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Better than Takeout Chinese Mushroom Dumplings with Sweet Chili Ginger Sesame Sauce. Easy homemade vegetarian dumplings (potstickers) with caramelized mushrooms, ginger, and sesame-crusted wrappers. Each dumpling is pan-fried until crispy on the bottom, then served alongside a sweet and spicy chili ginger sesame sauce. These are a fun and healthy dinner to make any night of the week…and so much better than ordering takeout.
It might be a new year, but I’m still rolling out the “better than takeout” style recipes…and I am still SO EXCITED about them. In general these recipes are quick and easy to throw together and always come out delicious. And so much healthier than ordering takeout! Plus, where we live in Colorado the takeout situation is pretty much nonexistent unless you want pizza or wings. The Asian cuisine certainly isn’t anything special. So instead of ordering in or going out, I have so much fun creating the recipes like this at home!
Over the years I’ve shared a handful of takeout style recipes. If I had to pick a few favorites, it would be these 20 minute peanut noodles, my spicy dan dan noodles, and my kung pao cauliflower…all so good. But you guys? These dumplings? I think we may have a new favorite.
Again, these are another recipe I made over Christmas break for my family. I don’t think there was a single person out of our twenty-plus crew that did not enjoy these. The combination of the homemade dumplings and the sauce? Just delicious.
Here’s the story.
When the family is in town it’s the ideal time to try out as many new recipes as humanly possible. Basically, I use them as my “testers”. They appreciate all the food…and very much look forward to it. And I greatly appreciate the new inspiration and feedback.
I made these Chinese mushroom dumplings with my brother and sister-in-law in mind. Brendan and Lyn’s are my “adventurous” eaters. They provide me with more inspiration than any other family members. I feel very grateful for those two because they have endless ideas for me. Since they both love Asian cuisine and enjoy mushrooms, I knew I wanted to make mushroom dumplings while they were in town. Well actually, Lyndsie requested them and I happily provided them. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a dumpling? I’ve made chicken potstickers/dumplings before, but I loved the idea of a vegetarian mushroom dumpling (also called potstickers…what do you all call them?).
The family’s verdict? Those who love mushrooms felt they were better than the chicken. It just depends on what you prefer. I’m personally all about the mushrooms, they’re my favorite.
To make takeout style Chinese mushroom dumplings…
Start with the dumpling wrappers. Since we don’t have any Asian markets near us, I like to use Wonton wrappers. These work amazingly well and I tend to keep them in my fridge or freezer to have on hand for quick homemade egg rolls or dumplings. Of course, if you have an Asian market near you, I would recommend picking up fresh dumpling wrappers to use for a truly authentic dumpling.
Once you have your wrapper situation all sorted, make the filling. It’s very simple, but very good. Just some sesame oil, shallots, ginger, and mushrooms. I added a splash of soy sauce for saltiness, and a pinch of pepper for a little kick. The mushrooms themselves have so much flavor, so I didn’t want them to be overshadowed by any other ingredients.
On to assembling. I know this might seem scary, but it’s actually so easy. I chose to make a more classic round dumpling, but you could also fold the dough into half-moons (which I believe would then make these potstickers?). Either way, it’s an easy process. Just spoon the filling into the center of your dumpling wrapper, then lift the edges of the dough up and over the filling, pinching at the top to seal. Please do not stress about making these look perfect. What’s most important is that you have a good seal so that no mushrooms fall out. If you’ve done that, you are good to go.
Finally, brush the bottom of each dumping with water and coat in sesame seeds. This is not traditional, but trust me, it is so very good.
To cook, all you need is a skillet with a lid and some sesame oil. Pan-fry the dumplings until the sesame seeds are toasted, then add a splash of water, cover the skillet and allow the dumplings to steam. That’s it. Simple.
Now that sweet chili ginger sauce.
It. Is. Addicting.
A little sweet, a little spicy, hinted with toasted sesame, ginger, and a touch of garlic too…beyond good. So easy to mix up and perfect pairs with these crispy, salty mushroom dumplings.
A couple helpful notes…
When pan-frying/steaming, it’s important to note that the pan will splatter when you add the water. So please be careful and stand back when doing so.
Making dumplings does take a little effort, you can make them in bulk over the weekend…or whenever you have time. Then just freeze what’s left over for the quickest, easiest lunch or dinner…any day of the week. Once the dumplings are frozen, simply pan-fry as directed, then steam for an additional 4-5 minutes.
So my suggestion? Take some time this week or this weekend to make homemade dumplings. It’s wintertime, so as I said yesterday, that just means more time for spending in the kitchen cooking and baking. These are especially fun to make with others, so grab a few friends, your husband, kids, whoever, and make a fun night out of this. Maybe add a steaming bowl of soup to fully complete the meal.
The perfect January night at home…as said from the girl who really just loves being home.
If you make these Chinese mushroom dumplings with sweet chili ginger sesame sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chinese Mushroom Dumplings with Sweet Chili Ginger Sesame Sauce.
Servings: 32 dumplings
Calories Per Serving: 337 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 cups shiitake or cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups roughly chopped spinach or bok choy
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- black pepper
- 30-34 round dumpling or wonton wrappers
- 1/3 cup raw sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, chopped, for serving
Sweet Chili Ginger Sesame Sauce
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or honey
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes using more or less to your taste
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Instructions
- 1. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook until fragrant and lightly caramelized, 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have cooked down, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and large pinch of pepper. Stir in the greens. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms are caramelized. Remove from the heat and let cool. 2. To assemble, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto each wrapper. Brush water around the edges of the wrapper. Fold the edges of the wrapper up around the filling and pinch in the center to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.3. Place the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Brush the bottoms of the dumplings with water and then dredge them in the sesame seeds.4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the dumplings and cook until the bottoms are light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour 1/4 cup of water into the skillet, it will splatter, so stand back. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn heat to medium-low and let the dumplings steam for 5-6 minutes. Serve warm with sauce (see below) and green onions. 5. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve alongside the dumplings.
