What's The Difference Between Potstickers And Dumplings?

Dumplings are one of those rare dishes you can find as part of almost every style of cuisine. From the classic southern dish, chicken and dumplings, to Chinese har gow, which you usually find in dim sum, virtually every culture on the planet eats some form of dumpling. If you enjoy sampling new styles, we recommend trying South African souskluitjies and Georgian khinkali.

These will often be plain doughy balls of goodness added to other dishes or elevated to main course status, as with Indian Malai kofta. With so many varieties cooked around the world and the versatility dumplings offer, there is little wonder that people often become confused when discussing them.

A good example of this bafflement often arises over the difference between dumplings and potstickers. Get any group of foodies together and ask them what that difference is. You can then sit back and enjoy the fun of watching a passionate debate break out. Or, if you'd rather not wait, you can read on for the detailed difference between these two doughy foods.

To show just how complex this subject can be, it seems that even Britannica can let some degree of contradiction slip in the discussion. At the beginning of their definition, they describe dumplings as a "small mass of leavened dough that is either boiled or steamed....". Keep reading, though, and you will find them discussing the Jewish people using unleavened matzo meal to make dumplings for Passover and other holidays.

Suffice it to say, you can make dumplings using leavening agents or not. What makes a dumpling — well a dumpling — is taking dough and boiling, steaming, or at times (via MasterClass) frying it. It doesn't matter what type of flour or meal you use. It doesn't matter if you flatten the dough and stuff it or if you simply pinch off pieces and cook them. They are still a dumpling. Foodsguy does mention, however, that dumplings are generally round while potstickers are usually a crescent shape, however, this is not a concrete distinguishment. 

Now that we have established with some authority what defines a dumpling let's look at potstickers and see how they relate to dumplings. 

The truth is that potstickers are not different from dumplings in any way. In fact, potstickers are dumplings. You see, while all potstickers are dumplings, not all dumplings are potstickers. Merriam-Webster defines a potsticker as "a crescent-shaped dumpling filled usually with pork, steamed, and then fried."

Dumplings are found in a large category of foods that can include soups, finger foods, main dishes, and even desserts. On the other hand, potstickers could be considered a narrow class within this category. To be regarded as potstickers, the dumpling must be stuffed, steamed, and then fried. The main difference is the filling, not the cooking technique. 

As a general rule, most people use very thin wrappers for potstickers, which is different than that used for a dumpling (via Foodsguy). Potsticker recipes can still fill many niches, but if they aren't stuffed with something, they are really just a dumpling. 

To be honest, what's in a name? A rose by any other name, as they say. Whether you call them potstickers, dumplings, or by some more specific term, it's still delicious. And the fact that so many cultures worldwide have duplicated the same style of dish is a testament to its value.