Gyoza Sauce

A quick and easy homemade gyoza sauce recipe perfect for dumplings, potstickers, and more. You will never buy dipping sauce again!

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I am a huge fan of sauces and condiments. But I am particular about the sauce that typically comes with gyozas and potstickers. They either lack flavor, are too sweet, or they never give you enough.

Whether I am ordering take-out, making homemade dumplings, or heating up frozen potstickers I always make my own dipping sauce. And this is my favorite recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes and is so worth the extra effort!

I even make gyoza sauce at home when I buy my favorite frozen potstickers. But don't limit this sauce to just dumplings. Use it as a dipping sauce for grilled meats and roasted vegetables. I particularly enjoy it on my baked eggplant recipe.

Gyoza sauce is part of my healthy and delcious sauce recipe series. It is healthy and gluten-free and giving my easy romesco sauce a run for its money as my new favorite, goes-with-anything sauce.

Seriously. This is the best thing to happen to your gyoza! 

What is Gyoza Dipping Sauce?

Gyoza dipping sauce is a soy dipping sauce designed to be served with Japanese gyoza—which is an Asian dumpling traditionally made with a dumpling wrapper filled with a mixture of ground pork, mushrooms, cabbage, etc., then formed into somewhat of a football shape.

There are different ways to make this classic dish though. There are an unlimited amount of filling variations! The Japanese dumplings are assembled, then usually cooked up in a frying pan to yield delicious crispy edges.

Gyoza sauce starts with soy sauce, then is flavored with rice vinegar, chili oil, sugar, garlic, and more to create a salty, sweet, tangy concoction. It's the perfect dipping sauce to serve with your batch of dumplings. 

This sauce can also be used for Chinese dumplings and buns.

What Makes a Good Dumpling Sauce?

• Simple ingredients. You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry already. If not, just add them to your shopping list and grab them next time you're at the store. You can find all of these at most regular grocery stores or at your local Asian grocery stores.
• Incredible flavor. I mean, you can't put soy sauce, chili oil, ginger, and garlic all in one sauce and it not taste incredible! 

🧾Gyoza Sauce Ingredients

This dumpling sauce recipe uses Asian pantry staples plus a couple basic ingredients that you are likely to have on hand.

Soy Sauce - I use Tamari, which is a gluten-free option for soy sauce, but feel free to use any type of soy sauce that is suitable for your diet, including low sodium.

Rice Vinegar - Be sure you're using rice vinegar, not rice wine vinegar. They are not the same.

Chili Oil - A little chili oil adds the perfect amount of heat to the sauce. If you don't have chili oil on hand, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper plus an additional ½ teaspoon of sesame oil.

Sesame Oil - Gives the sauce a subtle nutty flavor.

Granulated Sugar - Coconut sugar or honey are also great substitutes.

Green Onions - Use any type of spring onion, green onion, or scallion for this dish. In a pinch, a tablespoon of shallot will work too. Be sure to mince it up very finely to reduce the sharp flavor.

Aromatics - We're rounding out the flavors with a little bit of fresh ginger and garlic cloves.

See recipe card for exact quantities.

⏲️How to Make Gyoza Dipping Sauce

This is a simple two-step process. 

First, simply whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, oils, and aromatics. Next, let the mixture chill for 20 minutes to an hour to allow the flavor to develop.

Whip up your favorite gyoza recipe and dig in. It really is that easy!

I know you were expecting something way more complicated. But it really is that easy.

I do want to make a note about resting the sauce. many recipes say 4 minutes or 1 minute. That is great but allow the ginger and garlic to permeate through the sauce for a rich flavor.

🥗How to Use Homemade Gyoza Sauce

ou can, of course, serve this gyoza sauce with your favorite gyoza dumpling recipe.

It can also be served with other Asian dumplings such as Chinese potstickers, spring rolls or egg rolls.

You can even drizzle it over oven-roasted zucchini, sushi rice, ground beef and broccoli, grilled pork roast or use it as marinade in your favorite poke bowl.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Do not skip the resting period. The aromatics (i.e. the ginger, onions, and garlic) need a few minutes to infuse into the liquid.
• Serve room temperature. Or slightly cooler. If it's too cold, the oils congeal. If it's too warm, the vinegar will taste off.
• Garnish with sesame seeds. This makes it look a little fancier and more "restaurant-quality".
• Make it spicy. The common variation on this sauce is to make it spicier. While this type of dipping sauce isn't typically high in heat, you can add crushed red pepper, finely chopped Serrano pepper, or Thai chili to kick it up a notch. Add a small amount and let it sit for 20 minutes before adding more. 
• Resist the urge to add Sriracha. This is not a personal preference. It simply doesn't work flavor-wise and the texture of the sauce will be off. 

🌡️Making Ahead and Storing Leftovers

This sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge in a tightly covered glass jar for 3 to 4 days. Allow 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature for it to warm slightly.

Leftover gyoza sauce can be stored in the same manner as above. However, once the sauce has been dipped into it will need to be discarded. To avoid waste, I pour out only what I need into a small dish.

🥗More East Asian Inspired Recipes

💬Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between gyoza and potstickers?

Gyoza is the Japanese version of the Chinese potsticker. Both are types of dumplings that are served with a soy based dipping sauce.

What is tamari?

Tamari is a soy sauce that is made with 100% soybeans. Most commercially available soy sauce is actually made with fermented soybeans AND fermented wheat making it not suitable for a gluten-free diet.

📖 Recipe Card