Skip the Takeout and Make These Flavorful Bao Buns From Scratch

Bao buns are far from new. Some experts state they have likely been eaten in China since 400 BC, more than 2,400 years ago. But in the last few years, there’s no denying that bao buns have soared in global popularity. Now, you’ll find the soft, doughy, steamed buns on menus all over the world, filled with everything from chicken to pork to plant-based ingredients, like mushrooms and tofu.

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If you’re in the mood for this delicious Chinese delicacy, we have good news: with the right guidance, it is easy to make them from home. Find some of our favorite vegan bao bun recipes below, including sticky char siu plant-based pork and shiitake mushrooms.

What are bao buns made of?

Bao buns, also known as baozi, are made from a simple dough consisting of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk, and oil. Unlike most bread recipes, however, bao buns are steamed rather than baked, giving them their signature pillowy, fluffy texture.

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Bao buns can be filled with a variety of ingredients. One traditional filling option is char siu, a Cantonese-style barbecue pork, where the pork is chopped and mixed with hoisin sauce. Jian bao are another popular choice—these bao are filled with ground pork combined with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and scallions. Cai bao—stuffed with a mix of cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and glass noodles—are also a common plant-based offering.

Traditionally, the filling is fully enclosed within the dough, as is common in Chinese cuisine. However, some bao buns are served open-faced, similar to a sandwich. This style, known as gua bao, originates from Taiwan.

Are bao buns vegan?

Bao buns can be vegan, but don’t assume they always are. Even bao buns stuffed with vegetable-based fillings can contain hidden animal ingredients—primarily cow’s milk—in the dough. If you’re enjoying bao buns at a restaurant or buying frozen varieties at your local grocery store, it’s important to double-check the ingredients.

But, if you’re making bao buns at home, the dough itself can easily be made vegan by using water or plant-based milk instead of dairy milk.

Vegan bao bun recipes

Craving a bao bun? Keep reading to find delicious plant-based recipes.

Lazy Cat Kitchen

1Bao Buns With Pulled Jackfruit

In this recipe, Ania Marcinowska of Lazy Cat Kitchen will walk you through how to make a pillowy, dairy-free bao bun from scratch with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, vegetable oil, sea salt, and sugar. “If you are an avid bread or dumpling maker, you will have no problem making these,” she writes. “Give them a try, they are really satisfying to make and even more so to eat.” After making the bao buns, Marcinowska stuffs them with a flavorful blend of ingredients like jackfruit, spring onions, ginger, and garlic.
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Domestic Gothess

2 Hoisin Tofu Bao Buns

If you want your bao bun filling to be slightly tender and meaty, similar to pork, tofu is a great alternative, especially when it’s coated in sweet, salty hoisin sauce and paired with nutritious vegetables and creamy vegan mayonnaise. “The combination of soft, fluffy steamed buns; sticky, fragrant fried tofu; crisp veggies; spicy sriracha mayo; and crispy fried onions is absolutely heavenly and bound to be a real crowd-pleaser,” says Hannah Hossack-Lodge, who developed this recipe for her blog, Domestic Gothess.
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Connoisseurus Veg

3 Shiitake Mushroom Bao Buns

Shiitake mushrooms also have a tender, meaty texture when they’re cooked, which makes them an ideal pork-free bao bun ingredient. If you have the time, you can make the buns from scratch, but recipe developer Alissa Saenz also believes there’s no shame in opting for a store-bought option. “If you can get your hands on some frozen vegan buns and just want to make the filling, go for it,” she writes. “The whole process of making these will be a lot easier.”
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School Night Vegan

4Char Siu Bao

According to recipe developer Richard Makin, these are “the meatiest, stickiest, freshest little vegan bao buns you’ve ever tried.” The secret? Combining slices of TVP with ingredients like hoisin, soy sauce, crushed garlic, and shaoxing wine (which is one of the oldest forms of Chinese rice wine). 
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Life Without Meat

5Bao Buns With Katsu Chicken

Bao buns are traditionally Chinese or Taiwanese, but they lend themselves well to fusion recipes. In this dish, Georgia Grundy combines them with crunchy, plant-based chicken nuggets and a Japanese-inspired creamy Katsu curry sauce. “This sauce is one of my favorites to cook (cue drool), and is best eaten immediately once served (obviously!),” she says. Again, she stresses there’s no pressure to make bao buns from scratch. “I found frozen ones in my local Asian supermarket and was very happy with the results,” Grundy adds.
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