Instant Pot Steamed Buns (Bao)

In November, we accepted the challenge to make a yummy Instant Pot Bao Recipe from one of our dear friends & readers. Since then, we’ve been working on perfecting these Chinese Steamed Buns from scratch. Super excited to finally share it with you!! 😀

What is Bao (Chinese Steamed Buns)?

Bao (Chinese: 包) means bun or bread in Chinese. It’s also known as Baozi (Chinese; 包子), Bun, Bao Buns, or Steamed Buns.

Baozi is a type of yeast-leavened Chinese Steamed Buns that can have a variety of vegetables, meat, beans, custard, or other fillings. These Chinese steamed buns can be savory or sweet.

Some of the most popular Baozi includes Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns; Chinese: 叉燒包), Shengjian Bao (Pan-Fried Baozi; Chinese: 生煎包), Steamed Cabbage & Pork Buns (Chinese: 菜肉包), or dim sum Steamed Custard Buns (Chinese: 奶黃包). 

They are very popular in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and many other Asian countries.

Let’s make Steamed Buns in Instant Pot!

Step by Step Guide: Instant Pot Steamed Buns

In this bao recipe, we’ll make the bao dough first. So we can let the dough rise and develop flavor while we prepare the meat filling ingredients. 

Here are the ingredients for making bao buns:

Here are the ingredients for making pork buns filling:

Tools for Instant Pot Steamed Buns

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Mixing Bowl
• Kitchen Scale
• Bowl Scrapper
• Cooling Rack
• Microplane Grater
• Instant Pot Trivet or
• Optional: Stand Mixer

Make Bao Dough

In a large mixing bowl, add 500g all-purpose flour, 2 tsp (8g) baking powder, 5g fine salt or table salt, and 25g granulated sugar. Mix them very well.

*Note: Double-check you’re using Baking Powder, NOT Baking Soda for this recipe.

Then, add in 6.25g instant yeast, and make sure to mix them very well.

Now, push all the flour mixture to the side by creating a well in the middle.

Gradually pour 250ml (108°F/42°C) lukewarm water and 2½ tbsp (37.5g) vegetable oil into the well, then mix the flour mixture until blended to form a relatively dry dough.

*Note: The dough shouldn’t stick to the hand too much once it’s fully mixed. 

*Pro Tips: Make sure all the flour is mixed in. Depending on your flour, you may need another tablespoon (15ml) of lukewarm water. However, be careful not to add too much additional water. The dough should not feel sticky.

Form a large ball with the dough.

*Pro Tip: If the dough is a bit hard to knead, cover the dough and let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes. If the dough is soft enough to knead, proceed to step 2.

Knead & Rise Bao Dough

Here’s the labor of love part of this Instant Pot steamed buns recipe. 

We’ll need to knead the bao dough for a good 8 – 11 minutes until the dough is relatively smooth.

*Pro Tip: If you want to skip this workout, take out your stand mixer and let it do the work. Depending on your stand mixer, it’ll take roughly 6 – 8 minutes for it to knead the dough.

Finally, form the dough into a ball shape, then place it back into the original large mixing bowl.

Then, cover it with a damp kitchen towel or food wrap.

Now, place the mixing bowl in a warmer part of your kitchen, then allow the dough to rise. 

*Dough Rising Time: You’ll need to rise the dough for roughly 45 minutes – 1 hour.

*Note: You can proceed to prepare the filling ingredients as you wait for the dough to rise

Make Bao Fillings

First, finely slice the green onions.

We used a microplane grater to grate the garlic and ginger directly into the mixing bowl.

Be careful not to grate your own fingers! 

*Pro Tip: In our 5 tests, we found that the filling’s texture is a bit better when we mixed it with our hands instead of using chopsticks. 

We’ve developed this steamed buns recipe for making both pork buns and beef buns. So, you can choose to make steamed buns with a beef filling or pork filling. 

1) Pork Buns Filling: In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1lb (454g) ground pork, 1 (60g) large egg, 3 grated garlic cloves, 2 tsp (14g) grated ginger, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tsp (5ml) dark soy sauce (optional), 1 tsp (6g) oyster sauce, ⅛ tsp (0.2g) five spice powder, ⅛ tsp (0.3g) ground white pepper, and ½ tsp (3g) table salt.

2) Beef Buns Filling: In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1lb (454g) ground beef, 1 (60g) large egg, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tsp (7g) grated ginger, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tsp (5ml) dark soy sauce (optional), 1 tsp (6g) oyster sauce, ⅛ tsp (0.2g) five spice powder, ⅛ tsp (0.3g) ground white pepper, ½ tsp (3g) table salt, and ½ tsp (1.8g) ground cumin powder.

When the beef or pork filling ingredients are well mixed, mix in ½ cup (125ml) cold water one third at a time (around 42ml each time).

*Pro Tip: Let the filling fully absorb the water before adding in more water.

