These 17 Dumpling Recipes Will Take You Around the World

Steamed, boiled, fried, stuffed, and unstuffed, we've got them all.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published May 27, 2025
Overhead view of varenyky

Serious Eats / Larisa Niedle

There is a wonderfully communal quality about making dumplings from scratch at home. It's something I learned very early as a child, watching my grandmother and mother meticulously hand-chop ingredients for the filling and mix boiling water into flour with long wooden chopsticks to form the dumpling dough. We'd gather around the kitchen table, each person with their assigned task—rolling, shaping, filling, crimping—to make dozens and dozens of dumplings to feed the entire extended family. I practiced making Play-Doh dumplings until I became proficient enough to graduate to the real deal, and eventually good enough to rise to the status of main dumpling maker by the time I was a teenager. What the experience gave me was a deep appreciation of both dumplings and the process of making them, regardless of where I was in the world.

The following 17 dumpling recipes from around the world may vary in their flavors, interpretation, and techniques, but they all speak the universal language of dumpling—warm, inviting, and comforting. They're perfect for making with or for your friends and family, or even just for yourself.

  • Pork and Chives Dumpling

    A wooden steamer basket holding steamed, translucent pork and chive dumplings.

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    The secret to making extra juicy dumplings is all about having the right ratio of fat to meat, which in this case is fatty ground pork. What's great about this easy recipe is that you can use either store-bought or homemade wrappers, and customize the filling with any vegetable you like, such as Napa cabbage, chives, shiitakes, spinach, or ramps. So, go ahead and throw a dumpling party for a crowd... or make a batch and stash it in the freezer for a busy weeknight when you just want a quick, delicious meal.

  • Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

    Angled view of a tablescape with a bamboo steamer full of dumplings behind a biten into soup dumpling on a soup spoon in an individual bowl on a black and white marbled surface. Overall tone and lighting is warm

    Serious Eats / Antonis Achilleos

    It's been said (by my mom, for one) that you judge the quality of a Chinese dumpling restaurant by its xiao long bao: The wrapper should be thin with a tender yet bouncy texture that's sturdy enough to hold in all the meaty filling and rich, savory soup without bursting before you take the first bite. While making these soup dumplings is a labor of love, we've cross-tested this recipe to ensure they're worth every minute of prep.

  • Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Soup Dumplings)

    Pan-fried pork baos on a blue and white plate with dipping sauce on the side

    Serious Eats / Shao Z.

    While the showier xiao long bao typically grabs all the attention, sheng jian bao, its breadier, slightly less soupy, pan-fried cousin, deserves equal attention. I love the textural contrast between the fluffy steamed bun, juicy meat filling, and crispy bottom, and it's cooked in one pan. Now, how genius is that?

  • Suanla Chaoshou (Sichuan-Style Wontons in Hot and Sour Vinegar and Chili Oil Sauce)

    Chopsticks picking up a Sichuan wonton in chili oil

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Wontons are perhaps the easiest of all Chinese dumplings to make, especially with store-bought wrappers. The filling couldn't be simpler: ground fatty pork flavored with Chinese chives or scallions, a little garlic, white pepper, salt, sugar, and a splash of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry. Making the roasted chile– and Sichuan pepper-flavored oil from scratch allows you to control the flavor.

    Continue to 5 of 17 below

  • The Best Gyoza (Japanese Pork and Cabbage Dumplings)

    A row of Japanese gyoza dumplings on a plate with dipping sauce

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Although Japanese gyoza share a similar shape and cooking technique as Chinese potstickers—fried raw until crisp, then steamed under a cover until cooked through, then fried again to re-crisp the bottoms—they're usually made with store-bought wrappers, not homemade wrappers. This is much easier and produces a thinner, almost translucent skin. They also have a more vegetable– and garlic-forward filling that's irresistible.

  • Bánh Nậm (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Dumplings With Shrimp and Pork)

    Overhead view of finished banh man on a banana leaf one a blue titled background

    Serious Eats / Vy Tran

    Equally popular at street stalls and fine-dining restaurants, bánh nậm are tender steamed rice cakes studded with a seasoned mixture of ground pork and wood ear mushrooms and wrapped in banana leaves. To achieve its signature silky, smooth, and gently set texture, a batter made with rice flour and tapioca flour is first cooked on the stovetop to hydrate and gelatinize the starches, which gives the bánh nậm structure and a pleasant bite.

  • Canederli di Pane (Northern Italian Bread Dumplings)

    Overhead od canederli

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    A specialty of the Trentino-Alto Adige region in northern Italy, these hearty bread dumplings are very similar to matzo balls in that they are both poached in a flavorful broth. What sets canederli di pane apart, aside from the use of stale bread and milk, is that they are deeply seasoned with herbs, cheese, and pork (traditionally minced speck or sweet Italian sausage), making them richer. more savory, and more aromatic.

