1. Overview
2. Dumplings Explained
3. Popular Frozen Dumpling Brands
4. Cooking Instructions
5. Sauce Selections
6. Plating Ideas
7. Junkie Lifestyle Tip(s)
8. Appendix

Overview.

Great cooks attack each meal with fresh ingredients, creativity, time, and love. Watch Beat Bobby Flay or Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network and you’ll feel it through your TV screen. Food junkies enjoy everything about the final product, but some may lack the time and skill of great cooks. Instead, they turn to their trusty air fryer to craft quick, tasty meals. That group includes us! Today feels like a great night for you to try the best-frozen dumplings air fryer recipe around. Add plenty of sauce options and you’ve got a great meal for yourself, the kids, or a quick appetizer for that unplanned visit from family or friends!

Dumplings explained.

What are dumplings anyway? Before we jump into the cooking, dumplings have many names and interpretations. According to Wikipedia dumplings are:

“a broad class of dishes that consists of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources) wrapped around a filling, or dough with no filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour or potatoes, and is filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, fruits or sweets.”

Well, that clarifies it, doesn’t it? Dumplings are also known as potstickers or gyoza, based on the native cultures (Chinese, Japanese). Wontons fall in this category too. Great cooks will make their dough from scratch and fill them up with all sorts of goodness. Don’t fret, though, anyone can make a tasty meal with a variety of great frozen dumpling options.

Popular Frozen Dumpling Brands (Potstickers)

We all have our favorite regional grocery centers in the United States, from Kroger’s in the Midwest to Alberton’s in the South, and Safeway out West. And I’m sure our global friends have many more fantastic stores that carry a wide range of regional frozen products, including great frozen dumplings, potstickers, gyoza, and wontons. I’m featuring brands that all of us can get our hands on through major distributors like Walmart, Costco, and Target.

Cooking: Air Fry Frozen Dumplings Recipe

Needs: Air Fryer, Frozen Dumplings (Potstickers, Wontons, or Gyora), Cooking Spray, Oil, and/or Sesame Oil. The fork is optional for this meal choice!

Step 1: Spray

Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Step 2: Heat

Preheat your air fryer to 370 for 3-5 minutes.

Some folks recommend skipping this step, which is fine. Those same people probably jump in the shower before turning on the water or jump in a sun-soaked car without letting the air conditioner work its magic for a few minutes.

Step 3: Arrange

Arrange the frozen dumplings, (potstickers) in your basket, allowing for some space between each piece to ensure even, thorough heating.

Step 4: Coat

Spray the frozen dumplings (potstickers) with your favorite cooking oil (I prefer Pam Avacodo Oil) or brush on some olive oil or sesame oil. You must use oil to get that golden, crunchy texture.

Step 5: Cook

Cook your frozen dumplings for 6 minutes. Open the basket, move them around with some rubber thongs, then cook for another 3-6 minutes based on the desired crispiness for your frozen dumplings. It’s a judgment call. When they have that nice golden gleam, you’re ready for your fried feast!

Sauce Selections

You can make your own sauce or go straight from a bottle. The key is to get a nice balance of sweetness and heat. My favorites include:

• Tatoo Hot Sauce – Avocado Serrano Hot Sauce
• Kikkoman Traditional Soy Sauce
• Frank’s Red Hot
  • Why, because as the commercial says “I put that sh** on everything.”

Sweet Heat and Honey Mixture

• 4 tablespoons Tattoo Hot Sauce
• 4 tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• Soy sauce & sour cream (optional)

Mix everything together and drizzle the sauce over your finished frozen dumplings (potstickers). Add more or less heat, depending on how high your heat tolerance is. NOTE: I like a little heat, but I’m not trying to win a contest. If you want hot, load up and enjoy. Add a side of sour cream or soy as a second dipping sauce to cut the sweet heat mix.  

Plating Ideas

If you watch Food Network you know that plating is everything. Yes, I’m a Food Network junkie, hence the name of this blog. While I don’t have a large pantry or designer plates and bowls, you can still make your dish look as good as it tastes.

• Classy – Use square white china and make a fun pattern.
• Casual – Drop them in a bowl with your favorite dipping cup.
• Grab & Go – Plastic basket with wax paper.

The Junkie Lifestyle

Air frying is a lifestyle. It’s quick, fun, and casual. Just fry, eat and repeat! Look for many more quick recipes, in addition to this frozen dumplings recipe, in the future. I’ll also include some fun facts and lifestyle tips in my posts too. Air-fried food is just one of my passions.

Appendix

There are a wide variety of air fryer options on the market. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular options according to Google. Ninja is widely considered the best brand for this type of food preparation. These product descriptions were pulled directly from the manufacture’s information on the internet and are not original content.

Ninja Foodi 8-Quart 6-in-1 Dual Zone Air Fryer with Racks & Kebabs

The innovative Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone Air Fryer features the convenience of two independent 4 qt. baskets, so you can cook two foods at once. The baskets are generously sized to fit 4 lbs. of fries or wings in each zone. With the unique Smart Finish function, it’s possible to cook two foods, in two different ways, that finish at the same time. And with the convenient Match Cook feature, you can copy your settings across each zone. Plus, it’s got six preset programs and a temperature range from 105º to 450º F.

