These simple Asian-inspired dumpling smash tacos are like the delicious love child of my beloved Wonton Meatballs and those irresistible smash burger tacos you’ve seen on TikTok and Instagram. They’re perfect for busy weeknights or whenever those dumpling cravings hit!
Get your dumpling fix!
Yes, my paleo potstickers taste amazing but they’re certainly a time-consuming labor of love. Luckily, these dumpling smash tacos taste a lot like those crispy pan-seared dumplings without requiring all the time-intensive dough-pressing and folding! I’ve even included a crisp Napa cabbage slaw tossed with the perfect tangy dipping sauce to adorn these tasty tacos. And did I mention that this lip-smacking recipe happens to be paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, and packed to the max with flavor?
Tips for the best dumpling smash tacos
- Blitz the dumpling filling in a food processor! For this recipe, I streamlined the ingredients for my Wonton Meatballs—so all you need to do is plop everything into a food processor and the filling will come together in a flash. (Don’t have a food processor? You can still follow the instructions in my Wonton Meatballs post to combine everything by hand.)
- Use a burger press or potato masher to smush the tortilla on top of the dumpling filling! If you don’t have a press, you can smush the dumpling filling on the tortilla with some parchment paper or greased fingers, but the results’ll be messier and less even.
- Don’t fry the tortilla side too long! If you do, you’ll find it difficult to fold the tacos without the shells cracking. On other hand, if you prefer a crispy shell, just leave the tacos flat and eat ’em open-faced like Asian-style tostadas.
- Use a metal taco holder to help form the tacos properly! Transfer the smash tacos immediately from the frying pan to the holder and push down the center with a spatula. Also, with taco holders, your tacos won’t spill over!
Ingredients
Dumpling Smash Tacos
- Ground pork: I like to use ground pork that’s not super lean. If you’re not a fan of pork, you can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef—these tacos will taste great regardless.
- Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined: The synergy between the ground pork and shrimp is what makes the filling taste like a delicious dumpling from your favorite Chinese restaurant (or grandma)! If you have a shrimp allergy, leave it out and use a smidge more pork. Other folks have reported that raw scallops also work great as a shrimp replacement.
- Green onions, roughly chopped
- Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Coconut aminos: My favorite soy sauce substitute also adds a hint of natural sweetness.
- Umami Stir Fry Powder: Longtime Nomsters know how much I love using my uber-versatile seasoning salt in all of my Asian-inspired dishes. The recipe for this seasoning salt is featured in our green cookbook—or you can just buy it on Amazon, iHerb, or at The Spice Lab. If you can’t manage to make or buy some, you can use 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt + ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper (but trust me: it’s not quite the same!).
- Fish sauce: For extra umami, you must add a smidge of Red Boat fish sauce!
- Toasted sesame oil
- Avocado oil, for frying
- Siete grain-free tortillas (6-inch tortillas): Use Siete grain-free tortillas in place of flour or corn tortillas to keep this dish gluten-free and grain-free. If you want the taco shells to be more pliable, opt for Siete’s cassava flour and chickpea flour tortillas. Want crunchier tacos? Use the almond flour tortillas.
Napa cabbage slaw
- Rice vinegar
- Coconut aminos
- Sriracha or ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional): I like my slaw a little spicy, but feel free to leave out the sriracha or pepper flakes if you can’t stand the heat.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Thinly sliced napa cabbage: No Napa cabbage? Julienned bok choy, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, or red cabbage also work! (Lettuce also works but won’t be as crisp.)
- Green onion, thinly sliced
How to make dumpling smash tacos
Make the filling
Plop the pork, shrimp, green onion, cilantro, coconut aminos, Umami Stir Fry Powder, fish sauce, and toasted sesame oil in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse several times until a thick paste is formed. The texture should be sticky and tacky!
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions that are about 2½ ounces each.
Fry the smash tacos
Heat a large cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and place a dumpling ball onto the skillet and cover the patty with a tortilla. Smash down with a meat pounder or burger smasher until the meat layer underneath the tortilla is as thin as possible.
