Juicy on the inside, crispy and golden brown on the outside, these Japanese pan-fried dumplings, Gyoza, are popular weeknight meal as well as a great appetizer for your next dinner party.
Gyoza 餃子 or Japanese dumplings is as ubiquitous as ramen in Japan. You can find these mouthwatering dumplings being served at specialty shops, izakaya, ramen shops, grocery stores or even at festivals. Often served in a group of six or eight, Japanese enjoy gyoza not only as snack but also as a main meal alone. They come in carb, vegetables and protein in one parcel after all.
It may look difficult to make Gyoza at home, but the method is fairly simple once you know how to prepare them. I think part of the fun of making homemade gyoza is the process and the room for creativity. You can experiment with different ingredients for the filling based on your preference. They also taste better when you can engage family or friends to make gyoza together, making it an enjoyable activity.
Watch How To Make Gyoza (Japanese Potstickers)
Click here to watch on YouTube
What is Gyoza?
The original Chinese dumplings are called Jiaozi (餃子). These dumplings consist of ground meat and vegetable filling that are wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. Finished jiaozi can be boiled (水餃), steamed (蒸餃), pan-fried (煎餃, we call potstickers), or deep fried (炸餃子).
So what is the Japanese version like? The key characteristic of gyoza (餃子 or yakigyouza) lies on its cooking method, which involves both pan-frying and steaming. They are first fried in a hot pan until crispy brown on the bottom sides, then a small amount of water is added before the pan is covered to quickly steam the entire dumplings. This technique gives gyoza the best mix of textures, where you get crispy bottoms and tender soft tops that encase the juicy filling inside.
What is the difference between gyoza and Chinese potstickers?
Gyoza and potstickers are both prepared in similar manner with the combination of frying and steaming, so they are not too different. One of the distinctive differences is that gyoza usually come in smaller size with thinner skin. With thinner skin, you will find gyoza yield a much more crispy texture and bite. The filling is also finer in texture. Some say gyoza tend to be heavier on the garlic, which is great if you like garlic.
Gyoza Fillings
Pork: While Chinese dumplings use ground beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, and shrimp for fillings, classic gyoza usually consist of ground pork.
Cabbage: Chinese dumplings use napa cabbage, but regular cabbage is commonly used for gyoza. As cabbage leaves are thick and hard, we use different ways to make the cabbage leaves wilted. Some blanch them or microwave for a minute or two. Some sprinkle salt to dehydrate the cabbage and squeeze the water out before mixing with meat. And some skip the entire process all together. I usually decide what to do based on the cabbage leaves I use.
Chinese Chives: My mom sometimes adds Chinese chives (Nira in Japanese) to her gyoza, but I usually skip the herb as my children don’t like the strong taste. Instead, I add more green onion/scallion (Tokyo negi) to the filling.
Aromatics: Garlic is commonly used in Japanese gyoza. My mom always adds grated ginger too, so I do the same for my recipe.
Seasonings: The seasonings are simple, with just a few drops of sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. This way you can just enjoy the flavor and freshness of the main ingredients.
Be Creative: There is plenty of room for creativity when comes to making gyoza. To change things up, I like to make different versions at home. This gyoza recipe includes shiitake mushrooms and this is my specialty. I like the meaty texture and juicy umami flavor from shiitake mushrooms. For delicious filling, the rule of thumb is to consider ingredients with different textures. So feel free to experiment with different ingredients or seasonal vegetables.
Store-bought or Homemade Gyoza Wrappers
Back in the days, Japanese used to make gyoza wrappers from scratch. In the recent years, however, most people use store-bought wrappers to make gyoza for convenience. You can find the wrappers in Japanese or Asian grocery stores.
If you can’t find gyoza wrappers in your area, you can make them from scratch. Here’s a tutorial on How To Make Homemade Gyoza Wrappers.
Extra Wrappers? If you have any leftover gyoza wrappers, don’t throw them away. I love using the leftover wrappers for crispy cheese wraps. Fill the wrappers with some cream cheese or brie cheese, fold them into half and pan fry or deep fry them. The golden parcels with hot, gooey melty cheese make an easy and yummy appetizer that goes well with beer!
Folding Techniques
I’ll show you 3 different ways to fold gyoza wrappers in my step by step pictures below. I also have a tutorial here on How To Wrap Gyoza for your reference. With just a little bit of practice, you will master the folding very quickly.
I hope you have fun making gyoza at home. These delectable dumplings are best when enjoyed with a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar and a bit of la-yu (Japanese chili oil).
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 1 pkg gyoza wrappers (1 pkg = 52 sheets) (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for frying each batch of gyoza)
- ¼ cup water (for frying each batch of gyoza)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (for frying each batch of gyoza)
- ¾ lb ground pork (¾ lb = 340 g)
- 2-3 leaves cabbage (2-3 leaves = 140 g or 5 oz)
- 2 green onion/scallion (2 green onion = 15 g or 0.5 oz)
- 2 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 inch ginger (1" = 2.5 cm) (fresh, grated)
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (optional)
Gather all the ingredients. Tip: If you open the gyoza wrappers, make sure to cover them under a damp towel or plastic wrap so they won't dry out.
(Optional) As cabbage leaves are thick and hard, we use different ways to make the cabbage leaves wilted. You can blanch or microwave them for a minute or two. You can also sprinkle salt to dehydrate the cabbage and squeeze the water out. Or you can skip the entire process all together.
- Remove the core of the cabbage leaves and cut into very small pieces (See Notes).
Cut green onions and shiitake mushrooms into small pieces.
Combine the ground meat, cabbage, green onion, and shiitake mushrooms in a large bowl.
Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the bowl.
Add the seasonings (1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp sake, and freshly ground black pepper).
Mix well and knead the mixture with hand until it becomes pale in color and sticky.
