What makes these gluten-free dumplings springy like regular ones?

A blend of sweet potato starch, white rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and tapioca flour creates stretchy, elastic wrappers inspired by crystal dumplings (seoi zing gau). The dough is cooked in two stages for the best texture.

Where can I buy sweet potato starch?

Sweet potato starch is available at Asian grocery stores or supermarkets. Be careful with packaging labels, as it is sometimes mislabeled as 'sweet potato flour.' You can tell them apart by color — sweet potato starch is white, while sweet potato flour is usually pale yellow.

Can I freeze these gluten-free dumplings?

The cooked dumplings should be stored in the refrigerator for up to one day, as the wrappers lose their elasticity after that. It's best to cook and eat them fresh for the ideal springy texture.

How do I get natural rainbow colors for the dumpling wrappers?

Use beet powder for red, carrot juice for orange, curry or turmeric powder for yellow, spinach juice for green, and purple cabbage juice for purple. Simply replace the water in each batch with the colored juice or add the powder to the flour blend.

Colorful gluten-free vegan rainbow pan-fried dumplings on a plate

Gluten-free Savory Vegan

Gluten-Free Vegan Rainbow Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings (Potstickers)

Name: Gluten-Free Vegan Rainbow Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings (Potstickers)
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 35
Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese, Hong Kong
Ingredients: 308 grams squashes/pumpkins (cooked & mashed - 1 ½ cup); 6-7 fresh shiitake mushrooms (finely chopped - ⅘ cup); 1 medium carrot (finely chopped - 180g); 178 grams cabbage (finely chopped - 2 cups); ½ onion (finely chopped - 120g); ½ tablespoon cooking oil; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper; Sauce: 2 tbsp tamari + ½ tbsp cornstarch; 10 grams scallions (finely chopped - 2 tbsps); ½ teaspoon sesame oil; 140 grams sweet potato starch (1 cup + 2 ½ tbsp); 70 grams white rice flour (7 tbsps); 35 grams glutinous rice flour (4 tbsps + 1 tsp); 35 grams tapioca flour (4 tbsps + 2 tsp); 1 ¾ teaspoon sea salt; 231 grams sweet potato starch (1 ¾ cup + 4 tbsps); 112 grams white rice flour (½ cup + 3 tbsps); 70 grams glutinous rice flour (½ cup + 1 tsp); 70 grams tapioca flour (½ cup + 3 ½ tsps); 80 grams Mixture (A) (⅔ cup); 138 grams Mixture (B) (1 cup); 240 milliliter water (1 cup); 40 grams Mixture (A) (⅓ cup); 69 grams Mixture (B) (½ cup); 120 milliliter water (½ cup); 1 teaspoon beetroot powder; 40 grams Mixture (A) (⅓ cup); 69 grams Mixture (B) (½ cup); 120 milliliter carrot juice (½ cup)

March 17, 2021 · Updated April 5, 2021

Jump to Recipe

These gluten-free pan-fried dumplings, also known as potstickers, are just as springy as traditional ones! They’re stuffed with a juicy veggie filling under a crispy wrapper.

Plain rice noodle soup and boiled seasonal veggies (yau choi 油菜) with oyster sauce are the perfect sides for these golden, crispy pan-fried dumplings. They’re allergy-friendly, so everyone can enjoy this homemade Hong Kong-style meal!

The idea of combining different gluten-free flours comes from a famous dim sum — crystal dumplings (seoi zing gau 水晶餃). Crystal dumplings are naturally gluten-free, with wrappers made from sweet potato starch, glutinous rice flour (sweet rice), and cornstarch. The wrappers are slightly translucent with a chewy, elastic texture. To mimic traditional pan-fried dumpling wrappers, I needed to make my gluten-free version less transparent while keeping it springy.

TEXTURE OF THESE GLUTEN-FREE DUMPLINGS

Springy Wrappers

Inspired by crystal dumpling wrappers, I used sweet potato starch, white rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and tapioca flour. As you may know, most of these flours create a stretchy, elastic texture — so you can imagine how these dumplings turn out. The white rice flour adds a subtle rice aroma and makes the wrappers opaque, just like traditional dumplings.

You might think combining so many flours sounds complicated. To make things easier, you can pre-make a “Dumpling Blend” for future use — just like a flour blend for baking! Trust me, it’s totally worth the effort. Read on or scroll down to the recipe card!

Juicy Veggie Filling

Besides using cornstarch or potato starch when cooking the filling, different vegetables can help create that juicy filling! The key is understanding their characteristics. Squashes release liquid when heated, becoming the juice inside the dumpling. Their soft texture also helps bind the filling ingredients together, making wrapping easier.

You can also use tofu for the filling instead of squash — it’s delicious and commonly used in vegan dishes. But I still prefer the golden color that squash brings!

SWEET POTATO STARCH VS. SWEET POTATO FLOUR

These play completely different roles in cooking. Sweet potato starch creates a chewy texture and is commonly used in Asian-style savory cooking — Taiwanese taro balls, Hong Kong dim sum, and Chinese noodles. It also works as a thickener and stabilizer. Sweet potato flour, on the other hand, is used in baked goods, just like whole sweet potatoes.

You can find sweet potato starch at Asian grocery stores or supermarkets. Be aware that the packaging can be confusing, as it’s sometimes labeled “Sweet Potato Flour.” You can tell them apart by appearance — sweet potato starch is white, while sweet potato flour is usually pale yellow.

This is actually sweet potato starch!

HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW WRAPPERS

One reason I love veggies is that they let me create vibrant, naturally colored dishes. In this recipe, I used beet powder, carrot juice, curry powder, spinach juice, and purple cabbage juice to color the dumplings naturally. A simple way to make your dish more appealing and boost your appetite!

HOW TO WRAP & PLEAT DUMPLINGS

There are many ways to pleat dumplings. Choose whichever method you prefer — I’m just showing the classic technique here (please excuse the mess in the video — this is the most authentic one I’ve ever filmed!).

Pleating dumplings is so therapeutic and enjoyable!

HOW TO COOK DUMPLINGS

Pan-Fried

This is how I cook the rainbow crispy dumplings in this recipe. First, pan-fry the dumplings until the bottoms turn golden brown. Then pour water into the pan and cover with a lid to cook the top and the inside. When the water evaporates and the tops become crispy, they’re ready to serve!

Steamed

Steam the dumplings in a bamboo steamer for 5 minutes over high heat. If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, use your regular steamer but wrap the lid with a cloth to prevent water from dripping onto the dumplings.

Boiled in Water or Soup

I haven’t tried this method with my gluten-free dumplings yet. Cooking dumplings in boiling water or soup is a traditional method in Chinese cuisine, and they’re often served with noodles. I’ll try this next time!

STORAGE

If you can’t finish the cooked dumplings within the day, store them in the refrigerator for up to one day. The wrappers won’t stay elastic much longer than that. Pan-fry them again to serve.