My Crochet Bao Pattern is a delightful addition to any play kitchen! You can whip up a crochet bao toy in under 30 minutes, making it a quick and enjoyable project.
My husband and I have a deep appreciation for bao, steamed buns, and dumplings; they rank among our favorite foods. Their unique flavors and textures always bring a smile to our faces.
When our child was a toddler, we would let him play with an extra steaming basket. He loved pretending to cook bao by filling the steamer with his toy balls and placing it carefully on his play stove.
Watching his imaginative play was a joy and inspired me to create this crochet bao bun set! Not only is it fun to create, but it also offers a fantastic opportunity to learn about different food cultures around the world. Soon after I also made a crochet tempura shrimp for him, crochet spam musubi, and crochet onigiri - all food that he LOVES!
This bao bun set is extremely easy to make, making it perfect for beginners. Whether you're looking to enhance your child's playtime or simply want to create a charming piece for your crochet collection, this pattern is sure to delight!
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✏️ Things To Note:
- Yarn Type. I use worsted weight yarn for the crochet bao pattern and steamer, but any type of yarn will work for this pattern.
- Steamer Construction. The steamer pattern consists of just the bottom tray. If you make two and add a handle to one, it can act as a lid.
- Size Reference. The crochet bao pattern is roughly the same size as an actual bao, about 3.5 inches.
🪡 Materials Needed
- Lion Brand Yarn Basic Stitch Anti Pilling Yarn, Skein Tones Beech
- Lion Brand Yarn Basic Stitch Anti Pilling Yarn, Skein Tones Birch
- RED HEART Classic Yarn, White
- RED HEART Classic Yarn, Black
- RED HEART Classic Yarn, Pink
- Small safety eyes
- Tapestry needle
- 5mm hook for steaming basket
- 4.5mm hook for dumplings
- Polyfil
💭Abbreviations to Remember (US terms)
- Magic ring- mr
- Single crochet- sc
- Back loop only - blo
🧋Variations
You can easily turn the bao into keychains by adding a jump ring through one of the stitches at the top.
🍵Instructions for Crochet Bao Pattern
For this Crochet Bao Pattern we will be working in rounds.
Round 1: Using white yarn and the 4.5mm hook, make a mr and then sc x6 into the mr. (6)
Round 2: Inc in every sc. (12)
Round 3: Inc, sc, then repeat until end of round (18)
Round 4: Inc, sc x2, then repeat until end of round (24)
Round 5: Inc, sc x3, then repeat until end of round (30)
Round 6: Inc, sc x4, then repeat until end of round (36)
Round 7-15: Sc in every stitch (36). Then fasten off and leave a tail to cinch the bao closed.
Place the safety eyes roughly between rounds 9-10 about 5 or 6 stitches apart.
Stuff the bao with polyfil and then weave the long yarn tail from the bao through the last row you crocheted. I make about 10 gathers on my dumplings.
Keep in mind the less gathers you do the more pronounced the pinching at the top will look.
Once you cinched the bao shut or at least as close as you can get it, secure it closed with a knot then sew the rest of the bun closed if it is still open.
Embroider a face for the little bao, and you are all done!
Crochet Bamboo Steam Basket:
This pattern is made in rounds
Round 1: Using 2 strands of the brown (1 color each) and the 5mm hook, make a mr and then sc x6 into the mr. (6)
Round 2: Inc in every sc. (12)
Round 3: Inc, sc, then repeat until end of round (18)
Round 4: Inc, sc x2, then repeat until end of round (24)
Round 5: Inc, sc x3, then repeat until end of round (30)
Round 6: Inc, sc x4, then repeat until end of round (36)
Round 7: Inc, sc x5, then repeat until end of round (42)
Round 8: Inc, sc x6, then repeat until end of round (48)
Round 9: Inc, sc x7, then repeat until end of round (54)
Round 10: Inc, sc x8, then repeat until end of round (60)
Round 11: Inc, sc x9, then repeat until end of round (66)
Round 12: In blo, sc in every stitch (66).
Round 13-15: Normally sc in every stitch (66). Fasten off and weave in the ends.
And now you have your very own crochet bao and steamer play set! I hope you enjoyed my crochet bao pattern!
