This Japanese Gyoza recipe is my mothers’, and it’s a traditional, authentic recipe. Juicy on the inside, a golden brown and crispy base, these are made in a skillet and are one of my all time favourite Japanese dishes! Watch the recipe video and you’ll be a Gyoza-Wrapping-Master in no time.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Though my brother, sister and I all know how to make Japanese food, it’s an unspoken rule that when it comes to Japanese food, that’s mum’s domain. So if any of us have a particular craving for a Japanese meal, we submit requests.
Sister: “Mum, can you make oden for us this weekend? Puh-lease??”
Brother: “Mum, we’re heading out to the harbour for New Years’ Eve fireworks. Can you make us some bento boxes?”
Me: “Mum, we haven’t had karaage in ages. I need some!”
And typically, she obliges. Though normally, her response to my request is firstly “Aren’t you on a diet?”, to which I always respond (defensively) with “I’m not going to have much!!“.
Gyoza is requested every couple of months or so – it’s a huge favorite in our family. Even though I’m perfectly capable of making it myself, as are my brother and sister, I don’t think any of us make it without mum present! It’s like some kind of unspoken tradition that mum makes the filling then one of us – sometimes all of us – gather to help wrap them.
Though you can find gyoza in many eating places in Japan, the most traditional place they are found is in ramen joints. A big bowl of steaming ramen and a side of gyoza. It’s so Japanese. Even though I can barely manage to get through an entire bowl of ramen myself, I always get gyoza.
And you know what? Without fail, every single time we order gyoza, whether here in Sydney or even in Japan, one of us always says “It’s not as good as mum’s”. 😉
The main thing you will find, especially outside of Japan, is that there is more cabbage used so the filling is less “meaty”, and there is very little garlic flavour. Don’t skimp on the meat!!! And definitely don’t skimp on the garlic flavour!!!
I am seriously in love with Gyoza. The crispy golden base and the steamed top. I also love the way it’s cooked – just in a skillet – no steamer required!
It’s honestly one of my all-time favorite foods. And I do get a little kick out of our tradition to gather and wrap the Gyoza together. 🙂
On another note……I think I may have bullied my mother into starting a Japanese food blog! WOO HOO!! I’ve been very sneaky, I totally guilt tripped her into it by saying it would be her legacy to us kids. And it’s actually very true that I have alarmingly few of her recipes in my collection.
I think it WORKED!!! I’m sooooo excited! All my favourite real proper Japanese recipes, all in one place! So watch this space…… – Nagi x
PS Traditionally, gyoza is served as part of a multi-course meal or as a side. But in my family, we make an enormous batch, enough to have just gyoza as a meal. That’s the way we roll!
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Japanese GYOZA (Dumplings)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, separated
- 1 lb / 500g ground pork (mince) (fattier the better)
- 1 cup garlic chives, finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / corn flour
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Gyoza
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) – for tray
- 40 – 45 round wonton (gyoza) wrappers (Gow Gee wrappers) – 1 1/2 packets (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or other cooking oil)
Dipping Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Chili oil (Rayu is Japanese chili oil)
Instructions
- Combine cabbage and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl, then set aside for 20 minutes to allow the cabbage to wilt slightly.
- Place remaining Filling ingredients (including remaining 1/2 tsp salt) in a large bowl. Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage and add to the bowl.
- Use your hands to mix the Filling.
- Sprinkle a baking tray with 1 tsp of cornstarch / cornflour.
- Place 1 gyoza wrapper on your palm (left hand for right-handed people). Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of half the gyoza wrapper (to seal).
- Place 1 slightly heaped tbsp of Filling on the wrapper. Fold wrapper over and use your right hand assisted by your left hand thumb to create 4 pleats. Press to seal and place on the tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers. (See video for demo)
To Cook
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium high heat.
- Place about 12 gyoza in rows, slightly overlapping each other. Cook until the underside is light golden, then pour 1/3 cup of water around the gyoza and place the lid on.
- Cook until the water has completely evaporated (so the golden underside is not wet and soggy) and the wrapper is slightly translucent on top – about 3 to 4 minutes. (See video)
- Use an egg flip to transfer onto a plate upside down i.e. golden side up.
