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!

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!

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.

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.

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

• Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups
• Crispy Baked Spring Rolls
• Ginger Shrimp Potstickers