Xiaolongbao (小笼包) — "little basket buns" — are the famous Shanghai soup dumplings. The magic: each dumpling contains a mouthful of hot, savory broth that bursts when you bite it. It looks impossible. It's not. The trick is one ingredient most people don't know about: gelatin.
The secret: gelatin-set broth
Soup dumplings don't have liquid soup poured inside them. That would be impossible — the wrappers would dissolve. Instead, you make a rich, gelatin-heavy broth, chill it until it sets into a firm jelly, then dice the jelly and use it as part of the filling. When the dumpling is steamed, the gelatin melts back into hot broth inside.
Step 1: Make the gelatin broth (do this a day ahead)
- 1 lb pork skin (or 2 chicken feet for gelatin)
- ½ lb pork bones (or chicken bones)
- 6 cups water
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
Blanch the pork skin in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain. Combine everything in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer 2 hours, skimming foam. Strain. Pour into a shallow dish. Refrigerate overnight — it should set into a wobbly, firm jelly.
Step 2: The filling
- 1 lb ground pork (with 25–30% fat)
- The set broth jelly from above, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Combine the pork, broth jelly cubes, and seasonings. Mix gently in one direction. The jelly should stay in small chunks — don't break it down.
Step 3: The wrappers
Xiaolongbao wrappers are thinner than standard dumpling wrappers — about 0.5mm.
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Mix flour and salt. Pour in hot water while stirring. Knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest 30 minutes. Roll very thin and cut into 75mm rounds (a STAMPLING™ 60mm stamp works for slightly smaller XLB).
Step 4: Folding the pleats (the hard part)
Real xiaolongbao have 18 pleats on top — considered the master mark. Beginner version: aim for 8–10 pleats.
- Place wrapper flat on palm.
- Add 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Pinch up one edge of the wrapper to make a pleat.
- Working your way around in a circle, fold each new pleat against the previous.
- Twist the top together to seal.
Step 5: Steam
Line a bamboo steamer with parchment circles (one per dumpling) or cabbage leaves. Place xiaolongbao with space between them (they expand). Steam over rapidly boiling water for 8–10 minutes. The wrappers should be translucent.
How to eat them
This part is important — see our complete guide to eating soup dumplings. The short version: dip in vinegar-ginger sauce, bite a small hole in the top, sip the broth, then eat the rest.
The dipping sauce
Classic XLB sauce is simple:
- 3 tablespoons Chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger, julienned into matchsticks
That's it. The vinegar cuts the rich pork broth, the ginger refreshes. See our complete dumpling sauce guide for variations.
Freezing
Uncooked xiaolongbao freeze beautifully. Steam from frozen, add 4 extra minutes. See our freezing guide.
More dumpling recipes
If xiaolongbao feels intimidating, start simpler with our 5-ingredient dumpling recipe, then work up to classic pork dumplings, then try XLB.