Missing dumplings, pot stickers and what-not? Count on these super tender and tasty gluten free and keto dumplings to satisfy the cravings!
Ginger & Pork Keto Dumplings
Legit Flavor Bombs!
These guys use my ‘crazy keto dough‘, and while it does def deviate from the original (it’s fried, rather than steamed you see), they still manage to retain ‘the essence of a dumpling’: a deliciously flavorful filling and a tender exterior ideal to dunk in sauce (and cure your cravings for takeout).
Think of them as a cross between pork dumplings and their dim sum relatives ham sui gok (glutinous rice dumplings).
Plus, while they do take a couple hours to put together, they’re also terrific for meal prepping. Whip up a large batch and freeze away. Just be sure to thaw them out in your fridge overnight for best texture (and a quick weeknight meal!).
The (Dairy Free & Keto!) Dough
Again, I’m using our famous Crazy Keto Dough (for everything!) here. It’s easy-peasy to whip up, dairy free, and you can leave the dough in the fridge for 3-4 days (i.e. you can whip up individual batches of several things!).
You can make actual keto tortillas, hot pockets, garlic breadsticks, (puffed up!) tortilla chips… and even some cinnamon roll knots! i.e. you’ve got options.
The Flours
I like a mixture of super fine almond flour (Anthony’s super fine is awesome) and coconut flour (again Anthony’s, best taste and texture by a mile!). Add a touch of xanthan gum, baking powder, and we’re golden.
No substituting flours here and the xanthan gum is absolutely necessary. And, if possible, weigh your ingredients for consistent results.
The Filling
The filling for these low carb dumplings is a very simple, yet ridiculously tasty ground pork and Nappa cabbage infused with ginger and sesame oil. Having said that, other ground meats will work too (but we loooove pork here best!).
And given that my keto dough cannot be steamed or boiled, to keep the dumplings nice and tender I found it necessary to steam the filling prior to filling. This keeps it super juicy and very akin to tradition. But note that you can also fry it normally if you prefer.
The Method
The real trick here is to get the keto dough nice and thin. This way you’ll end up with tender dumplings, as opposed to doughy ones.
1. Roll out the dough between parchment paper
This is easiest done using a tortilla press (cast iron ones are the best). But a rolling pin (with some patience) will work too. The dough should end up translucent when held up against natural light. We found 1-inch (11g in weight) balls, rolled out to 4 3/4 inches (12 cm) in diameter worked best.
2. Add filling
Heap roughly a tablespoon of filling onto the dough. Be VERY careful to not get any filling or juices on the edges or dough won’t stick.
3. Trim
Fold in half and quickly close both sides towards the center, the pleats will naturally form. You can trim the tops with kitchen shears if finicky about presentation. Place on a baking tray and freeze right away to avoid the dough getting soggy. Keep adding them to the baking tray in the freezer as you make them. It took us roughly 4 tries to get them shaped nicely, so don’t despair.
Fried Gluten Free & Keto Dumplings
Ingredients
For the dumpling filling:
- 500 g ground pork or fatty meat of choice*
- 500 g Napa cabbage
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon finely minced scallions
- 2 cloves garlic grated or ran through a press
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- pinch white pepper optional
For the keto dumpling dough
- 2 batches Crazy Keto Dough
For the dipping sauce (serves 2)
- 4 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- touch white pepper
Instructions
For the dumpling filling:
- Place ginger in a small bowl and cover with water. Set aside to soak while you blanch the cabbage.
- Blanch Nappa cabbage leaves in hot water over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and set aside until cool enough to handle. Wring out the leaves to squeeze out the liquid very well. Transfer to a cutting board and finely mince. Set aside to cool completely.
- Place ground pork (or meat of choice) in a heatproof bowl that fits comfortably in your steamer. Add minced cabbage and mix well. Strain ginger juices into pork mixture, pressing down with a spoon to get all the goodies out. Add in scallions, garlic, coconut aminos, sesame oil, rice vinegar and white pepper. Mix well until thoroughly combined, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
For the keto dumpling dough
- Whip up a batch of our Crazy Keto Dough. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes while you prep the rest (and up to 5 days in the fridge).
To assemble the keto dumplings
- Set up your steamer, heating up the water over high heat until boiling. Place heatproof bowl with pork in the steamer (you want to catch all the juices), cover, lower heat to low and simmer for 12-14 minutes until fully cooked. Don't open the steamer until the 12 minute mark. You can alternatively fry the filling in a pan, but we found best results are achieved by steaming. Remove bowl with pork from steamer and set aside to cool completely, mixing every so often to make sure the juices are soaked back up almost entirely.
- Roll out 1-inch dough balls (11g in weight) between parchment paper using a rolling pin or a tortilla press (much easier and faster) until 4 3/4-inches (12 cm) in diameter.
- Heap roughly a tablespoon of filling onto the dough discarding the juices left (see pictures in post). Be VERY careful to not get any filling or juices on the edges or dough won't stick. Fold in half and quickly close both sides towards the center, the pleats will naturally form. Trim tops with kitchen shears if finicky about presentation. Place on a baking tray and freeze right away to avoid the dough getting soggy. Keep adding them to the baking tray in the freezer as you make them. It took us roughly 4 tries to get them shaped nicely, so don't despair. The dumplings can be frozen for up to two months at this point, allowing them to thaw for 15 minutes before cooking.
