Pork baozi (steamed pork buns)
Non-vegetarian
肉包子 · ròu bāo zi
Fluffy yeasted buns pleated around a juicy filling of seasoned pork, ginger and spring onion, then steamed — a breakfast and snack staple across China.
Pork baozi (steamed pork buns) is a Chinese dumpling dish from China, ready in about 2 hours 25 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and ground pork. It serves 12 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 h 20 min
- Total
- 2 h 25 min
- Serves
- 12
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 244
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and baking powder (opens in a new tab), add the water and oil and knead into a smooth dough. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Beat the pork with the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), oyster sauce (opens in a new tab), wine, sesame oil (opens in a new tab), ginger, pepper and salt, then gradually beat in the water in one direction until sticky. Fold in the spring onion (opens in a new tab) and chill.
- 10 min
Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw pork.
Step 3
Knead the dough briefly, divide into 12 and roll each into a 10 cm round, thinner at the edges.
Step 4
Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre and pleat the edges up and around, pinching and twisting the top closed. Set each on baking paper.
- 18 min
If pleating is tricky, simply gather and pinch the dough closed and turn the bun seam-side down.
Step 5
Leave the buns to rise for 20 minutes, then steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Rest with the lid on for 3 minutes before opening.
- 18 min
- high heat
- Steamer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: The filling should be piping hot (75 °C) in the centre.
About this dish
- Origin
- China · Well documentedAlso popular in TaiwanMore food from China
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Lunch · Dumplings · Breads & flatbreads · Street food
- Cooking method
- Steamed
- Taste
- savoury, umami, mild
- Diet
- Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Beef-free - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Street food
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Ground pork · Dried yeast · Sugar · Baking powder · Soy sauce
- Techniques
- Boiling · Steaming · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- May contain: Crustaceansfrom oyster sauce
- Contains: Molluscsfrom oyster sauce
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine
- Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce, oyster sauce
- Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
244 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 106 g · recipe makes 12
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 16%
- Carbohydrate 47%
- Fat 36%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 244 kcal | 230 kcal |
| Protein | 9.6 g | 9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.4 g | 26.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 27.2 g | 25.6 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | — | — |
| Fibre | 1.2 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 9.7 g | 9.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.9 g | 2.8 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 24 mg | 23 mg |
| Sodium | 353 mg | 334 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 0.8 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 167 mg
- Calcium
- 39 mg
- Iron
- 2 mg
- Magnesium
- 18 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 3 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 110 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Shaoxing wine: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in for Chinese rice cooking wine.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Leave space between buns in the steamer — they expand a lot.
Common mistakes
- Making the dough edges as thick as the centre, so the top becomes doughy.
Serve with
- Serve for breakfast with soy milk, or with black vinegar and chilli oil.
Storage
- Freeze steamed, cooled buns for up to 2 months.
Reheating
- Steam from frozen for 12–15 minutes.
Variations
- Char siu bao: The Cantonese dim sum bun filled with diced char siu in a sweet oyster-sauce gravy.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Structure
Dough
- All-purpose flour400 g
- Dried yeast4 g
- Sugar20 g
- Baking powder1 tsp · 4.4 g
- Water, lukewarm210 ml · 210 g
- Neutral vegetable oil1 tbsp · 14 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 50 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Rest · about 3 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Final proof · about 20 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 15 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 2 h 28 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 400 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 210 g | 52.5% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 20 g | 5% |
| Neutral vegetable oil | Fat | 14 g | 3.4% |
| Baking powder | Raising agent | 4 g | 1.1% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 4 g | 1% |
- Total flour
- 400 g
- Hydration
- 52.5%
- With milk, eggs…
- 52.5%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
If something goes wrong
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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