The Fluffiest Homemade Pork Buns (Tangzhong Pork Buns)

This Momofuku & Ippudo-style pork bun recipe includes the best, most tender soft homemade bao buns (Gua Bao or Baozi) with slow-braised pork belly. The brined pork is basically a set-it-and-forget-it pork belly with otherworldly deliciousness. As for the bao (the buns), I use a special ingredient combined with the tangzhong method for the most ethereal squishy soft pillowy dough. Unlike most recipes I’ve tried (including David Chang’s own bun recipe) they never seem to get anywhere close to the level of softness of the prepackaged buns you can buy or eat at Momofuku and Ippudo. If you’ve ever had the same issue, I think you’re going to love this pork bun recipe.

When we lived in NYC and could frequent Momofuku or Ippudo (both were minutes from my apartment), I still made these pork belly buns at home. Why? Because they’re super easy to make and there was no need to book a reservation at Momofuku or stand in line at Ippudo (which doesn’t take reservations (photographed below). These cloud-like pork buns are meaty, squishy soft, and one of the best things you’ll ever eat.

If you’re following along for Ramen Month, you know that a great ramen night starts with these squishy, fluffy-soft pork buns.

What Are Pork Buns?

Pork buns come in many different forms and have an endless number of delicious fillings (usually comprised of braised pork or ground pork filling). Pork buns originated in China, but have been deliciously adapted in Japan (and NYC). No matter what type of pork bun you’re eating it will usually consist of a fluffy, snow-white yeasted steamed bun (bao or mantou) and slices of braised (or barbecued) pork or a ground pork mixture. Let’s dive into the different varieties of pork buns.

• Mainland China Chinese pork buns (baozi 包子, or bao buns). Snow white (or naturally colored) fluffy yeasted dough wrapped around a filling of char sui, ground pork, vegetables, or a combination of pork, chicken, beef, and veggies, that get steamed. These are one of my favorite snacks to eat in China (or any city with its own Chinatown or a good dim sum restaurant). Each region of China has its own specialty pork fillings but baozi (bao buns) are not always filled with meat. They’re often filled with dessert fillings like whipped cream, egg custard, or red bean paste.
• Japanese pork buns (nikuman 肉まん). Snow white fluffy yeasted dough wrapped around a filling of ground pork, vegetables, or a combination, and steamed. These are very similar to baozi or mainland China pork buns.
• Taiwanese pork buns (gua bao 割包). Snow white, fluffy yeasted steamed buns in a half-moon shape filled with slices of saucy braised pork belly and various toppings like pickled mustard, cilantro and peanuts and eaten like a sandwich or taco. This is what the Nagasaki kakuni manjū and Momofuku and Ippudo pork buns below are based on.
• Nagasaki kakuni manjū pork buns (Nagasaki Chinatown pork buns). Snow white, fluffy yeasted steamed buns in a half-moon shape with braised pork belly slices and various toppings added. It’s stuffed with the mixture and eaten like a sandwich or taco.
• Momofuku and Ippudo-style pork buns (based on gua bao from Taiwan). Snow white, fluffy yeasted steamed buns in a half-moon shape filled with braised pork belly slices and various toppings (sugar-and-salt quick pickled cucumbers, mayo, scallions, hoisin sauce, Sriracha sauce, etc.) and eaten like a sandwich or taco.

Why We Love This Pork Buns Recipe

• A special ingredient ensures a fluffier pork bun than most recipes
• these are tangzhong bao buns which makes them incredibly fluffy
• It takes 5 minutes to prepare the pork belly for brining & braising
• The braised pork belly is hands-off cooking at its best (set-it-and-forget-it)
• Kiddos and adults both love these steamed pork buns
• The pork belly and the buns can be made 2 or 3 days in advance
• Use them to make the BEST breakfast pork buns
• Both the pork and the bao buns can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months
• Making pork buns at home saves money and you can fill them, however, you want (with as much or as little as you want — see below)

Various Homemade Pork Buns I’ve Made Throughout the Years (middle one uses store bought bao buns)

I’ve included the braised pork belly recipe in this post as well as the recipe for the buns, but if you’re buying pre-made buns and you only need the braised pork recipe, head over here to check out the braised pork belly post instead.

Momofuku & Ippudo-Style Pork Buns Ingredients

There are just 6 ingredients in this braised pork belly recipe (and that’s if you’re counting water and salt). As for the bao buns, while they take a bit of time to make due to the triple rise, they’re as simple as any yeasted bread is to make so it’s a perfect recipe for beginner bread-makers.