- Serve with Dipping Sauce.
Dipping Sauce
- Serve each ingredient separately so people can mix according to their taste. I use about equal portions of soy sauce and vinegar with a generous splash of chili oil.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Drying off after a morning at the beach….
Oh wow, these were excellent. They turned out really professional, with a crispy bottom and juicy filling. The recipe was quite straight forward and easy to follow, and the video really helped with the forming of the dumplings. I only mucked the first one up, the rest were pretty good. I love the fact that I can get all the ingredients at the supermarket. Unfortunately had to use normal chives, as there were no garlic chives. Have frozen the remaining dumplings as per your mum’s instructions; keen to see how they cook from frozen. Thanks to you and your mum for this recipe, it made me feel like a super star chef for the day.
PS, your food blog is fantastic, I love it.
So glad you enjoyed it Goanna, thanks so much for letting me know! And thank you for the compliment 🙂 N x
Yum, yum, yum. We just love this recipe in my family, we could eat it every day but since my kids can eat 15-20 we don’t do them so often, though they are getting pretty fast at making them.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, an absolute winner.
Stine
I’m so happy to hear that!!! Sounds like my fam – mum always used to make us help!!! 🙂 N x
I’ve been wanting to make Japanese food for years, but have never made the time. I am currently enrolled in a cultural geography class where I get credit for cooking an international dish, so I made this recipe! The directions were so easy to follow, and they turned out amazing! They were absolutely better than any I’ve had in any Japanese restaurant I’ve been to. I will certainly be making these again very soon! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Catherine, thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi!
I’ve tried making these twice before now, and whilst they tasted incredible on both attempts, I’m struggling to get a crisp base. It’s a nice golden-brown colour on the bottom before I steam them, but afterwards it all becomes kinda soggy, whilst yours still seem to be crisp. What would you suggest I do to keep it crispy?
Other than that, and amazing recipe!
Hi Adam! Yes, the base it is a bit crisp. The trick is cooking it until the water evaporates, then leaving it so the base recrisps. 🙂 Just take the lid off to stop it steaming once the water has evaporated and leave them in the pan until the base is crisp again. Glad you love the flavour, my mother will be pleased to read this message! N x
Another fabulous recipe. We had these for dinner tonight and have put half in the freezer for next time. I used chicken mince as I don’t love pork mince and it was great. This was my first time making any type of dumpling and after a few wonky ones they started to look quite good, I was quite pleased with my folding skills! We loved the flavour added by the garlic chives too. Highly recommended.
Ohhhhh….you made these!! THANK YOU for trying this recipe Donna, it is a personal favourite, being a family recipe! Bring on the wonky ones – they still taste just as good! N x
Having always wanting to give dumplings a go (but always thought they would be far too tricky to make), I watched your mum’s video and I was inspired to throw my fear to the wind and give it a go.
Well………..my husband and in laws are now dumpling lovers!
I made my own mince from homekill scotch beef, and grabbed some pork from the supermarket, that was the only change I made to the recipe. They were devine! It made so many, that I froze the remaining on the tray and then bagged them up.
My husband opened the fridge today and saw another packet of dumpling wrappers, and his eyes lit up and he commented “oooooh, are you going to make those dumpling things again! Yuummm”
Thanks for sharing this simple but amazingly delicious recipe with us all – it’s in the recipes to be kept forever!
Megs
Woo hoo! My mother will be THRILLED to read this – thank you so much for your lovely message!
Hi Nagi,
I made these last night for the first time and they were so AWESOME! I did not think 4 people would eat 48 of these but we did and my boys were wanting more! I know they can’t wait for me to make them again. So easy and good! Thanks for sharing
I burst out into laughter when I read this because it’s exactly the same in our family, we inhale these!!! Thank you for trying this, my mother will be thrilled when she reads this message. 🙂
A Triumph!!!! Thank you for an amazing recipe. Had never made dumplings before and have already made them twice in 2 weeks. Added a splash of shaoxing wine to the mixture. The video was super helpful.
