This Pork Filled Cabbage Dumpling recipe uses steamed cabbage leaves in place of dough, so it’s a much healthier way to make these classic Chinese appetizers.
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Hello dumplings
Today I’m going to share a recipe for delicious Pork Filled Cabbage Dumplings, a classic starter that you can eat on just about any diet. These little dumplings are Low Carb, Keto, Paleo and Low-Calorie, as well as being MSG-Free, Grain-Free, Sugar-Free and Gluten-Free.
They are all the frees.
What are cabbage dumplings?
Cabbage Dumplings are a healthier alternative to classic Chinese dumplings. They use softened cabbage leaves instead of a traditional dough wrapper, which ups the veggies and lowers the carbs.
Carbs in cabbage dumplings?
Regular dough wrapped pork dumplings have about 25g net carbs. But cabbage wrapped dumplings have just 4g. So if you are on a Keto diet, then these babies are the way to go.
Ideas for Mains
They make a great appetizer before any Chinese meal. I’ve got healthified versions of all kinds of Asian recipes on this site, like Sesame Chicken, Shrimp Stir Fry, Asian Marinated Salmon, BBQ Pork, Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Scallion Pancakes and Egg Drop Soup.
Shrimp Stir Fry 
BBQ Pork Pork Fried Rice Asian Salmon Sweet and Sour Chicken Egg Drop Soup Scallion Pancakes 
Sesame Chicken Chicken Potstickers
Ingredients
For the filling, you’ll need: fresh ginger, scallions, ground pork, eggs, bouillon, coconut aminos or soy sauce, and almond flour. And you’ll need the leaves of about a ½ a head of cabbage.
For a dipping sauce, the ingredients are: coconut aminos or soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil.
To make them a little bit healthier, try adding more veg.
You can use some combination of:
- Carrots
- Shitaki Mushrooms
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Oyster Mushrooms
- Onions
- Scallions
- Cabbage
- Edamame Beans
You can also use tofu or ground chicken place of the ground pork.
Just Sauté the vegetables in olive oil and you are good to go.
What kind of cabbage can you use?
You've got 4 different types of cabbage to choose from:
- Green Cabbage: This is the basic cabbage that you think of when someone says “cabbage”. And unless you are shopping at a large grocery store, this is going to be the only cabbage available. But that is ok, because the pork dumplings work great with this kind of cabbage.
- Red Cabbage: Don’t let green cabbage hear this, but red cabbage has the same texture as green cabbage, but is just a little bit prettier. But you should know that the color sometimes runs, so you might be looking at some purple filling. Not the worst problem to have though.
- Napa Cabbage: This is the most tender of the cabbages since the leaves are thinner and the ribs are less hearty. So you can easily make larger dumplings with Napa cabbage, which is nice. Just cut down the stem so it is even thinner, and roll the whole leaf, instead of just half of the leaf.
- Savoy Cabbage: Savoy cabbages are what all cabbages aspire to be. It’s a beautiful cabbage with a wonderful waffle-like texture with a slight elasticity. That makes it ideal for making these Pork Filled Cabbage Dumplings.
But again, when it comes to choosing cabbages, be like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and “love the one you’re with”.
Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos?
In case you are a coconut aminos newbie: it’s a dark sauce that tastes very similar to soy sauce. But instead of being made from wheat and soy, it’s made from the sap of the coconut plant. The sap is fermented until it has a nice rich salty flavor. This faux soy sauce is lower in salt and can be eaten by people who eat gluten-free, wheat-free, and soy-free.
Soy sauce has wheat in it?
Yes, wheat is actually the main ingredient in soy sauce, which came as a bit of a shock to me when I heard about it. It’s made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and a fermenting agent. The sugar is eaten up in the fermentation process, but you know, it's still made from wheat. So while it is technically low in carbohydrates, if you are on a low carb diet, you may want to go with the Coconut Aminos.
But if you only have soy sauce, just use it.
How to make Cabbage Dumplings:
- First, you mix together all of the filling ingredients. Then boil the cabbage for 10 minutes, and carefully pull off the outer leaves.
- Cut out the stem of each cabbage leaf and cut it in half like this:
- Then wrap the filling in the cabbage leaves like this:
- Add the dumplings to a steaming basket and steam for 10 minutes until cooked through.
- Whisk together the dipping sauce and then serve.
It only takes about 30 minutes tops.
They truly are all of the best frees.
So fly away my dumplings, fly away and be free.
📋 Recipe
Pork Filled Cabbage Dumplings Recipe
This Pork Filled Cabbage Dumpling recipe uses steamed cabbage leaves in place of dough, so it’s a much healthier way to make this classic Chinese appetizer.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Diabetic
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bulb ginger (1 tablespoon), minced
- 2 scallions including dark green ends, sliced
- ¾ pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon Roasted Chicken Better Than Bouillon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon almond flour
Wrapper:
- 8 cabbage leaves (½ cabbage)
Dipping Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon chili oil
Instructions
Step 1. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, scallions, ground pork, egg, Better Than Bouillon, salt, pepper, almond flour, and coconut aminos. Knead the meat mixture with your hands until all of the ingredients are smoothly mixed together.
