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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
45 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
I was really skeptical because it smelled strongly of soy sauce, but it tastes great!
ITS SO GOOD!
Really good would make again. Easy enough that my daughter almost made it all!
awe, that is so cute, thanks for the love!
I so love this receipe!!! I found your website exactly at the right moment that I needed it !!!!
yay, I love that for you!
I made your recipe. Very good.
Thank you.
thank you!!!
I just made this sauce. Delicious. Definitely making this again. Thank you!
yaya, thank you so much!
The best potstickers we have ever had!
right, it’s all in the sauce!
This recipe is seriously good! We get Japanese at least twice a month and this is essential, my whole family loved it and I will definitely be making it again!
this makes me so happy!
I made it, loved it, and will do it again. Top, thanks Maria!
thanks so much, kelly!
This dipping sauce recipe is everything. All my girlfriends want the recipe. Best dipping sauce I’ve ever had!
yay, thanks so much for the support!
Simply delicious, everything was in my fridge too!
yay, I love this so much!