bao buns

These steamed bao buns are so delicious and fun to make! I fill the soft, puffy buns with flavorful marinated tempeh and lots of fresh fixings.

Steamed Bao Buns

active dry yeast

sugar

all-purpose flour

baking powder

baking soda

sea salt

avocado oil (more

hoisin sauce

sriracha

ginger

lime zest

Avocado slices

cucumber carrot

Mint or cilantro

Diced Thai chiles

Lime wedges (for serving)

Make the Bao Buns. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the avocado oil and the yeast mixture and mix to form a rough ball, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the dough is too dry. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball, and vigorously knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Brush the inside of a bowl with a little oil and place the dough inside. Cover and set it aside in a warm place for 45 minutes. (Note: it won’t rise as much as other traditional yeasted doughs.)

Make the tempeh filling. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, sriracha, ginger, and lime zest. Reserve half of the sauce for serving and toss the remaining half with the tempeh slices and set aside for 20 minutes to marinate. Place the tempeh on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned around the edges.

Finish the buns. Cut twelve 4-inch squares of parchment paper and place them on a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and roll out evenly to ¼ inch thickness. Use a 3-inch glass to cut out circles of dough and place them on the paper squares. Brush the tops with a little oil, then fold each circle in half and gently press down, flattening just a bit so that the halves stick together but you still have a puffy bun shape. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour, until puffed. Transfer to a bamboo steamer set over a pan with 1-inch water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam until puffed, 9 to 11 minutes. Work in batches.

Assemble. Squeeze a little lime juice over the avocado, cucumber, and carrot. Assemble each  bun with the tempeh, spooning a little sauce over each tempeh piece, the avocado, veggies, herbs, and chiles. Serve with remaining sauce on the side and lime slices for squeezing.

Filled with glazed sticky tofu, crisp veg and crunchy peanuts, these soft and fluffy vegan bao buns are comforting, hearty and fresh all at the same time. 

Vegan Bao Buns 

Buns:

flour

instant yeast

tbsp sugar

tsp baking powder

tsp salt

water

tbsp oil

Filling:

spring onions, thinly sliced

garlic,

ginger,

tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)

tbsp rice vinegar

tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil

firm tofu, sliced

red cabbage, thinly sliced

½ lime, juiced

cucumber,

toasted peanuts, ground or chopped

fresh coriander

Start by making the dough. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir to incorporate. Add 160ml water and 2 tbsp oil, and use your hands to bring the dough together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth and bouncy. Add an extra tbsp of water if the dough feels stiff or dry. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size - around 1.5-2 hours. 

After an hour of rising, start preparing the filling. Combine the spring onions, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and 1 tbsp sesame oil in a bowl. Add the tofu and stir it gently to coat it in the marinade. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat, and add the tofu along with 2 tbsp of the marinade (reserving 1 tbsp of it). Let cook, untouched for 6-7 minutes, until crisp on the heat-facing side. Flip the tofu and continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes until crispy on both sides. Remove from heat and brush lightly with the reserved marinade. 

Next, prepare the veg by tossing the red cabbage in lime juice and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Set aside with your sliced cucumber until plating. 

When the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and press the air out of it. Split the dough into 2 pieces, and roll it into equal sized logs. Split them in half, then cut those in half - creating 8 pieces. Working one at a time, flatten each piece and roll it out to be an oval that’s around 1cm thick, brush with sesame oil and fold. 

Cut a piece of parchment paper into 8 pieces, and place each bao on a piece of parchment. Cover with a damp tea towel, and let rest for 30 more minutes - until puffed. 

To cook the bao, set a steamer (either bamboo or regular) over a pan of gently simmering water. Steam two bao at a time - with their individual sheets of parchment and with 2cm of distance between them - for 8 minutes. 

Let cool for a few minutes, then fill the bao with red cabbage, thinly sliced cucumber and 2 slices of tofu. Top it with spring onion tops, crushed peanuts and coriander. 

Slice these vegetables into matchsticks, then pickle for a delicious Chinese accompaniment to BBQ pork - perfect for filling bao buns

Pickled Carrot & Mooli

½ mooli(about 225 grams),

carrot,

tbsp caster sugar

Pickled carrot & mooli

Pack the mooli and carrot into a jar or small bowl. Mix together 250ml warm water and the vinegar, sugar and 2 tbsp sea salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Pour the mixture over the mooli and carrot. Pop on the jar lid or cover the bowl with cling film and leave for at least 1 hr or up to 3 days. Will keep for 1 week in the fridge.