Fry, meat-side down, for about 2 minutes or until the dumpling-filling side is fully cooked and golden brown.
Then, flip the tortilla with a fish spatula…
…and fry on the tortilla side for 1 minute or until the tortilla is lightly browned.
Pro tip!
Don’t fry the tortilla side longer than about a minute or the tortilla might crack when you bend it. On the other hand, if you prefer crispy tortillas, fry them for about 2-3 minutes and serve them as open-faced dumpling tostadas!
Immediately transfer the cooked smash taco to a taco holder and push down the center with a spatula to form the classic taco shape.
Alternatively, you can bend the tacos in half while warm (or just leave them flat to make open-faced tostadas).
Repeat the instructions to fry up the remaining dumpling smash tacos, adding additional avocado oil to the pan as needed.
Make the Napa cabbage slaw
In a medium bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, coconut aminos, sriracha, and sesame oil.
Toss in the julienned napa cabbage and green onion and mix well.
Top the dumpling smash tacos with the dressed Napa cabbage…
…and chow down!
What can you serve with tHESE TACOS?
How do you save leftovers?
Leftover dumpling smash tacos can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed airtight container for up to four days. I reheat them (including the slaw!) in an air fryer heated to 400°F for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the shell is crispy and the dumpling filling is warmed through.
What are you waiting for? Go smash some tacos!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
Dumpling Smash Tacos
Ingredients
Dumpling Smash Tacos
- 1 pound ground pork
- ¼ pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 green onions roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon Umami Stir Fry Powder or 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt + ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 8 Grain-free tortillas (6-inches in diameter)
Napa Cabbage Slaw
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon Whole30 Sriracha or ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage or bok choy, Savoy cabbage, green cabbage or red cabbage
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Plop the pork, shrimp, green onion, cilantro, coconut aminos, Umami Stir Fry Powder, fish sauce, and toasted sesame oil in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse several times, until a thick paste is formed. The texture should be sticky and tacky!
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions that are about 2½ ounces each.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and place a dumpling ball onto the skillet and cover the patty with a tortilla. Smash down with a meat pounder or burger smasher until the meat is as thin as possible.
- Fry, meat-side down, for about 2 minutes or until the dumpling side is fully cooked and golden brown.
- Then, flip the tortilla with a fish spatula and fry on the tortilla side for 1 minute or until the tortilla is lightly browned. Don’t fry the tortilla side longer than about a minute or the tortilla can crack when you bend it. If you like crispy tortillas, fry them for about 2-3 minutes and serve them as open-faced dumpling tostadas!
- Immediately transfer the cooked smash taco to a taco holder and push down the center with a spatula to form a taco. Alternatively, you can bend the tacos in half while warm or keep them as open-faced tostadas.
- Repeat the instructions with the remaining dumpling smash tacos, until finished, adding additional avocado oil to the pan as needed.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, coconut aminos, sriracha, and sesame oil. Toss in the julienned napa cabbage and green onion and mix well.
- Top the dumpling smash tacos with the dressed Napa cabbage and dig in!
Notes
- Blitz the dumpling filling in a food processor! I streamlined the ingredients for my Wonton Meatballs and plop everything in the food processor so the filling comes together in a flash. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can follow the instructions in the Wonton meatballs post to do it all by hand.)
- Use a burger press or potato masher to smush the tortilla on top of the dumpling filling! If you don’t have a press, you can smush the dumpling filling on the tortilla with some parchment paper or greased fingers, but it will be messier and less even.
- Don’t fry the tortilla side too long! If you do, it will be hard to fold the tacos without the shells cracking. If you do want a crispy shell, just leave the tacos flat and eat them like Asian tostadas.
- Use a metal taco holder to form the tacos properly! Transfer the smash tacos immediately from the frying pan to the holder and push down the center with a spatula. With taco holders, your tacos won’t spill over either!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious! Love the flavors!
I love these tacos! So much easier than making pot stickers and the filling is SO GOOD!!! No one in my family noticed they were paleo!