- Take a wrapper and place it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use a teaspoon to take a small amount of filling and put it in the center of the wrapper. Dip one finger in a bowl of water and draw a circle around the outer 1/4” of the wrapper with your wet finger until it’s wet all around.
Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch it in the center with your fingers (but don’t seal yet!). Using your thumb and index finger, start making a pleat about once every ¼“ on the top part of the wrapper from the center toward the right. As you fold each pleat, press the folded pleat tightly against the back part of wrapper using your other thumb and index finger. Make 3-4 pleats.
Continue with the left side of the gyoza. Start making a pleat from the center to the left.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, place the gyoza in a single layer, flat side down (in two rows or in a circular shape).
Cook until the bottom of the gyoza turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Add ¼ cup of water to the pan. Immediately cover with a lid and steam the gyoza for about 3 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.
Remove the lid to evaporate any remaining water. Add 1 tsp sesame oil around the frying pan.
- Cook uncovered until the gyoza is nice and crisp on the bottom.
Transfer to a plate and serve with dipping sauce. For the dipping sauce, combine the sauce ingredients in a small plate and mix all together.
To save gyoza for later, put the gyoza on a baking sheet leaving some space between to keep them from sticking, and put it in freezer. Transfer frozen gyoza into a freezer bag and store in the freezer up to a month. When you use frozen gyoza, do not defrost. Cook while frozen and steam for extra 1-2 minutes.
Gyoza wrappers: Homemade recipe, click here.
Cabbage Leaves: As I mentioned in the blog post, you can blanch/microwave the cabbage leaves for a minute or two to help the leaves a bit more tender. Another method is to sprinkle some salt to dehydrate and squeeze water out. These method helps the cabbage leaves blend well with other ingredients for the filling. You can also skip this process as I demonstrate in this recipe.
After you fold gyoza, cook or freeze it right away; otherwise water from the ingredients will start to make the wrapper wet.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Feb 9, 2011. Photos and recipe were updated in November, 2013. The video was added and content and photos were updated in July 2017.
Thanks Nami. Thanks a lot for making me lick my computer screen. I am starving.
Hi Stephen! Haha thanks I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for visiting!
Thank you for this.
Hi Jaye, you are welcome! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Just discovered your blog and absolutely loving it. I love Japanese food, especially gyoza. I often make it at home, but my gyoza gets really soft and will not keep their shape when I am cooking them. They will get very soft and break apart very easily. Do you maybe have an idea what I’m doing wrong? Thanks!
Hi Kelly,
From what I read from your comment, I was wondering if you
1) put enough oil to fry gyoza at the very beginning (so they get crispy),
2) put too much water when steaming, or
3) steam too long.
Hope this helps. I hope my recipe will work out for you.
hi there, I’d like to ask if I can’t find gyoza skin, is there any replacement? e.g. wanton skin? I live in HK
Hi Jasmine! Yes, you can use wonton skin. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Nami
I intend to make Gyoza soon. I noticed you have another post of Napa Cabbage Gyoza which you posted on April 18. Just wanna ask you, which one is much better that I should choose to make. I think there wasn’t much difference in the ingredients, right?
Hi Mel! So sorry for my late response. It’s pretty similar. I make both gyoza depending on what I have in the fridge. Typical gyoza is with cabbage. Napa cabbage one is delicious too. 🙂
It’s lunch time here in Sydney and these look so good. I would love a few right now. They do look a bit tricky but I’m sure once you’ve made them a few times you could be quite the expert. Lovely dish Nami xx
Hi Nami, I finally tried out this recipe and it is really good!! Well I need more practice with the frying part but apart from that these potstickers taste as good as the ones I get at restaurants. Thank you so much!
Hi Yewnah! Thank you so much for trying my gyoza and I’m glad you liked it! You will get used to frying , and the second time you fry it, it would be much easier as you know what to expect. Thanks so much for your feedback! 🙂
Do you think this would taste good if I used ground chicken or beef instead of pork? I want to make a bunch for a potluck, but some of my friends are Jewish….. 🙁
Hi Aiko! Gyoza usually use pork but yes, you can use any type of ground meat. 🙂 Hope you and your friends enjoy gyoza!
Hi Nami
I have try your recipe and it turns out very nice. I was wandering what kind of cheese to use if I use gyoza wrappers?
Thanks.
Caroline
Hi Caroline! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m happy to hear it turned out well.
For leftover gyoza wrappers, I use whatever we have in the fridge (any kind you like). But usually Sharp Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese, which work really well. 🙂
Thank you so much Nami. There’s a cultural festival thing going on in my church and I chose Japan to talk about. I wanted to bring a Japanese dish but I wasn’t sure what I could make where I had all the ingredients at hand until I saw this recipe. Thank you SO much, you don’t know how much this means to me.
Hi Jacqueline! I hope you and your church members will enjoy this recipe! Thank you so much for writing!
Hello Nami,
I’m a longtime follower of your recipes, and many of them are ones I use often! It’s my first time to ask you a question, though!
I would like to make a large batch of gyoza and freeze them for future meals. Should I cook them and then freeze them, or freeze them raw to be cooked later?
Thank you for your great website!!
Hi Alyssa! Thank you for following me and trying my recipe and I’m glad you asked and feel free to ask me anytime (I’ll answer as soon as I can). 🙂
About freezing. You should freeze the gyoza right away. When you leave the gyoza out after wrapped, the water from the ingredients start to make the wrapper wet, so make sure to cook or freeze right away!
When you freeze gyoza, you can put it on a tray and wrap with plastic wrap tightly, and put it in a Ziploc.
When you defrost the gyoza, don’t leave them out. You need to immediately cook while they are frozen. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you so much for your helpful reply! I will be freezing gyoza this weekend. =)
You are welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
We spent 8 years in Japan and loved it; I have not found a Gyoza that compared to what we had in Japan. That is until now, this recipe is awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing. Now if you know anything about Japanese Snow Cheese, I would love to hear more about it. In Misawa Japan there is a place called The Cheese roll, they used gyoza wrappers and Japanese snow cheese to make the best cheese sticks ever! Thanks again, we love your post.
