What Are Bao Buns? A Beginner's Guide
By The Chowmi Test Kitchen · Updated June 12, 2026
Bao (包) are soft, fluffy Chinese steamed buns made from a slightly sweet, leavened wheat dough — "bao" means "bun" or "to wrap." They come filled (baozi) or plain (mantou), and the dough's pillowy, white, cloud-like texture is the signature. The most familiar types are char siu bao, round buns stuffed with sweet barbecue pork; gua bao, a flat folded "bao taco" that sandwiches braised pork belly and toppings; sheng jian bao, pan-fried soup buns with a crispy bottom; and tangbao or xiao long bao, thin-skinned soup dumplings (a dumpling cousin rather than a fluffy bun). Most bao are steamed in bamboo baskets, which keeps them light and snowy. Fillings range from savory (pork, chicken, vegetables) to sweet (red bean, custard, lotus paste). You eat them with your hands, and they're a staple of dim sum and street food across China and Taiwan.
What 'bao' actually means
Bao (包) literally means "to wrap" or "bun," and refers to buns made from a leavened, lightly sweet wheat dough that's steamed until soft and fluffy. Filled buns are baozi; plain unfilled buns are mantou, eaten like bread. The dough is what makes a bao a bao — pale, pillowy, and slightly sweet — as opposed to a dumpling, which uses thin, unleavened wrappers. If it's soft and bread-like, it's a bao; if it's a thin skin around filling, it's a dumpling.
The main types of bao
A few types cover most of what you'll meet. Char siu bao are round, fluffy buns filled with sweet-savory barbecue pork — a dim sum icon, available steamed (white) or baked (golden). Gua bao are flat, folded buns — a soft "bao taco" — that hold braised pork belly, pickles, peanuts and cilantro, hugely popular as Taiwanese street food. Sheng jian bao are pan-fried buns with a crispy bottom and a juicy, soup-filled pork center. And nai wong bao are sweet custard buns for dessert. Each starts from the same fluffy dough.
How bao are cooked and eaten
Most bao are steamed in stacked bamboo baskets, which is what gives them their light, white, cloud-like texture without browning. Sheng jian bao are the exception — pan-fried to crisp the bottom. You eat bao with your hands, often as part of a dim sum spread with tea, or as a quick street-food snack or breakfast. Steamed bao reheat beautifully, so they're sold frozen everywhere and are a great make-ahead food.
Bao vs dumplings vs bread
It's easy to mix them up. A bao is a fluffy, leavened steamed bun (bread-like dough); a dumpling uses a thin, unleavened wrapper around filling; and a soup dumpling (xiao long bao), despite the "bao" in its name, is really a thin-skinned dumpling, not a fluffy bun. Think of it by the dough: bread-soft and risen means bao; thin and chewy means dumpling. Both are wrapped, both can be filled, but the dough tells you which is which.
What Are Bao Buns? A Beginner's Guide FAQ
What are bao buns?
Bao buns are soft, fluffy Chinese steamed buns made from a slightly sweet, leavened wheat dough. They can be filled (baozi) — like char siu bao with barbecue pork — or plain (mantou). The pillowy, white, bread-like texture is their signature, and most are steamed in bamboo baskets. They're a staple of dim sum and street food.
What's the difference between bao and dumplings?
The dough. Bao use a thick, leavened, bread-like dough that's steamed until fluffy, while dumplings use a thin, unleavened wrapper around filling. If it's soft and bread-like, it's a bao; if it's a thin skin around a filling, it's a dumpling. Soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are actually dumplings despite the name.
What is char siu bao?
Char siu bao is the most famous filled bao — a round, fluffy steamed (or baked) bun stuffed with sweet-savory char siu, or Chinese barbecue pork. It's a dim sum classic, soft and pillowy on the outside with a sticky, savory-sweet pork filling inside. The baked version has a golden, slightly sweet crust.
What is gua bao?
Gua bao is a flat, folded bao — sometimes called a "bao taco" or "pork belly bun." The soft steamed bun is folded around braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts, and cilantro. It originated as Taiwanese street food and has become popular worldwide for its mix of soft bun, rich pork, and tangy-crunchy toppings.
Are bao buns vegetarian?
Some are. The bun dough itself is typically vegetarian (flour, water, yeast, sugar, a little fat), and there are vegetable bao filled with mushrooms, cabbage, or tofu, plus sweet ones like red bean and custard. But many bao are filled with pork, chicken, or barbecue meat, so check the filling — the bun being plant-based doesn't mean the filling is.
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