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Bao Buns

Name: Bao Buns
Total time: 150 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: Dry yeast; Sugar; Water (room temperature); Water (lukewarm for yeast); All purpose flour; Baking powder; Baking soda; Salt; Avocado oil

03 Feb 2026

Fine Dining Lovers

Editorial Staff

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Difficulty

Medium

Total Time

2H 30MIN

Cuisine

Chinese

Ingredients

Dry yeast: 2 tsp

Sugar: 2 tbsp

Water (room temperature): 4 oz

Water (lukewarm, for yeast): 2 tsp

All purpose flour: 10 oz

Baking powder: 0.5 tsp

Baking soda: 0.5 tsp

Salt: 2 tsp

Avocado oil: 2 oz

Steamed bao buns are fast becoming a favorite in kitchens around the world and are a delicious, lighter meal or snack when filled with pork, tofu, or vegetables. Find our top bao bun recipe below

Serves 6

01.

In a small mixing bowl, add the dry yeast, sugar, water, lukewarm water and stir to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes.

02.

Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the avocado oil and the yeast mixture to form a rough dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball, and knead until smooth, for 5 minutes.

03.

Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes.

04.

Cut 12 4-inch squares of parchment paper and add to a baking sheet. Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness and use a 3-inch glass to cut out circles of dough to add to the paper squares. Brush the tops with the remaining avocado oil, and fold each circle in half, flattening so the halves stick. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

05.

Transfer the buns to a bamboo steamer over a pan filled with 1-inch of water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and steam until puffed, for 10 minutes. Work in batches and serve warm from the steamer with your choice of filling.

Tips & Tricks

Wondering what a bao bun is? It’s a fluffy, slightly sweet steamed bun that’s found in Chinese cuisine as a light meal or snack. Bao buns are made of flour, yeast, sugar, and oil and packed with a variety of savory or sweet fillings. They differ from dumplings due to their bread-like dough and soft, pillowy texture.

When making the buns, use a neutral oil to allow the flavor of the fillings to come to the forefront. If you can’t source avocado oil at your local grocery store, grapeseed oil will also work as an alternative.

Make sure you find a warm place in the home for your dough to rise. Yeast needs a little warmth to help activate, and you’ll get the best texture out of your dough if you can let it rest in a cozy spot.

For more inspiration on different types of bread you can make at home, take a look at our selection of the top 15 varieties to try, including classic white bread.

Steaming the Buns

Bao buns should ideally be steamed in a bamboo steamer, lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to the wood. The bao buns will expand during the steaming process, so make sure you leave a gap between the individual buns and steam in batches as needed. Though tempting, make sure you don’t lift the lid during steaming as this can cause the buns to collapse.

Filling Ideas

Bao buns can be filled with a variety of ingredients, from pork belly to plant-based alternatives. Char siu pork with hoisin sauce is a classic bao bun filling, with its sweet and savory notes. Miso-glazed mushrooms bring a kick of umami to the bun for a vegetarian alternative, and spiced eggplant is a mouthwatering pairing with the fluffy, sweet taste of the buns. Garnishes, such as pickled cucumber, bring a final freshness to the plate.

Storage and Reheating

Cooked bao buns can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. When reheating from the fridge, use the bamboo steamer again for a shorter time, around five minutes, to warm the buns through. You can also freeze the bao buns for up to two months, and reheat using the steamer without needing to thaw the buns first.