Fill these steamed Chinese bread rolls with BBQ pork and pickled vegetables for a perfect Chinese New Year party nibble

plain flour,plus extra for dusting

1½ tbsp caster sugar,plus a pinch

tsp fast-action dried yeast

milk

oil,

Steamed bao buns

Mix together the flour, caster sugar and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl (see tip). Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in 1 tbsp warm water, then add it to the flour with the milk, sunflower oil, rice vinegar and 200ml water. Mix into a dough, adding a little extra water if needed.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins, or until smooth. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 2 hrs, or until doubled in size.

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and punch it down. Flatten the dough with your hands, then sprinkle over the baking powder and knead for 5 mins.

Roll out the dough into a long sausage shape, about 3cm thick, then cut into pieces that are about 3cm wide – you should have 18. In the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a ball and leave to rest for 2-3 mins.

Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 3-4mm thick. Rub the surface of the dough ovals with oil and brush a little oil over a chopstick. Place the oiled chopstick in the centre of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick, then slowly pull out the chopstick.

Cut 18 squares of baking parchment and put a bun on each. Transfer to a baking tray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.

Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you’ll need to do this in batches). Prise open each bun and fill with our <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/char-siu-bbq-pork">barbecue pork</a> and <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pickled-carrot-mooli">pickled carrot &amp; mooli</a>. Eat while they’re still warm.

The BEST Bao Buns

tbsp avocado, vegetable or canola oil

all purpose flour (use blenched flour

Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar to dissolve then let it sit until years activate, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer. You could make with your hand too if you prefer.

Pour the wet ingredients to dry ingredients mixture. Start on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep kneed for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft but not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.

Take the dough out form the hook and form as a ball. Place back to the mixing bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple size, about 2 hours. Let it sit longer if needed.

Place the raised dough on a working surface. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle four is not necessary but if you do, use as minimum as possible.Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass (I used a wine glass). This recipe will make 14 o 16 baos.

Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper or coffee filter lined steamer. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water to boil on a wok or steamer pot. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, tilt the lid tiny bit for a slow air circulation about 2 to 3 minutes before open the lid. Spray some water on coffee filter to prevent the dough from sticking. You can serve this bao as a side or make sandwich! Enjoy!

Thank you for the recipe!  It is absolutely the best bao buns I’ve made and it’s so easy,  so light and very very fluffy!  My friends were very impressed!

@Vivian, it could be the type of flour you used. This happened to me with so many dough recipes in the past because the flour my family buys is higher protein/gluten content. Read this blog post about types of flour and protein content! Helped me so much with making a softer dough: https://redhousespice.com/homemade-dumpling-wrappers/
Could also be not enough rest time or yeast didn't activate properly??

OMG! First time I made this and they are perfect! Family is happy too saying even though we’re in complete lockdown we are still travelling the world... Thank you so much xx

I made this recipe for my family tonight. We're Cambodian and call this type of bun, Nom Bao. This is truly authentic tasting, and very much like my Mom's. I love the fluffiness, and softness of these baos. Perfect amount of sweetness. I'm only disappointed that I didn't double the recipe!! My kids devoured every piece and finished it all.  I made it exact to the recipe. I've already written this recipe down into my recipe book. It's a keeper. Thanks so much!

These were so yummy! I used different filing ingredients, but the Bao was amazing, so soft!!

These were amazing! LIght, fluffy and delicious. Your trick to keep them from sticking works like a charm. Thank you so much!

I love bao buns but never thought it was possible to make them at home, until now! They are as soft as a pillowy cloud and melt in your mouth. Your recipe and tricks are spot on. Thank you so much 😊

I kept waiting for my store to restock frozen ones, but it was taking so long I decided to make it myself. Your recipe stood out because it looked so fat and fluffy, not flat and dense. You were right - it’s foolproof and delicious. I don’t think I’ll buy the premade ones ever again! Thank you.

Such a fan if this recipe. Can you tell me the model on your kitchen stand mixer?  It’s on the bottom of the unit's base and back of your stand mixer. I need to get one strong enough to knead so it doesn’t break.

These were amazing! First time making them, will never use another recipe!  Came out better than I’ve ever had in a restaurant.  Thank you so much! 😊

I’ve made these twice. They are so perfect! Please don’t take this as a criticism, it’s just my modification- I followed instructions to the T, with the exception of this: instead of rolling out the dough and cutting into rounds, I divided the dough into 17 equal size balls (using a food scale) so there is no wasting of dough or re-rolling dough. Steamed for 10-12 minutes. They were delicious and fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness! So tasty with pork floss, or alone, or used for bao tacos. Thank you so much for sharing this!