Hi Brandy! Thank you for your kind comments! I’m really happy to hear you liked the recipe!!
Is Japanese Snow Cheese Yukijirushi Cheese 雪印のチーズ?
I’ve found this article about cheese roll in Misawa. Is that what you are talking about?
I have a wonton wrapped cheese recipe here, and you can use gyoza wrappers instead.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/shumai/
Hope this helps! 🙂
Hello Nami and thank you for posting this awesome recipe! It is easy to follow and photos are really helpful. As for the result, it is delicious. My family loves it, we’ve finished the second batch already 🙂
And such a helpful tip on freezing gyoza in the comments! Ooh, I will definetely make more next time and freeze some.
Thanks again for your great post.
Hi Anna! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m glad your family enjoyed it. Yes, if you don’t mind wrapping gyoza all at once, make a lot and freeze them. I sometimes make noodles soup and drop a few frozen gyoza (to add meat). It’s very quick but great lunch for kids who love both crispy fried gyoza and warm dumpling style gyoza. 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
Hi there Nami,
I have to thank you once again for your wonderful website. I make gyoza for the first time and am happy to report 100% success rate! I’ve always felt unsure about the seemingly complicated wrapping method but your photographic instructions were very helpful.
Hi Kitty! So happy to hear you enjoyed this gyoza recipe! I sometimes want to give up taking step-by-step pictures (too much time consuming) but feedback like yours keep me going! 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
I like the step-by-step photos, please continue them. I fu d them to be very helpful; I’m a visual learner.
Hello Nami!
I was wondering – is there any recipe for gyoza wrappers? Do you make them by yourself sometimes? I live in Poland and it’s extremely hard to find things like that in stores, and when you actually find them, they’re so expensive…
I mean, it musn’t be so hard to do!, or am i wrong?
Btw, i love your site! Thank you for doing all this!
Hi Ola! I’m sorry for my late response. Unfortunately I don’t, but now it’s been on my things to try and share on my blog. 🙂 I usually buy a gyoza package from a Japanese grocery store (it’s smaller and thinner than Chinese wrappers) as this is a quick meal for me and wrap and cook at the same time. It’s not hard to do… I’ll try to work on it soon!
Oh and thank you so much for your kind words Ola!
Oh my goodness! Hello, Nami, I’ve just found your blog, and oh boy this looks great. I’m a teen obsessed with Japanese food and culture so your blog is like getting a Christmas gift. I’ve made gyoza before (they’re my absolute favourite Japanese food), but I have just one question- where do you purchase your gyoza wrappers? I live in America currently, and each time I make gyoza I have to use wonton wrappers, which work okay but don’t taste the same. I will definitely try your recipe next time I make them 🙂 thanks!
Hi Masey! Aww you are so sweet! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy reading my blog and I’m glad you found my site! I buy gyoza wrappers from a Japanese grocery store as the wrappers are different from Chinese wrappers (like you said). I am planning to make homemade one soon as I assume a lot of people don’t really have a Japanese or Asian store around them. Thank you for writing!
I LOVE gyoza! Yours look so perfect! I’m terrible at wrapping them too 🙂
Hi Nami,
Can i use wine instead of sake because it is quite difficult to find sake in Finland. Using chicken or beef for the gyoza will it taste better? Thanks.
Hi Mini! Sure, you can use dry white wine instead of sake. You can use chicken – maybe not beef as I don’t really see or hear beef gyoza. You can use seafood like shrimp too. Well, in a way, if you really like beef, there is nothing wrong with using beef. 🙂 Hope that helps.
Not a comment but a question:
Can i leave out the sake? Replace it with something non-alcohol based ?
Hi Steven! Yes, you can leave it out. 🙂
Hi, Nami! These are great, and your photos, as usual, are sooooo pretty!
Just wanted to ask how long we can store the frozen gyoza 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Oz! Thank you for your kind compliments! About 3-4 weeks, but of course sooner the better in terms of quality. 🙂
Hi! I’ve recently come across your site and have fallen in love! I’m going to try making these Gyoza tonight for dinner. 🙂
Hi Alison! I’m glad you found my site! Hope you enjoy(ed) Gyoza. 🙂
Made this and it was delicious!! Even used your dough recipe! yum yum yum! Making gyoza for the first time I was a bit slow on the folding, but towards the end I was whipping them out! Thanks for the recipe and the lovely step-by-step pictures they were so helpful!
Hi Carrisa! Hmm? Which dough recipe? I’m actually going to share the homemade gyoza wrapper recipe next week! Glad to hear step by step tutorial is helpful! 🙂
oh Nami, this is going 2 b so FUN & delicious 2 make w the little girls
need 2 sneak green veg 2 them anyway! i would love 2 fill w pork & finely chopped spinach!
do have a safe & fun trip & take lots of wedding pics 4 us!
ty so much 4 all u do 4 us 2!
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’ve recently come across your site and it’s like heaven to me – I can finally make my own Japanese food instead of going to expensive restaurants like Yo!Sushi 🙂
I was just wondering, when making Gyoza, would it be better to just half the recipe so I only make 20, or only wrap half of them and put the rest of the mix in the fridge/freezer?
Hi Laura! Aww you are so sweet! Thank you for your kind words! I’m not sure how much you like gyoza and how many people you’re feeding, but personally I like to make a lot and freeze them so that when I need just one more side dish for dinner, I can just cook it (no need to defrost, just straight to a pan!). It helps for my bento making, lunch (for myself), etc. However, if you don’t plan to eat that much of gyoza, maybe making for what you need is a good idea. By the way, you need to wrap all of them and freeze. If you’re making gyoza wrappers from scratch, you have an option of freezing the gyoza wrappers as well. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Nami, I noticed that many gyoza recipes have chives instead of green onions. I was wondering your thoughts on this? Thank you Nickson. By the way I love your website. Traditional Japanese cooking is not as easy to find as I thought.
