Name: Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp rice wine vinegar; 1 tsp sesame oil; ¼ tsp garlic (minced); ¼ tsp ginger (grated); ¼ tsp sugar; ¼ tsp chili flakes; 1 scallion | green onion | spring onion (finely sliced)

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This quick and easy gyoza dipping sauce recipe goes well with Japanese gyozas, dumplings, and pot stickers. This recipe uses basic Asian pantry staples, and no cooking is involved - just mix and dip!

Table of Contents

How Would You Describe Gyoza?

What is Traditional Gyoza Made of?

Gyozas are formed from a thinly rolled dough made into a crescent-shaped dumpling and filled with ground pork and vegetables.

Gyozas are usually pan-fried until crisp on the bottom, then a little water is added, and the pan is covered to steam the gyozas. Once cooked, the gyozas are fried in the same pan until crisp again on the bottom.

What Does Gyoza Taste Like?

Gyozas are a taste explosion of meat and vegetables seasoned with Chinese chives, spring onions, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and cooking sake.

What Do you Serve Gyoza With?

Gyozas are typically served hot with a splash of vinegar and sesame oil or in a soup. Of course, in this article, we will expand on that "splash of vinegar" and give you the recipe for the best dipping sauce for your gyoza.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe - What is Gyoza Sauce?

Along with the gyozas served at shokudo, small family-run restaurants in Japan, will always be an accompanying house dipping sauce.

One of my favorite sauces is a classic soy sauce and rice wine vinegar version that is spicy, nutty, and fresh at the same time. I have modified this sauce into an easy recipe you can make at home in just a few minutes.

Gyoza Sauce Ingredients

What is Gyoza Sauce Made Of:

2 tablespoon soy sauce - Soy sauce is the primary seasoning for this gyoza dipping sauce recipe. Regular soy sauce is the perfect strength for this recipe. However, if light or dark soy sauce is the only version in your kitchen pantry, use less or more to balance the flavor.
2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar - Rice wine vinegar is a staple of Japanese cooking. You could substitute rice wine vinegar with mirin. Note: mirin is much sweeter, so don't add sugar to the recipe.
1 teaspoon sesame oil - Sesame oil has a distinct nutty flavor and is essential to this dish. I use toasted sesame oil in this gyoza dipping sauce recipe for extra richness, but you could also use regular sesame oil.
¼ teaspoon chili flakes - Dried and crushed red chili peppers make up these flakes, typically from cayenne-type peppers such as Jalapenos, Serranos, and Anaheim chilies.
¼ teaspoon minced garlic - Use a fresh garlic clove for this recipe and crush it yourself. While convenient, the jars of prepared minced garlic from the grocer don't have the same sharp aromatic properties of fresh garlic.
¼ teaspoon grated ginger - Ginger imparts a pleasant zing and that delightfully spicy kick to this gyoza dipping sauce. Buy fresh ginger root and finely grate it for that flavor boost.
¼ teaspoon sugar - Sugar adds sweetness to balance the flavors.
1 scallion | green onion | spring onion - Finely slice the green part of one scallion. Slice your onion as finely as you possibly can. Those delicate little green circles add visual impact to your sauce as well!

How To Make Gyoza Sauce

PREP Prepare your ingredients by measuring, mincing, grating, and slicing them as needed.

MIX Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.

TASTE AND ADJUST This gyoza dipping sauce recipe should be salty, sweet, and refreshingly zingy. Taste and adjust your sauce until it is to your liking.

SET ASIDE Allow your sauce to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will allow all the flavors to merge and enhance one another.

SERVE Serve the sauce in a bowl suitable for dipping your freshly cooked hot gyoza. How easy is that?!

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe - Quantity

This recipe makes enough Japanese gyoza sauce for two people. Just double, triple, etc, the quantities for how many people are coming to dinner!

