The soup inside xiao long bao is usually made by making the stock from scratch and then chilled to gelatinize the soup. The stock is usually made with chicken feet and pork skin as these two have a high amount of collagen and will gelatinize nicely when chilled.

Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as mantou. Steamed xiaolongbao made with partially raised flour are more commonly seen in the south. This means that their skin is tender, smoother, and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy.

Xiao Long Bao means “little dumpling in a basket.” These broth-filled dumplings, from the Jiangnan region of China, are steamed in a bamboo basket.

Sometimes called "soup dumplings," xiao long bao are a round, purse-shaped dumpling made of a relatively thick (thicker and doughier than jiaozi, for instance) wheat wrapper, which is crimped on the top. Although it's called a soup dumpling, xiao long bao are not actually filled with soup.