Vegan Potstickers With Mushroom and Tofu

Vegan Potstickers With Mushroom and Tofu

The Spruce / Christine Ma

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 57 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 40 potstickers

Looking for an easy way to make Asian-style potstickers without using any meat? Here's a simple recipe to make vegetarian and vegan potstickers using tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and Napa cabbage. These vegetarian potstickers are little dumplings similar to a traditional Japanese gyoza and Korean mandu

These little potstickers are perfect for a vegetarian dinner or a small dinner party starter. Bring them to a vegan potluck and really impress your friends. You may also want to make a double batch as they will surely go quite quickly.

Traditional Chinese potstickers are cooked using a pan-frying/steaming method, but you can skip the pan-frying and just steam these if you would like to make them lower in fat. They are delicious either way, and directions for the steamed variation are also provided.

"Making potstickers is really fun, and kids enjoy doing it too. This vegan filling is satisfyingly savory thanks to shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and scallions. I steamed half the dumplings in a bamboo steamer and pan-fried the rest. They were both delicious, but we loved the pan-fried version more." —Danielle Centoni

Vegan Potstickers with Mushrooms and Tofu Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 (1-pound) block firm tofu, well-pressed and crumbled

  • 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps diced small

  • 1/2 cup napa cabbage, diced small

  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 3 medium scallions, minced

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • Dash red pepper flakes, optional

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

  • 40 gyoza wrappers

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Vegan Potstickers With Mushroom and Tofu ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. Heat a frying pan or wok and add the olive oil. Sauté the crumbled tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, ginger, and garlic for a few minutes.

    Saute the crumbled tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, ginger, and garlic in a wok

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. When the tofu and mushrooms are almost done cooking, add the scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and optional red pepper flakes, stirring well to combine. Allow to cook for one or two more minutes.

    tofu mixture cooking in a wok

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the optional fresh cilantro.

    tofu mixture cooking in a wok

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. Place about 1 tablespoon of the tofu and mushroom mixture into each wonton wrapper or gyoza wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water, then fold in half and press to seal. Make a couple of pinches or folds to create a fan-like shape. This will help to seal the filling inside the dumpling. It may take a couple of tries to get the technique just right, but once you do, it's really quite easy.

    seal potsticker mixture inside the wonton wrapper

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add however many dumplings will fit in a single layer. Fry the dumplings for two minutes, until browned on the bottom.

  7. Pour about 1/4 cup of water in the pan, cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and steam till the water has evaporated, about 3 to 5 minutes.

  8. Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium-high again and fry for a couple of minutes to crisp the bottoms of the potstickers.

  9. Serve your potstickers and enjoy.

    Vegan Potstickers With Mushroom and Tofu on a plate

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

Serving Tip

Provide a vegetarian or vegan dipping sauce such as one made with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil, or a peanut dipping sauce.

Steaming the Dumplings

Heat a couple of inches of water in a large pan, and place a vegetable steamer inside. Oil the surface of the steamer to keep the potstickers from sticking. Place the potstickers, a few at a time, on the steamer. Cover, and steam your vegetarian potstickers for 5 to 7 minutes. Potstickers are done steaming when they are soft and pliable.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Place leftover cooked pot stickers in an airtight container within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to three days.
  • To freeze uncooked or cooked pot stickers, place them on a baking sheet and freeze. When frozen solid, place them in zip-close freezer bags. Label with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat cold leftover pot stickers in a skillet in a small amount of oil until hot, about 3 to 5 minutes, to an internal temperature of 165 F.
  • Reheat frozen cooked pot stickers in a skillet in a small amount of oil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add about 1/2 inch of water to the pan; cover the pan and steam the pot stickers over medium-low heat until the water has evaporated, or until the pot stickers register 165 F, the minimum safe temperature for cooked leftovers.
  • To cook frozen uncooked pot stickers, follow the recipe method above, but let the pot stickers steam covered for an extra minute or two, adding a little more water if needed.

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
187 Calories
7g Fat
23g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 187
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 352mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 173mg 13%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 158mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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