Step 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Core the cabbage and boil for 10 minutes.
Step 3. Allow the cabbage to cool enough to work with. Gently peel off the cabbage leaves. Cut each leaf in half and cut out the remaining stems.
Step 4. Drop a tablespoon of filling on a cabbage leaf. Fold up the sides of the cabbage and roll it up.
Step 5. Add the dumplings to a steaming basket and steam for 10 minutes until cooked through.
Step 6. Whisk the dipping sauce ingredients together and serve.
Nutrition
- Calories: 276
- Fat: 40
- Carbohydrates: 6
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 18
Keywords: Low Carb Cabbage Dumpling, Keto Cabbage Dumpling, Paleo Cabbage Dumpling
Emmeline says
What a great, healthy twist! I've never made dumplings at home but this seems like an easier version as well, so I will try it!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Yay! Let me know how you like them.
Adrianne says
These look like such a great alternative to high carb pork dumplings. I love the cabbage leaves. Can't wait to try these!! Cheers
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Cheers!
Dannii says
These look delicious. I really like cabbage, and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it.
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Great! I'm a fan of cabbage too.
Cathy says
Emily, this looks like a superb recipe and cannot wait to try it with cabbage!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Let me know how you like it!
Trish says
I am anxious to try your recipe! Did I miss how many servings?
EmilyKrill says
Yay! I think you are going to like them. The recipe makes 4 servings.
Emily says
I'm so sorry that you had trouble with the cabbage, Amy! I always boil the whole cabbage and then pull the leaves off. I just looked up how other food bloggers do it, and a lot of them do what you tried first, and pull the leaves off before boiling them for 2-5 minutes. There is one more method you could try. The POS Kitchen makes this shumai recipe with shredded cabbage on the outside. I haven't made it but it sounds delicious. And you wouldn't have to mess around with cabbage leaves. https://www.mypcoskitchen.com/keto-paleo-shrimp-pork-shumai/
Amy says
Thanks for replying! This is the first time I have ever left a comment. This one really had me frustrated! lol I will try boiling the whole cabbage next time. I may also look up the site you left when I get a chance. Thanks again! I am trying to follow the keto plan, but don't seem to be making much progress. I've been following it for about 8 months and have lost and gained the same 5 pounds. More than a little frustrating
lol There does not seem to be a lot of room for error, but I am not giving up yet. Thanks again!
Amy says
I tried to make this and had a lot of trouble with the cabbage part. I ended up just making the filling mixture into meatballs and frying them in a pan. They tasted great with the sauce! I have used cabbage in several recipes, but I have never boiled it. I tried to separate the leaves and then boil it. It was reduced to shreds. lol I tried a second time and once the water started to boil, I added the cabbage and then turned down the heat so it was not a rolling boil. I did get some bigger pieces out, but after it cooled and I picked it up, it just shredded again. I wasted a whole head of cabbage trying to get this to work! Good thing cabbage is cheap. lol When you boiled the cabbage, did you boil the whole thing and then separate it? I love to cook and consider myself to be fairly good at it, but this was a challenge for me. I would like to try it again if I could figure out the secret to the cabbage. lol I would appreciate any suggestions you could give me. Thanks!
Blanca says
can you freeze them? before the steam or after?
Emily says
I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer to that one. These dumplings are pretty delicate so I'm worried that they might fall apart during the freezing and thawing process. Livestrong gave some advice on freezing and thawing stuffed cabbage rolls that might apply. They recommend doing this long drawn out freezing and thawing process using the refrigerator and then the freezer. It sounds like a lot of trouble though, honestly. https://www.livestrong.com/article/462467-how-to-freeze-cooked-cabbage-rolls/ If you do try freezing them, please check back in and let me know how it goes!
Douglas Hillerich says
I've made these and froze them on wax paper then vacuum sealed them. I do not thaw them. I stream them from frozen state for 20 minutes. They turn out perfect. I sometimes after steaming will let them set on a wire rack to dry a little bit then quick fry them in a hot skillet to get a little char on them for a smokey flavor. Either way they are great.
★★★★
EmilyKrill says
That's great. Thanks so much for sharing your freezing method. I have never frozen them, so I really appreciate this info.
Michelle says
Is that regular cabbage or napa cabbage?
Emily says
This is just regular cabbage. Napa cabbage is mostly stem, so it would be hard to fold and work with.
Ralphie says
What flavor of Better Than Bouillon do you use? Thank you so much!
Emily says
Good question! I used Chicken Flavor. I just added that to the recipe. Thank you so much for pointing that out!