Name: Homemade Dumpling Wrappers Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting; 1 1/3 cups tepid water

Jump to Recipe

Introduction

Making homemade dumpling wrappers is simpler than you might think and adds a fresh, tender texture to your dumplings. With just flour and water, you can create delicate, pliable wrappers perfect for a variety of fillings.

The image shows a stack of five round, thin dough discs lightly dusted with white flour. The dough discs have a soft, pale beige color and are slightly translucent with uneven, handmade edges. They rest on a white marbled surface dusted with some extra flour around them. Next to the stack, a wooden bowl and a yellow lemon are partially visible, and a small white bowl containing some white granules is seen on the right edge. The overall look is rustic and fresh, suggesting the dough is ready for cooking. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/3 cups tepid water

Instructions

Step 1: Add the flour to a large bowl. Slowly pour in the tepid water, mixing until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Step 2: Knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough feels too sticky, sprinkle in up to 1 tablespoon of extra flour. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook on low speed for the same amount of time.
Step 3: Cover the dough with a damp towel or an overturned bowl and allow it to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Step 4: After resting, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time while keeping the others covered with a bowl to prevent drying out.
Step 5: Cut the working piece into 18 equal-sized pieces (about 12 grams each if weighing). Keep these covered with a damp cloth as you roll.
Step 6: Lightly flour your surface and roll each piece into a ball, then gently press it flat with your palm.
Step 7: Using a floured Chinese rolling pin, roll each disc into a 3½-inch circle. Rotate the dough a quarter turn with each roll to keep the shape round and even.
Step 8: Fill and shape your dumplings immediately after rolling each wrapper for the best results. Continue until all the dough is used.

Tips & Variations

If you have extra dumpling wrappers, lightly flour both sides and layer them between sheets of parchment paper. Seal them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
For a quick snack, brush wrappers with neutral oil, sprinkle with chopped scallions and salt, stack 4 to 7 wrappers, keeping the top one dry. Roll into a large pancake and pan-fry until golden for delicious scallion pancakes.

Storage

Store unused wrappers in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic or a sealed container for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze as described above. When reheating, thaw in the fridge and use them fresh to avoid cracking.

How to Serve

Several thin, round dough sheets are laid out overlapping each other on a wooden surface lightly dusted with flour. The dough is pale yellow with a soft, slightly textured look, and white flour is scattered unevenly on the dough's surface. In the background, there is a white bowl filled with flour on the right side and a wooden steamer basket containing more dough sheets blurred in the distance. The whole scene is set on a white marbled textured surface. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use hot water instead of tepid water?

Tepid water helps develop the right dough texture that’s elastic but not sticky. Hot water may create a different texture, often softer and more tender, but it can be harder to handle for dumpling wrappers.

Do I need a special rolling pin for these wrappers?

A small Chinese rolling pin is ideal for rolling thin, even circles, but any small, smooth rolling pin will work as long as you flour the surface and handle gently to keep the wrappers uniform in thickness.