Notes
To Freeze: follow the recipe through step 3. Flash-freeze the dumplings on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Once the dumplings are frozen, simply pan-fry as directed, then steam for an additional 4-5 minutes.
These were SO good!! I love the addition of frying the sesame covered bottoms. I wasn’t able to find any dumpling wrappers in the grocery stores, so I had to make them from scratch and it made the recipe even more fun. Will be making these a second time this week!
Hi Tailor! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! And I love that you made the wrappers from scratch! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Making these tonight! Can I use square wonton wrappers, or do I need to cut them to circles?
Hi Robin! Yes you can use square! They will just look different! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Made these tonight and they blew us away! So easy. Making the dough worked out great. We used Sriracha in the sauce and it was dynamite… so delicious! My husband devoured his helping and was dying for more! That’ll teach me to make a half batch of any of your recipes lol. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Brittany! That is so great to hear haha! xTieghan
This was great. We didn’t have wonton wrappers so we made our own dumpling wrappers. Quite easy actually!!!! We servedit with peanut noodles and had a great meal. Try it….was a lot of fun with help from the family!!!!!!
Aw that is so fun! I am really glad you all enjoyed this Laurie! Thank you! xTieghan
Like many other of your recipes that I’ve tried, this was an absolute hit! A few dumplings (well, more like a good half of them) kept falling apart but that hasn’t stopped the fam and food friends from requesting this on a regular basis! The sauce is so delicious and I found it to be a perfect pairing with the dumplings, but I would really like to use it in other dishes too. If I double the sauce ingredients to jar it, what’s the best way to store it?
HI! I would store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. That works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I love this filling and the sauce!! I made my own wrappers and I didn’t use the sesame crust but they turned out great! Super flavorful and yummy. And I love that you can adjust the recipe size right on the website because I always cook for one. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Olivia!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi – love this and plan to make with some vegetarian friends this weekend! What if I just steam the wontons in a bamboo steamer and then sear in a pan with oil? Thus avoiding the potential for harm by adding water to the hot fry pan?
Hey Annie! Love this idea and think it should work great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Not too difficult to execute and actually pretty fun to put together. Next time I’ll have to take a picture.
Thank you so much Haley! I am so glad this turned out so well! xTieghan
Maybe I messed up on something… but these took way longer than I expected to make, and they also came out really, really oily. I had to sub a few things. I used regular sesame oil instead of toasted sesame oil. I used eggless “egg roll” wrappers and cut them into smaller pieces and made mini dumplings (because my boyfriend couldn’t find regular wonton wrappers.) He also doesn’t like mushrooms so I made some with different veggies. But they were not as amazing as I expected. They came out very greasy and the dipping sauce was drowning in oil as well. I did not feel good dipping oily dumplings in oily sauce. I would cut way back on the oil next time (my boyfriend keeps saying I am “heavy handed” with the oil but I’m just following recipes). Sadly not my favorite HBH recipe. I’ll stick with the other potsticker recipe, that chicken one was a hit.
HI Lilja, It sounds as though you made a good amount of adjustments to the recipe so it is really hard for me to know why the dumplings are coming out oily. It doesn’t make too much sense to me, especially since no other readers have had an issue with this. Maybe the mix of veggie you use didn’t soak up the oil? Or maybe the wrappers affected something? Regardless I am sorry this recipe was not for you. Glad you enjoy the chicken potstickers! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!! xTieghan
The best! A little labor intensive, but the end result is so worth it.
Thank you Miranda! xTieghan
I’m quitting any meats that weren’t locally raised for the environment. This recipe was perfect for Chinese New Year dinner. It impressed my husband who is not quite ready to quit meat ? The mushrooms add a toothsome meaty texture and the flavor was spot-on. I did make my own dumpling wraps from a James Beard recipe too (no plastic!). I thought that dipping the bottoms in sesame seeds was quite a brilliant twist to the tradition and they just might make the bottoms stronger and more resistant to tearing. So creative, as are all of your recipes the more I peruse, and there are lots of veggie options as well! I was hoping to have extras to freeze but that didn’t happen; next time I’ll make a double batch…
Hi Shannon! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you and your husband! Thank you so much for trying these! xTieghan
Hi. I’ve been making and loving your recipes for a few months! My son is allergic to sesame. Do you have any subs for the sesame seeds or oil?
Hi Cynthia! You can just omit the sesame seeds and use olive oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Great recipe! I made them with vegan wonton wrappers and added 5-spices to the filling. Absolutely delicious!
Sounds so amazing! I am so glad these turned out so well for you Shawn! Thank you! xTieghan
Dumplings look intimidating but HBH makes it so easy! Super delicious.
Awh thank you May! xTieghan
This is my second half baked harvest recipe and you have me coming back for more. We made these last night but substituted the mushrooms for ground pork. There was legitimately none left between only 3 people! Wish we had doubled the recipe and froze some for another time.
Hi Shauna! I am so glad you have loved both recipes you have tried!! I hope you continue to enjoy them! Thank you so much! xTieghan