Braised Pork Belly Ingredients

• pork belly
• sugar
• kosher salt
• water
• chicken stock
• scallions

Extra Soft Bao Bun Ingredients

• cake flour or 00 flour
• instant yeast (or active dry)
• dehydrated potato flakes (sub potato flour)
• dried milk powder
• sugar
• baking powder
• baking soda
• water

How to Make the Best Homemade Pork Buns Just Like Momofuku & Ippudo

This pork belly recipe is perfect for beginners because it’s almost completely hands-off cooking and it always produces great results. Make this one day in advance so the pork has time to chill overnight in the fridge which makes it easy to slice. I’ve used the tangzhong method to make these pork bao buns even softer. If you don’t have a steamer basket to cook the buns, check out the notes section where I outline how to DIY your own pork bun steaming station.

Make the Braised Pork Belly (one day in advance)

1. Make the braised pork belly. In a liquid measuring cup, add all of the ingredients (except the pork belly) and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
2. Brine the pork belly. Add the pork belly and the scallions to a sustainable plastic bag, or other air-tight container and add the brining liquid. Seal it up being sure the pork is completely covered in the brining solution and refrigerate for 12 hours.
3. Braise the pork belly. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Remove the pork belly and scallions from the brine and discard the liquid. Place the pork on top of the scallions in an oven-proof baking dish. Stir the water and chicken stock together and pour it over the pork belly. Bake for 2 1/2 hours until the pork is tender. Turn the oven temperature up to 450F/232°C and continue baking until the top is golden brown about 30 more minutes. You may turn on the broiler function after about 20 minutes if you want to speed up the browning process but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in its juices. Refrigerate the brining liquid.
4. Refrigerate the braised pork belly. When the pork belly has cooled, remove it from the braising liquid and place it into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Strain the braising liquid and add it to a glass jar and refrigerate. Remove the chilled pork belly from the fridge and slice it into 1/4 or 1/2-inch slices. You may reheat the slices by dipping them into a pot of reheated braising liquid, or by pan-searing them on each side until just warmed through or until they’re golden brown, Enjoy!

How to Make Braised Pork Belly For Pork Buns step-by-step recipe photos

Make the Bao Buns 

1. Make the tangzhong starter. In a small pot add 1/4 cup of water and bring it almost to a boil over high heat, slowly add 1/4 cup of flour while whisking the mixture with a fork constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking and stirring constantly for a couple of minutes more until the mixture starts to ball up around the fork. Remove it from the heat and place the tangzhong in a small bowl to cool completely to room temperature.
2. Make the bao bun dough & let it rise (1st rise). Add the flour, yeast, sugar, powdered milk, potato flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment and whisk the ingredients well to combine. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly and steadily add the warm water to combine. Stop the machine and add the cooled tangzhong pinching off small pieces into the bowl. Turn the mixture back on to medium-low speed and continue kneading and mixing for approximately 12 minutes stopping the machine periodically to pull the dough back down off of the hook (because it will climb). Once the dough has been kneaded and is smooth, remove it and shape it into a round. Lightly oil the mixing bowl and place the dough round back into it and turn it over to coat all sides with a little oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 to 1.5 hours).
3. Portion the dough & let it rise (2nd rise). Once the dough has risen, punch it down and form it into a log, and cut 16 equal pieces (about 48g each). Keep the dough covered while you work with one piece at a time to roll them into small round dough balls. Place the rounded dough balls onto a parchment-lined tray, cover loosely with sustainable plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for about 30 more minutes. While the balls are rising, cut out 16 pieces of 4×4-inch squares of parchment paper (this will make adding them to the steamer basket a cinch without damaging the risen buns).
4. Shape the buns & let them rest (3rd rise). Working with one dough ball at a time, press the ball down with your hand and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an oval shape about 1/4-inch thick. I don’t use flour on the work surface in this step because I roll them out on stainless steel and the dough doesn’t tend to stick so much to the surface that I need flour. Just a light tugging is needed to get the rolled dough to pull away from the surface.  Brush the top of each oval with vegetable oil, place a chopstick in the middle and fold the top over the bottom using the chopstick to form a bun and make it easy to gently pull up the bun and transfer it to a cut square of parchment paper. Keep all the buns and the dough covered while working so the dough doesn’t dry out. Let the buns rest covered for 30 more minutes to rise just slightly.
5. Steam the buns. Set a steamer basket over a pan with enough water to steam the buns for 10 minutes. Do not place the buns where they will be in contact with any water. Add the buns on the parchment squares to the basket making sure the buns do not touch. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the hot buns from the steamer basket and use them immediately, or allow them to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
6. Assemble the pork buns. Heat the pork belly slices by using a kitchen torch or pan-searing them on both sides in a skillet. Add a little hoisin sauce, sugar-and-salt pickled cucumbers, a few scallions, and Sriracha sauce to each bun and place 1 or 2 slices of pork belly and serve. You may also add homemade mayonnaise, lettuce, cabbage, or any other toppings you desire. Enjoy!

