These Crispy Vegan Rice Paper Dumplings are as delicious as traditional Japanese Gyoza but are way easier to make! Flavorful vegetable filling wrapped in rice paper and coated with sesame seeds, then fried until crispy and served with a simple dipping sauce. These homemade crystal dumplings are healthy, gluten-free, and incredibly delicious!
Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings (Easy, Vegan & Gluten-free)
Learn how to make vegan and gluten-free dumplings the easy way made with rice paper sheets instead of homemade dumpling wrappers! While I love my vegan gyoza and gluten-free dumplings, making them completely from scratch is not ideal when I need something quick on a busy weeknight. So I turned to rice paper wrappers and a simple folding method as an easy alternative.
Using this allows me to make my all-time favorite vegetable potstickers easily – no fancy folding needed – just roll and tuck the filling in and you are ready to go! Plus – they fry up really nicely crisp and golden. Serve it with a simple Asian dipping sauce that I made with sriracha or sambal oelek for a fiery heat! They are so good, even meat-eaters will devour them in minutes!
Ingredients Needed
- Rice paper sheets: these translucent wrappers are made of rice and tapioca flour. You can easily find them in many supermarkets and Asian markets..
- Sesame oil: you will use this for frying the filling and dumplings as well as for brushing on the surface to make the sesame seed stick.
- Aromatics: I used garlic and ginger as the base for the vegetable filling.
- Vegetables: Mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and scallions make the perfect filling for the dumplings with their amazing mix of meaty and crisp textures and vibrant colors. Feel free to use other vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, beans, peas, spinach,bean sprouts, bell peppers, celery, etc.
- Tamari: this will give the filling tons of savory and umami flavor! You can also use soy sauce or coconut aminos for a soy-free option.
- Chili powder: this is optional if you like to add heat to your dumplings.
- Sesame seeds: also optional for coating the dumplings with. I love how it adds a nutty and earthy flavor and more crunch, so it is definitely worth a try!
- Salt and pepper: to taste.
- Dumpling dipping sauce: for serving.
How to make Rice Paper Dumplings
As always, I recommend watching the recipe video and checking out these step-by-step instructions first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe card below!
1. Step: Prepare the vegetable filling
- Start by chopping the mushroom.
- Then sauté the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add garlic, ginger and chili powder and sauté for a minute.
- Then add scallions, cabbage and carrots and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Now add tamari and let it cook down for 1-2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Step: Assemble dumplings
- Fill a large shallow bowl or deep plate with water and dip a sheet of rice paper into it for a few seconds until pliable but not too soft.
- Carefully place the rice paper on a damp plate or wooden board. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling and form it into a rectangular or square shape.
- Fold the rice paper over the filling.
- Then fold one side towards the center.
- Fold the other side towards the center as well.
- Now roll up like summer rolls.
3. Step: Cook dumplings
- Wrap the dumplings with a second layer of rice paper if needed and arrange on a wet chopping board.
- Brush with a little oil and toss in sesame seeds.
- Pan-fry the dumplings on medium heat for a few minutes on each side.
- Once they are golden brown and crispy, serve immediately!
Step 4: Garnish and enjoy!
Garnish your crispy rice paper dumplings with sliced green onions, chili flakes and cilantro, if desired. Serve with the dipping sauce and fresh limes on the side. Enjoy!
Optional Ingredients and Variations
- Rice / Noodles: Feel free to add sticky rice or thin noodles like vermicelli (prepare according to package directions, then rinse under cold water and drain well).
- Protein: Add more protein to the dumplings by adding crumbled firm tofu, tempeh or vegan ground beef to the vegetable filling.
- Onion: Use a red, yellow or white onion or a shallot to cook with the other aromatics.
- Vegetables: you can experiment with different vegetable fillings, such as shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, leeks, peppers, etc. This recipe is great for cleaning out the fridge!
- Herbs: Enhance the flavor of the filling by adding additional fresh herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, etc.
- Spices: Feel free to spice up the vegan dumpling filling with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or chopped fresh chili. You can also add some chili oil, sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce on top of your dumplings.
Tips when Making Rice Paper Dumplings
- Chop the vegetables finely and evenly. To save time you can use a food processor (regular blade for mushrooms and grating disk for carrots/cabbage).
- Use room temperature water to soak rice paper wrappers. I do not recommend using warm water especially if this is your first time as the rice paper will soften quickly and might become too soggy.
- Dip the rice paper only a few seconds and lift it from the water right away. It will become more pliant as it absorbs water. Do not oversoak them or they will become too soft and tear quickly.
Moisten your work surface (plate or wooden cutting board) a bit so the damp rice paper will not stick as you make your dumplings. - Do not add too much filling, otherwise the rice paper may tear or fall apart easily.