• Main air fryer unit with 6 programmable functions
• (2) 4 qt. Cooking baskets for 8 qt. capacity
• (2) Non-stick crisper plates
• Multi-layer rack
• Broiler rack
• (5) Kebab skewers
• User guide
• Quick-start guide
• Chef-created 15-recipe book
• Manufacturer’s 1-year limited warranty

Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 8-Quart Dual Zone Air Fryer with Broil Rack

This innovative, unique Air fryer has two independent 4 qt. baskets that let you cook two foods at once. No need to cook back to back. The Smart Finish function lets you cook two foods, two ways, and finish at the same time! And the Match Cook setting lets you copy the settings across each zone. With six preset programs (air fry, bake, roast, reheat, dehydrate, and air broil) and a temperature range from 105º-450º F.

• Dual Zone air fryer
• Broil rack accessory
• 15-recipe inspiration guide
• Kickstarter recipe
• Quick-start guide
• User guide
• Hot surface warning insert
• Manufacturer’s 1-year limited warranty

6 Qt. Power XL Air Fryer

• EFFORTLESS COOKING: You can oven air-fry rotisserie for savory chicken and pork roasts, mouthwatering turkey breasts, or authentic kebabs. You can even use the dehydrator to make healthy dehydrated veggies, herbs, fruit, and more.
• RAPID AIR TECHNOLOGY: Rapid Air Technology enables the PowerXL Air Fryer to surround your food with a whirlwind of turbo cyclonic air to deliver a healthier version of the same food with the crispy fried taste and texture you love in just minutes.
• 7-IN-1 MULTI-COOKER: Super-heated turbo cyclonic air surrounds your food with crisp 360° air circulation to replace deep fryers, rotisserie, dehydrators, convection oven, oven toasters, and pizza grills. This 1700-watt air fryer oven will even fit a 4-pound chicken.
• COOK WITH LESS OIL: The Power Air FryerXL delivers 70% fewer calories from fat than deep-fried food. The PowerXL AirFryer Pro is a multi-cooker that gives you all of the crispy, juicy, delicious, and healthier benefits of oil-free air frying.
• 8 ONE-TOUCH PRESET BUTTONS: 8 Digital Pre-Set Programs with easy one-touch digital control let you roast, air fry, bake, steam, sauté, and grill. Featuring a digital timer with automatic shut-off as well as a manual time and temperature programming option.

Cosori Air Fryer Max XL

This award-winning air fryer (Red Dot Award, 2019) features 13 one-touch cooking functions and rapid 360° air circulation to provide crispy results using less oil: The air fryer uses up to 85% less oil than traditional deep frying methods while maintaining the same delicious taste, making it the perfect gift for family members and friends Large Capacity: The air fryer’s spacious 5.8-quart square baskets can fit a whole 5-pound chicken. Additionally, the corner spaces provide more cooking footprint and flexibility than round designs. Cook the perfect amount of food for 3-5 people in one go 13 Cooking Functions: 11 presets, Preheat, and Keep Warm help you cook meat, veggies, desserts, and more to perfection. Just choose your preset with 1 easy tap on the display and you’re ready to cook.

You can also set your own temperature and cook time for personal recipes Safe Materials: The removable, nonstick baskets are dishwasher safe, PFOA free, and BPA free. The air fryer dimensions are 14.3 x 11.8 x 12.6 inches (handle included) , while the basket dimensions are 9 x 9 x 3.75 inches. To find air fryer accessories, search for C158-6AC 100 Included Recipes: Find inspiration for every meal with 100 original, Cosori chef-created recipes Convenient Design: The air fryer produces crispy results in less time than a conventional oven and includes a shake reminder function.

Preheat the air fryer before adding your ingredients for improved texture Fully Certified: The air fryer is ETL Listed and has a power rating of 120V / 1700W and a temperature range of 170°-400°F. Please note that this voltage only applies to the US and Canada California Roots: Based in California, Cosori is proud to call the Golden State our home.

Farberware 5.3 Quart Digital Oil-Less Fryer, XL

Requires little to no oil, reducing fat and calories healthy fried food alternative with the same taste and textureCook up to 30% faster with Rapid Air TechnologyDiverse functionality lets you fry, bake, grill, and toast5.3 Quart capacity for extra-large portions easy to use touchscreen panel with 8 cooking preset temperature control up to 400 degrees FahrenheitDishwasher-safe basket and basket Holderness-free, no fried food odorIncludes recipe book English/Spanish instruction manual included model Number: FBW FT 46075.

GoWISE USA Air Fryer

This makes cooking a hassle-free experience. Use the accessory kit to enhance your air frying experience by creating a variety of dishes from juicy meats, pizza, and more. This air fryer comes with a redesigned basket to ensure cooking is always a pleasurable experience. The 5.8 QT capacity makes it ideal for households of 4.

• Dimensions: 12″ x 14″ x 10″
• Includes 8″ baking pan, 8″ pizza/pie pan, 2 insert racks, 3 Skewers, toasting/warming rack, a silicone pot mat, and a booklet with 50 air fryer recipes
• Healthier cooking in 30 min or less: Thanks to Rapid Air Technology, you can now experience your favorite food without the extra calories, this air fryer can fry, bake, grill and roast with little to no oil
• Sleek and modern look with an advanced touch screen menu
• 8 Preset Cooking Options and Manual Controls
• Start/Stop button allowing you to change your program mid-cycle, as well as a built-in alarm function to remind you to shake your ingredients in 5, 10, and 15-minute increments
• Enjoy an easy cleanup by using a non-abrasive sponge and warm water to clean after cooking
• 1 year limited warranty
• Plastic