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Meatless Monday: Tofu Potstickers

By Sanika Naik, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, MS in Biotechnology candidate | September 24, 2025
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Tofu potstickers are they’re one of my favorite comfort foods—simple, flavorful, and surprisingly quick to make. I love them because they’re customizable with whatever veggies I have on hand, and they always feel nourishing without being heavy. They are quick, cozy, and perfect for busy days.

Cooking is my way to pause, recharge, and create something that feels both grounding and enjoyable.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cups flour
  • about 3/4 warm water

Filling

  • 1 cup crumbled tofu
  • 1 cup chopped veggies (I like cabbage, carrots, and scallions; corn, bell peppers and mushrooms are good too.)
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Paprika
  • Neutral oil
  • Salt and pepper

For Serving

  • Sesame seeds, chili oil, and extra chopped scallions for garnish
  • Your choice of dipping sauces

Instructions

  1. Mix your flour and water to make the dough. Set aside.
  2. Heat a small amount of neutral oil over medium heat in a frying pan, just enough to cover the pan’s surface. Stir fry your tofu amd veggies in the oil, along with soy sauce, paprika, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings of your choice, to taste. Allow the tofu-veggie mix to cool while you roll out the dough.Chopped vegetables and tofu in a frying pan on a stove, being stirred by a wooden spoon. Someone is adding soy sauce to the pan. Captions label the soy sauce and say "Stir fry the veggies with tofu + soy sauce + paprika + seasonings of your choice."
  3. Roll out your dough to your desired thickness, and cut out three-inch circles. You’ll have enough dough for about a dozen dumplings, depending on how thinly you roll the dough.
    Dough rolled into a circle next to a shallow dish of flour. A person's hands are visible; the left hand holds one fully cut-out circle and the right hand is pulling a newly cut circle away from the larger piece of dough. Captions say "roll out dough, cut out in circle"
  4. Add a tablespoon of filling to each round of dough (don’t overstuff!) and pinch the dumplings shut.A frying pan with sauteed veggies and tofu sit in a pan next to a shallow dish of flour. On a third dish, two sealed dumplings sit next to a dumpling that is in the process of being sealed by a person's hands. The veggie filling is visible on the unsealed dumpling. A caption says, "place the filling inside the wrappers & seal it"
  5. Heat a small amount of neutral oil over medium heat in a frying pan, just enough to cover the pan’s surface. Fry the dumplings in the oil until the bottoms are golden brown. The exact time will depend on your pan and your stove, but two minutes is a good estimate. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to the pan, enough to cover the dumplings about halfway. Cover the pan, and allow the dumplings to steam for four to 10 minutes.Eight dumplings sit in a frying pan. A caption says, "1. fry until the bottoms are golden brown. An inset image of the same dumplings in the same pan but with a lid on the pan says "2 add water and steam"
  6. Arrange on a platter, and garnish as desired with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and chili oil. Serve with your choice of dipping sauces. (My favorites are roasted tomato and garlic, and soy sauce mixed with red chili sauce, paprika, garlic, green chili sauce, and rice vinegar.)13 beautiful dumplings sit on a white platter, surrounding a cup of orange sauce. To the side of the platter is another cup filled with a dark brown sauce. A caption says "Tofu potstickers" with an arrow pointing at the dumplings. A caption says "roasted tomato + garlic dipping sauce" with an arrow pointing at the orange sauce. A caption says "Soy sauce and chili sauce + paprika + garlic + green chili sauce + rice vinegar" with an arrow pointing towards the brown sauce.
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