Pork Dumplings - Learn to make homemade pork dumplings (pelmeni) with dough made from scratch and the juiciest, meatiest filling with a secret ingredient to stuff them with!
There are so many ways to fill and cook dumplings that it varies widely across cultures. These dumplings pelmeni are a Russian version stuffed with ground turkey, ground pork, and zucchini, and just so happen to be a favorite around here!
They’re easy to make for a fun weekend activity with the kids, but they can also be made ahead and kept frozen for later when you want something fast and easy during the week.
Why You’ll Love This Pelmeni Recipe
- They’re made with just a few simple ingredients and are ready in under an hour!
- You can prepare them ahead and freeze them for later.
- They are delicious and can be eaten on their own, with sour cream, or with your favorite sides.
- You’ll love the flavors in the filling, but it can also be customized to your liking. I’ve made delicious beef and pork pelmeni as well.
Cooking Tips
- If the dough is too sticky, you can add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the texture is right.
- To avoid touching raw meat, I use rubber gloves to mix the pork and turkey.
- The dough should be rolled out to a log about 2 inches long, and once cut, the circles should be rolled out to about 1.5 inches in diameter.
- Be sure to seal the edges well. You don’t want any of the filling to fall out!
- Customize the filling and use different ground meats for different flavors. Ground beef or ground chicken can also work. If using a lean meat like turkey or chicken, I would recommend pairing it with a fattier meat so it’s not too dry.
- For extra flavor, season your water with Vegeta seasoning. My friend does this, and she says it gives the dumplings amazing flavor.
Ingredients For This Pork Dumpling Recipe
For the Dough
- All-purpose flour: Keep some extra handy in case you find the dough sticky.
- Salt: To enhance the flavor of the dough.
- Egg: This binds the dough together.
- Oil: Keeps the dough nice and moist. I use avocado oil, but you can use whichever neutral-tasting oil you prefer.
- Water: Brings the dry ingredients together into a dough.
For the Filling
Butter: Helps to prevent the dumplings from sticking together just before serving.
Ground meat: I use a combination of ground turkey and ground pork. The pork adds that extra flavor and fat, and the turkey is nice and lean.
Zucchini: Puréed in a food processor. This hidden vegetable adds moisture, flavor, and plenty of nutrients.
Garlic: This will get puréed with the zucchini and add a nice garlicky taste.
Salt and pepper: To taste.
How to Make Dumplings
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the flour and salt. Then, add the egg and oil and use the hook attachment on low to mix until a dough forms. This should be about 5-10 minutes.
Step 2: Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes while you make the pelmeni filling.
Step 3: Add zucchini and garlic to a food processor and pulse until almost puréed. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the ground meats.
Step 4: Season with salt and pepper and use your hands to give it a good mix. You can also use a wooden spoon for this!
Step 5: Grab your dough and divide it into four equal dough balls. Take one of them and cover the rest with plastic wrap.
Step 6: Roll the dough between your hands to form the shape of a skinny sausage and cut it into small pieces. Dust each one with a bit of flour.
Step 7: Use a rolling pin to roll each piece out into smaller dumpling circles. Fill each one with meat filling, leaving the edges free. You should have about a teaspoon of filling in each one, but you can alter the amount depending on the size of your circle.
Step 8: Fold the dough in half and pinch the edges with your finger to seal. At this point it should look more like a potsticker or half moon. Then, take the two ends and pinch them together to make a dumpling. Now it should look like tortellini!
Step 9: Repeat the above process until all of the dumplings are made. Halfway through, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 10: Once boiling, carefully add the dumplings into the water and stir a few times. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes until they start rising to the top. Use a slotted spoon to remove them into a plate and stir with butter.
Enjoy seasoned with salt and pepper and a dollop of sour cream!
More Delicious Meat Recipes
- Easy Braised Pork Shoulder Instant Pot Recipe
- Best Pork Shish Kabobs
- Sweet Red Chili Pork Recipe
- Juicy Chicken Sausage Recipe
- Best Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
When YOU make this Dumplings Pelmeni Recipe tag us on Instagram @MunchkinTimeBlog we would love to see YOUR creation!
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📖 Recipe
Easy Pelmeni Recipe (Pork Dumplings)
Ingredients
Pelmeni Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt Kosher
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup avocado oil or any oil of your choice
- ¾ cup water
Pelmeni Filling
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1 small zucchini pureed
- 2-3 clvoes garlic
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter or to taste
Instructions
Pelmeni Dough Recipe
- When kneading dough I like to use stand mixer: into a stand mixer bowl add 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt and give it a nice stir. Next, add 1 egg, ¼ cup avocado oil and ¾ cup of water.
- Using a hook attachment, knead on low setting until dough forms about 5-10 minutes.
- After cover the dough with plastic food wrap and let rest for about 15-20 minutes. Now lets make pelmeni filling.
Pork Dumplings Filling
- Into a food processor add 1 small zucchini and 2 cloves of garlic, pulse until almost pureed. Then place pureed zucchini with garlic into a mixing bowl with 1 lb ground turkey, ½ lb ground pork.
- Season with salt and pepper, and give it a good mix with hands (I use gloves when touching raw meat) or a spoon. Dumplings filling is ready to be used.
How to Make Pork Dumplings
- To make pork dumplings, first divide the dough into 4 balls. Take one dough ball and cover the rest with plastic wrap.
- Using hands roll dough between hands to form a long skinny sausage, then cut it into small pieces. Dust each piece in a little bit of flour, then using a roller pin roll out each piece into a dumpling circles.
- After place meat filling onto the center of the dough circle, fold dough in half and pinch with finger tips to seal. Then bring 2 ends together and pinch on top of each other to make a dumpling. Repeat, until all dumplings are made.
- When half way done, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once water starts boiling carefully add dumplings and bring them to a boil, stirring few times. After water starts boiling, cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon remove dumplings onto a plate and stir in butter, so dumplings don't stick to each other. Serve with sour cream and black pepper. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- When making dumplings dough, add more flour if dough is sticky - 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.
- Pork dumplings are freezer friendly, after making them arrange pelmeni over baking sheet alined with parchment paper, then place them in the freezer for 2 hours. After place frozen dumplings into a zip bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- My friend likes to cook dumplings in Vegeta seasoned water, she says it gives these dumplings an amazing flavor.
Nutrition
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