20 Delicious Recipes to Celebrate National Dumpling Day

Homemade Dumplings

These six-ingredient dumplings are the perfect base for chicken and dumplings or chicken soup. “Absolutely outstanding! With the weather turning a bit cooler, I decided to give this recipe a try. I was not disappointed. These are absolutely delicious. I used butter rather than margarine and I used two tablespoons rather than one,” says one reviewer.

German Spaetzle Dumplings

Traditional German dumplings make a great side dish for almost any meal — reviewers have served it with pot roast, beef stroganoff, and jagerschnitzel. Reviewers say the nutmeg is what takes this spaetzle to the next level, so don’t skip it! And if you don’t have a spaetzle maker, no worries—you can make these dumplings using a flat cheese grater.

Yaki Mandu – Korean Dumplings

These delicious fried morsels have a beef, cabbage, and garlic filling and are served with a light dipping sauce. Allrecipes member Ivy Yapelli, who shared this recipe, says: “they’re great for parties. There’s a lot of prep in making these, but as quick as you can fry them they’ll be gone!”

Pork Dumplings

These pork dumplings are the perfect appetizer served with hoisin sauce or hot Chinese-style mustard for dipping. The dumplings can be made ahead of time and frozen for easy reheating. While this recipe is for steamed dumplings, some reviewers like to pan fry them for a crispy outside.

Grandma’s Polish Perogies

These traditional Polish pierogis are filled with a mashed potato, shredded cheese, and cheese sauce mixture to create the ultimate comfort food. Serve the pierogis plain or smothered with butter, sour cream, bacon, or onions. Recipe creator STEPH577 recommends using Russet potatoes to make the filling.

Wonton Soup

A simple soup made with chicken broth and pork and shrimp-stuffed wonton dumplings. The wontons are made with store-bought wonton wrappers and filled with pork, shrimp, sugar, Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, green onion, and ginger. You can also use this recipe to make simple fried wontons that can be served alone.

Siopao – Filipino Steamed Bun

This recipe makes the dough for the popular Filipino Siopao buns. Perfect for stuffing with your favorite filling (recipe below) and stuffing—these buns are chewy, light, and great to keep on hand for any dumpling cravings. 

Rolled Dumplings

Add these dumplings to any vegetable soup, noodle soup, or broth for a comforting meal. Some reviewers like to use butter and shortening or butter-flavored shortening to make these dumplings more flavorful.

Char Siu Bao – Chinese Steamed BBQ Pork Buns

If you’ve never tried Char Siu Bao, get ready to fall in love. Chewy but airy dough is stuffed with irresistible barbecued pork and steamed to absolute perfection. Chef John’s recipe calls for American barbecue sauce, but Lee Kum Kee sells a jarred Char Siu Sauce if you’re looking for an authentic flavor profile. 

Semmelknoedel – Bavarian Bread Dumplings

“My Bavarian Oma made these large bread dumplings to accompany roast pork, or any meat with gravy,” said Allrecipes member Peachy, who shared this recipe. “Serve one dumpling alongside your dish, and cover it with gravy.”

“My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon in Bavaria,” shared another reviewer. “These are THE dumplings that we ate. Don’t be fooled–I thought that the recipe looked a little weird, but it is perfect. Follow the instructions exactly, and you’ve got Oktoberfest in the making!”

Manti – Traditional Turkish Dumplings

Dumplings—also known as manti—are filled with beef, onion, salt, and pepper and boiled until fully cooked. The manti are then plated and smothered with a yogurt sauce and a hot pepper oil to create a traditional Turkish dumpling dish. This recipe uses ground beef, but you can use your favorite ground meat for the filling instead.

Cantonese-Style Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

These little fried dumplings were actually created when recipe developer Vivian Lee wanted a dumpling that encompassed all her favorite ingredients: pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, and watercress.  “INCREDIBLE,” said one Allrecipes reviewer. “I can’t say enough good things about them. They were a little bit of work but SO worth it. I made 50 to feed 6 people and they were gone before I knew it. Instant favorite—even with my non-seafood eating brothers! Thanks!”

Varenyky – Ukrainian Perogies

This Ukrainian spin on a pierogi calls for either a classic potato and cheese filling, or a sauerkraut, cabbage, and butter filling (sounds delicious). “Absolutely amazing recipe,” shared one Allrecipes member. “I made these for a food class in school a few years ago and they were a huge hit. Fairly simple to make and they tasted awesome. I made the recipe to the full serving size so I had a bunch to throw in the freezer. They still tasted great cooked from frozen.”

Chef John’s Cornish Pasty

Here’s another culinary dilemma for you: Is a pasty a dumpling? It’s another debate we could mull over for hours, but according to this article’s criteria, it sure is. This particular recipe calls for a beef, potato, onion and turnip filling. “I am blown away,” said one Allrecipes reviewer. “This was absolutely delicious!”

Empanadas Abiertas de Humita

These Argentinian creamy-corn empanadas are a fun twist on the classic beef version. Allrecipes member Maria Zoroza, who shared the recipe, offered options for a classic closed half-moon empanada shape, or an open tart version. “Almost too good,” shared an Allrecipes review. “I couldn’t stop eating them.”

Indian Samosas

Samosas are a really ancient dish with roots that reach back to the “dawn of civilization itself,” according to a BBC story. Today, this delicious fried dumpling is most associated with Indian cuisine and the cuisine of the Indian diaspora. This version is baked, which makes it a little simpler for a weekday meal—but with all the same comfort and heartiness. “Excellent,” shared one Allrecipes member. “I followed [the recipe] to the T. More complex than I have had from restaurants.”

Rustic Chicken and Dumplin’s

This pure-comfort recipe comes from Dolly Parton and her sister, Rachel Parton George. “This is a perfect recipe for your [kids] to help you with,”  shared one Allrecipes reviewer. “It was a Sunday dinner, little labor intensive, but everyone in my family helped in some way, and loved it. I will make it again, it is so worth it! Comfort food, delicious flavors, just like my Mee-Maw used to make!”

Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings

Dumplings can be sweet, too! This Meemaw-approved recipe is described as “warm, flaky, apple-y sweet, and drizzled with a sauce baked right with them,” by Micki Wood, the Allrecipes member who shared this recipe. Make sure to pick up Granny Smith apples for this recipe—the tartness balances all the sweet sugar, butter, and warming spices. 

Pork Gyoza

Who doesn’t love gyoza? These pan-fried dumplings are stuffed with a juicy pork and vegetable mixture—brightened with sake, mirin, and fresh ginger root. “My husband and I love this recipe,” shared an Allrecipes member. “And if you are not a fan of pork, ground beef also works amazingly well!

Apple Sausage Gravy Dumplings

This Chef John original is the perfect way to celebrate autumn. He says they have a “perfect balance of savory and fruity, and the dumplings have a gorgeous, delicate texture.” Sounds great to us—and reviewers agree.

“Definitely a keeper,” shared one Allrecipes member. “Common, simple ingredients, easy to follow instructions. I changed nothing and it was perfect. I recommend double the ingredient amount right away because it’s too good and you’ll be sorry if you eat it all at once.”