Hi Nick! Yes, and my mom uses chives in her gyoza so I learned to use it from her. However, when I made this recipe 3 years ago, my kids were not fond of the flavor of chives so I switched to more mild flavor green onions (and they are always in the fridge). Now that they eat chives, I use them sometimes. Not all the time, but just to switch around. So if you like chives (Chinese/garlic chives, not regular chives), use it to replace with green onion. 🙂 It’s up to you. In Japanese style Chinese dishes, such as gyoza, harumaki (spring roll), etc, we commonly use Chinese/garlic chives. It adds more flavor but don’t put too much, because it overpowers the other ingredients. Hope this helps! Thank you so much for following my blog! 🙂
I swore my okasan did as well is the reason I asked. So, if your recipe calls for two scallions how many strands of chive should I use. Looking forward to making this tomorrow on my day off.
Hi Nick, I’d say just a few strands (about 10 g?)? Each strands come with different size, but if you think it’s too much (too green), reduce the amount. Next time I’ll measure and make a recipe. 🙂
Update, Nami these were amazing reminded me of helping my mom when I was little to make gyoza. The chives were what I think makes it taste like the gyoza at restaurants. Made me realize how much money restaurants make off of them. Delicious, thank you.
Hi Nick! Thank you so much for your update! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Nami, could I deep-fry the gyoza, or steam it like nikuman instead of “half frying and steaming in a saucepan” like this, it’s kinda hard for me to do.
Hi Jun! Sure, you can definitely deep fry or steam gyoza! 🙂
Thank you so much for posting Japanese recipes here. Living in Germany with so few Japanese food options has made this site a life-saver for cooking meals my mom used to make for me. Thank you x 1 million!!!
Hi Marie! I just discovered your comment which was written back in May… I’m so sorry! Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you are enjoying my recipes. 🙂
I love Japanese gyoza and I have been planning on making your gyoza recipe for several weeks now. However, I bought red cabbage since your recipe didn’t specify the type of cabbage. Do you think it will still taste good with red cabbage?
Hi Marian! I quickly search online and get confirmation that they taste the same and can be replaced by one for another. So you can use the red cabbage. 🙂
When I used red cabbage it stained the whole gyoza red/pink!
I also think it ‘washed out’ the other flavours.
I’m going to make beef gyoza tomorrow 🙂
Thank you for the feedback, Emma! That’s interesting, pink gyoza… I worried about the taste, but didn’t think about the color…
Hi Nami, you’re blog is amazing, and I really love it ! I got many knowledge about Japanese cuisine from your blog. I’ve tried some of your recipes, like matcha chiffon, milk tea, and this gyoza. I also follow your recipe for the gyoza skin. The result was superb, I like it! Thank you for sharing your recipe…^^
Hi Midia! Aww thank you so much for your kind compliments. I’m glad you are enjoying my blog. Thank you for following! You made the gyoza wrappers too! NICE! So happy you liked this recipe. Thank you!! xoxo
Hi – just made and cooked my second batch of these – amazing! Thank you so much. However I’ve just frozen some, as per your suggestion, and was wondering if the cooking times vary when you cook from frozen? I presume so – perhaps steam for longer? Thanks so much.
Hi Jo! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, you may need to cook a little bit longer. Do NOT defrost the gyoza first. Please cook while it’s frozen. 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe and the gyoza wrapper recipe! I’ve loved gyoza since I was a little kid but I developed a wheat allergy about 20 years ago. So I make the wrappers with spelt flour and following your awesome recipe all my gyoza needs are filled!! Keep it up 🙂
Hi Ryan! I’m so glad to hear spelt flour works and thanks so much for letting us know here. I’m sure other people think it’s helpful too! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I’m making this next week for my school’s Japan movie night ! Wish me luck !!!
Hi Chi Chi! Hope you enjoy making gyoza! Have fun at the Japan movie night. 🙂
I tried making these today and I must admit I found the stuffing and pleating much more fun than the frying. I don’t know if I added too much oil or too few Gyoza, but the oil was popping very badly, and when I added the water and put the lid on, there was at least one little explosion that dislodged the lid! I didn’t have the courage to let them fry and crisp up after taking the lid off, but they ended up being tasty anyway. Maybe I just need to be a bit more brave next time!
Hi Alex! I agree, I love pleating gyoza! The oil splatter is not from too much oil, but it’s because the gyoza was wet or water went into the frying pan with oil by accident. If the gyoza was dry, it will not splatter like crazy. 🙂 And yes, when you add the water, the splatter comes, but you immediately put the lid on, so that should be no problem.
Having said that, I recommend this little kitchen tool that I love. It keeps my stove area much cleaner after having this, and there is no oil splatter on my hand, etc. Here’s the tool. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-Stainless-Splatter-Screen/dp/B0002MR0TA/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=jusonecoo-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=HI5WCMZRTQ2PEMG7&creativeASIN=B0002MR0TA
Hi Nami, I found your web last week and keep read on it until now.
I’ve tried yaki udon recipe and my family loved it 🙂
This week I’m gonna make gyoza and wonder if I can substitute la-yu with hot pepper flakes on dipping sauce
Btw thanks for your superb recipe
So happy to hear your family enjoyed the Yaki udon recipe! Sure you can substitute with that. Hope you like it! 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
I made these with sausage instead of ground beef and they were AMAZING. Thank you muchly. 🙂
Hi Phoenix! I’m so glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Thanks for a great recipe and instructions. I used to work at a Japanese restaurant as a waitress and learned how to make it from the chef; but no measurements. That was over 15 years ago. I haven’t made gyoza since I started having children because there’s so little time with little ones. I just needed a refresher course and of course I prefer to cook with measurements.
