Baked Char Siu Buns (Cha Siu Sou)
Soft, golden baked buns filled with sticky, sweet and savoury char siu pork and spring onion.
Made with Char siu marinade and Pizza dough. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time1 hr 15
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.32 a head
- Oven190°C (170°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Toss the pork with 80 ml of your ready made char siu marinade (see the base recipe) and leave for 20 minutes. Keep the other 80 ml of marinade separate and clean.
- 2
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Cook the pork for 8 to 10 minutes until well browned and cooked through, with no pink inside. Remove from the pan.
9 min - 3
Mix the cornflour with the water. Add the reserved 80 ml of marinade to the pan with the cornflour mixture and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy and thick. Stir in the pork and spring onions. Cool completely.
1 min 30 s - 4
Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and line a tray with baking paper. Divide your ready made pizza dough (see the base recipe) into 12 equal pieces and flatten each into a 9 cm round.
- 5
Put a heaped spoon of filling in the centre of each. Pull the edges up and pinch tightly to seal, then place seam-side down on the tray, spaced apart.
- 6
Cover and leave for 15 minutes. Brush with beaten egg, scatter over the sesame seeds and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until deep golden.
20 min - 7
Cool for 5 minutes, since the filling is very hot inside.
Tips
- Cool the filling fully before filling the buns. Hot filling melts the dough and makes the seams leak.
- Do not use the marinade that touched raw pork as a sauce. Use the clean portion set aside for the glaze.
- Shop bought bao flour gives a softer bun, but pizza dough makes a chewier, bread-like bun that bakes well at home.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 to 2 hours, keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a 180C oven for 10 minutes until steaming hot all the way through. Freeze baked buns for up to 2 months.
Questions
Are these the same as steamed char siu bao?
No. These are baked cha siu sou, which have a golden crust. Steamed bao use a softer, whiter dough, but the sticky char siu filling is the same.
Can I use chicken or tofu?
Yes. Use chicken thigh and cook it through with no pink, or firm tofu fried until golden. The filling is just as good.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes. Shape and chill the buns for up to 12 hours before baking, or bake and freeze. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
More made with char siu marinade
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.