Kimchi Cabbage Dumplings – The Easy Freezer-Friendly Cabbage Crush Recipe
Tested & Approved
by Sophie Lane
Most kimchi dumplings taste watered-down because nobody bothers to wring the cabbage out twice. This cabbage dumplings recipe crushes both fresh napa and the kimchi itself before mixing, so every bite stays spicy, funky, and tight instead of leaking broth all over your steamer. Freeze a full tray and you've got dumplings that cook up crisp-bottomed straight from frozen, no thaw required.
Published: August 13, 2026
Simple, everyday ingredients and clear, step-by-step instructions — every recipe made in Dorothy"s kitchen before it reaches yours. Jump to the full recipe card below.
PrintKimchi Cabbage Dumplings – The Easy Freezer-Friendly Cabbage Crush Recipe
Pan-fried kimchi cabbage dumplings with a double-crushed filling that stays juicy, never soggy, and freezes beautifully for later.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Method: Pan-fry and steam
- Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients
- 2 cups napa cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt (for crushing cabbage)
- 1 cup kimchi, drained and chopped (juice reserved)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 pound ground pork (80/20 fat ratio)
- 3 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 egg white
- 1 package round or square dumpling wrappers (about 40)
- Neutral oil, for pan-frying
- Water, for steaming and sealing
Instructions
- Toss shredded napa cabbage with salt and let sit 15 minutes, then squeeze hard in a kitchen towel until no more liquid drips out.
- Drain the kimchi in a fine strainer over a bowl, pressing to release juice; chop the drained kimchi finely and set the juice aside.
- Heat sesame oil in a small pan, add reserved kimchi juice and gochugaru, and simmer 3-4 minutes until syrupy. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine crushed cabbage, chopped kimchi, kimchi reduction, ground pork, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and egg white.
- Mix by hand in one direction for 2 minutes until the filling feels tacky and holds together.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper, wet the edges with water, fold and pleat to seal tightly.
- To freeze: arrange sealed dumplings in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray, uncovered, and freeze 1 hour until firm before transferring to a freezer bag.
- To cook fresh or from frozen: heat oil in a nonstick pan, arrange dumplings flat-side down, sear 2 minutes until golden, then add a splash of water and cover to steam 4-5 minutes (6-7 minutes if frozen) until cooked through.
- Uncover and let the remaining water evaporate so the bottoms crisp back up, then serve hot.
Notes
Crush the cabbage and the kimchi separately before mixing — this is the step that keeps the filling from turning watery and blowing out the wrappers. Always cook frozen dumplings straight from the freezer without thawing, or the wrappers go gummy. For a milder version, rinse the chopped kimchi briefly before draining.
Here"s the mistake almost every kimchi dumpling recipe makes: it treats kimchi as a finished ingredient you can just chop and dump into the filling. But kimchi is basically a sponge full of brine, and once it hits a hot pan or steamer, that liquid comes right back out, sogging the wrapper and forcing all your filling out one blown seam. The fix is a double-crush method. Salt the shredded napa cabbage first and squeeze it hard in a kitchen towel until it stops dripping, then separately press the kimchi itself in a strainer, saving the runoff. That reserved kimchi juice doesn"t get wasted — reduce it in a hot pan with sesame oil and a spoon of gochugaru until it turns syrupy, then fold that concentrated “kimchi butter” back into the filling. You get all the depth of the brine with none of the water weight.
The second thing that separates a good cabbage dumplings recipe from a mediocre one is fat and stick. Ground pork with a decent fat ratio (80/20 at minimum) binds the crushed cabbage together far better than lean turkey or chicken, which turns the filling crumbly and dry once frozen and reheated. If you"re going lean anyway, compensate with an extra spoon of toasted sesame oil and one egg white for binding — skip the whole egg, since the yolk makes the filling slack and harder to wrap tightly. Mix the filling with your hand in one direction only, like you"re making a sausage emulsion; it sounds fussy, but that motion is what gives you a filling that holds a springy bite instead of falling apart into crumbles when you cut into a finished dumpling.
For the freezer step, do not skip flash-freezing the dumplings uncovered on a tray before bagging them. Bagging warm or even room-temp dumplings straight away means they weld into one giant cabbage brick, and you"ll tear wrappers trying to pry them apart later. Give them a full hour spread out on a parchment-lined sheet, uncovered, until the wrappers are stiff to the touch, then transfer to a freezer bag with the air pressed out. Cooked straight from frozen — no thawing, ever, or the wrappers turn gummy — they need about two extra minutes of steam time and one extra minute of pan-searing per side compared to fresh.
A few swaps worth knowing: no napa on hand, green cabbage works fine but needs a slightly longer salt-crush since it holds more water. Vegan version, swap the pork for crumbled firm tofu pressed dry plus a tablespoon of extra kimchi butter for richness. If your kimchi is very young and mild, add an extra half teaspoon of gochugaru directly to the filling, since underripe kimchi won"t carry the dumplings on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my cabbage dumplings recipe filling watery?
Kimchi and cabbage both hold a lot of liquid. Salt-crush the cabbage and separately drain and press the kimchi before mixing, and reduce the reserved kimchi juice into a concentrated sauce instead of discarding it — this keeps all the flavor without the excess water.
Can I freeze kimchi cabbage dumplings before cooking?
Yes. Flash-freeze the sealed, uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a tray for about an hour until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook straight from frozen without thawing for the best texture.
What's the best kimchi to use for cabbage dumplings?
Well-fermented, slightly sour kimchi gives the most depth. If your kimchi is very fresh and mild, add extra gochugaru to the filling to compensate.
Can I make this cabbage dumplings recipe vegan?
Swap the ground pork for pressed, crumbled firm tofu and add an extra tablespoon of the kimchi reduction for richness. Use a vegan-friendly kimchi, since some varieties contain fish sauce.
Get our 10 best recipes — free
Join the Rapid Recipes newsletter and we’ll email you our 10 most-loved recipes as a free PDF.
Free PDF + new recipes every week. Unsubscribe anytime.