Hi Nami!
Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been in Japan for a while and will be heading back to the US soon. What I’ll miss is having gyoza as part of a bento but I’m wondering how many days cooked gyoza will stay good throughout the week? Can I make a batch for the whole workweek and have them be good on Friday?
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe for three times and they tasted really great! However, the pleated part of all the gyoza I made seem to be too tough for eating. I’ve tried putting more water but it doesn’t make it better. How do I solve this? :/
Hi Audrey! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I’m wondering if you can make the wrapper edge thinner so when you make pleats, they are thinner and won’t be so tough and doughy? Do you think this will solve the problem? From what you wrote, the dough itself seems fine? I am thinking your pleats are thick. If not, let me know. 🙂
What a great recipe. I made the wrappers too, as I can’t buy them where I live (or get good gyoza anywhere). These have such a quintessential flavor – very well seasoned. I am excited to have found your site. Thank you!
Hi Julie! I’m so happy to hear you tried making gyoza wrappers from scratch and made gyoza! Glad to hear you liked it too! Thank you for your very kind feedback. 🙂 I’m excited that you enjoy my blog too! Thanks for following! xo
I just made this recipe for the first time, and these came out great! The only things that I noticed were missing were the approximate times on frying and what type of oil to use for the initial fry (in the fry/steam/fry cycle). I used vegetable oil and everything came out tasty, but I am mildly curious to know what you consider to be generic oil.
As this was the first time I made these (including making the wrappers) it took me way more than 2 hours, and I would recommend anyone trying this for the first time either make the wrappers the day before or first thing in the morning so that they can take a break before doing the rest in the afternoon.
Hi Julie! I’m glad to hear yours came out well! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I use vegetable oil for Japanese cooking, and olive oil for others.
It can be a quite long process for the first time, but once you get used to it, it’ll be faster. Thanks for your feedback on the cooking time for the first timer. I really appreciate it!
I just made this for lunch today.
I followed the recipe above as well as the recipe for the wrappers.
My wife and daughter loved them.
In fact, my daughter already requested me to prepare the same lunch for next weekend.
(^v^)/
But I must confess, I had a really hard time rolling out the wrapper. I was not able to meet the 42-44 target. I fell short by 10. This means that I also have unused fillings that went to the freezer.
No problem, at least I have a head start for next weekend’s gyouza.
有難うございます、Nami先生
Hi Eric! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying both wrapper and gyoza recipe. Maybe yours had a little more flour than mine. You can add a tiny drip of water to make it easier to roll next time. Each house has different humidity, so that also affects the dough making. I’m so happy your daughter enjoyed this all homemade dish! It’s such a blessing! 🙂 ありがとう！
Hi Nami! Is the gyoza wrappers similar to the dumplings wrappers?
Hi Minh! Yes it’s similar, but Japanese wrappers are slightly thinner and different from Chinese types. 🙂
Hiya, jut bump across your foodblog site while searching for a good gyoza recipe. My question is, Can i also use Chinese Cabbage instead of white cabbage or napa cabbage? Many thanks
Hi Rowena! I apologize for my late response. Yes, you can use napa cabbage or regular cabbage. It should not matter to the taste much. 🙂
Hi Nami! That´s alright, no worries. 🙂
I already made these dumplings. I ´ve used white cabbage as i am craving for this already. I just missed eating Japanese foods especially these ones back home(Philippines) These are delish! My Welsh husband will definitely gonna like this when he´s back come Thursday. i posted the finished Gyoza on my instagram with #JustOneCookbook by the way. Thank you for this recipe, now i can make on my own as i can´t find Japanese Restaurant here in my place (Germany). <3 <3 <3
Hi Rowena! So sorry I was really late to response! It was Thanksgiving holiday and I was taking a break. 😀
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’ll check on #justonecookbook on Instagram later on. Thanks so much for trying this recipe!! Hope your husband will enjoy it too!
Hi, Nami!
Just made a batch of these and it turned out great! I even managed the pleating part and I usually suck at making food that looks decorative (most of the time I get the taste right, but the look is a different story…), so this recipe is a total keeper (as is your recipe for yaki udon, which I make once week, otherwise I consider it a week wasted in culinary terms).
I have a question: My gyoza started to puff up after the steaming, which I considered a good sign at first because I thought this meant the filling was cooked through and the skin started to separate from it. But then I was worried that the gyoza might explode (it puffed up a lot!). Is this normal? Or did I trap too much air in the pockets when I wrapped them? Or did I steam too long/too enthusiastically? Okay, that’s 3 questions, but inquiring minds want to know!
.
Hi Nicole! Sorry for my late response. Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I think, from what you wrote, you didn’t put filling enough. You could maybe add a bit more so the filling is packed inside the skin. Also maybe you over cooked while you are debating if it’s cooked so the skin started to break. It’s hard to tell without seeing how you cooked, but that’s my best guess. 🙂
Thank you for your reply and helpful advise!
It didn’t occur to me that the amount of filling wasn’t right. Being brought up in a different cooking tradition (I’m German), I was always told never to use too much filling in anything (and not to wrap too tightly), as our fillings very often contain eggs and breadcrumbs, thus expand during cooking.
I’ll try your recommendations with the next batch of gyoza I’m going to make and I hope I’ll do better job then!
Thanks again for your help!
Nicole
You can’t put too much or else the skin will break… So moderate amount. 🙂 Good luck!
These are super tasty! Directions easy to follow. Even made my own wrappers. Welcoming these to our weekly menu. Thank you!