  • Ukrainian Varenyky

    Overhead view of varenyky

    Serious Eats / Larisa Niedle

    In this rendition of the beloved Ukrainian dumpling, strained cottage cheese mimics the texture of syr, a Ukrainian cheese traditionally used in the varenyky filling, while butter and sour cream coat the flour to help limit gluten production. Kneading the dough by hand and gradually incorporating the flour also ensures a tender dough. Serve the butter-tossed dumplings with dollops of sour cream and plenty of fresh dill.

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  • Potato and Cheese Pierogi

    Serving plate of pan-fried pierogi with ramekins of sour cream and cooked onion on the side.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Here, we take a classic Eastern European potato and cheese dumpling and fry it until the shell is golden and crispy. As with the Ukrainian varenyky, the addition of sour cream enriches the dough, making it supple and easier to roll out by hand. Once you can get the hang of cutting and forming the pierogi, you can try other fillings, like this Philly cheesesteak variation.

  • Topik (Armenian Chickpea and Potato Dumplings)

    Overhead view of topik on a scalloped plate

    Serious Eats / Vy Tran

    A balance of sweet and deeply savory, with a rich, velvety texture reminiscent of paté, these Armenian chickpea and potato dumplings are redolent with onions, currants, tahini, and warm spices. Ricing or gently mashing the potatoes and simmering the chickpeas with a little baking soda to help remove the fibrous skin will give the topik dough its requisite smooth consistency.

  • Sini Manti (Armenian Baked Lamb Manti)

    A bowl of Sini Manti topped with yogurt sauce

    Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

    These diminutive, canoe-shaped, and open-faced dumplings are filled with spiced ground lamb and baked until crisp. The corners of the crunchy-crisp dumplings are softened gently by a hot, aromatic tomato-infused lamb broth. Cool, tart yogurt, minced garlic, and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper and sumac powder add brightness to the dish.

  • Turkey and Dumplings

    Overhead view of Turkey and dumplings

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    Far be it for us to, eh-hem, stir the pot in the great chicken and dumplings debate—clear and soupy vs. creamy and opaque, thick, noodle-y dumplings vs. biscuit-like balls—but we think this recipe for turkey (leftover, of course) and dumplings hits all the right notes. We start with a flavorful roux-thickened broth that's just the right level of rich and creamy, then drop in spoonfuls of buttermilk biscuit dough that cook up light, tender, and fluffy. It's comforting and satisfying without making you want to take a nap afterward.

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  • Knoephla (North Dakota Cream-and-Dumpling Soup)

    Overhead view of knoephla soup

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    This simple North Dakotan classic falls somewhere between a rich chicken soup and a béchamel, dressed up with tender little dumplings. The addition of milk and baking powder yields a softer dumpling. To ensure all the dumplings cook evenly, roll and cut the dough ahead of time so they can be added to the soup all at once.

  • Masa Ball Soup (Corn Dumplings in Chicken Soup)

    A soup digging into a bowl of massa ball soup

    Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

    In another riff on matzo ball soup, we once again swap out schmaltz for pork fat. This time around, masa harina is the dumpling binder of choice, made lighter with the addition of baking powder and seltzer. Jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and lime drive home the Mexican flavors.

  • Festival (Jamaican Fried Cornmeal Dumplings)

    Overhead view of festivals with jerk chicken

    Serious Eats / Karina Matalon

    These fried cornmeal dumplings have a crunchy exterior, contrasted with a moist, slightly sweet dough, making them a great snack and an ideal accompaniment to various spicy, savory dishes. To prevent them from getting too greasy, fry them in small batches to maintain the oil's temperature.

  • Rasgulla (Indian Milk Dumplings in Sweet Syrup)

    Overhead view of Rasgulla

    Serious Eats / Kanika and Jatin Sharma

    A popular treat in sweet shops throughout India, rasgulla requires only two main ingredients—milk and sugar—and is remarkably easy to make at home. The key to light, fluffy dumplings that hold together and absorb the cooking syrup like sponges is to use only whole milk and knead the chenna (milk solids) mixture for at least 10 minutes until completely smooth.

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  • Onde-Onde (Malaysian Sweet Palm-Sugar Dumplings)

    Overhead view of a hand picking up an onde-onde from a platter full with one cut open to see the inside

    Serious Eats / Michelle Yip

    These one-bite pandan-infused dumplings, stuffed with palm sugar and coated in dessicated coconut, are a favorite Malaysian teatime treat that's also often served on special occasions, such as weddings and funerals. In this recipe, a combination of cooked starchy Japanese or Hannah sweet potato and glutinous rice flour gives the dumplings their characteristic tender, chewy texture. To ensure the palm sugar completely melts into a syrup as the dumplings cook, shave the sugar into fine grains.

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