If you’ve seen the viral TikTok dumpling lasagne and wondered whether it’s actually worth making, the answer is yes! Especially in a steam oven.
Popularized by @april_eatz on TikTok and Instagram, this steamed pork dumpling lasagne delivers all the silky, soupy satisfaction of a soup dumpling, without the folding, pleating, or stovetop steaming. Layers of dumpling wrappers and seasoned filling cook together in small dishes, creating tender sheets and a savory broth . It’s simple, clever, and easy to pull off with perfection using your steam oven.
I am the first to admit I don’t usually follow food trends or pay a lot of attention to so-called viral recipes. But this one is SO. GOOD. Also, even if I hadn’t seen it all over social media, plenty of you lovely people have, and you’ve sent messages to ask whether it would be good to make in your steam ovens! Let’s call this a post by popular demand, then. I think you’re going to love it as much as I do.
Watch me make this recipe on video!
Why does dumpling lasagne work well in a steam oven?
This recipe is tailor-made for steam cooking, and better still in your steam oven. Traditional soup dumplings rely on enclosed steam to create their signature juicy filling, and here we recreate that effect by layering wrappers and meat in small dishes and cooking them in 100% humidity.
This recipe is far easier in a steam oven than on the stovetop. Instead of juggling boiling water, steamer baskets or lids, and fluctuating heat, the oven maintains a consistent temperature and humidity level, so everything cooks evenly and gently without supervision.
There’s no open water level to monitor, and no lifting stacked baskets or dishes that are partially submerged in hot water. The steady, surrounding heat ensures the dumpling wrappers soften into silky layers while the filling cooks through without drying at the edges. All in one batch, on one tray. It’s cleaner, more controlled, and far more weeknight-friendly than conventional steaming.
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Ingredients and substitutions
See the recipe card further down for full method and ingredient quantities.
- Ground pork or ground chicken. Pork is traditional for dumpling fillings and gives the richest flavor, but ground chicken works beautifully too. If using chicken, thigh mince is preferable to breast because a little fat is essential for that silky, soupy mouthfeel. Very lean meat won’t give the same luscious result.
- Soy sauce. Provides seasoning and depth. Use regular or light soy sauce rather than dark.
- Garlic and ginger. These aromatics are key to classic dumpling flavor. Fresh is best here for brightness.
- Oyster sauce. Adds savory umami depth and rounds out the filling.
- Shaoxing wine. A Chinese cooking wine that adds complexity. Dry sherry is an excellent substitute. If avoiding alcohol entirely, you can omit it or use a small splash of rice wine vinegar instead.
- Sesame oil. Adds a toasty fragrance to the filling.
- Green onions or chives. Either works well. Green onions give a more pronounced onion flavor; chives are milder and more delicate.
- Salt and pepper. Essential for proper seasoning — don’t skip it.
- Round dumpling wrappers. I use frozen round wrappers from the Asian grocery store, which fit neatly into small ramekins. Square wrappers are absolutely fine, especially if you’re using rectangular dishes.
- Chili crisp (for serving). Adds heat and crunch. Chili oil works just as well if that’s what you have.
Dumpling lasagne variations
- Add finely chopped mushrooms to the filling for extra texture and moisture.
- Swap pork for ground turkey or even minced shrimp for a lighter variation.
- Stir finely shredded cabbage and carrot into the filling for a more traditional dumpling-style mix.
- Prefer a large, shareable version? Layer square wrappers in a bigger baking dish, overlapping slightly like pasta sheets, and steam as one large lasagne (you’ll need a longer cooking time, see notes in recipe card).
How to make steamed dumpling lasagne
View, save and print the recipe card further down in this post; read on for the visual walk-through.
Combine the ground meat, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, green onions (or chives), salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly — using your hands is the quickest and most effective method.
Half fill a bowl with room temperature water. Briefly dip a dumpling wrapper into the water and lay it in the base of a small round dish, then add pork filling on top.
Spread the filling over the wrapper, pressing it gently to reach the edges. Repeat the layering — dipping each wrapper in water first — until you have three layers of meat and four wrappers, finishing with a wrapper on top.
Carefully pour about a tablespoon of water into each dish, tilting it so the water runs down the sides rather than sitting on top. Preheat your oven. Arrange the dishes on a perforated tray for easy transfer and steam for about 20 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and top with chili crisp, a drizzle of soy sauce, and snipped chives or green onions. Serve immediately, scooping right down to the bottom to capture the savory broth.
Tips for success
Small, flat-bottomed dishes work best, as they help the layers cook evenly. If your ramekins are slightly larger or smaller, you may need to adjust the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Make sure to dip the wrappers briefly in water — this softens them enough to meld into cohesive layers during steaming. Don’t soak them; a quick dip is all that’s needed.
