Name: Best Dumplings recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup self-raising flour sifted; 2 tsp butter; 50 ml water; 50 ml milk

by judyth Last updated on 05/07/2025

These four-ingredient dumplings are easy to prep and are steamed on the surface of stews, where they puff up into light puffy balls. Their job is to mop up all the gravy on your plate, which they are very good at doing – no bread or mash required!

How to make dumplings: key tips

Use your fingertips to rub the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the milk and water until the mixture is just combined – don’t over stir or your dumplings will lose their fluffiness and become very dense when cooked.

Place spoonfuls of dumpling mixture straight into your simmering casserole, then make sure you cover the pot with a lid. Your dumplings will cook both in the liquid and the steam created within the pot. They’ll puff up as they cook and may butt up against each other, but that’s okay, and should be fully done after 10 minutes.

Key ingredients in this dumplings recipe

Only 4 ingredients are needed to make these puffy dumplings: self-raising flour, butter, water and milk. The flour is your leavening agent, while the liquids help create the dough and the texture of your dumplings. You can also add a pinch of salt, if you like.

To make tasty herb dumplings, you can stir through some finely chopped fresh herbs before you stir in the milk and water mixture.

Here’s a lovely chicken casserole with dumplings. You might also like these golden syrup dumplings for dessert!

This recipe was originally submitted by judyth, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- judyth

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour sifted
2 tsp butter
50 ml water
50 ml milk

Method

Step 1

Rub butter into flour until it feels like soft breadcrumbs.
Step 2

Mix milk and water together and lightly stir through mixture.
Step 3

Have meat and sauce simmering and drop pieces of batter the size of a small egg on top of meal.
Step 4

Cover with a tight lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

What are dumplings made of?

Dumplings are made from dough from starch sources like bread, flour or potatoes. The starch dough is wrapped around a savoury or sweet filling such as meat, fish, tofu, vegetables, fruits, or sweets. Dumplings in European cultures are made by mixing milk, flour and butter together into a doughy mass that can be steamed, baked, fried or boiled.

Are dumplings Chinese or Japanese?

The Chinese made dumplings during the Han Dynasty. A man named Zhang Zhongjian is credited with these dumplings. However, how they are eaten in Japan differs from how they’re consumed in China. Dumplings also come from other regions around the world like Poland, where they are stuffed with meat or vegetables. These dumplings can be used in stews.

What are the two types of dumplings?

There are two main types of dumplings: bao and gao. Bao refers to purse-shaped dumplings, and gao is crescent-shaped. However, there are other variations, like shui jiao and guo tie dumplings. There are also bun-like dumplings, which are the ones in this recipe. They make the perfect bread dough because they can mop up all the sauce of the stew.

What is traditional in dumplings?

The dumpling recipe differs depending on what country you are in. Chinese dumplings, known as Jiaozi, are made from unleavened dough and savoury minced fillings like meat, vegetables, egg or tofu. Jiaozi can be steamed, boiled or pan-fried. European dumplings are like a bread dough holding meat inside. The dough is steamed, baked, boiled or fried and is delicious served with stews.

Dumplings vs gyoza

The main difference between a dumpling and a gyoza is that gyoza usually has a thicker wrapping and is made in a crescent-style shape. A dumpling can range from having translucent wrapping to a soft, bread-like wrapping that can be torn apart.