Recipe Tips

Individual dipping bowls – Prepare a small bowl for each person so that everyone can customize the sauce to their taste.
Too hot? - Leave out the chili.
Too salty? - Add 1 tablespoon of water to dilute the salty taste.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe Variations

As this dip for gyoza is so simple, you can use it as a base and add other ingredients to make it your own:

A bit more heat? - Add ½ teaspoon of traditional Japanese Shichimi Togarashi powder if you want more spiciness and umami in your Japanese dipping sauce recipe. This powder is a spice blend of 7 different ingredients, including chili flakes, sesame seeds, and seaweed.
Fresh herbs - Add freshness to your gyoza dipping sauce recipe with fresh herbs such as Kafir lime leaves, lemongrass (the lower bulb of the stem), and coriander.
Gluten-free version - Replace the soy sauce with tamari for a gluten-free Asian dipping sauce recipe.
Fresh chili - As this recipe isn't overly spicy, you can amp up the heat by adding finely sliced fresh chili. For an Indonesian-influenced dipping sauce, add ½ teaspoon of fresh chili sambal.
Want a more tangy sauce? - Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice or lime zest for freshness.
Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar) - Add 1 teaspoon of this Chinese vinegar to give your dipping sauce a fruity and slightly sweet richness.
Ponzu sauce gyoza - Add 1 teaspoon of Japanese ponzu for sweet, salty, and tangy citrus umami.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe Substitutes

SOY SAUCE - There is no exact substitute for soy sauce; it has a distinctive, individual flavor. The best replacement is tamari or coconut aminos, a sauce made from coconut palm tree sap that has been fermented and mixed with sea salt.
RICE WINE VINEGAR - You can substitute rice wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, dry sherry, or even a dry white wine. You could even add a little citrus juice such as lemon juice instead of the vinegar to your sauce.
SESAME OIL - Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. It is one of the oldest crop-based oils and dates back thousands of years. Once again, there is no perfect substitute for this distinctive nutty-flavored oil, but if you have to substitute, try walnut, avocado, peanut, or olive oil.
CHILLI FLAKES - To make a spicy gyoza sauce, crushed red pepper can be substituted with chili powder, fresh chili, ground cayenne pepper, ground habanero pepper, red pepper flakes, chili oil, sriracha sauce,or Chile de Arbol powder.
GARLIC - If necessary fresh garlic can be substituted with dried garlic, minced onion, or left out entirely of this gyoza dipping sauce recipe. I don't recommend using preprepared minced garlic in a jar, as I don't think the taste is as good.
GINGER - Fresh ginger from the root of the Zingiber officinale ginger plant gives both sweet and savory dishes a zing. Buying grated ginger in a jar is possible, but I recommend purchasing the fresh version, as the prepared minced ginger has a slightly different flavor profile. Do not use ground ginger; it has an entirely different flavor profile!
ONION - Substitute the green onion (scallion, spring onion) with other mild types of onions.

Other Uses For Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe

This soy dipping sauce for gyoza is so versatile and can be used for dipping all sorts of tasty treats:

Dipping sauce for sushi - I always keep a batch of this gyoza dipping sauce in the refrigerator as it makes an excellent dipping sauce for sushi.
Dipping sauce for deep-fried food - This sauce goes well with lots of deep-fried food due to its punchy taste. Serve it with sides or snacks such as spring rolls, egg rolls, or crispy fried tofu, or serve it with the main course like deep-fried shrimp, chicken tenders, or fish and chips.
Sauce for grilled vegetables and meat - Brush roasted or grilled meat and vegetables with this dipping sauce to give a nice caramelization.
Other dumplings - This is a versatile dipping sauce for other dumplings, such as steamed or fried dumplings, wontons, and pot stickers.
Vegetable salad dressing - Use this sauce for drizzling over your favorite winter salad, such as a blanched green bean and celery salad. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top as a garnish.
Sauce for tossing through noodles - Make my lo mein noodle recipe and use this dipping sauce recipe as the base for the sauce.
Marinade for protein - This gyoza dipping sauce recipe makes a delicious marinade for pork and chicken.
Sauce for stir fries of Asian greens - Use this homemade gyoza sauce recipe to add a punchy flavor to an Asian stir-fry.

What Do You Eat With Gyoza Dumplings?

What Can you Serve With Gyozas?

What is gyoza served with? In Japan, gyozas are typically served as an addition to the main course (generally bowls of noodles or rice). However, increasing numbers of "gyoza bars" are presenting a menu centered purely on these dumpling varieties.

What sauce is served with gyoza? Gyozas are always served with a house specialty simple gyoza sauce.

