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….
Hi, can I make it with different meat? As I don’t eat pork.
Thank you
Chicken is fab!
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for this recipe, I made them today and the whole family loved them! It really tasted like the gyozas you get at Japanese restaurants. I think my son ate 10 of them on his own and he’s only 5… It was really easy and tasty. I have been trying out a few of your recipes and I love that they are easy to make using everyday ingredients. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Great to hear Jean! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
I noticed that you didn’t answer the lady asking if there was a vegetarian option if you don’t eat meat. I would like to know also as I’m Vegan.
Do you know if there are anything that could be substituted?
Hi Deborah =-)
I made vegetarian all the time…cabbage, thinly diced along with diced carrots, mushrooms, onion or scallion, fresh minced ginger, sprinkles of garlic, sea salt. Japanese sauces, Chinese sauces, mirin, Sweet chili sauce, a dash of soy…so many ideas and tastes for everyone..
Hi Deborah! We don’t have a go-to vegetarian recipe at this time but will be sure to update if we do!
Hi Nagi – would it be possible to reheat the cooked dumplings in a microwave without them becoming too soggy? I want to take them somewhere where I’ll only have access to a microwave.
Michelle
Hi Michelle! What I do is put them crispy side up and reheat without covering in the microwave 🙂 Microwaving gyoza is common practice in Japan because it’s so everywhere as a quick take home meal for relating 🙂 N xx
I made these tonight and they were just like our favourite restaurants!! The only problem was that i should have made double. So delicious and these will be a new regular favourite in our house. Thank you!!
I LOVE hearing that Chantelle! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have been making dumplings Gyoza for over 25 years so I amanxious to try your pork filling with the cabbage. Again thank you so much.
Hope you love it Ninfa! 🙂 N x
Just wondering what I could use instead of pork to make a vegetarian version?
I made this today…brought back so many good memories of making gyoza with my mom. Of course, nothing tastes as good as mom’s cooking, but this recipe is spot-on…yummy. i didn’t pay enough attention to her recipe when she was with me, so thank you for posting this recipe…it really tastes like hers.
I absolutely love hearing that Tina! So glad you enjoyed it! N xx
Could i still make woth wonton skins? My local woolies didnt have the gyoza wrappers 🙂
I’m not sure sorry Joy! I haven’t tried! So they didn’t have the round ones??
Woohoo!!! I am so tickled to try this recipe! My MIL doesn’t really enjoy cooking too much anymore, so we love to try to make good Japanese recipes for her when we visit. I will perfect this and cook it up for the whole clan! Thank you!
WHERE did you get your terry cloth robe for your golden. I too have a golden and this would be great at times. thanks
Does anyone know if the wrappers are wheat or rice? If these are rice flour I could actually make these. They look SO good.
Usually made with wheat flour, but if you’re intolerant, I’m sure you could make them with rice flour.
Great recipe, in Japan I almost always never bothered making these because the cost wasn t a whole lot different to some gyoza restaurants I found, or packets you could buy at the supaa, and I was lazy gaijin anyway so I regret not paying more attention.
I hear you – if I lived in Japan, I would probably never make these!
Hi Nagi, I made this over the weekend for tea and it tasted AMAZING! Me and my husband had it for tea and dinner and it took the leftover to office for breakfast. The flavours are spot on ! Sadly my crimping didn’t turn out as neat as yours. Have posted the pic on my IG account. Can’t wait to try more recipes of yours.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback Thulasi, I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
If I’m using a larger pan with more gyozas in them, should I increase the amount of water that I splash in at the end? (assuming not frozen)
I made these last night and it was simply delightful! I used chives instead of garlic chives and I think it worked out well. It also took me about 10 dumplings before I managed to get the hang of the folding – not as easy as it looks! I need to practice more!!
Thanks!
Jo
ButFUN to practice, right?? 🙂 Yep, just add a splash more water if you use a larger pan. N xx
Great, thank you! I will definitely be practising…
HI Nagi,
Well, I tried your recipe tonight and they turned out great. The crimping of the wrap was a little tricky to get right but with practice it worked. I was concerned that the pork was not cooking enough after steaming; seems a bit too pink to me so I turned them over on the steamed side and let them cook a couple of minutes on a lower heat. Any suggestions about getting the pork cooked enough?
Thank you and just like you we made a meal out of them. Forget the small amount you get in an appetizer.
I’m so SO happy to hear you enjoyed this Ralph!!! Once the water is added and the lid is on, it should take 3 minutes for the water to evaporate completely by which time the inside will be cooked. I will put the time in the recipe, I realised it was omitted, I just said until the water is evaporated. 🙂 N x
Thanks for the helpful hint on making sure the pork gets cooked. I made a full recipe and we are having the balance for dinner tomorrow. I had to laugh at your recommendation to get the fattiest pork available. I love pork so much, I tell people I must have been a pig in a former life!
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes! Everything I have made so far has turned out great (and delicious), except for the gyoza 🙁 The flavour was great, but they stuck to the pan and fell apart when i tried to take them out. How can I prevent this? Help me please.
xx Haizea (from The Netherlands)
Hi Haiza, I’m sorry to hear that! So the trick with things sticking to any pan is that if you just leave it, it should release once cooked and this is the case with this, especially given the way the water is used in this. Do you have a non stick pan? That may be safer to use. And also a metal thin spatula helps to get right under then and scrape them off even if they are a bit stuck. 🙂
Hi Nagi, I tried again (in a new nonstick pan) and they turned out great! Thank you. Xx Haizea
Fantastic!!
Hi Nagi, I do have a non stick pan (it’s old though…) I will try again and leave them until they’re cooked!. Thank you for your help. I’ll keep you posted. xx
Goodness!!! I made these for my 3 kids and a guest and we ate more than a whole batch. I too used the square wrappers and my folding needs a lot of practice but that’s the least of my worries!! We lived in Okinawa for 4 years (my two youngest were born there) and we love gyozas. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe we can all enjoy. I think this may be a weekly addition to our home. 😋 We love Japanese cuisine. I’ll be trying more from your “kitchen” soon!!!
That’s so terrific to hear Zuly!!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x ❤️
Did this for dinner and they were so good!
That’s so great to hear Lorena! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know! N x
Hi Nagi, found your blog amazing. I’m going to try these gyoza during the week. I was wondering, would adding prawns change flavour of these gyozas?
Thanks.
Hi Thao! Prawns would be a fabulous addition, switch out some of the pork 🙂 Chop it up finely so it’s kind of a mince texture. Thank you for the compliment about my blog! N x
I added prawns, it tasted good!! Might add abit more salt or soy next time, hubby found it was a little bland. I freezed them on the plate, now they’re stuck!! 😂