This easy Vegetarian Dumpling Soup is full of bold flavors thanks to golden brown mushrooms, ginger, miso, and toasted sesame oil. Using frozen potstickers makes this warm and comforting, umami-packed soup the perfect choice for a simple weeknight dinner!
Why you should try this recipe
- Inspired by Tibetan Culture: I was inspired to create this vegetarian dumpling soup after a trip to Dharamshala in India where I sampled a wide variety of Tibetan street food. One of the dishes that stood out was Mothuk, which is a spicy dumpling soup made with momos (Tibetan dumplings). After tasting it, I knew I had to make my own version of vegetable dumpling soup. And now you can make this Asian-inspired soup right in the comfort of your own home!
- Vegan-Friendly: Most vegetable dumplings do not contain any dairy or eggs, making this a vegan-friendly potsticker soup recipe. I recommend checking the package first just to be sure the brand you are buying is vegan if needed.
- Easy Weeknight Dinner: This veggie dumpling soup is easy to make using frozen dumplings and is perfect for weeknight cooking. Enjoy it alone or serve alongside my Hibachi Fried Rice or Korean Cucumber Salad.
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The ingredients you’ll need
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the end of the post.)
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds a bit of nuttiness to the soup.
- Mushrooms: Add umami flavor and a meaty texture. I used a combination of shiitake and shimeji, but feel free to substitute beech, enoki, or white button mushrooms for the shimeji if needed.
- Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, and scallions provide a fragrant base for the soup.
- Miso and Soy Sauce: Both white miso paste and soy sauce add umami flavor as well as saltiness. Use up any leftover miso paste and soy sauce to make my Sesame Chili Egg Ramen or Miso Glazed Eggplant With Ginger.
- Vegetable Broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth to avoid an overly salty broth.
- Frozen Vegetable Dumplings: Using frozen potstickers makes this recipe so easy! You can also use potstickers, gyoza, or wontons.
- Bok Choy: These greens are added towards the end of cooking in order to wilt them and retain a bit of crunch.
- Garnish: Give your miso dumpling soup the perfect finishing touch by garnishing with scallions, cilantro, and chili crisp or chili oil.
Love mushrooms? Then you’ve got to try my Creamy Mushroom Risotto or Creamy Mushroom Pasta! They both use specialty mushrooms in such unique ways.
How to Make Vegetarian Dumpling Soup?
(Note: please see the recipe card below for the complete written instructions and measurements.)
Prepping the mushrooms.
- Cut the shiitake mushrooms into ¼ inch (0.5 cm) thick slices.
- Slice off the base of the shimeji mushroom cluster and, using your finger, separate the mushrooms.
Cooking the mushrooms.
- Then heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot add the shiitake and shimeji mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms until golden brown. The cooking process can take up to 10-15 minutes so be patient.
- Remove them from the skillet and set aside. then remove from the pot. (The cooking process can take up to 10-15 minutes).
Then cook the aromatics in the same pot.
- Add more sesame oil to the same pot along with the ginger, the white parts of the scallion, and garlic.
- Cook until they are translucent and fragrant, about two minutes.
- Add the miso paste and cook for one minute.
Add the broth.
- Add the broth to the pot.
- Followed by the soy sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the dumplings and mushrooms.
- Stir in the mushrooms.
- Followed by the frozen dumplings.
Finishing the soup.
- Cook according to package instructions for your dumplings.
- Three minutes before the time is up, add the bok choy to the pot.
Serving the soup.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the green of scallions and fresh cilantro. For a bit of kick add some chili crisp or your favorite chili oil. Sip on a glass of Riesling while enjoying your soup.
Nim Keys – Useful Tips
- Sauté the mushrooms until golden brown – Cook the mushrooms in hot oil and don’t stir them too often. Let them sit to brown, only stirring occasionally. This releases sucs (tiny brown bits at the bottom of the pot) and enriches the soup with umami flavor.
- Go for low-sodium broth – Some brands of vegetable broth can be quite salty, so I recommend using low-sodium if possible since both soy sauce and miso are naturally salty ingredients.
- Prep the bok choy – Cutting the bok choy in half helps it cook more quickly and evenly.
- Cook the bok choy until just wilted – You don’t want to overcook the bok choy or it will lose its flavor and have a mushy texture instead of being slightly crisp.
Wine Pairing for Vegetarian Dumpling Soup🍷
RIESLING
I recommend dry Riesling for this recipe. Riesling can be made in a wide range of sweetness levels (from bone-dry to sweet). Make sure to check the label or ask your wine shop to identify the sweetness level of the wine.
Riesling’s crisp lemon and green apple flavors refresh the palate while cutting through the miso saltiness and mushroom umaminess.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
* For German Riesling, look for “trocken” which means “dry” on the label.
Recipe FAQs
Dumpling soup is a type of soup that has meat or vegetable dumplings in it, while soup dumplings are dumplings made with soup inside of them in addition to meat or veggies.
I used frozen dumplings for convenience, but feel free to use homemade dumplings if you prefer. Note that you will only need to cook them for a few minutes since they aren’t frozen. They will float to the top and be slightly translucent when they’re done.
If you overcook your dumplings, they can break open causing the filling to fall out. Therefore, it’s best to cook them for the length of time indicated on the package.
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free frozen dumplings and tamari in place of the soy sauce.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
Vegetarian Dumpling Soup
PRINT SAVEINGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (250 g) fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup (130 g) shimeji mushrooms (or beech, enoki, white button mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons (15 g) ginger, thinly minced
- ½ cup (50 g) scallions – white and green parts separated, thinly chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves thinly minced
- 2 tablespoons (35 g) white miso
- 6 cups (1.5 liters) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce
- 1 pound (450 g) frozen vegetable dumplings (potstickers, gyoza, wonton)
- 2 small bok choys
For garnish
- Green parts of the scallion
- Cilantro roughly chopped
- Chili crisp or your favorite chili oil optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the shiitake mushrooms into ¼ inch (0.5 cm) thick slices. Slice off the base of the shimeji mushroom cluster and, using your finger, separate the mushrooms
- Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shiitake and shimemji mushrooms and cook until golden brown, then remove from the pot. (The cooking process can take up to 10-15 minutes).
- In the same pot, add 1 tbsp of sesame oil, ginger, the white parts of the scallion, and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant, about two minutes.
- Add miso paste and cook for one minute.
- Add broth, soy sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms and frozen dumplings and cook according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, cut the bok choy in half.
- Three minutes before the end of the dumpling cooking time, add the bok choy to wilt.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the green of scallions, fresh cilantro and optional chili crisp (or your favorite chili oil).
NOTES
- Cook the mushrooms in hot oil and do not stir them too often. Let them sit to brown, and stir occasionally. Cooking the mushroom until golden brown release sucs and enrich the soup with umami.
- Choose a low sodium broth. Some vegetable broth can be pretty salty, while soy sauce and miso are naturally salty too. Check the level of saltiness of the broth and go for low sodium if possible.
- Split the bok choy in half for more even and quick cooking without over-cooking.
This so easy to make and full of flavor. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Andreza! I’m thrilled you liked it 🙂
Delicious, quick and easy
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice review, Rebekah! Glad you liked it!