If making a larger, single lasagne, add a bit more water before steaming and extend the cooking time to ensure the center is fully cooked.
Serving suggestions
These dumpling lasagnes are best served hot from the oven, when the wrappers are silky and the broth is pooled at the bottom of the dish. A simple side of steamed greens or bok choy works beautifully alongside.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated in the steam oven. They won’t be quite as brothy the second time around, but the flavor will still be excellent.
Steamed pork dumpling lasagne is a clever, approachable way to enjoy all the comfort of soup dumplings without the technical folding. With the help of your steam oven, you get tender wrappers, juicy meat, and that irresistible savory broth in every spoonful. It’s viral for a reason — and once you try it, you’ll understand why.
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Steamed Pork Dumpling Lasagne (Viral TikTok Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork or ground chicken, see notes
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 inch piece ginger fresh, grated or minced
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, see notes
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup chopped green onions or chives, see notes
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 24 round dumpling wrappers approx, see notes
- 3 Tbsp chilli crisp for serving, vary amount to taste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce extra, for serving
- snipped chives or green onions for serving
Instructions
- Put the pork, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, green onions, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix well. I use my hands for the quickest and easiest approach.1 lb ground pork, 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 inch piece ginger, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tsp sesame oil, ¼ cup chopped green onions, ½ tsp fine salt, ½ tsp pepper
- Half fill another bowl with room temperature water. Working with one dish at a time, briefly dip a dumpling wrapper in the water and lay it in the base of your dish. Spread a couple of tablespoons of the pork mixture over the dumpling wrapper, squishing it out so it goes right to the edges. Repeat with more dumpling wrappers (dip each into the water before putting into the dish) and more pork, so you have three layers of pork and four dumpling wrappers in each dish. You'll finish with a dumpling wrapper on top. Repeat for all 6 dishes.24 round dumpling wrappers
- Carefully pour a tablespoon of water over the top of each dish, tilting so it goes down the sides of the dish rather than sitting on top.
- Preheat your oven to Steam, 212°F/100°C, 100% humidity. While the oven heats, put all your dishes onto a large perforated tray so it's easier to transfer them in and out of the oven.
- Put the tray into the hot oven, and cook the dumpling lasagnes until the meat is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the finished lasagnes from the oven, top with chilli crisp and extra soy sauce, and a few snipped chives or green onions. Serve immediately, scooping down to the bottom of the dish to get the soupy, saucy liquid as well as the meat and dumpling layers on top.3 Tbsp chilli crisp, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, snipped chives or green onions
Notes
- Dishes for dumpling lasagne. Small round dishes with a flat base are the best for this recipe (unless you want to make a big lasagne, in which case see note 6 below). I have some white ramekins and the cute black dishes you see in the images, bought from ALDI a few years ago. They measure 3 1/2 inches diameter and 2 inches tall (9x5cm), and hold a cup (250ml) in volume. If your dishes are a little bigger or smaller it won’t make a huge difference, you may just need to adjust your cooking up time by a couple of minutes if you end up with more lasagne layers.
- Ground meat. You can use any ground meat you like in this recipe. Pork is the traditional meat for dumpling fillings, but I also love to use ground chicken because it takes on the seasonings really well. Try to use something with a little fat (chicken thigh mince rather than chicken breast would be ideal!); very lean meat won’t give you the silky, slurpy soup dumpling mouthfeel you’re looking for here.
- Shaoxing wine. This Chinese cooking wine is a staple in my house for all sorts of Asian recipes; it’s readily available at Asian grocery stores and lasts for ages. Dry sherry is a good substitute if Shaoxing is hard to get or you don’t want to buy a bottle. If you’re steering completely clear of alcohol you can leave it out, or use a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar instead of the wine.
- Green onions/chives. Generally I wouldn’t say these are interchangeable, but in this recipe you can use either ingredient and it’ll come out well. Green onions will give you a more obviously onion-y finish while the chives are more subtle; both are good so just use what you have.
- Dumpling wrappers. I use round wrappers, from the freezer section of my local Asian supermarket. They fit perfectly into the little round dishes I used for this recipe. Square wrappers are absolutely fine, in fact better if you’re using rectangular or square dishes!
- Big lasagne vs individual ones. You can absolutely make this as a larger, single dish to share. I’d use square dumpling or wonton wrappers and overlap them slightly to make the layers (as if you were using lasagne sheets). Add about 1/3-1/2 cup water to the dish once you’ve layered everything. Depending on the thickness of your finished lasagne, you’ll need to steam it for 30-40 minutes to cook all the way through.
- Chilli crisp. I love this stuff, we go through a lot of it here for garnishing so many different meals! Different stores and different areas will have different brands, so take your pick. Chilli oil is a great substitute if there’s no chilli crisp in your local store.
