Quick Dumpling Dipping Sauce

This quick dumpling sauce is delicious served with store-bought or homemade dumplings. You’ll only need five ingredients to make it: soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, and a scallion. There’s no cooking required, and the only prep is chopping the scallion and stirring. The result is a savory, balanced condiment that will complement all types of dumplings. And while homemade dumplings are a fun weekend project, there’s no shame in keeping a bag of frozen ones on hand—they make fine hors d'oeuvres for last-minute holiday visitors, or an easy, light dinner with steamed vegetables or rice.

Ingredients for Our Quick Dumpling Sauce

Soy sauce: Soy sauce forms the base of this easy sauce. You can use regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce for this recipe. For a gluten-free alternative, swap in a gluten-free tamari.

Rice vinegar: Mildly tangy rice vinegar, also referred to as rice-wine vinegar, adds a touch of brightness and acidity to this recipe. We recommend using unseasoned rice vinegar here as it doesn't contain added salt or sugar. If you don't have rice vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar, white-wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar instead.

Sesame oil: A touch of toasted sesame oil lends a savory boost to this simple sauce. We don't recommend using untoasted seasme oil in its place as it won't have the same deep, roasty flavor.

Brown sugar: To balance out the salty soy sauce, we add a small amount of brown sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar here with equally good results (and here's a recipe for making it at home in case you've run out).

Scallion: You'll need the white and light-green parts of a single scallion for this sauce. Finely minced, the scallion lends a subtle allium flavor and a welcome crunch. (You can slice the remaining dark green part and use it to garnish your dumplings, if desired.)