Add the finely sliced green onions and 2 tbsp (10ml) roasted sesame oil to the filling mixture, then mix well.

Finally, cover the filling mixture with food wrap, then place it in the fridge for now.

Make Dough Balls

*Note: Your dough should be almost double in size now.

First, stick your finger into your dough and it shouldn’t bounce back that much (as shown in photo below).

Then, place your dough on a clean surface.

Now, deflate the dough by pressing on it.

Fold the dough a few times, then divide it into 16 equal pieces. Each piece should weigh around 50g.

If you like, you can form each small dough into a ball shape (shown in the photo below). This will make it easier to roll the dough when you make the bao buns.

Place the 16 dough balls on a plate, then cover them with a damp towel (or food wrap) to prevent the dough from drying out.

Roll Bao Dough

Flatten Dough Balls

First, lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour.

With the lower part of your palm, flatten the dough into a circular shape by pressing down on the dough ball.

Then, roll the flattened dough 2 – 3 times with a rolling pin.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll the dough for another 2 – 3 times.

*Note: The dough should look like a circle at this point.

2 Methods to Roll Bao Dough

Now roll the edges of each dough so the center is thick while the edges are thin.

*Pro Tip: It’s very important to have a thick center in order for it to hold up the filling & the delicious meat juice.

Method 1: Use your rolling pin with an outward rolling motion to flatten all the edges to thin them out.

Method 2: Rotate the dough with one hand while using the rolling pin to thin out the edges.

*Note: Each round dough should be roughly 5″ in diameter. Don’t worry if they’re not completely round, it’ll be fine. 🙂

Dust both sides of round dough with flour to prevent them from sticking onto one another.

Finally, place the flattened bao dough on a plate, then cover it with a damp towel.

Add Filling to Bao Buns

First, take out the meat filling from the fridge.

Then, place a round dough on your left hand.

With a spoon, place 34g – 36g meat filling in the center of the round dough.

Then, flatten out the filling a little with your spoon.

Wrap Steamed Buns

First, your right thumb should be on top of the round dough and your index finger should be on the outside.

Then, use your right index finger to fold and pinch the edges against your right thumb. 

Rotate the dough as you fold the edges.

Make sure to keep the filling inside the dough with your left thumb.

*Note: You can also use the left thumb to help with the folding.

It’ll take some practice to be good at wrapping baozi!

If you did it correctly, there will be a hole on top once you finish folding the bun. Close the hole by using the same folding method.

*Pro Tip: It’s best to properly close off the hole on top of the bao, or else the delicious meat juice may leak out when you steam the baozi.

Rest Steamed Buns

Finally, place the assembled steamed buns into a steamer basket with parchment paper at the bottom.

Let the steamed buns rest for 30 minutes before cooking.

*Note: If you’re not cooking the steamed buns immediately, place them in the fridge.

Cook Steamed Buns in Instant Pot

Method 1 (Small Batch):

*Note: Use this pressure cooking method if you’re only cooking a few steamed buns in Instant Pot.

*Pro Tip: 8″ bamboo steamers will fit in a 6 quarts Instant Pot.

First, add 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water and a trivet in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Then, place the steamer basket on the trivet. Close the steamer basket lid if you’re using a bamboo steamer.

Close the Instant Pot lid, then turn Venting Knob to the Sealing position.

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to the Venting Position.

Once the Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Method 2 (Big Batch):

*Note: Use this steaming method if you’re cooking a lot of yummy steamed buns. You can stack the bamboo steamers into tiers, then batch cook them and freeze for later. 🙂

For 6 quarts Instant Pot: we recommend using 10″ bamboo steamers.

For 8 quarts Instant Pot: 10″ and 12″ bamboo steamers will work with this method.

First, fill the Instant Pot’s inner pot with 2 cups (500ml) of water.

Bring the 2 cups of water to a rapid boil with the “Saute High” function or “Steam” button.

Then, carefully stack the bamboo steamers on top of the Instant Pot’s inner pot.

You don’t need Instant Pot’s lid, but make sure the bamboo steamer’s lid is closed properly.

Steam the bao for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat. 

Serve & Store Instant Pot Steamed Buns

Your Instant Pot steamed buns are ready! Serve the piping hot Instant Pot Bao with some tea on the side. 😀

Storing Leftover Steamed Buns (Cooked):

To prevent them from sticking to one another, place the steamed buns on an oven tray, and partially freeze them in the freezer.

Then place the partially frozen bao in Ziploc bags. Remove the excess air in the ziploc bags and seal tight. 

For best quality, you can store the bao in the freezer for up to 3 months (longer if they’re vacuum-sealed).

Steamed Buns Meal Prep

You can double this bao recipe and store them in the freezer after you cook them. This is really convenient because you only need to reheat them later.

Enjoy Deliciously Fluffy Instant Pot Steamed Buns!

Other Instant Pot Chinese Recipes

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Shumai (Shrimp & Pork Dumplings)

Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)