Char Siu Bao

4.56 from 88 votes
Recipe IndexJump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย privacy policy.

Char Siu Bao are steamed pork buns. Soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with Chinese BBQ pork or char siu. Easy, authentic and the best char siu bao recipe!

Char sui bao in a steamer.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Cha Siu Bao Recipe

Cha Siu Bao (also spelled as Cha Siu Bao or Char Siew Bao) is one of the signature dishes in dim sum restaurants around the world.

Called 叉烧包, or cha shao bao in Chinese, they are a Chinatown classic!

Originated from Guangzhou in mainland China, Cha Siu Bao is a delicacy.

These Cantonese steamed pork buns are found in many Cantonese-Chinese restaurants serving dim sum.

Imagine soft, fluffy white steamed buns filled with savory char siu or Chinese BBQ pork filling in a sweet and savory char siu sauce; they are absolutely delicious!

Steamed pork buns, ready to serve.

Ingredients

Ingredients for char siu bao filling.

Ingredients For Char Siu Bao Filling

  • Char siu
  • Cooking oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Cornstarch
  • Oyster sauce
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Sesame oil
  • Red food colouring
  • Water
  • Yellow onion
Ingredients for char siu bao dough.

Ingredients For Char Siu Bao Dough

  • Low-protein flour
  • Wheat starch
  • Baking powder
  • Vegetable oil
  • Active dry yeast
  • Powdered sugar
  • Water
  • Chinese white vinegar

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make This Recipe

Char siu bao recipe made of char siu bao dough and pork.

For soft and fluffy homemade steamed buns, you need a mixture of low-gluten flour and wheat starch.

The low-gluten flour is called Hong Kong Flour in Malaysia and you can get the flour from supermarket.

If you can’t find Hong Kong flour, you may use cake flour as the substitute.

The end result will be softer and fluffier steamed buns compared to all-purpose flour.


Cooking Tips

Soft, fluffy and the best char siu bao steamed pork buns or cha siu bao.

To make dim sum restaurant quality char siu bao or steamed pork buns, please following the cooking tips below:

  • If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions.
  • There is no need to rest the char siu bao dough after adding in the baking powder. If time allows, rest it for 10 minutes to get fluffier buns.
  • Add Chinese white vinegar into the steaming water to produce whiter buns. This is an optional step.
  • The steamer must be preheated before steaming the buns. They will not rise properly without the hot steam.
  • Spray the surface of the buns with water mist will help to produce steamed buns with beautiful and smooth surface.
  • DO NOT open the steamer’s lid during the steaming process.
  • If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not properly dissolved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze char siu bao (steamed pork buns)?

I don’t recommend freezing but you can certainly keep them in the refrigerator.
Pack the leftovers in a plastic bag and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
To serve, just reheat them in a steamer or microwave for 1 minute.
For the filling, use homemade char siu for the best results. You can also use char siu from restaurants.

How many calories per serving?

Each bun is only 193 calories.

Steamed char siew bao buns with pork belly filling.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Char siu bao in a bamboo steamer.

Serve this dish with other Cantonese dim sum or Chinese appetizers. For a homemade dim sum meal, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


Other Recipes You Might Like

Freshly baked cod fillet with seasonings crust on a plate, garnished with lemon slices and herbs.
5 Secrets to 20-Minute Dinners
FREE EMAIL BONUS: How would it feel to have dinner DONE in 20 minutes? I’ll show you how!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
4.56 from 88 votes

Char Siu Bao (Steamed Pork Buns)

Char Siu Bao are steamed pork buns. Soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with Chinese BBQ pork or char siu. Easy, authentic and the best char siu bao recipe!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 Buns
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients  

Char Siu Filling:

  • 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 250 g (9 oz) char siu, diced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1-2 drops red food coloring, optional
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 150 ml water

Char Siu Bao Dough:

  • 280 g (10 oz) low-protein flour, (Hong Kong flour), cake flour or all-purpose flour
  • 100 g (3½ oz) wheat starch
  • 90 g (3 oz) powdered sugar
  • 8 g (⅕ oz) active dry yeast , or instant yeast
  • 160 ml lukewarm water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese white vinegar, or lemon juice, optional
  • 30 g (1 oz) vegetable oil
  • 10 g (¼ oz) baking powder
  • 10 ml cold water

Instructions 

Char Siu Filling:

  • Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the char siu, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and red food coloring (if using). Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add salt to taste.
  • Mix the cornstarch and water together, then add it to the filling. Simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens. Remove the filling from the pan and let it cool. Divide the filling into 16 portions and set aside.

Char Siu Bao Dough Recipe:

  • Sift the flour, wheat starch, and powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast, lukewarm water, and vinegar or lemon juice (if using). Gently dissolve the yeast in the water. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture and then add the vegetable oil.
    Char siu bao dough ingredients.
  • Knead the dough by hand for 15 minutes, or until a soft, smooth, and shiny dough forms. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has expanded in size. Dissolve the baking powder in the cold water, then sprinkle it over the dough and knead until well combined. For fluffier buns, let the dough rest for 10 minutes after adding the baking powder.
    Char siu bao dough.
  • Cut the dough into 16 equal portions and divide them accordingly.
    Cutting char siu bao dough into pieces.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a 3-inch (7 cm) circle. Place a portion of the filling in the center.
    Char siu bao dough with char siu filling in the middle of the dough.
  • Wrap and fold the dough over the filling.
    Wrapping char siu bao.
  • Pinch and twist the dough to enclose the opening, ensuring the char siu bao is tightly sealed at the top. Place each bun on a 2" x 3" (5 cm x 7 cm) piece of parchment paper. Repeat until you have made 16 buns.
    Wrapped char siu bao ready for steaming.
  • Arrange the buns in a steamer, leaving about a 1-inch (2.5 cm) gap between them. Spray a light mist of water over the buns and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 10 minutes. (You may add 1 teaspoon of Chinese white vinegar to help keep the char siu bao white.) Remove the buns from the steamer and serve warm.
    Char siu bao