To serve
- Heat up frying oil of choice (we used coconut) in a skillet or pan over low heat. You'll want it roughly 1-inch deep and not too hot so the dumplings cook slowly.
- Add dumplings to pan and baste the tops right away and constantly to seal them shut. We prefer to cook them until the bottoms just begin to brown to keep them super tender, but you can fry yours longer to taste.
- Serve right away with scallions and dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
The filling is delicious. I chose to use powdered ginger seasoning, pre-shredded cabbage and freeze dried chives instead of scallions to cut down on labor. But I will say, this recipe needs double the dough (at least) to get anywhere close to using the filling. It’s definitely not an easy process to make the dumplings themselves… They came out rather bready, even with me rolling out the dough super thin, which I wasn’t a fan of, but the dipping sauce was amazing. Might try a different dough next time, nothing about it was “tender.” Far too much like a thin wrapping of bread for my taste. And again, one batch of Crazy Keto Dough is not enough for 1lb of meat and 1lb of cabbage.
I also used normal soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. Still soo good.
Prepared these and have some questions. You approximate 38 dumplings. At 11g for each jacket that would mean you would need 418g of dough. One batch of the dough only yielded 207g. (If you add the grams from the dough recipe there is not enough mass to make that much). Did you mean to make a double batch? I only got about 19 dumplings. Lots of filling left over. I used liquid amino instead and the filling tastes great. I also squeezed the nappa leaves, and then the minced mixture after. Lots more water came out.
My cast iron press did not cut it, easier to use a heavy rolling pin. I did not have a steamer so googled a sub: 3 golf ball sized aluminum balls in the bottom of the pot, heat proof plate on top to support the bowl on top and it worked like a charm.
They are in the freezer now and I will cook some up tommorow. Except for the dough discrepancy this has gone great so far. All your recipes are so good, and I’ve made many.
Has anyone been able to get 38 from 1 batch of dough? I’m sure Paola is busy and unable to reply.
i mean, i guess you could try to just make them half as thick? 5g each and roll them super thin so u get more??
Thanks for the input. I could also just make a double batch of dough. But the numbers, as I pointed out aren’t right. I think it’s a misstatement and should be 2 batches of the dough. Only Paola will know for sure. But I do appreciate the reply.
I weighed my dough too and at 11g each, I got exactly 20 dumplings. Glad to see I’m not crazy haha I though I did something wrong when I saw it should yield 38.
Ok, so I made dumplings from this amazing dough when I read your ravioli post—only I did NOT pre-cook the filling, as I was informed by my Chinese friends that it was the “wrong” way to do it ;). I cooked them in sesame oil with the raw filling for about 12 minutes, turning to avoid burning and it worked a treat. Thanks for giving my family the gift of this dough recipe! Use it for soooooo many things.
No I only managed to do 21. The rest I just baked it like kofte kebab in the oven with some extra grilled veggies.
Looks great but needs key for US measures.
Hope you’re feeling better.
Happy Dumpling Dance in Progress ♥♥♥ I’m out of ground pork and contemplating a protein substitute of pureed hot dogs Ü Yes, I’m THAT excited about this! Can’t believe I missed this one on your blog!! Thanks for sharing!
the more recipes i see on your site the more in love with this blog i become! 😍 I can’t wait to try these dumpling wrappers for national dumpling day this month. i’d also love to try and find a way to make low carb bao buns. have you ever considered developing a recipe for those?
Can you sub guar gum for xathan gum?
Can you use regular aminos instead of coconut aminos. The regular aminos have fewer carbs.
Do what you think works best for your eating plan…recipes are a guide, and as such are
meant to be modified
Can you cook these in an air fryer and for how long?
Can I use an instant pot as a steamer? Thank you!
This looks soo goood. I love your recipes. I’m a pescatarian. Do you think that I could do some sort of prawn/shrimp or maybe crab mushroom mix instead of pork?
What would you suggest? Thanks.
Hi, I’ve just started keto for about 3 weeks, and I’m really craving some Chinese dumplings and noodles and i came across your recipe! I’m really excited to try this, but I gotta ask, is the apple cider vinegar necessary for this recipe? I’m not really a fan of it, and it’s quite expensive where I live. But thank you so much for posting this recipe, one way or another, I’m getting those dumplings in my mouth sooner or later! And I’m looking forward to some new recipes. 😀
Hi Debby! You can sub with another vinegar (such as white wine) xo!
Just a quick question, this might be obvious but I’m not sure. When making the filling, do you put everything together and steam it that way, or steam the meat and then mix it with the rest? In addition, are you pouring the water from the ginger into the meat, or just literally strain the juices out of the ginger after its been soaking?
Thanks, and I can’t wait to try these- I love the tortilla recipe, so this should be awesome.