Bao Buns (Momofuku & Ippudo-Style pork buns) step-by-step recipe photos

How to Store Braised Pork Belly

Braised pork belly can be made 2 or 3 days in advance and stored sliced in the refrigerator until ready to reheat and eat. Or you may slice it and freeze it for up to 3 months. In this case, I like to add parchment paper or freezer paper in between each slice so I can easily remove just what I need for a recipe and put the rest back.

How to Reheat Braised Pork Belly For Pork Buns

You can easily reheat sliced braised pork belly in three different ways:

• • use a kitchen torch to sear it on both sides
  • pan-sear it in a skillet on both sides until warmed through or golden brown and crispy
  • reheat the braising liquid and add sliced pork belly to the pot until warmed through

How to Store Homemade Bao Buns (Pork Buns)

Once the buns have been steamed and cooled completely to room temperature, place the square of parchment paper between each bun, wrap them in a larger piece of parchment paper (if storing for a long time), and store them tightly sealed in an airtight freezer bag. If you’re storing them in something other than a freezer bag, be sure to wrap them well with sustainable plastic wrap before adding them to the container which will help keep any frost off of them. Buns can be stored for up 3 months (even longer if wrapped well) and removed from the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or they can be steamed from frozen but will take a few minutes longer.

4 Ways to Reheat Bao Buns (Pork Buns)

• Re-steam the buns. Add the buns to a parchment-lined steamer basket set over a wok or pot with about 2 inches of boiling water and steam the buns for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and soft. Make sure the buns never have contact with the water.
• If you don’t have a steamer basket, make a DIY steamer basket using a small pot and a metal colander. Place the buns in the colander set atop a pot with a little boiling water and place a lid on top of the colander being sure not to allow the buns to have contact with the water. Steam for several minutes until warmed through and fluffy.
• Reheat them in the oven by placing the buns on a large piece of aluminum foil and adding two damp (not soaking wet) paper towels to the tops of the buns, close the aluminum foil to seal it completely, and place them into a preheated 350°F176°C oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through and soft.
• Microwave the buns. Wrap the buns in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 to 40 seconds, or until steaming hot.

Homemade Toppings For Pork Buns 

The best part about making homemade pork buns is that you get to top them with anything you like. We almost always use a little hoisin sauce, salt & sugar pickled cucumbers, sliced scallions, Mayu mayonnaise, or this soy-sesame mayo below, along with some shredded lettuce or purple cabbage for added crunch. Below is a super sesame-soy mayonnaise recipe and the salt and sugar pickled cucumber recipe. Don’t forget to add a little Sriracha sauce if you like a little heat.

Sesame-Soy Mayonnaise

Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside until ready to use.

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (14g)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 45g)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed or whole (9g)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional but recommended) (2g)
• 1/4 teaspoon Japanese Nanami Togarashi chili pepper mix (optional) (1g)

Salt & Sugar Pickled Cucumbers

Mix everything together in a bowl and allow the cucumbers to rest for 15 minutes. Use right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.

• 1 to 2 cucumbers sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (5g)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (12g)
• 1 dried chili (optional)
• 1 drop of toasted sesame oil (optional)

More Ramen Month Recipes to Make the Perfect Piping Hot Bowl

If you’re just getting into making homemade ramen (and all the delicious components that go with it), you can start from the beginning with our favorite ramen recipes. Lots of these components can and should be made ahead and frozen which makes it easy to have real ramen any night of the week with minimal prep work. Here are the delicious Ramen Month recipes starting with baked baking soda.

• How to Make Baked Baking Soda (for Ramen, Chinese Wheat Noodles & Pretzels)
• How To Make Homemade Ramen Noodles From Scratch (The Easy Way)
• How to Make Perfect Jammy Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago 味付け卵)
• Easy Chashu Pork チャーシュー(Marinated Braised Pork Belly Recipe For Ramen )
• Crispy Shallow-Fried Turkey Breast Cutlets (like Turkey Katsu)
• Easy Japanese Braised Pork Belly (for Momofuku & Ippudo Style Pork Buns)
• How to Make Crispy Shallow-Fried Chicken Breast Cutlets (like Chicken Katsu)
• Rich and Creamy Homemade Tonkotsu Ramen Broth Recipe

Let’s get started!

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