Description
This Instant Pot Spicy Dumpling Soup recipe is a flavor-packed, satisfying dish that will warm you up on cold nights or when you’re craving something spicy. Loaded with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spinach, and flavorful wontons in a spicy broth, it’s a perfect balance of heat and umami.
Ingredients
Scale
Chili Oil
- 1/2 cup, divided
Mushrooms & Veggies
- 5–10 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms (or baby bella/white)
- 1 tablespoon minced or crushed ginger
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 1 (16-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
- 8–10 ounces baby spinach
Dumplings
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds frozen wontons or dumplings
Thickener
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons cold water (cornstarch slurry)
Flavorings & Garnishes
- 1/3 cup chili garlic sauce or sriracha
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced and divided
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (half black, half regular)
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics and Mushrooms: Select ‘Sauté’ on the Instant Pot (set to ‘More’ or ‘High’) and add 1/4 cup of the chili oil to the pot insert. Once shimmering, add sliced mushrooms and minced ginger. Sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to bring out deep earthy flavors and a spicy aroma.
- Deglaze and Build Broth: Pour in rice vinegar to deglaze the pot, using a spatula to scrape up browned bits from the bottom. Add vegetable broth, soy sauce, white pepper if using, bamboo shoots if desired, and frozen wontons or dumplings. Top with baby spinach but do not stir to keep spinach vibrant and dumplings intact.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid, set to pressure cook on High for 1 minute. When beep sounds, perform a quick pressure release for perfectly tender dumplings.
- Thicken Soup: While cooking, mix cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. After pressure cooking, cancel the cooking mode and start ‘Sauté’ again on High. When broth is bubbling, slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for about 30 seconds until soup thickens to a silky consistency. Turn off heat.
- Finish with Sauces and Garnishes: Stir in remaining 1/4 cup chili oil, chili garlic sauce or sriracha, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, most of the sliced scallions, and sesame seeds. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with extra scallions and sesame seeds for a colorful, crunchy finish.
Notes
- Adjust spice level by adding more or less chili oil and chili garlic sauce as preferred.
- For a non-spicy version, reduce or omit chili oil, chili garlic sauce, and white pepper; enhance flavor with sesame oil and hoisin sauce.
- Control broth absorption by adjusting the amount of dumplings or wontons added.
- Leftovers can be stored refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat with extra broth to maintain texture and flavor.
- Freeze broth separately from dumplings to prevent mushy texture; add fresh dumplings when reheating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute (pressure cook) plus 8 minutes total for sautéing and finishing
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Asian