Hi I rarely leave comments but I really want to thank you for this amazing easy to follow recipe!! I substituted sugar with maple syrup and added corn starch to make up for the wet/dry ingredients of sugar. It turned out so amazing and fluffy and just delicious !!! Thank you soooooooooo much !!!!!!!

These were so easy to make and my whole family loved them! Boa Buns for the win!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/E9CzEhVM.mp4

Bao Buns

If you love vegan dumplings like potstickers, gyoza, ravioli or baozi, you’ll also love this simple step-by-step recipe for pan-fried steamed veggie Bao buns! These buns are also known as „sheng Jian​ bao“ and similar to pan-fried pork soup dumplings but I made mine vegan stuffed with healthy leek and more vegetables!

Pan-fried Bao Buns (Vegan Soup Dumplings)

water (approx. 95°F (35°C))

¼ tsp instant yeast

tsp sugar (optional)

all-purpose flour (+ more for dusting)

sesame oil ⁣ (for frying)

leek (finely chopped)

oz white cabbage (shredded)

carrot (shredded)

red bell pepper (finely chopped)

garlic

oz smoked tofu (finely chopped (or sub mushrooms, *see notes))

soy sauce (or tamari sauce)

salt (to taste⁣)

tsp chili paste (e.g. sriracha or sambal oelek (optional))

tbsp sesame seeds

spring onions (or other herbs)

dipping sauce

Mix the yeast with the water and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for around 5 minutes.

Whisk together the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Pour in the water with yeast slowly and stir with a chopstick (or wooden spoon) until it clumps together. Transfer to a work surface and knead with your hands (or use a mixer with dough hooks) until a smooth and soft dough forms, about 5 minutes.

Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and let rest for about 45 minutes, or until the ball has doubled in size.

Making the dough (*see step-by-step photos above)

Heat the oil in a pan and finely chop the vegetables. (Click here for step-by-step instruction on how to prepare leeks easily). Add the leek, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender.

Then add the tofu, soy sauce, salt and chili to taste. Mix well and set aside to cool.

Preparing the filling  (*see step-by-step photos above)

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, and knead it briefly to remove all air bubbles.

Then roll it into a long log and cut into 10 pieces (or more for smaller buns). Work with one piece at a time and cover the rest with a clean kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.

Flatten one piece of dough with your palm and roll it into a round wrapper with thinner edges, about 4.7-inch (12 cm) in diameter.

Add about 2-3 tablespoons of filling to the center, then fold the bun up and around the filling as shown in the step-by-step photos above, making sure to seal the top. Repeat until all the buns are assembled.

Assembling the buns

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place the buns in the pan with the pinched-side up (make sure to not overcrowd the pan!), and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Once the bottoms are golden-brown and crispy, flip them over and carefully, pour in ¼ cup of water to create steam. Immediately cover the pan, reduce to low heat and allow buns to steam for about 10 minutes, or until the water has evaporated.

Remove from pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve with the dipping sauce as desired. Enjoy!

Cooking the buns

How to make the perfect, soft and fluffy steamed bao buns with step-by-step photos. Follow these tips and tricks to make the perfect homemade bao buns, perfect for filling with your favourite ingredients.

300 g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour) or bleached flour

g (1 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

caster sugar (super-fine sugar)

yeast yeast

180 ml (3/4 cup) warm water

60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil, plus extra

Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric stand-mixer (if using).

Measure the warm water and oil into a measuring jug. The water needs to be a bit more than lukewarm to help activate the yeast, but it shouldn&#8217;t be boiling hot.

Using the dough hook on medium speed, mixing the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Depending on the type of flour which you have used, you might need more or less liquid that than stated in the recipe.

Once you have a sticky dough, continue kneading the dough on medium speed until it becomes soft and smooth to touch. This should take about 10 minutes using the stand-mixer on medium speed, or about 5 minutes by hand.

Once the dough is soft and smooth, I recommend kneading it by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.

Place the ball of dough back into the (clean) mixing bowl.

Place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size.

To prepare the buns

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it back and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes to release any air bubbles in the dough.

Then roll out the dough until it is about 1 cm in height.

Use your hands to rub some oil onto the surface of the dough.

Use an 8 cm (3 inch) cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough.

Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper &#8211; I like to use plain white cupcake wrappers which I flatten with a rolling pin.

