Featured Comment:
“Absolutely love this sauce – and all the extra suggestions too 🙂”
– Suzanne Jenner-Wall
What is Gyoza Dipping Sauce?
Gyoza dipping sauce (餃子のタレ in Japanese) is usually a thin, savory, and tangy sauce served in a small dish with Japanese dumplings. Each restaurant has its own dipping sauce, which varies from spicy or sour to even miso-based.
The most popular and common, however, is probably a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce, and while the ratio is often 50/50, it can be adjusted to personal preference.
There are many kinds of gyoza dipping sauce, varying from restaurant to restaurant and family to family. Specialty restaurants use vinegar and soy sauce as a base, blended with secret flavors and other ingredients to create an original taste.
Also, people in the Kansai region eat gyoza with ponzu (a type of soy sauce/citrus mix), and in Kobe, gyoza is sometimes eaten with miso-base dipping sauce.
How I Developed This Recipe
When I started developing this gyoza dipping sauce recipe, my goal was simple: to create a sauce I’d be happy to use every time I eat gyoza.
It had to be simple to make, with no unnecessary steps, and most importantly, it had to be tasty enough that I’d want to use it again and again.
My wife is living proof that it was a hit! She always asks for this recipe when we have gyoza!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is most recommended. Alternatives like apple cider vinegar or white vinegar are also fine.
- Soy Sauce: For brand recommendations, check out my complete soy sauce guide.
- Chili Oil: Adds a bit of spiciness to dipping sauces. Sesame oil-based rayu is recommended.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper: White pepper is also a great option!
If you want to customize further, here are a few other ingredient ideas you can add or experiment with!
- Dry chili flakes
- Fresh chili
- Grated ginger
- Grated garlic
- Lemon juice (or other citrus juice like lime, yuzu, etc.)
- Sliced green onion
- Sesame seeds
And if you find your sauce is a little too strong, you can dilute it with a little water too. As you experiment with these ingredients, you will definitely find a golden ratio to suit your own taste!
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
FAQ
It is called gyoza no tare (餃子のタレ) in Japanese.
Yes, you can! In fact, Kansai (Western Japan) people sometimes use ponzu sauce for their first choice! Ponzu is made with soy sauce and citrus juice such as lemons, limes or fruits native to Japan such as yuzu, kabosu or sudachi. If you want to know how to make homemade ponzu at home, check out my ponzu recipe!
I hope you enjoy this Gyoza Dipping Sauce recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
My Gyoza Recipes
Want more inspiration? Explore my Gyoza Recipe Roundup for recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Authentic Japanese Gyoza Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- ½ tsp chili oil (rayu)
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tsp chili oil (rayu) and ⅛ tsp ground black pepper to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Serve along side pan-fried gyoza and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is enough for two people so either share from one dish, or divide it into two separate smaller dipping plates. (Enough for about 16 gyoza, 8 each)
- Store fresh, unused gyoza dipping sauce in the fridge for up to one week.
- Keeping used leftover sauce is not recommended.
- You can customize your sauce with dry chili flakes, fresh chili, grated ginger, grated garlic, lemon juice, sliced green onion, or sesame seeds.
- Adjust ingredient quantities to suit your personal taste preferences.
Absolutely love this sauce – and all the extra suggestions too 🙂
Thank you for the generous rating! Glad you’re enjoying the recipe! 🙂
I found myself in a pinch – making a very last minute, unplanned dinner for two. This recipe with its short ingredient list and no need for heating was exactly what I needed. I doubled the recipe so that I could drizzle some on the rice and vegetables that I served alongside the gyoza. Since I didn’t have chili oil, I substituted olive oil and then added chili sauce instead of black pepper. Just as you promised, the sauce was beautifully tangy without being overpowering. I understand why your wife loves this recipe. It’s perfection! Thank you. I will be using your recipe regularly…
Hi Tara,
Thank you for the comment! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe! Great idea to use olive oil and chili sauce as a substitute too! 🙂
Yuto