Hi Jess! Wow you made the wrappers too! Awesome! So happy to hear you liked the recipe, and thanks for your kind feedback, Jess! 🙂
Hello Nami,
I came back from Japan last night 🙂 I actually discovered your blog while I was there on vacation. I lived in Japan for 6 years and have been in Belgium for 12 years now. We went to Japan to show our three children their birthplace. I have a question. I would like to make Gyosas for a birthday party but I don’t want to do any cooking on that day. Would it be Ok to freeze them already cooked and heat them in the oven from frozen.? Will they lose their crispiness? Arigato hozaimashita.
Hi Monica! I hope you had a wonderful trip to Japan and your children enjoyed their trip as well. I’m happy to hear you just found my blog, and welcome!! 🙂
I’ll definitely cook and freeze (in an airtight container) ahead of time. When you re-heat, make sure you start reheating while they are frozen. Either oven or pan fried (with lid). If pan fried, cook the same way, add a tiny bit of water to let them steam, so the gyoza wrapper will be nice and soft but crispy, instead of crisp like chips. For oven (which I haven’t done), I think you should cover it and reheat, at least until they are heat through. Then for extra crisp, remove the foil. If you don’t cover, I think your gyoza will be dehydrated and it’s going to be too hard to eat (especially if you serve on the table for a long hours). Hope this helps a bit. 🙂
Hi, for vegans do we simply leave the meat out? Thank you!
Hi Richard! Sure you can do that. Tofu tends to release water (unless you use very firm tofu). Hope you enjoy!
Thanks!
This recipe was absolutely delicious, fun to make, and easy to cook! Thanks for providing all the step-by-step details.
Hi Laura! Glad to hear you enjoyed making and eating gyoza! I’m happy to hear you liked the instructions with step by step pics. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
I made these a while ago: I cooked a bash and ate them there and then, I then froze the others (before cooking them
0. However, when I came to cook them I found that they became really soggy and burnt really quickly when cooking them straight from frozen… any tips??
Hi Louise! Do you think the heat was too strong? Frozen gyoza needs to be cooked without defrosting, so what you did was correct. Only thing I can think of (from your describing the situation) is that your heat was too strong or you didn’t add enough oil to fry it. Or maybe the amount of water you added was too much that it became steamed dumpling? Do you think it can be any of these reasons?
I don’t really know how to cook and haven’t really made anything like this before but i said you know I’m going to try this and I made it and had a few hiccups along the way but in the end they tasted delicious and it was so worth it. Thank you for posting this recipe. I love gyoza so much!
Hi Crystal! Yay!!! I’m so happy to hear you made this! With homemade gyoza, you can put your favorite ingredients (and better quality ingredients!). Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! xo 🙂
These are amazing! Made these for the family and my son gobbled these up!
Hi Adrianna! So happy to hear your son liked them a lot! 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback! xo 🙂
I made vegetarian gyoza .I put silky tofu instead of meat. It was very good.
Thank you for very detailed explore.
Valentina
So happy to hear you liked it! Thank you for trying the vegetarian version! It sounds delicious!!! 🙂
I made these yesterday – from wrapper to finish. They were absolutely beautiful and my stepson who loves all things Japanese was very impressed! Thank you so much!
Hi Rowena! Awesome! I’m so happy to hear yours came out well and your stepson loved it! Yay!!! 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hey!
Thanks a lot for the amazing recipe. I just made it using minced chicken instead of pork. I started by making the gyzoa wrappers using your recipe as well and it tunred out AMAZING! I never thought making these was so simple but your recipe was very simple and easy to follow.
I am from the middle east and Japanese and Chinese cuisins are becoming famous here, yet not so many of us attempt to make such dished at home! Your recipe helpped me overcome that 😉
Maram
Hi Maram! Thank you for trying this recipe! So happy you liked the gyoza wrapper and gyoza recipes. Thank you for trying them. Next time will be faster and easier. 😉 Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
hello Nami San
I do not have a microwave (never had one and will probably never have one )
what do i do with the cabbage which you put in the microwave for 1 min ? do i shallow fry or steam it perhaps?
I enjoy your site very much
Hi Paul! If you have steamer, you can use it to steam the cabbage, but to be honest, you can cut raw cabbage into smaller pieces (not bulky) and that should work okay too. Heating up/steaming up help the cabbage wilted a little so it’s easy to make the filling (and not so chunky, which might break the wrappers if the pieces are too big and hard). Hope this helps!
thank you for the reply Nami-san.
(only realised today you replied..)
i am going to make my first gyoza today !
thank you very much
Hi Paul! Enjoy making and eating gyoza! 🙂
I tried it, very delicious. Thank you for recipe Namie-san
Thank you for trying this recipe, Fenda! Your gyoza looks beautiful! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! xo
Hey – I don’t eat ginger, is it possible to not include ginger in this recipe? Will it taste bad?
Hi Jennifer! You can skip. 🙂
Hi Nami san,
I am definitely picking up gyoza skins on my next trip to a supermarket. However, I do not own a microwave. How would you suggest I cook the cabbage ? Thank you again. Cant wait to make my first gyoza, yeah!
Hi Nami,
Sorry, just saw your reply to Paul above. Raw or steamed cabbage it is then. Thank you anyway.
Hi Natcha! I am so sorry for my late response. I’ve been trying to catch up today but you beat me to it. xD Thank you for looking for my response in comments. I really appreciate it!
I love every single recipe! My family is so happy when I try one. I will try to make gluten-free wrappers with your recipe. Yumm.
Hi Aimee! Happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Let me know if my recipe works with gluten free flour. Thank you for trying my recipe!
Wow wow wow…just made these for dinner and they were amazing. Thank you so so much for this wonderful recipe. I was pushed for time and knew I didn’t have time to make wrappers and couldn’t buy gyoza wrappers so made do with spring roll wrappers. A little too soft but the flavour of the filling was amazing.