WOO HOO!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these Ana, THANK YOU for letting me know!!! N xx
Gyoza are our “Family Dish” (which is something for a German Family no? ^^). My Mom was dating a Japanese Guy in the 70s and he taught her the recipe, and it’s EXACTLY the one you are sharing here, exept for the wrappers. She always makes them from scratch (i guess there weren’t wonton wrappers to be found in Germany at the time :)). She got hooked to Asian Food ever since and i grew up with it. I remember my Mom always sharing her recipes with people…asian food just wasnt known in the 80s in Germany..even soy sauce was considered exotic and foreign and my mom searched so many stores for it! I love my Mom for being such a food pioneer and blame her for my love for everything Asian!
Now i’m a grown up and i teach my son how to make Gyoza , using store bought wrappers though 😉
I can’t believe i just discovered your blog…it’s amazing! I see some heavy cooking days ahead of me..all the stuff i need to try!
That is SO COOL Sara!!! I love hearing that!!! I’m so glad you found me too 🙂 All the way from Australia to Germany – isn’t the internet awesome?? N x
Hey Nagi, I made a double batch straight away after going through your reader’s comments that they are so “moreish”. Unfortunately I could not find the gowgee/gyoza wrapping at the shops, so I substituted with the thinner egg wonton wrapper. I also could not find garlic chives and had to substitute for shallots. My family had totally empty plates last night as they were all polished off within 10 minutes. The steam in them did slow them down a bit…. LOL … I will have to make a proper batch with the correct ingredients on your recipe the next time… will do a shop haul at the Asian mart this week. No more shop bought frozen gyoza for us, we are now sticking with your family homemade recipe. I wish to THANK YOU and your MUM for sharing this totally delicious recipe. This recipe helps me get some cabbage into my children’s bellies which they would otherwise have refused to have… this goes straight to my meal plan. LOVE this so much! I am SO looking forward to your Mum’s food blog. waiting…. waiting….
Wow wow wow! I am so touched that you made these midweek Ada! Thank you so much for letting me know! Super impressed with the subs you made, they are perfect 🙂 I will try to remember to bring a pack of wrappers for you this weekend, they are actually sold at my local Woolies! N x
Hi Nagi, you are so kind to offer to get me some proper wrappers for your recipe. I found the proper gyoza wrapper today at an Asian mart near my work place and bought 4 packets – freezing some so I won’t be without….they were only $2 each for a pack of 32. I could not resist making another batch of your gyoza using the proper gyoza wrapper for dinner tonight. It made all the difference, the thicker wrapper really crisped up so much better than the wonton thin egg wrapper I had used. It also held the juice of the meat filling so much better … AAW soo soo good when you get the crispy base and juicy filling inside…. I can have your gyoza everynight and I won’t get sick of it. I find wrapping gyoza is actually very therapeutic and my kids love to help also. axx
YAY!!! I am SO glad you enjoy this recipe so much Ada! I’m smiling like a fool at the thought of you and the kids wrapping gyoza together because that’s what we do in our family – even today, just as we did when we were kids. I love tradition! N x
So so good. Thank you Nagi and thanks to your mum for another amazing recipe. And again, so simple. My kids polished the first batch and I have to go and make another one for my hubby and myself. Kids said that they were perfect. Little rascals, I’m sure they said it so they can have ice cream after the dinner but I have to say they were pretty amazing. And the best thing is that I know what’s in them, no preservatives, additives, just fresh stuff. Thanks again.
Oh I bet they WERE perfect! 🙂 Bet you NAILED the wrapping!!!! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this Sveta. Thank you very much for coming back to let me know!
Nagi, I recently discovered your website and I love it! The recipes are so well written and you always preempt my questions with your “Notes” sections! Thanks you! Just with this one -‘do you ever freeze your gyoza to pan fry another day? Do you have to defrost before you pay fry them?
Thanks so much for your lovely message Kirsten! I asked my mum to respond to this – I wasn’t 100% sure about cooking from frozen! 🙂
Hi Kirsten,
You can freeze Gyoza. But when you do, please do not overlap each other or stack on top without a separation sheet. Each piece should be able to take out an individual frozen piece.