Gyoza Side Dishes

You may want your gyoza to be a side dish, starter, or gyoza appetizer to accompany:

Yakitori (Chicken Skewers)
Ramen
Yakisoba (Stir-Fried Noodles)
Nikujaga (Meat And Potatoes)
Sukiyaki Hot Pot
Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlets)

How do you Eat Gyoza as a Meal?

You can add some side dishes if you are serving your gyoza as a main meal. Examples of suitable side dishes are:

Natto Rice Bowl
Miso soup
Tempura
Udon noodle soup

How to Store Gyoza Dipping Sauce

Room temperature - This Asian dumpling dipping sauce is so yummy that it will usually be devoured!
Refrigerator - If you wish to create a larger amount of gyoza dumpling sauce to store for later, only pour out what you need and store the rest in an airtight jar in the fridge. Any sauce that has been dipped in should be discarded. Only keep 'clean' sauce. If you want the gyoza sauce to be super fresh and tasty, refrigerate it for up to one week.
Freezer - This best dumpling sauce can also be made ahead of time and frozen. It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe FAQs

What is the Difference Between Gyoza and a Dumpling?

Dumplings are found in many cuisines, such as Korean mandu and Chinese xiao long bao dumplings. Gyozas are a type of Japanese dumpling and are typically filled with a minced pork and vegetable filling. Gyoza wrappers are thinner than Chinese dumplings and are usually crescent-shaped, while dumplings can be made in all different shapes.

What is Gyoza Potsticker Vs Dumpling?

Dumplings - Dumplings are a general name for pieces of dough that encase a meat or vegetable filling. The differences are in the countries of origin, the type and thickness of the dough, and the cooking method. Asian dumplings include potstickers, wontons, and gyoza.
Potstickers - Potstickers are Chinese dumplings that are cooked in a pan. They are fried first to brown up the bottom layer, then steamed to cook through, and then fried again to make the bottoms crisp.
Wontons - These are another type of Chinese dumpling and are shaped from a dough made from flour, egg, and water. Wontons are often served in a broth.
Gyoza - These are the Japanese version of potstickers, but are longer, thinner, crescent-shaped, and have a more delicate dough skin outside. Gyozas are always served with delicious Japanese dipping sauces.

What Is Gyoza Filling Made Of?

What is Inside Gyoza:

Protein - Traditional gyozas are usually filled with ground pork and are served with a gyoza dipping sauce. On the other hand, Chinese dumplings are typically filled with ground beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, or shrimp.
Vegetables - Cabbage is the main vegetable that is usually mixed in with the ground pork in gyoza.
Aromatics: Japanese gyozas often have Chinese chives, garlic, and grated ginger.
Seasonings: Soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper are used as seasonings.

Of course, you can add other ingredients if you make gyoza at home. You can even make them vegetarian by swapping the ground meat with tofu or mushrooms.

What is Gyoza Dipping Sauce Made of?

What's the Difference Between Soy Sauce and Gyoza Sauce?

Soy sauce is a sauce made from a fermented soybean paste. The best gyoza dipping sauce has soy sauce as one of its ingredients, in addition to sesame oil, Chinese rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger.

What is a good replacement for soy sauce? - You can substitute soy sauce with tamari in a gyoza dumplings sauce. It will not taste quite the same, but it is a suitable replacement. You may need to add extra salt if you do this. Alternatively, use a condiment called coconut aminos made from the sap of the coconut palm that has been fermented.
Can Worcestershire sauce be used instead of soy sauce? - Worcestershire sauce has a strong salty, sweet, and tangy taste and can replace soya sauce if necessary in a gyoza dipping sauce recipe.
Which soy sauce is best for dumplings? - Use the best quality soy sauce you can buy and experiment with different types, as they all have slightly different flavor profiles. Depending on what I have in my pantry, I might make a slightly sweeter Kikkoman gyoza dipping sauce and, at other times, a saltier gyoza sauce using a Chinese soy sauce.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe - In Conclusion

This flavorful gyoza dipping sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. It can be used as a dipping sauce for gyozas, wontons, potstickers, and dumplings and will upgrade and intensify the taste of whatever is dipped into it!