
