Hi Paola! Is there anyway I can make these with a sub for eggs? I’m trying to make these for a vegan 🙂
In all honesty it will be a tough one to make the dough without eggs 🙁
Eggs are basically a vegan meat source as long as it isn’t fertilized. Use the eggs.
no zac, eggs are NOT vegan. they are vegetarian, but vegans don’t eat eggs, milk, or honey. (along with many other animal product related things.)
how would you steam it if you dont have a steamer? and a food processors. can i still use my hands ?
Just get a large pot with a lid. Fill a bit of water in the bottom, then put the fillings bowl in the middle, and put the lid on.
Just be careful so that the water level is lower than the bowl’s edge
if i make this instead of steaming it can i fry it? and or how would you steam it if you dont have a steamer? and a food processors. can i still use my hands ?
Are you suppose to to make the dough and let it sit in the fridge for 5 days before you can use it?
It says: Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature and place in the fridge FOR 45 MINUTES (and up to five days).
Re: the timing, the dough recipe actually says this:
Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes (and up to 3-4 days in the fridge).
Your dumpling recipe says this:
Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes while you prep the rest (and up to 5 days in the fridge).
I’m not seeing the time you commented with anywhere. Which is correct, or does it not really matter?
Please disregard last question. Found steaming duration beneath instructions section!
Thanks!
How long do you steam the meat?
How much water do you put with the ginger?
Hi Paola,
Can these be deep fried? Would the dough hold up?
If it’s sealed well, I don’t see why not Lola!
Just make sure the oil is very hot before you drop them in
Is there any chance these could be put together with raw filling and then boiled? Thank you.
Unfortunately no, since they’re grain free they don’t cook in water they become mushy
These look delicious! I just made some up but haven’t cooked them yet. I messed up though, followed the recipe perfect, except missed where it said don’t substitute flours in this, my bad! I used more coconut flour as I was running low on almond flour. Bad mistake, the dough wouldn’t stay together or roll out. It worked in the food processor, made a nice ball and was still sticky. But after sitting and refrigerating it would not roll out, stuck to the parchment paper and when I tried to close them they fell apart. As a result of the coconut flour I’m sure. Will know better next time! I made them the best I could and they don’t look pretty but should taste great still I think. I am freezing for a bit to firm them up really good before I try and cook them or they won’t make it in one piece! Can’t wait to try them and next time will know. Your recipes are great! What a treat to be able to make things my family loves as well that I can eat and not worry about. I am type 2 diabetic so the very low carb is great for me and your recipes are also great for low or no sugars too. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you have put into these recipes and for sharing them with everyone. Hugs and Love to you!!
Kelly that’s so wonderful to hear! 🙂 And fingers crossed the dumplings turned out tasty at least!! Coconut flour behaves SO differently that it’s a bit hard to sub xo!
Can I make the dough ahead of time then fill and pan fry?
Yeah definitely! Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days 😉
One more question…..if I make the dough, and do not fill it. Can I refrigerate and/or freeze it to give to share with someone? I don’t want to fill it, because I’m not sure what the person would like to put in it.
I would just keep it in the fridge rather than freeze it. You can freeze it shaped already though (the texture changes a bit).
YAY! Thank you!
My pleasure enjoy!
Hi! Making these today, wondering if I can use a stand mixer instead of food processor?
Hi Loralie! Yes you can definitely use your stand mixer (I would suggest the paddle attachment). xo!
I wonder how well this dough would work for egg rolls. Have you tried it for that yet?
Hi David! It works, but not perfectly as it doesn’t crisp up. BUT, it still tastes great. So compromise? xo!
Hi! I stumbled upon this recipe via Pinterest, and it looks delicious! How would I make these without a steamer?
Thanks!
Hi Chelsea! You can just go ahead and cook the meat in a skillet or pan. You get more of the traditional mouthfeel though if the meat is steamed. xo and hope you enjoy!
I’m looking forward to making these!! I recently made the raviolis! Soo wonderful. I used some of the ravioli dough for a thin crust pizza. I just rolled it out til about 1/4 in thick. Kind of made an edge. Baked for a bit. Topped it with a bit of an Alfredo sauce, a little mozzarella, fresh mushroom, fresh spinach, heirloom tomatoes tossed with a bit of fresh basil and olive oil. Baked it til bubbly. Drizzled with just a bit of a balsamic reduction. The dough was so very good. Held up perfectly.
Hi Amber! That’s awesome so happy you enjoyed the ravioli so much! And your pizza sounds delicious too! ps. check out the deep-dish pizza, the dough for that one is pretty much the same but with some added baking powder etc to make it more dough-like. xo!
Oh thank you I will have to check that out for sure! I’m planning on making the tortillas this week to eat with carnitas! Mmmmm
I have to make these. Do you think I could use my crepe maker to make the keto dumplings dough? Many thanks. Love your site!
Hi LaWanda! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes! In terms of the crepe maker, I’m not sure how you would need it here? The dough is not pourable, you need to roll it out. Are we talking about the same appliance? xo!
It’s like you read my mind! I was JUST thinking about dumplings as they’ve been EVERYHWERE because of the Chinese New Year and in comes your email! Happening this weekend for sure