Hi Debra! I’m so happy to hear you liked this gyoza recipe! I’m glad spring roll wrappers didn’t break it. You’ll enjoy the homemade wrappers too. Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Thank you so so much for a beautiful recipe. I made 60 gyoza on Saturday night and they are all gone. Testimant to your lovely recipe. ????
Hi Debra! Wow 60 gyoza! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. So happy everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
While dating my wife (2nd marriage)we attempted to make pot stickers. Took 2 days we were sooo bad at it. Love your video & instructions & we have improved over time some 26 years ago. We will make this by Wednesday. Love what I call cabbage pancakes. Have then at twice a week. I have a daughter who has been to Japan at least three times & she was quite happy when I told her about your site.
Hi Tom! Thank you so much for introducing my blog to your daughter! I enjoyed reading your story!
Found your homemade Layu (Japanese Chili Oil) recipe. Where should I store it, and how long can I keep it? Thanks!
Hi Alison! You can store it in an airtight container and keep in dark cool place for a few months. 🙂
As always, these look SO good! BTW – I saw an article about your this other day. I think it was in Japan Times. It came up in Flipboard. Great article! Congratulations Nami! I’m thrilled you’re doing so well.
Hi MJ!! Thank you for your kind words. Wow, you saw my Japan Times article? That’s fantastic! Thanks so much for letting me know. Japan Times used to be my study material for learning English in high school and college in Japan, so I was honored to be featured in the newspaper. 🙂 It’s so hot in Japan, but enjoying food and time with my family. I hope all is well with you!!
Thank you Nami for your wonderful recipes and stories of your family life!
I live in Oklahoma now but was born in Santa Cruz, CA many, many years ago. I have been cooking Japanese cuisine for over 45 years. I lived for a time in San Jose back in the 60’s & 70’s near J Town as it was called back then (no disrespect intended) had many friends there and we cooked and ate many meals together. So nice to have found your page for homestyle cooking. When I make Gyoza I make multiple types and freeze so I can have in a moments need!
Our favorites though are Pork and then of course Shrimp ones!
Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for reading my blog! How’s cooking Japanese food in Oklahoma? From what I know, it seems a bit difficult to get ingredients there. Glad to know you’re cooking Gyoza and even making different kinds! 🙂
Love these things! And the more garlic the better. 🙂
Nami, you are so much better at folding than I am! I tried making my own wrappers once and they were great, but store-bought is just as tasty and cheap (and a lot less effort). I also add lots of ginger to mine! I’ll have to try shiitake next time. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you Celeste! I agree, homemade wrappers are great, but for convenience, I use store-bought more often than homemade wrappers. 🙂
Nami, Oklahoma has a few Asian markets around the state and I have one here in Stillwater, so I can find most everything I need plus new things to try!
Hi Debbie! Oh wow I’m glad to hear that! Thanks so much for answering my question! 🙂
I just made these, and they turned out great. If I want to make them a few hours ahead for a dinner party, can I put them in the refrigerator, or should I freeze them, and cook them directly?
Hi Carl! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I’d suggest to freeze for the best result. For a really short time, you can prevent gyoza wrappers from sticking to the plate etc by dusting the flour on the bottom of gyoza or by including potato starch in the mixture etc… but that will change the filling so I don’t recommend. If you don’t want to freeze, then squeeze the liquid completely to make the mixture or use ingredients that don’t release much liquid. Considering all the work, I still recommend freezing the gyoza and cook extra 2 minutes. 🙂
Nami, I have a question. I made this recipe using store-brought ground pork from the supermarket, and while the flavor was good, the filling was very dry. Do you think it is due to the pork not being freshly grounded?
Hi Erica! It’s a hard question to answer as I am not sure about the quality of ground pork you used. I use pre-packaged ground pork from Japanese grocery store or from a butcher. I don’t think the meat/mixture being “dry”… maybe the fattiness of your pork? Maybe it was very lean?
I love gyoza, these look so delicious!
Thank you Laura! Hope your summer is going well. xoxo
Hey Nami….I really love this recipe but can we make it using a vegan filling?
Hi Diya! Sure! Make sure the moisture is controlled by either draining well (salted. squeeze water out, and adding starch etc). If the moisture comes out, the wrappers will be broken easily. 🙂
Can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I made the wrappers from scratch and the whole thing waa delicious. Got loads in the freezer for when I need some aromatic comfort food!
Hi Sarah! So happy to hear you enjoy this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hello again Nami
I tried this gyoza and it was a hit. I don’t consume pork, so I changed with chicken. This recipe yielded quite many of those little goodies, so I gave some to my friends. And now they’re asking me to make again and put the price on them ????????
Thank you for the wonderful recipe Nami….today I will experiment with shrimp.
Hi Jane! Yay! So happy to hear you and your friends enjoyed the recipe! Yes, shrimp would taste wonderful too!
Awesome recipe, thanks!
Thank you very much, Guillaume!
Hello, nami
What is the fat-lean ratio of meat to make gyoza? Does this influence the taste or the juicyness of the gyozas?
Also, the gyozas can be eaten alone or accompanied by another dish?
I appreciate your response
Hi Ruth! My ground pork that I get from Japanese grocery store or local grocery store is 75% / 25%. It’s juicier and flavorful with some fat in it, BUT this can be up to your preference as long as you’re okay with outcome with your preference. It might be fun experiment to find that out. We serve gyoza as an appetizer dish, or main dish – both possible. So yes, we eat gyoza alone with some small side dishes (salad, or any kind of vegetable dishes, etc). Hope that helps!
Just tried this out and it was awesome but the skin was dry on some. What should I have done to correct this?
Hi Michelle! Thank you for trying this recipe! How dry it was? You pan fried and then steamed right? How long did you keep the gyoza in the pan after you remove the lid? It can get try if you didn’t steam, but I’m not sure which part the skin starts to get dry… 🙂
I followed your recipe but gyoza stuck on the bottom of the pan. In Chinese cookbook I read that they put 4 TBS of oil to fry them! What should I do? Our am using a coated cast iron pan.