Fold over each round and then use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough to form the bun shape.

Place all of the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the buns to rise again. After this time, the bao buns should have puffed up slightly.

To shape the buns

Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove (see Kitchen Notes below).

Steam the buns in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffy and soft, and cooked all the way through.

To steam the buns

I remember you making these on Instagram and just thought wow! I’m so glad you finally posted this recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

This is the best recipe for bao buns!! I made it on the weekend using all-purpose flour. The color was not very white but the taste was spot on and my family thought they were great. If I use the Chinese bleached flour for making buns, do I need to change anything in the recipe or is it a simple substitute for the all-purpose flour?

I made these tonight and they where great. I did add my own tweaks to kinda make it my own, but I did roll them a little too thick.... next time I’ll make sure they’re thinner! Thanks for the recipe.

Wow, making these bao buns was easier than I thought! And they tasted so delicious - my family was super impressed! I used all-purpose flour and they turned out perfectly. I’m going to try again this weekend with Chinese bleached flour. Thanks for your helpful tips!!

Made these last night and they barely rose! I then looked at other recipes online and they had more baking powder in them. The taste was spot on, but they were chewy and thin, not fluffy. Also when I folded them over before steaming, they stuck together and where hard to open.

Wow! Easy to follow recipe, my first and very successful bao buns made in lockdown :) I was born in Taiwan but raised in Oz and now living in London. It’s so expensive to eat Bao’s at restaurants but now I know how to make it!

Mine have turned out a yellow colour not white like yours what could this be from ?

Great recipe! Had a craving for bao buns but everything has been closed in Australia during the lockdown. I was really impressed with how these buns turned out. Served them with my mum’s marinated pork belly ha ha! Tasted amazing. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe.

Hands down best recipe for bao buns! I used the flour from the Chinese grocery store for a more authentic taste and colour. Defs making this again!

Wow! Thanks for the easy recipe. They tasted better than any bao buns I have ever bought! Love your Asian recipes and can’t wait to try more.

Wow, great recipe! Definitely worth the effort. Trying your bbq pork tomorrow with the leftover buns.

Amazing recipe! I finally found yeast and this was the first recipe I wanted to try. The buns were the best I’ve ever tasted!

This recipe is a keeper! I also tried David Chang’s recipe when his cookbook first came out but I wasn’t particularly fond of his recipe and never tried it again. But I loved your step by step instructions here and your bao buns are totally authentic in taste! I feel so inspired now! Can’t wait to make these again and also try more of your recipes.

Awesome recipe! My bao buns were so fluffy and delicious. I’m also Vietnamese and just love your blog!

Thank you for this recipe. I followed the instructions and it turned out great.?? Soft, chewy and tasty..

Thank you for the easy recipe! My first time making bao buns and they turned out perfect. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. P.S. Do you also have a recipe for steamed buns with pork and egg filling? Thank you!

This is the only recipe I use from now on, works perfectly! Thank you for the clear instructions and the tips &amp; tricks :)
Making Gua Bao tonight!

Love this no-fuss simple recipe. I found out that kneading until smooth &amp; elastic is the key to getting white fluffy buns. Thanks!

Such a solid recipe, I've made these bao at least 3 times already. I used regular sugar since I haven't been able to find castor sugar lately. It's great for leftover sweeter meats, I've used leftover (Passover) brisket, jerk chicken, and this time honey garlic roasted duck. Serve with quick pickled red onions, pickled daikon radices and carrots, and kimchi. A great way to stretch out leftovers a little bit further when you cannot handle repetition.

I love Bao Buns and always thought it was complicated to achieve. This Recipe was Excellent with step by step notes. Made it so easy to try my hand at it. Results were perfect and yummy.
Thank you!

Made these today and buns turned out great but I do have a question... What should the consistency of the dough be after it’s kneaded in a stand mixer for 10 minutes? My dough was smooth but it was quite stiff! After it doubled in size, rolling out the dough was a mega workout! What happened? Regardless, the buns steamed and puffed up like restaurant style. No complaints from the family but I can’t move my arms now. Haha! Any suggestions?

Awsome, I will be 51 on thanksgiving and this is first time I ever made anything like this, thank you MIKECHENX you rock

Learn how to make Instant Pot Steamed Buns (bao or baozi; Chinese: 鮮肉包子). Fluffy, soft, &amp; slightly sweet bao buns wrapped with aromatic, juicy, &amp; flavorful filling. These Chinese steamed pork buns and beef buns are so deliciously satisfying to eat!

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