Dumpling and Potsticker Dipping Sauce

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Dumpling and Potsticker Dipping Sauce is great for dipping all of your favorite Asian bites including potstickers, dumplings, gyoza, egg rolls, scallion pancakes, and appetizers. It uses basic pantry ingredients like soy sauce and vinegar and takes less than 5 minutes to make. Check out the recipe card below for variations!

dumplings and sauce on a white platter

I always love those little jars of soy sauce and vinegar you find on the table at restaurants that serve dumplings and potstickers. Mix them up in a bowl and you have a savory, tart sauce that is the perfect complement to every dish you eat. The good news is that it’s incredibly easy to make your own sauce at home using ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. 

In our house, we always need dipping sauce. We keep a Costco-sized bag of chicken potstickers in the freezer at all times (the whole family loves them). 

Here’s how to make it!

jars of soy sauce, garlic and honey on a white table

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce

  • Soy Sauce – You can use regular soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce, just adjust if you’d like it more or less salty. Dark soy sauce will work in a pinch, but it has a more intense flavor, so you will want to increase the other ingredients to balance it out.
  • Rice Vinegar – Rice wine vinegar adds tart flavor and is great with Asian cuisine. If you don’t have rice vinegar, feel free to substitute white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even white wine vinegar.
  • Sesame Oil – You can use either toasted sesame oil or regular sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is darker in color and has a bit more roasted flavor.
  • Garlic – This is optional, but adds great savory flavor.
  • Honey – This is also optional, but a bit of sweetness helps balance the savory flavors of the sauce. You can substitute brown sugar or maple syrup.

You can stop with these simple ingredients and you will have a great, versatile dipping sauce that works well with almost anything. But, if you’d like to make it your own, try one of the following variations.

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stirring sauce in a small glass jar

Variations

  • Green Onions / Scallions – Adds tart, fresh flavor. Be sure to chop the green onion very small so it’s easy to dip. 
  • Cilantro – Finely chopped cilantro gives the sauce a brightness and fresh herb flavor. A little goes a long way. 
  • Sesame Seeds – Great for texture and for making the sauce look a bit more beautiful on the plate. 
  • Red Pepper Flakes, Hot Sauce, or Chili Oil – This sauce is always great with some spice. I particularly like Sriracha sauce or Chinese-style Chili Garlic sauce.
  • Fresh Ginger – Fresh grated ginger adds that unique fresh spiciness. If I’m serving store-bought dumplings, I love adding some ginger to the sauce to boost their flavor. 

How to Make It

  1. Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and honey. In a small bowl.
  2. Stir in any added flavors like fresh herbs, sesame seeds, or hot sauce.
  3. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
  4. Divide sauce into a small bowl for each person you’re serving.
  5. Serve at room temperature.
pouring sauce into a small white ramekin

Storing Potsticker Dipping Sauce

The sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. If adding fresh herbs, it’s a good idea to add those right before serving so they retain their bright color. 

Gluten-Free Option

To make a gluten-free potsticker and dumpling dipping sauce, use gluten-free Tamari in place of the soy sauce.

Tips 

Always taste the sauce and adjust to fit your taste. Sometimes you’ll find you want the sauce more sweet (add some honey) or savory (stir in a bit more soy sauce or sesame oil). Sometimes you’ll want more or less vinegar depending on how tart the vinegar you’re using is. It often helps to test the sauce by dipping something in it first too. If the dumplings, potstickers, etc are extra salty, you may want to balance the sauce with a bit more sweetness or tart vinegar. 

What to Serve with Asian-style Dipping Sauce

dumplings and sauce on a white platter

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dumplings and sauce on a white platter
3.83 from 41 votes

Dumpling and Potsticker Dipping Sauce Recipe

Dumpling and Potsticker Dipping Sauce is great for dipping all of your favorite Asian bites including potstickers, dumplings, gyoza, egg rolls, and scallion pancakes. To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Equipment

  • Small Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk

Ingredients 

  • 1/4 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 clove Garlic, grated (optional; see note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Honey (optional; see note)

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well.
  • Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
  • When you’re ready to serve, divide the sauce between small bowls. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Garlic and Honey – These add depth and flavor to the sauce, but you can easily skip them to save time. This sauce is still delicious in its very basic version with just soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
Variations – Feel free to make this sauce your own by adding any of the following ingredients. If adding fresh herbs, it’s a good idea to wait to add them until right before serving so they retain their bright color. 
  • Green Onions / Scallions 
  • Cilantro 
  • Sesame Seeds 
  • Red Pepper Flakes, Hot Sauce, or Chili Oil 
  • Fresh Ginger

Nutrition

Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2296mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 0.3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $3.00
Calories: 72
Keyword: dipping sauce, easy sauce
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About Jess Smith

Jess is the recipe creator and photographer at InquiringChef.com. She spent nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Her colorful, healthyish recipes have been featured in popular online publications including Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost.

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6 Comments

  1. Very good! I used Hot Hive Honey and added grated ginger, a few red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. I Made it for guests, everyone loved it.

      1. 5 stars
        This was sooooo good! A perfect easy, super fast sauce to finish out the super easy meal of pork gyoza potstickers and chicken fried rice that I picked up from Trader Joe’s. I love having a few of these types of meals ready to go for busy nights.

        I’ll play around with the measurements a bit next time. Maybe a smidge extra honey, and I’ll try adding some ginger next time!