5 from 22 votes

Perfect Crispy Dumpling Skirt (VIDEO)

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Servings: 4

10 mins

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Dumpling Skirts are light, crispy and add an amazing contrasting texture with any dumplings (fresh or frozen)! It’s so easy to make at home – the perfect way to make any dumplings feel special and impressive!

A perfect crispy dumpling skirt on a plate with chopsticks and dumpling dipping sauce.

Watch the Crispy Dumpling Skirt Recipe Video!

A Note from CJ

A crispy Dumpling Skirt is SO easy!

Most people are shocked when they learn how easy it is to make a crispy Dumpling Skirt at home! It makes any dumplings (fresh or frozen) feel restaurant quality in just a few minutes!

Enjoy dumpling skirts on homemade Pork Dumplings, Vegetable Dumplings, or Shrimp and Cabbage Dumplings! Don’t forget to pair them with my Dumpling Dipping Sauce, Chinese Chili Oil, Chili Crisp, or Ginger Scallion Sauce!

How to Make a Crispy Dumpling Skirt

Mix Ingredients For the Dumpling Lace – In a bowl, mix together neutral oil, water, flour, corn starch, and salt.

Fry Dumplings and Add Mixture – Pan fry your dumplings as you normally would in 1 tbsp of oil for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat (check out my dumpling recipe here). Once they are golden brown, add about 1 cup of the mixture (enough to come up to 1/4 way up the dumpling) to the pan and cover. If cooking frozen dumplings, add more of the mixture to come up to 1/3 of the dumpling.

Steam Until Done & Enjoy! – Steam for 5-6 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the residual oil is left and remove the lid. The skirt will form and become golden brown. Watch this carefully to ensure it does not burn and remove! Serve your dumplings with your favorite dumpling sauce and enjoy!

A 4 photo collage showing key cooking steps on how to make a perfect crispy dumpling skirt at home.

My Pro Tip

CJ’s Recipe Tips

Use a pan that is non-stick AND the right size – Use a non-stick pan that is appropriately sized for the number of dumplings you are cooking – if you choose a pan that is too small, the dumplings will not fit. If you choose a pan too large, it will require too much of the liquid mixture in proportion to the dumplings – and it will take too long to cook the mixture down and your dumplings will burn. 

Stir the mixture before pouring – Give the mixture a quick mix prior to pouring in the pan – you’ll notice the starch will have sunk to the bottom. This will help redistribute it.

If using frozen dumplings – If you’re using frozen dumplings, add a little extra mixture (about 1/3 of the way up the dumplings) to account for the slightly longer cooking time.

If you tried this Crispy Dumpling Skirt or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!

5 from 22 votes

Perfect Crispy Dumpling Skirt (VIDEO)

Servings: 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
A perfect crispy dumpling skirt on a plate with chopsticks and dumpling dipping sauce.
This crispy dumpling skirt recipe will give your dumplings the impressive crispy lattice skirt that is famous in so many restaurants!
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Equipment

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a bowl, mix together neutral oil, water, flour, corn starch, and salt.
  • Pan fry your dumplings as you normally would in 1 tbsp of oil for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat (I recommend using a nonstick pan). Once they are golden brown, add about 1 cup of the mixture (enough to come up to 1/4 way up the dumpling) to the pan and cover. If cooking frozen dumplings, add more of the mixture to come up to 1/3 of the dumpling.
  • Cover and steam the dumplings for 5-6 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the residual oil is left and remove the lid. The skirt will form and become golden brown. Watch this carefully to ensure it does not burn – this will happen quickly! Turn off the heat and carefully loosen the dumplings and skirt from the pan.
  • Remove the dumplings from the pan with a spatula. Alternatively, place a plate large enough to cover the entire width of the pan and carefully invert the dumplings onto the plate. Serve your dumplings with your favorite dumpling sauce and enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you don’t have corn starch readily available, you can use potato starch or rice flour.
Use a non-stick pan that is appropriately sized for the number of dumplings you are cooking – if you choose a pan that is too small, the dumplings will not fit. If you choose a pan too large, it will require too much of the liquid mixture in proportion to the dumplings – and it will take too long to cook the mixture down and your dumplings will burn. 
Give the dumpling skirt mixture a quick mix prior to pouring in the pan (the starch will sink to the bottom).
If you’re cooking frozen dumplings, add a little extra mixture (about 1/3 of the way up the dumplings) to account for the slightly longer cooking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.03gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.003gSodium: 294mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.01gCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.1mg

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

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Tried this recipe?Mention @cj.eats_ or tag #cjeatsrecipes!

This Crispy Dumpling Skirt recipe was originally published in November 2023, and updated in November 2025.

About CJ

I’m a third generation Chinese-American home cook who has always loved cooking & eating! Welcome to my food blog, where you can find trusted, tested, easy & approachable recipes for the everyday home cook that taste delicious! I am so glad you're here!

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5 from 22 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Worked beautifully and was such an amazing addition. Now I want to make just the slurry and dip in sauce. Kinda like chips and salsa. I’m sure that’s not a thing but that’s how much I enjoyed the crispies. Thank you.