No need to defrost before cooking. Follow the cooking instruction per the recipe but you will need a bit more water and cooking time will be slightly longer.
OMG! These are the best gyoza ever! I ended up making a second batch soon after the first so we could have some on hand in the freezer. Knowing they were in the freezer they didn’t last long! ☺️ Thanks to you and your mum for sharing the recipe! I’ve really been enjoying your one pot meals as well. Keep up the great work! Happy eating!!
Oh my goodness Nagi …….. these were sooooo good. My husband who proclaims not to be fond of ‘those dumpling thingys’, ? couldn’t stop bragging about these glorious parcels of goodness. A real credit to your Mum & yourself. Loving Recipe Tin! ?
YAY YAY YAY!!!! I am especially glad your non-dumpling-thingys-hubby enjoyed it!!!! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know! I am sure mum will see this message soon, she pops by occasionally especially to check comments and answer questions people have!!
I forgot to tell you that a batch of your special sauce is mixed up and in our fridge in a container with “Charlie” written on it. My husband is already planning meals we can use it on. ? Thank you.
Oooh!! I can’t WAIT to hear what you think!!!!
I can’t find your homemade teriyaki sauce ?
Here you go Tasha! https://salesdock.info/teriyaki-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
We made your chow mein for dinner last night and couldn’t stop eating it. Also made your crispy baked chicken wings and dipping sauce. WOW, both turned out even better than your pictures. My husband said the dipping sauce for the wings made him think of pots tickers so I immediately went to your website and found these. We are having them for lunch today. Thanks to your mom’s video we had no problem making them. My mother was a wonderful cook too and every time I make one of her recipes it brings back a happy memory of her. We look forward to making wonderful memories with you and your mom too!
? You made them?? That makes me SO HAPPY! My mum keeps coming back to read comments on this recipe, I know she will be thrilled when she reads this! And I love hearing that you still make your mother’s recipes. I bet she was an AMAZING cook. 🙂 Isn’t it incredible how food can evoke such beautiful memories?? Who ever thought we’d be talking like this 20 years ago!!
I am attempting to make youe gyoza today for the first time, just so i know that the pork will be cooked properly, how long does it take to cook them with the water and lid on in the skillet?
Hi Gaik! Hmm, I think it’s about 3 minutes? Not that long! Basically until the 1/3 cup of water has evaporated and the underside is nice and crispy. What happens is that the underside is cooked until golden first – this partially cooks the meat. Then pour the water in, cover and steam. During this stage the underside gets soggy because of the water but then the water evaporates and the underside gets crispy again!)
Can’t wait to try these! My daughter loves to have the frozen ones as a snack. Can these be frozen and then cooked?
They sure can Jill!
Nagi, just a quick note to let you know we had these for dinner on the weekend and LOVED them! They were delicious and just as good as the ones we go out to eat! It was also really fun to make them at home and the video really helped since this was my first time making gyoza. Thanks to you and your mum for your recipe! x
Awwwww JESSICA! I’m so touched that you made these, thank you thank you! My mother is going to be so chuffed when she sees this message! 🙂
NAGI!!! I’ve been waiting & waiting & waiting & waiting & waiting & dying & WAITING for this recipe!!!! I know you have the vegan one, yeah, we’re meatatarians. I’m SO EXCITED!!! I’m making this tonight!! THANK YOU!! I’ll be back here in 5 hrs (with drool) to let you know how it goes! SQUEEE!!!
Oooooh…..I am almost nervous to hear what you think!!!
These are awesome! They are almost exactly like the recipe I’ve been using, but BETTER. Ten stars! Where is the 10 star rating? We eat these as a meal also, with a side of rice.
I did find it a little challenging to get the first batch off the pan, but that’s my timing, not the recipe. I got faster! Thanks again Nagi.
You made it!!! I’m so glad, thank you Josie! I can’t tell you how much it means to me, this is my mother’s recipe, very personal 🙂 She’ll be thrilled when she reads your message!! <3