Wontons, dumplings, and potstickers are the most well-liked Chinese language staple meals or road meals. All three are pocket meals with meat fillings. However there are distinct variations when it comes to their dough, filling, cooking strategies, serving types, and origins. On this information, we are going to examine the primary distinction between wontons vs dumplings vs potstickers. Firstly let me clear {that a} potsticker is definitely a sort of dumpling. So we are going to evaluate the 2 first and record some further options of potstickers on the finish.

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Following is a fast desk so that you can examine the distinction and we’ve got extra particulars within the following half.
Kind | Wontons | Dumplings | Potstickers |
---|---|---|---|
Origins | Cantonese delicacies, Southern China | Northern Chinese language delicacies, Central Asia | Northern China road meals |
Wrapper | Skinny, delicate, product of flour + water+egg+salt | Thick, chewy, product of flour + water+ salt | Similar as dumplings |
Form | Sq. or spherical with straight sides | Lined or Spherical with fluted or pleated edges | Lined, typically opened |
Filling | Meat+seasonings solely | Meat+ seasonings+ greens | Similar as dumplings |
Cooking Methodology | Boiled, fried | Steamed, pan-fried, boiled | Pan-fried |
Serving Fashion | Serving Fashion In soups, with noodles, |
On plates, in steamers, with dipping sauce | on plates with dipping sauces |
Vitamin | Greater energy, larger carbs, protein, fiber | Greater calorie, larger carbs, protein, fiber | Similar as dumplings, plus extra fats from frying |
wontons vs dumplings vs potstickers: wrapper dough distinction
Ingredient and coloration distinction: each wonton and dumpling wrappers are constructed from wheat-based dough. Nevertheless, typically, wonton dough makes use of egg white or eggs. The egg permits them to carry their form higher throughout cooking and likewise provides a barely yellow coloration.
Form and thickness: Wonton wrappers are at all times tremendous skinny and tender within the type of a sq.. Whereas dumpling wrappers are thicker and chewier than wonton wrappers within the type of spherical shapes.

wontons vs dumplings vs potstickers: Filling distinction
Wontons, dumplings, and potstickers are all packaged with fillings. However there’s a large distinction among the many filling.
Wonton fillings normally include solely meat and seasonings.
Whereas filling for dumplings and potstickers normally accommodates greens like chives, mushrooms, cabbage, or wooden ear mushroom.
It is because we solely wrap a really small quantity of filling (round 1 tsp) in wonton whereas we are going to wrap round 1 tablespoon of fillings in dumplings and potstickers.
Cooking strategies distinction
The most well-liked and customary manner of cooking wonton is to boil it after which serve it with a soup base. Deep-fried or pan-fried wontons are much less standard then wonton soup.
Whereas dumplings may be boiled (水饺), pan-fried (potstickers), and steamed (蒸饺). All the three strategies are equally standard.
Serving distinction
Wontons are normally served with a soup base, both sizzling and bitter, or candy soup base.
Dumplings and potstickers are served with dipping sauces.
Dumplings vs potstickers
Dumplings and potstickers share the identical filling and wrapper. However a dumpling is a a lot bigger scoop. We name the pan-fried dumplings a potsticker.
So potstickers are pan-fried dumplings however dumplings embody water-boiled dumplings, steamed dumplings, and potstickers.
Origins of Wontons
The wonton probably originated in Northern China however grew to become intently related to Cantonese delicacies in Southern China. The earliest document of wontons dates again to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), describing wontons as small soup dumplings. As Cantonese delicacies developed via the Tune Dynasty onward, the skinny wonton wrapper grew to become distinguished from its thicker dumpling cousins, as did signature cooking strategies like boiling and frying.
By the 1900s, wontons had turn out to be standard throughout China and in Chinese language communities overseas. The quintessential American Chinese language restaurant dish, wonton soup, additionally emerged throughout this era. Wontons got here to signify Cantonese delicacies and tradition. Whereas pork and shrimp wonton and wonton noodles soup are probably the most well-known dish.
Within the Sichuan space, wontons are a spicy soup base that makes them completely different and excellent from different kinds of wonton dishes. We name it red oil wonton.
Origins of Dumplings
In distinction to wontons’ Southern Chinese language id, dumplings are strongly linked to Northern Chinese language delicacies in addition to the nomadic cultures of Central Asia.
Dumplings have been traditionally ubiquitous throughout China’s Northern provinces. Every area developed its personal signature shapes, filling elements, and folding methods. Crescent-shaped cumin lamb dumplings originated from Uyghur communities in Xinjiang whereas minced pork and napa cabbage dumplings got here from Shandong.
Dumplings are additionally extraordinarily standard in different Asian nations.
The Invention of Potstickers
Potstickers are basically a wide range of pan-fried dumplings that probably originated amongst road meals distributors in Northern China.
In contrast to water-boiled or steamed dumplings, potstickers are pan-fried till crispy. Then water is added to create steam vapor to prepare dinner the highest half. Through the course of, the crispy backside by no means leaves the pan so it’s potsticker.
Personally, I really like all three of them. I really like the crispy backside of potstickers and the tiny devoted wonton in soups and dumplings in varied methods. Hopefully, this information makes the distinction fairly apparent to you. And following are a few of our greatest recipes for wontons, dumplings, and potstickers.
- wonton soup
- mushroom potstickers
- Pork and chive potstickers
- how to make Chinese dumplings
- Red oil wonton
- Cold sesame wonton
- Wonton wrappers
- Dumpling wrappers
- Deep-fried wontons
- Chinese shrimp wonton
FAQs
No, wonton and dumpling wrappers usually are not interchangeable. Dumpling wrappers are thicker to match nicely with the fillings and cooking strategies.
Wontons: Finely minced pork, shrimp, and rooster with savory seasonings.
Dumplings: Common dumpling fillings embody pork and chive, cabbage dumplings, san xian filling, or vegan dumpling fillings utilizing mushrooms and greens
Potstickers: Potstickers use any filling that you’d discover in a regular dumpling, like pork, rooster, cabbage, and scallions.
For those who use store-bought wrappers, then all three varieties are straightforward to make at residence. Nevertheless, wonton wrappers are far more tough to make than dumpling wrappers as a result of it’s a lot thinner and desires extra observe to complete.
Conclusion
Now we all know wontons and dumplings come from completely different areas. Wontons come from Cantonese delicacies whereas dumplings begin within the inhabitants from the Northern a part of China. Potsticker shares the wrapper and filling with dumplings however may be cooked solely through pan-frying.