Learn how to make homemade dumpling wrappers (AKA dumpling skins, or jiǎozi pí – 饺子皮) with this foolproof dumpling wrapper recipe. It’s easy to scale up or down, depending on how much filling you have—just use the sliding scale feature in our recipe card.
You more than likely have the two necessary ingredients on hand already: all purpose flour (you can also use bread flour) and water. It couldn’t be easier!
If you’re making dumplings for Chinese New Year coming up, try making them with these homemade dumpling wrappers. Get family and friends involved. Making and enjoying these together is part of the celebration!
Why Make Your Own Dumpling Wrappers
We are longtime users and proponents of the store-bought dumpling wrapper. We’ve used both homemade and store-bought across various recipes over the years, but sometimes we really prefer this homemade dumpling wrapper recipe!
Here are a few reasons why you might want to make your own dumpling skins:
- Texture: This is the biggest “foodie” case for making your own wrappers. Homemade dumpling wrappers have a chewier, more satisfying texture than store-bought wrappers, which can occasionally be a bit dry. We like making our own dumpling dough particularly for shuijiao (boiled dumplings), where the juiciness of the filling and the texture of the wrapper are key. It’s also ideal for steamed dumplings.
Eh, who are we kidding? They’re great fried too!
- Freshness: If you’re planning on enjoying your dumplings fresh (very soon after making them), homemade dumpling dough will complement your fresh filling best!
- You can’t find dumpling wrappers near you: If you can’t find dumpling wrappers in your area, you can make your own with this recipe (try our Chicken Zucchini dumpling filling, which uses easy-to-find ingredients!). It’s one of those rare “substitutions” in which you’re not really missing out on anything. You’re actually closer to the real thing! In China, many households make their own dumpling wrappers or buy them fresh from market vendors that sell handmade wrappers and noodles.
- You accidentally didn’t buy enough dumpling wrappers: This has happened to me more times than I care to admit. I didn’t buy quite enough dumpling wrappers for the amount of filling I made, so I was left with a significant ball of filling with nowhere to go! In those cases, I can make a quick ball of dough with flour and water to assemble the rest of my dumplings!
It’s also pretty easy! You just mix the flour and water (either in a bowl by hand, or in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment). Then you let the dough rest for about an hour, so it can become smooth and pliable. After that, you just cut it into pieces, roll them out, and start assembling!
Adjust the Amounts Based on Your Needs
In the recipe card at the end of this post, 1 “serving” is 1 dozen wrappers. Click on the number of servings, and slide the scale up or down depending on how many dozen wrappers you want to make.
The full recipe here makes 8-9 dozen dumplings, which is about the size of the batches we normally make. Dumplings freeze extremely well, so we tend to make a very large batch for future meals!
Fast Facts
You can use either all-purpose flour or bread (high-gluten) flour to make dumpling wrappers. Don’t go out of your way to find bread flour, though. We have had equally good results with AP flour, and it’s what we use most often!
This recipe makes 8-9 dozen wrappers, but you can easily scale it up or down according to your needs! Click on the number of servings in the recipe card (1 “serving” = 1 dozen wrappers), and use the slider to increase or decrease the size of the recipe.
Generally, it is best to assemble a dumpling immediately after you roll out each wrapper. This makes folding much easier, because the dough hasn’t had a chance to dry out. It will be pliable and easy to work with, as well as self-sealing (you don’t need water to stick the dough together).
You can prepare the dough several hours in advance, and just leave it covered in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. If you refrigerate the dough ball in an airtight container or reusable bag overnight, you can assemble the wrappers the following day, but they won’t be as fresh. Rolling out the wrappers ahead of time is also possible (see refrigerating/freezing instructions below), but this can be more of a hassle, because you will have to take steps to prevent them from sticking to each other. It’s much better to assemble the dumplings all at once, and then freeze the dumplings, not the wrappers. Then you can boil, steam, or pan-fry them whenever you like (they don’t have to thaw before cooking).
If you have your wrappers rolled out, you can coat them thoroughly on both sides with cornstarch, and then stack them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in an airtight container to refrigerate (for 24-48 hours) or freeze. To make doubly sure they don’t stick together, you can put a layer of wax or parchment paper between each wrapper. You will need water to seal the dumplings. We generally find making them ahead to be more work, so we almost never do this! If you’re short on time, it’s best to grab a helper, so that one of you can roll wrappers, and one of you can assemble the dumplings at the same time! You will always get the best results if you assemble the dumplings as you make the wrappers.
You can freeze the wrappers according to the instructions above, or make them into scallion pancakes using our shortcut scallion pancake recipe!