- Wrap the dumplings with another layer of rice paper to make them more stable.
- Cook the dumplings in a large pan with enough oil so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Also make sure that they do not touch each or they might stick together and the wrapping might tear when you separate them
- Leftover vegetable filling can be used as a quick vegetable stir-fry or just served as a side dish. If you have leftover rice paper, try making my Vegan Summer Rolls and Vegan Chicken Drumsticks!
Can you cook Rice Paper Dumplings in an Air-Fryer?
Yes! Grease the dumplings with oil from both sides. Place them in the air fryer basket. Cover the lid. Set the air fryer on 400 °F (200 ºC) and cook for 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Aside from frying the vegan Rice Paper Dumplings, you can also cook them in bamboo steamers to use less oil. Just make sure to line the basket with wax paper first.
Make-ahead and Storing Notes
To lessen your prep and cooking time, you can make the filling in advance and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. I do not recommend storing the stuffed dumplings for long periods as the texture of the rice paper wrap changes quickly.
Once the dumplings are cooked, they are best eaten right away to enjoy the crunchiness of the rice paper wrap. However, if you still have some left over, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Then reheat in a pan with a little extra oil. This will also make the outside slightly crispy again.
How to Freeze Dumplings?
To freeze the unfried stuffed dumplings, first place them side by side on a baking sheet or wooden board with some space between them and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag to save space. When you want to serve them, fry/steam them straight from the freezer without thawing.
These Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings are:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Customizable
- Nutritious
- Veggie-loaded
- Crunchy
- Flavorful
- Perfect as an appetizer, starter, side dish or main course aside a stir-fry or fresh salad!
More Asian Dumpling Recipes to Try
- Vegetable Dumplings (Vegan Gyoza)
- Gluten-free Gyoza
- Asian Dumpling Soup
- Crispy Spring Rolls
- Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- Scallion Pancakes
- Chinese Scallion Buns
- Sichuan Spicy Wontons
- Pan-Fried Bao Buns
- Dumpling Wrappers
If you try this easy Rice Paper Dumpling recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a picture of your dish and share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Enjoy! 🙂
Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings (Easy & Vegan)
Author:Ingredients
- 12 rice paper sheets or more when double wrapped
- 1-2 tbsp sesame oil + more for frying the dumplings
- 4 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
- 1 piece of ginger grated
- 8.8 oz (250 g) mushrooms finely diced
- 8.8 oz (250 g) cabbage finely chopped
- 2 (200 g) carrots grated approx. 7 oz
- 2 (75 g) scallions finely chopped approx. 2.6 oz
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce or coconut aminos, if soy-free
- 1 tsp chili powder optional to taste
- salt and pepper optional to taste
- 2-3 tbsp sesame seeds optional for coating
To serve (optional)
- 1 recipe dumpling dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp scallions finely sliced
- cilantro or Thai basil
- chili flakes
- lime wedges
Instructions
*Note: Check out the recipe video + step-by-step photos at the top of the post!
Prepare the vegetable filling
- Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the chopped mushrooms for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic, ginger and chili powder and sauté for a minute. Then add scallions, cabbage and carrots and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Now add tamari and let it cook down for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and let cool.
Fold dumplings
- Fill a large shallow bowl or deep plate with water and dip a sheet of rice paper into it for a few seconds until pliable but not too soft.
- Carefully place the rice paper on a plate or wooden board (it's best to moisten it a bit first so nothing sticks). Place about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling in the bottom center of the rice paper and shape it into a rectangular or square shape.
- Now fold the rice paper over the filling from the bottom. Then fold the sides towards the center and roll up like summer rolls, so that the folded side is facing down at the end. (Optional: To make the dumplings more stable, you can wrap with another layer of rice paper).
- Brush with a little oil and roll in sesame seeds. Then place on a wooden board while filling and folding the next dumplings.
Cook dumplings
- Heat some oil in a large non-stick pan. Once the oil is hot, place the dumplings in the pan, leaving enough space between each and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
- Garnish your crispy dumplings with fresh scallions, chili flakes and cilantro, if desired. Serve with the dipping sauce and fresh limes on the side.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to use other vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, etc. You can also crumble and sauté tofu or add another meat substitute for more protein. If you like you can also add thin noodles, sticky rice or other seasonings.
- If you have leftover filling, you can use it for a vegetable stir-fry or just serve it as a side dish. If you have leftover rice paper, try making my summer rolls or vegan chicken drumsticks!
- Please make sure to read the recipe tips in the blogpost above! There you’ll also find more tips and information on the ingredients and possible variations as well as make ahead, storing and freezing notes + air fryer option!
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They are amazing! 😍
Glad you like these! 🙂