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This irresistible potsticker sauce perfectly balances sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy, creating the ultimate flavor companion for your favorite dumplings. With just a handful of pantry staples and 5 minutes of your time, you’ll have a restaurant-quality dipping sauce that elevates every bite and keeps you coming back for more.
Why You’ll Love This Potsticker Sauce
- Flavorful: I said it once, and I’ll say it again: The combination of these ingredients really brings this sauce (and your potstickers) to life.
- Easy: You can prepare this sauce in only 5 minutes and keep it for up to a week for all the potstickers you plan to consume.
- Versatile: Use this sauce on so much more than potstickers. It’s versatile and it’s flavorful!
Ingredients
Chili Oil & Paste – Oh baby! This is what makes it spicy, but don’t worry, it won’t knock your socks off. The chili oil adds beautiful color and a gentle heat, while the chili paste provides depth and umami. Together, they create the perfect spicy backbone that makes this sauce addictive.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Rice Wine Vinegar – This provides the essential tangy element that cuts through rich, fatty foods and brightens the entire sauce. Lime juice, sherry vinegar, or champagne vinegar are good replacements here if you don’t have rice wine vinegar. The acidity is crucial for balancing the sweetness and saltiness.
How to Make This Potsticker Sauce
Okay, I wasn’t joking when I said this was the easiest recipe ever. Seriously, all you have to do is throw all your ingredients together:
In a small bowl, combine:
- Soy liquid seasoning
- Maple syrup
- Rice wine vinegar
- Chili paste
- Chili oil
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions or chives
Tips and Tricks
- Consistency: If you prefer a thinner sauce, add a teaspoon of water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Heat Level: Start with less chili paste and oil, then add more to taste – you can always make it spicier!
- Fresh Garnish: Add the green onions for the best color and crunch before serving.
- Mixing: A small jar with a tight lid makes mixing and storing easy.
Substitutions
- Soy Sauce: If you don’t have soy liquid seasoning, feel free to use soy sauce or tamari!
- Sweetener: Honey, brown sugar, or agave can replace maple syrup in equal amounts.
- Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar can be substituted with lime juice, sherry vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
- Heat: For a milder sauce, reduce or omit the chili paste and use just a touch of sesame oil instead of chili oil.
Best served with
- Vegan Potstickers
- Nourishing Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
- Summer Veggie Spring Rolls with Mango Salsa
- Kylie Jenner Ramen
How to Store Leftovers
This sauce will last up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Please stir it well before using, as ingredients may separate. For extended storage, freeze in ice cube trays for individual portions that last up to 3 months.
Common Questions
Soy sauce or soy liquid seasoning, maple syrup (or a sweetener), rice wine vinegar, chili paste, and chili oil. These simple ingredients create the perfect balance of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy flavors.
These names can be used interchangeably on menus, which makes it hella confusing. Potstickers are slightly different from dumplings as they are crispy on the outside, based on how they are cooked; however, both dumplings and potstickers are made with dough on the outside and similar fillings.
Absolutely! Reduce or omit the chili paste entirely, and use regular sesame oil instead of chili oil. You can always add heat gradually until you find your perfect spice level.
When stored properly in the refrigerator, this sauce stays fresh for up to one week. The flavors actually develop and improve after a day or two!
Yes! This recipe scales up perfectly. Make a big batch and store it in the fridge for quick weekly meals.
Get creative! You can drizzle it on a healthy bowl, add it to salads, use it as a dipping sauce for other delicious dumpling combinations, spring rolls, fried rice, grilled vegetables, or noodles. Okay, kidding on drinking it, but it is that good! 😉
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy liquid seasoning
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 heaped tbsp. chili paste
- 1 tsp. sesame chili oil
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- handful chopped green onion or chive
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I never write reviews on regular websites but I just had to…this was FREAKING DELICIOUS! I did only add about 1/4 tsp of chili paste because I don’t like overly spicy but the flavor still came through. Absolutely delicious – been trying recipes for a bit and this is by FAR my favorite.
This makes SO happy! Thank you so much, Ashley!
Very flavorful little bundles of yum! I made these tonight for my son. He will love them. I was not crazy about the vermicelli noddles. They make the potstickers difficult to fill. Noodle pieces lying everywhere. I even took my kitchen scissors to the filling and cut them up very fine. Still was not a fan of the little pieces of noodle hanging out everywhere. I will make them again and use more mushrooms, cabbage and carrots to replace the noodles.
These are the best pot stickers ever. They are so easy to make, and the sauce is amazing. I usually make about 60 at a time and freeze them, making sure that I put non stick paper in between each one. My family and friends rave about them. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so much for the love Susan!
What’s in place of maple syrup?
Sorry what do you mean? What can you use instead?
delicious
Thanks Seth!
this is a great sauce for spring rolls and tempura too
Definitely Nazra!! Thanks so much!
this is just the recipe I didn’t know I needed.
YES!!
Thanks for the ingredient substitution suggestions – I used soy sauce and lime juice and I really enjoyed the taste of this sauce. Lots of flavour!
You’re so welcome and thank you!! So happy you enjoy 🙂
Really well thought out recipe, I’m going to try it!
you’re going to love them!
Amazing! Delicious and sooo easy to make!
thank you so much!