Gyoza Recipe, Miracle Japanese Dumplings (Healthy/Low Carb/Keto)

Are you looking for the best gyoza recipe to cook at home? These pan-fried dumplings replicate the authentic gyoza you’d eat in Japan. The one difference is that these gyoza are perfect for your healthy diet! (low carb, gluten-free) Learn how to cook them the perfect golden brown. 

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Everyone in my family loves gyoza dumplings, especially my sister, Liz. We’ve been making homemade Japanese dumplings since we were kids.

As an adult, I still want to devour an entire plate of gyoza by myself just like when I was teenager.

For years, I rationalized that the wonton skins were thin, so gyoza weren’t that high in carbs.

Then, I got some good advice from a friend.

“Come on, Matt. Wake up! Stop lying to yourself!” (LOL)

But what if gyoza was a healthy, diet food?

Did you believe me if I said these gyoza are low-carb and gluten-free?

Try these dumpling-shaped healthy, weight-loss miracles for yourself.

Hallelujah–!

A Healthy Gyoza Recipe – Japanese “Potstickers” 

If your diet is gluten-free, low carb, or just healthy in general, gyoza is most not likely on your plate.

This recipe will change that.

“Hello, Gyoza! Welcome back to my belly, old friend!”

The wonton skins you buy from the store, or make at home, are made from flour and water. The dough is like an equivalent to what you’d use to make a pastry.

If you look closely at these gyoza, you’ll see that they aren’t wrapped with wonton skins.

If you look even closer, you’ll see the texture on the wrappers.

For my “wonton wraps”, I used thin slices of daikon radish. 

If you have no idea what daikon is or you don’t live in Japan, don’t give up.

Daikon may be available at upscale supermarkets like Whole Foods or your local Asian grocery store.

If you don’t have any luck finding Japanese daikon, I bet thin slices of zucchini would also work. 

How to Make Gyoza Dumplings Wrapped in Daikon Radish 

When first attempting to make gyoza with daikon slices, I faced an obstacle:

too much moisture.

First, all the water in daikon made it difficult to wrap the dumplings. The edges of the round daikon slices wouldn’t stick together.

Then, once I started to cook them, my fry pan quickly turned into “soup gyoza”. All the unwanted moisture made it hard to make them crispy golden brown like regular gyoza.

I discovered the solution by accident. Because I had some leftover daikon slices from an earlier trial run, I had wrapped them in paper towel inside the fridge for a couple of nights.

Thankfully, I was all out of Ziplock bags– the slices had dried out.

When I tried making gyoza with the dried daikon slices, all three problems were solved.

This time, the daikon slices easily folded and stuck together perfectly. They didn’t create excess water in the fry pan.

And, the outsides turned that perfect golden brown.

It was meant to be.

The Secret to Making Gyoza with Daikon  

There’s one more secret to getting these gyoza to turn out.

To get the slices of daikon radish thin enough, you’ll need to use a cabbage shredder. I bought mine at a 100 yen store.

I learned this lesson the hard way. Even when I used a sharp knife, I wasn’t able to slice the daikon thin enough. If your slices are too thick, they’ll crack in half when you fold them around the filling.

The bonus is that you’ll also be able to use the cabbage shredder…

to shred the cabbage. 

Alternative Ingredients to Make Gyoza Healthier

Traditional gyoza in Japan are usually made with minced pork, cabbage, Chinese chives, and seasonings. You could easily use minced chicken as alternative or make them vegetarian.

Garlic and ginger are also key ingredients. Both are really good for you.

So far I haven’t had any complaints from co-workers saying that I reek of garlic.

I also added some turmeric, which has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries as a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Daikon radish is also full of nutrients and doubles as a powerful antioxidant.

Once the slices are cooked by the steam, the taste and texture resembles original wraps made with dough.

If you are unable to find daikon at a supermarket or Asian grocery store, you could also try thin slices of zucchini, eggplant, or leaves of boiled cabbage leaves.

Gyoza Sauce for Dipping  

The gyoza sauce I made is just like what you would see on a restaurant table in Japan.

It’s a simple mix of three ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil (rayu). From what I’ve learned, the “golden ratio” for the best proportions of the three ingredients is five: four: one. (five parts: soy sauce, four parts: rice vinegar, and one part chilli oil.)

Instead of chili oil, I used thinly sliced dried red chili.

I used organic soy sauce, but you could try a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or  coconut aminos.

As for the rice vinegar, I chose one that didn’t contain added sugar.

Another low carb, gluten-free option for a dipping sauce is just mix together some rice vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. I got this idea from Min Min, a famous Chinese restaurant in Tokyo and Utsunomiya, the “gyoza capital” of Japan.

How to make Gyoza with Daikon Radish Wraps

There are so many variations of this recipe that you could try. If you want to make more authentic gyoza, just skip the turmeric and possibly add some chopped up nira (Chinese chives). 

Or use your imagination. Create something entirely new.