Gyoza are Japan's version of Chinese jiaozi — but with subtle differences that matter. The wrapper is thinner. The filling is finer. The flavor is more delicate, leaning heavily on cabbage, ginger, and sesame. They're almost always pan-fried with a crispy bottom and steamed top — the classic potsticker style. This is the authentic Japanese gyoza recipe.
What makes gyoza different from Chinese dumplings?
If you've made Chinese pork dumplings (jiaozi), gyoza will feel familiar but with three key differences:
- Thinner wrappers. Gyoza wrappers are about half as thick as Chinese ones.
- Finer filling. Ingredients are chopped much more finely — the filling should feel smooth, almost paste-like.
- Cooking method. Almost always pan-fried then steamed. Never just boiled.
The wrapper
You can use store-bought gyoza wrappers (look for them at any Asian grocery — usually round, about 90mm). Or make them at home:
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150ml) hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Mix flour and salt. Pour in hot water while stirring. Knead 5 minutes. Rest 30 minutes. Roll very thin — about 1mm. Cut into 90mm circles or use a wooden STAMPLING™ stamp for clean round wrappers.
The classic pork and cabbage filling
- ½ lb (225g) ground pork (fatty)
- 2 cups Napa cabbage, very finely chopped, salted, drained
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake (or dry white wine)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
The key: chop everything much finer than you would for Chinese dumplings. The cabbage should be almost minced. The garlic and ginger should be grated paste. This creates the signature smooth, delicate gyoza texture.
Mix everything together in one direction until uniform and slightly tacky.
Folding gyoza
The traditional gyoza fold has 5–7 pleats on one side only:
- Place a wrapper on your palm.
- Add 1 teaspoon of filling in the center.
- Wet the edges of the wrapper with water.
- Fold in half but DON'T seal yet.
- Starting from one end, make small pleats only on the front side, pressing each pleat against the flat back of the wrapper.
- Continue along the edge, 5–7 pleats total.
Don't worry if the pleats are imperfect. They'll still cook beautifully.
Cooking gyoza (the crispy bottom)
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- Arrange gyoza flat-side down in a tight pattern (about 12 per pan).
- Cook 2–3 minutes until the bottoms are deeply golden brown.
- Add ⅓ cup of water, immediately cover with a lid.
- Steam 5–6 minutes until the water has fully evaporated.
- Remove the lid. Cook 1 more minute to re-crisp.
The dipping sauce
Authentic Japanese gyoza sauce: equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar, with a teaspoon of chili oil. See our complete dumpling sauce guide for variations.
Make-ahead
Uncooked gyoza freeze beautifully — see our freezing guide. Cook from frozen, add 2 extra minutes of steaming.
More dumpling recipes
Check out our 15 dumpling filling ideas or our guide to three traditions for context on how gyoza fits into the global filled-dough family.