Bao Down to These 11 Steamed Bun Recipes

If you’ve ever ordered Chinese buns thinking that you could NEVER make them at home, you were so wrong. Once you get making the buns down, you can fill them with anything from basic pulled pork to bacon and eggs and fried chicken. The dough is soft and easy to work with, and you can even freeze it and pull the buns out whenever you’re ready. Check out these 11 wildly different steamed buns that’ll rock your weeknight dinner.

Pork and Pickled Apple Bao Buns

Pork belly in a bao bun — perfectly normal. Pickled apples… not so much. As odd as the combo may sound, the flavor will have you shouting from the rooftops. (via Olive)

Salt and Pepper Tofu Gua Bao

Make sure you’re prepared for the deliciousness that your taste buds are about to experience. These buns are home to a pickled cucumber salad, sweet peanut crumbles, and charred salt and pepper tofu. YUM. (via Vegan Miam)

Bacon and Egg Bao

Say sayonara to your regular weekday English muffin. Pillowy bao buns will be your new must-have for an epic handheld breakfast for dinner. (via I Am a Food Blog)

Bao Bun Tacos With Gochujang Chicken Recipe and Banh Mi Slaw

Can’t decide between tacos, bao, and banh mi? No sweat! These gochujang chicken buns are a combination of all three and will ease any craving you may have. (via Billy Parisi)

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Steamed Buns With Duck Fat Milk Gravy

This ain’t your momma’s fried chicken sammie. Crunchy fried chicken on a fluffy bao bun and topped with smashed avocado and rich duck fat gravy? Now, that’s an upgrade. (via Food and Wine)

Gua Bao With Hoisin and Ginger Pulled Pork

When a recipe has an ingredient list a mile long and the instructions to match, you *know* it’s going to be great. This one is worth the extra effort and then some. (via Drizzle and Dip)

Pork Belly Mantou

These drool-worthy pork belly buns have so much umami flavor, you might consider opening up your own bao bar. That is, if you don’t try to devour them all yourself. (via Curious Nut)

Cider and Five Spice Steamed Pork Buns

If you’re intimidated by the whole steamed bao process, start out with a filling that basically cooks itself. That way, you can devote all of your attention to tackling the beast that you’re most afraid of… the buns. (via Wilde Orchard)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Buns

TBH, this is what pork bao dreams are made of. Everyone has steamed bun dreams, right? (via Hapa Nom Nom)

Easy Spicy Asian Popcorn Shrimp Bao

Newsflash: Popcorn shrimp isn’t just a special at a seaside grill. These are perfectly battered and fried before being tossed in a spicy Asian sauce and shoved between a handful of bao. Winner! (via The Flavor Bender)

Vegan Bao Buns With Pulled Jackfruit

Don’t let your eyes deceive you. What you’re looking at isn’t juicy pulled pork — it’s totally vegan jackfruit, and it’s going to be your new favorite bao filling. (via Lazy Cat Kitchen)