Notes

  • If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions.
  • There is no need to rest the char siu bao dough after adding in the baking powder. If time allows, rest it for 10 minutes to get fluffier buns.
  • Add Chinese white vinegar into the steaming water to produce whiter buns. This is an optional step.
  • The steamer must be preheated before steaming the buns. They will not rise properly without the hot steam.
  • Spray the surface of the buns with water mist will help to produce steamed buns with beautiful and smooth surface.
  • DO NOT open the steamer’s lid during the steaming process.
  • If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not properly dissolved.
Recipe Contributor: My Kitchen

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 193kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 263mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





76 Comments

  1. Deborah Lowe says:

    I made your recipe today and it turned out pretty well. The bbq pork was delicious and the bao tasted delicious. The bread was not as light and fluffy as I would have liked. It wasn’t bad but was just a little dense. I used cake flour and followed the recipe as directed. I weighed my ingredients. I noticed that my dough did not expand and at the 60-minute mark looked just a tiny bit bigger (10%) Thoughts? I kneaded the dough for at least 15 minutes, probably a little bit longer. If I used a low protein regular flour, would that have helped? Possible the cake flour doesn’t have enough protein? Still searching for a tender, fluffy mantou bao recipe!

    Thanks

  2. Jet says:

    Hi,
    Can I use dumpling flour instead of wheat starch?

    Thanks
    Jet

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I think it’s fine.

  3. Kim says:

    I am excited to make this as in Hawaiโ€™i we call this manapua and it is one of my favorites. My char sui is marinating and I have been to our grocery stores. Of course I canโ€™t find Hong Kong flour so I will be using cake flour and I was unable to find wheat starch. I see it says cornstarch can be used. Do you agree with this and do I use the same amount? If you donโ€™t what would you suggest? I am super excited to try this.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes, it should work fine.

  4. Maria says:

    hi there, just wondering if there’s any substitute for wheat starch? I can’t find any wheat starch here :(
    Thanks

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can try corn starch.

      1. Maria says:

        thank you so much, would you know what does the wheat starch do to the dough?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          It makes the texture better.

  5. Caroline Poh says:

    Is powdered sugar castor or icing sugar? If I do not have Chinese vinegar is it okay to use white wine vinegar?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Icing sugar. Yes, should be fine.

  6. Doug says:

    We would have loved to try your recipe but there too many foreign (grams, etc.) measurements to tinker with.
    I think we’ll use your “Cook’s Tips” and apply them to another recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Doug, the reason why grams are used in some recipes are for precision. These recipes have to be very precise, it’s about the texture of the buns, soft, fluffy, everything needs to be spot on. You can’t use cup measurement, it’s not accurate and the results vary. Just do an experiment, weight a cup of flour, and then try again. You will NOT get the same weight every single time, sometimes you are off by a lot. That’s why cup measurements are really not great. Please buy a digital kitchen scale. You can get it for $10 range and it will be the best tool in the kitchen.

      1. Doug says:

        Regarding: “… Thatโ€™s why cup measurements are really not great. ”
        Understood, it’s that I’ve been using American measurements for 80 years. Might it be possible for you to include “ounces” to your “grams” measurement ?
        Great Recipes… I like your Mantou best . The “flour” measurement was specified with “grams” and American measurements.
        Made it and they were fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. The next day I briefly reheated in the microwave and they were still fluffy, fluffy, fluffy ?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Hi Doug, I try to include both measurements in my recipes (oz and grams) but if I don’t, please use this converter on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/conversion/

          1. Doug says:

            Howdy !
            I just looked at the recipe again and noticed there are now lots of “measurements” (except ‘water’) I’m accustomed to. Will now give it a whirl. Thank You !!!

            Doug

            1. Rasa Malaysia says:

              Awesome! Yes I updated the recipe to make it clearer.

  7. lish says:

    hi!! I follow your blog and always come back here to look for recipes ever since I moved out of Asia 4 years ago. I miss Asian food. I have not found one for the pork egg Pau online. Could you post one one day? Thanks so much.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      What is pork egg pau?

      1. Doug says:

        Hi !
        I’m not “LISH”.
        I googled “pork egg pau” and found several different varieties.
        Perhaps “LISH” can clarify which one he/she refers to ???

  8. Neli Howard | Delicious Meets Healthy says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing! This is exactly what Iโ€™ve been searching got. I made this over the weekend and it was a big hit with the family. Thank you! Thank you!

    1. Sharon says:

      Does the bao recipe make those fluffy steamed buns?

      1. Rasa Malaysia says:

        Yes it does, just like the pictures.

  9. Sophia says:

    5 stars
    OMG finally I achieved baozi success! Thanks so much

  10. tiffany says:

    Made these baos today and they came out soft, and good to the bite! I had wheat starch (Tang Mien), so I decided to give this recipe a try. I have always used my favourite pao recipe and they are just as good but requires certain steps. This recipe is great as I love the chewy and soft texture! The only thing I did differently was to knead 40 mins in my bread machine then according to sequence and added the baking powder accidentally with the flour. However, it came out just as nice and fluffy! Thanks for this recipe!