The dumplings (jiǎozi – 饺子) we’re talking about in this post are made with wheat-based (flour) wrappers. That said, there are starch-based dumpling wrappers in China made with ingredients like cornstarch, tapioca starch, and wheat starch (the starch component of the flour, with the gluten removed). The result is a semi-translucent wrapper that you may have seen at dim sum. We have a steamed crystal dumpling recipe that involves this kind of wrapper! Just make sure to look for codex wheat starch, which is certified gluten-free. If you want a totally wheat-free wrapper, check out Kaitlin’s Gluten-free Dumpling recipe!
Wonton wrappers and dumpling wrappers are quite different! Wonton wrappers are square, while dumpling wrappers are round. Wonton wrappers are also much thinner. Check out our homemade wonton wrapper recipe.
Don’t worry! You don’t need to master all those fancy pleats right away. Check out our post on 4 ways to fold a dumpling. Start with the easiest method, then work your way up to the more intricate ones.
A small Chinese rolling pin is the best tool for rolling out dumpling wrappers. It’s small (only about 11 inches/28cm long and at most, 1 inch/2.5cm thick), making it easy to maneuver with the small pieces of dough. That said, a regular rolling pin will get the job done.
Yep. You can always grab some store-bought wrappers if you’re short on time, but try making homemade dumpling wrappers once, and you’ll see what we mean about their superior texture and freshness!
Our Dumpling Fillings:
Try pairing our dumpling wrapper recipe with these dumpling fillings!
- Pork Dumplings with Leafy Greens (bok choy, shepherd’s purse, etc.) – Our Original Recipe
- Vegetable Dumplings
- Pork & Celery Dumplings
- Pork & Chive Dumplings
- Shandong Pork & Fish Dumplings
- Chicken & Mushroom Dumplings
- Chicken Zucchini Dumplings
- Beef Dumplings
And serve them with our chili oil and our perfect dumpling sauce!
Dumpling WRapper Recipe Instructions
Add the flour to a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Weight measurements will always be more accurate than cups/spoons, so if you have a kitchen scale, use it!) Gradually add the tepid water to the flour and mix into a smooth dough (either by hand or with the dough hook attachment on low speed). This process should take about 5 minutes, as the dough will look shaggy and dry at first, and need some time to absorb all the liquid.
If using a stand mixer, you may need to stop the mixer and bring the dough together with your hands. Knead by hand into a ball. At this point, the dough will feel quite stiff, and might not be completely smooth. This is normal. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, and cover with an overturned plate (or transfer to another airtight container). Let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
After the dough has rested, knead it a few times until smooth. It should feel much more pliable! Divide the dough into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time, leaving the remaining dough pieces covered so they don’t dry out.
Cut the dough into small pieces (about the size of half a marshmallow); more precisely, the piece of dough for each wrapper should weigh about 12-15g. Using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 3.5 inch (9cm) circle, turning the dough a quarter turn left or right with each roll to keep it even.
Generally, it is best to assemble the dumplings as you roll out the wrappers. Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center…
And squeeze the dumpling closed…
Or pleat according to our instructions on how to fold dumplings.
Just make sure that the wrapper isn’t too thin in any spots, or it might break during cooking.
Repeat to assemble all the dumplings!
Homemade Dumpling Wrappers
Instructions
- Add the flour to a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Weight measurements will always be more accurate than cups/spoons, so if you have a kitchen scale, use it!) Gradually add the tepid water to the flour and mix into a smooth dough (either by hand or with the dough hook attachment on low speed). This process should take about 5 minutes, as the dough will look shaggy and dry at first, and need some time to absorb all the liquid.
- If using a stand mixer, you may need to stop the mixer and bring the dough together with your hands. Knead by hand into a ball. At this point, the dough will feel quite stiff, and might not be completely smooth. This is normal. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, and cover with an overturned plate (or transfer to another airtight container). Let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- After the dough has rested, knead it a few times until smooth. It should feel much more pliable! Divide the dough into quarters, and work with one quarter at a time, leaving the remaining dough pieces covered so they don’t dry out.
- Cut the dough into small pieces (about the size of half a marshmallow); more precisely, the piece of dough for each wrapper should weigh about 12-15g. Using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 3.5 inch (9cm) circle, turning the dough a quarter turn left or right with each roll to keep it even.
- Generally, it is best to assemble the dumplings as you roll out the wrappers. Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center, and squeeze the dumpling closed or pleat according to our instructions on how to fold dumplings. Just make sure that the wrapper isn’t too thin in any spots, or it might break during cooking.