HI Dimos! If you’re using a cast iron, not a non-stick frying pan, more oil is necessary in general, maybe not 4 Tbsp, but it won’t hurt to add more than what I use. 🙂
I just love this gyoza recipe. I made it a lot of times now. Nami, I have a question. How long can i store them in the freezer? I am going to be busy at work soon and this are one of my comfort foods. Would love to have them waiting for me when i get home. Thank you so much.
Hi Rez “Eli”! Thank you so much for your kind compliment. Typically it’s best to eat the gyoza in a month. After that, flavors will be lost and it won’t be as good as the first month. So my recommendation is still try to finish in a month. I’ve had my gyoza that I forgot in the freezer and ate after 2 months… 😀
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I was wondering how long can I store gyoza in the freezer?
Hi Cia! About a month. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Hello! I’m currently binging through your blog for recipe ideas and this is one that I’ve followed through with and actually made at home. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off but your instructions were very clear and the images certainly helped too. My husband loved it so I definitely will make this over and over again in the future! Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes!
Hi Namira! I am so happy to hear you tried this recipe and your gyoza came out well! Thank you for trying out this recipe and for your kind feedback on my clear instructions and step-by-step images too. It means a lot to me! 🙂
This is an incredible recipe, Nami! I’ve made these at least 3 times with your homemade wrappers. The only thing I did differently was use shrimp instead of pork. Thanks for posting this! Been scouting your blog for other goodies ever since!
Hi CJ! Sorry I somehow missed your comment earlier. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe along with my homemade gyoza wrappers. Thank you for your kind comment and feedback. xo
Anytime! Love your blog!
Better than best!!!
I can’t describe enough how amazing this is. Perfectly nailed it thanks to you for providing every tiny little details… Woo hoo!!!
Hi Chi! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Have you ever heard of Hantsuki Gyoza? It’s when you don’t use plain water for cooking lastly, but mix it with starch or flour. The water evaporates and leaves a very cross layer of dough, it looks really nice!
in my favorite anime they used parmesan cheese instead of flour! 🙂 this is a nice idea too!
they even varied a bit more and put the gyoza filling into deboned chicken wings. i really want to try that out and looked up for a guide to debone without harmind the shape. maybe you want to try that out too 🙂
Hi Kokujou! Yes, I’ve shared that recipe recently.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/gyoza-with-wings-hanetsuki-gyoza/
Gyoza has so many variations for filling, and it’s fun to try different flavors and ingredients. 🙂
I just made both wrappers and dumplings for the first time. I enjoyed every minute a bd thexresult was so much tastier even than wagamamas. I made a huge batch and froze them. I taught my gesuchter how to cook them for a snack if she wants. I can’t recommend them enough…..
Hi Rachel! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed making gyoza at home! Thank you for sharing your story with us and writing your kind feedback. 🙂
Made gyoza for 20 today. I am 75 and have wanted to make these myself since I was 24. They are fab. You explanation of making the wrappers was so right on. It was easy. I just Frenched my chicken wings for making the sticky ginger sesame wings. I will be an ardent follower. Thank you so much.
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for taking your time to write your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear yours came out well and I’m glad my instructions were clear. Thank you! Have fun cooking Japanese food at home!
How long will they keep in the freezer? And if I freeze them can I cook them from frozen or should I defrost them first?
Hi Sheareen! You can keep in the freezer up to 1 month and when you cook, put the FROZEN gyoza in the pan and cook a little longer. 🙂
hi nami, the link for your homemade gyoza wrappers recipe redirects to another page. hope you can fix it:)
Hi Matt! Thank you so much! We’re still fixing all the broken links that happened during the website update. The link is working now. Thank you so much for letting me know!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/gyoza-wrappers/
I made these last night and they were delicious! My pleating skills definitely need some work, but the taste and texture were excellent. One thing I will remember for next time is to keep an eye on the gyoza wrappers (or wonton wrappers, in my case). I left them out for a bit as I prepped, and I noticed that they dried out some, making it hard to pinch/fold when I was assembling. But that was my error, not any fault of the recipe. Thank you so much for the clear and wonderful recipe!
Hi Emi! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Pleating skills will improve naturally once you start making often. I’ve been making since I was in the middle school, so it’s been a long time. 😀 I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this dish! I’m going to mention in my recipe to cover the wrappers with a damp towel or plastic bag that comes with it. Thank you for pointing that out. 🙂
Last night I made these gyoza, your vegetable miso soup, and your Karaage! It was all so delicious! Thank you for the awesome recipes! I can’t wait to try even more.
Hi KeKec! Wow what a wonderful meal! Thanks so much for trying all these recipes! I wish I could join your delicious meal. 😀 Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hi Nami thank you so much for this recipe! I visited Japan last April and ate Gyoza in many ramen shops and I just fell inlove with it! (and with ramen! I love ramen so much!)
I just wanted to ask, can I replace pork or chicken meat with beef meat? Pork isn’t available almost at all in my country and I need my father to help me mince the chicken meat but he is in England right now. Will beef be okay too?
Thanks!
Hi Maayan! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed ramen and gyoza while you were in Japan. Yes, you can replace with other types of meat. Beef is okay as long as you like beef in gyoza. I think Chinese has beef dumpling, but in Japan you almost always can’t find it. 🙂
I’ve just tried this recipe (including the homemade wrappers) and it turned out delicious, thanks for sharing!
Hi Maria! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear your gyoza came out well. Thanks for your kind feedback. 🙂
Thankyou very interesting
Thank you Ken! 🙂
Hi there, thank you so much for the recipe! I am trying to make these for my friend but she is severely allergic to sesame seeds. Do you know if I could substitute any other oil instead?
Thank you!