Check out my crochet dumpling pattern for more yummy food crochet patterns that can work with the steamer basket!
If you were wanting to make more crochet food of different cuisines check out my crochet burger pattern or crochet orange pattern!
If you have leftover white, check out my crochet marshmallow pattern for an easy amigurumi food project.
🐌Expert Tips
- Embroidery Tips. If you’re struggling to embroider the face after the bao has been sewn shut, you may find it easier to embroider the face and cheeks before closing the bao.
- Stuffing Technique. Be careful not to overstuff the bao, as it may become difficult to cinch shut properly. Start with a small amount of polyfil and adjust as needed.
- Using Stitch Markers. If you find it challenging to keep track of your rounds, consider using stitch markers to denote the start of each round for better accuracy.
🧵Pattern FAQs
Absolutely! Just make sure you use 2 strands though.
Follow the pattern for the bottom basket part and then separately crochet a small handle by making a thin rectangle, then sew on the top.
No, you don’t have to. I like giving a lot of my crochet creatures faces, but it’s completely optional.
🧶More Crochet Food Patterns
If you tried this Crochet Bao Pattern (or any other pattern on my website), please let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Crochet Bao Pattern
Materials
- 1 skein Red Heart Classic Yarn White
- 1 skein Red Heart Classic Yarn Pink
- 1 skein Red Heart Classic Yarn Black
- 1 skein Lion Brand Yarn Basic Stitch Anti Pilling Yarn Skein Tones Beech
- 1 skein Lion Brand Yarn Basic Stitch Anti Pilling Yarn Skein Tones Birch
- Small Safety Eyes
- Tapestry needle
- 5mm crochet hook
- 4.5mm hook for steamer basket
- Polyfill for dumplings
Abbreviations (US terms)
- mr = Magic ring
- sc = Single crochet
- blo = Back Loop Only
Notes
Instructions
Crochet Bao Pattern:
- For this crochet bao pattern we will be working in rounds.
- Round 1: Using white yarn and the 4.5mm hook, make a mr and then sc x6 into the mr. (6)
- Round 2: Inc in every sc. (12)
- Round 3: Inc, sc, then repeat until end of round (18)
- Round 4: Inc, sc x2, then repeat until end of round (24)
- Round 5: Inc, sc x3, then repeat until end of round (30)
- Round 6: Inc, sc x4, then repeat until end of round (36)
- Round 7-15: Sc in every stitch (36). Then fasten off and leave a tail to cinch the bao closed.
- Place the safety eyes roughly between rounds 9-10 about 5 or 6 stitches apart.
- Stuff the bao with polyfil and then weave the long yarn tail from the bao through the last row you crocheted. I make about 10 gathers on my dumplings. Keep in mind the less gathers you do the more pronounced the pinching at the top will look.
- Once you cinched the bao shut or at least as close as you can get it, secure it closed with a knot then sew the rest of the bun closed if it is still open.
Crochet Bamboo Steam Basket:
- Round 1: Using 2 strands of the brown (1 color each) and the 5mm hook, make a mr and then sc x6 into the mr. (6)
- Round 2: Inc in every sc. (12)
- Round 3: Inc, sc, then repeat until end of round (18)
- Round 4: Inc, sc x2, then repeat until end of round (24)
- Round 5: Inc, sc x3, then repeat until end of round (30)
- Round 6: Inc, sc x4, then repeat until end of round (36)
- Round 7: Inc, sc x5, then repeat until end of round (42)
- Round 8: Inc, sc x6, then repeat until end of round (48)
- Round 9: Inc, sc x7, then repeat until end of round (54)
- Round 10: Inc, sc x8, then repeat until end of round (60)
- Round 11: Inc, sc x9, then repeat until end of round (66)
- Round 12: In blo, sc in every stitch (66).
- Round 13-15: Normally sc in every stitch (66). Fasten off and weave in the ends.
- And now you have your very own crochet bao and steamer play set!
:) says
Hey! These are super cute! Do I have permission to make them and sell them at a little neighborhood market?
Kimberly Arenas says
ABSOLUTELY!
:) says
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your patterns are amazing and I appreciate it so much.