Vegan Dumpling Bake Recipe in Red Curry Broth

I love one-pan recipes, so when I saw the internet raving about a viral dumpling bake recipe, I felt inspired to come up with my own version.

The difference? I wanted to give my own twist to the viral baked dumplings recipe, so it’s the same one-pot viral magic but with real Thai aromatics. This is also a completely vegan dumpling bake, using frozen veggie dumplings, delicious red curry paste, fresh bok choy, crunchy snap peas, Thai basil and aromatic kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass.

Not only is it dead-easy to make, but you can eat it directly out of the dish for an easy weeknight meal or elevate it for a dinner party. And just like my curried udon, it’s the ultimate Asian comfort dinner.

Why You’ll Love This

• It’s a one-pan dish: I love an easy recipe that only needs one pot. If you really want to minimize your washing-up, you can eat it right out of the dish you baked it in!
• No thawing needed: The frozen dumplings can go straight in the pain, so there’s no need to wait around for any essential ingredients to thaw. You can fulfil your cravings right away.
• It’s the perfect weeknight dinner: The recipe uses pantry staples and is so quick to put together, ready in 50 minutes (just 10 minutes of prep time and 40 minutes of baking). While it’s baking, you can pretty much leave it alone except for removing the foil after 30 minutes.
• Great for a low-effort dinner party: Recently, I served my curry dumpling bake at a dinner party and it was actually a showstopper. Everyone loved the soup with the dumplings and veggies. The word that they used to describe the dish was an “umami” of flavors and texture.
• It’s naturally vegan. With vegetable dumplings, coconut milk, greens and herbs, the viral trend wasn’t too tricky for me to turn into a vegan dumpling bake.

Ingredient Breakdown

Many of the baked dumplings recipes that I’ve seen use curry paste from a jar, but I prefer to use curry paste and add fresh kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass to the soup to enhance the flavors much more.

• Red curry paste: Thai Kitchen, Mae Ploy, or any Thai brand works well. The curry paste is really the backbone of the broth, so I recommend looking for one with a really robust flavor.
• Coconut milk is a pantry staple and the base for this dumpling bake recipe. I recommend using full fat coconut milk, not light, for the creamiest broth.
• Frozen dumplings are the key ingredient in this dumpling bake recipe – and they don’t need to be thawed. 
• Bok choy and snap peas add greens to the dumpling bake, making it a proper one-pan meal that you can repeat every week. Many recipes use spinach, but this tends to wilt and disappear in the dish.
• Thai basil is something I add to make the bake feel fresher (as well as to add extra greens).
• Kaffir lime leaves add a subtle lime flavor. Fresh is better, as the dried version often loses some of its bold citrusy aroma.
• Galangal adds a woody depth to the soup. I prefer it to ginger, which leans warmer and a bit spicier.
• Lemongrass also balances out the flavors.

Step-by-Step Instructions

As you know by now, my baked dumplings recipe only needs one dish: a 12×8-inch baking dish is perfect. After preheating the oven to 400°F, I begin by mixing the broth in the dish, starting with the red curry soup ingredients and then layering the bok choy and snap peas. 

We want the frozen dumplings to go in next, nestled in a single layer – making sure they don’t overlap – and covering them with the Thai basil leaves.

I’ll spoon a little of the red curry broth over the dumplings again here, before covering them tightly with aluminium foil to lock in the steam.

The frozen dumpling bake only needs 40 minutes in the oven (30 covered and 10 uncovered to add crisp).

We want the broth to be bubbly and the dumplings slightly crispy on top. Once done, I like to garnish the dish with green onions, cilantro and a nice drizzle of chilli oil to boot.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overlap the dumplings. The best results come from nestling the frozen dumplings in a single layer. They’ll cook evenly and won’t go too soggy. 
• Spoon broth over the top before covering. Without this step, the top of the dumplings can dry out. No one wants dumplings that are tough to chew!
• The foil seal matters for steam. Covering the coconut curry dumplings bake with foil traps steam, making sure that the dumplings cook evenly and are nice and tender to eat. I recommend removing the foil for the final 10 minutes only, to add some lovely crisp. 

Variations

There are some easy swaps you can make with this dumpling bake recipe:

• Use a green curry paste. I have tried making the recipe with red and green curry pastes, and while I did enjoy both, the version with the red curry paste was my favorite. Still, the green curry version pairs beautifully with the bok choy and Thai basil.
• Add mushrooms or baby corn: If you can’t get your hands on bok choy and snap peas, these are easy swaps and just as delicious. The baby corn will give you some crunch.
• Swap the dumplings for wontons or gyoza-style dumplings: My baked dumplings recipe doesn’t just work with veggie dumplings, so you can work with what you have in the freezer already.
• Coconut milk can be substituted with full-fat oat cream. I only recommend this if you have a coconut allergy, as the coconut milk is what gives you such a creamy, rich red curry broth.

Serving Suggestions

One of the best parts about this recipe is that you can eat it right out of the dish you baked it in, but it’s also really easy to elevate for a dinner party.

It pairs really well with a variety of other dishes, like my veggie ramen with mirin or Chinese takeout-style black pepper tofu.

• Eat it directly from the dish, paired with a crusty bread, for the ultimate comfort meal.
• Serve it alongside jasmine rice or rice noodles for a simple, weeknight dinner.
• Add some more crunch by pairing it with my mouthwatering miso glazed bok choy.

Storage & Reheating

The coconut curry dumplings can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. When you’re ready to reheat them, it’s best to avoid the microwave. Reheating them in the oven will help to lock in the dumpling texture. In the microwave, the dumplings will often dry out.

FAQs