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Quick, easy, and perfectly crispy air fryer dumplings are a great snack or appetizer when you need something crunchy, savory, and absolutely delicious. This method works for any brand and any variety of frozen dumplings or frozen potstickers. We even included a simple 3-ingredient dipping sauce to take your dumplings to the next level!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This method is super easy and totally foolproof, plus it give the dumplings the BEST texture. If you’ve ever cooked frozen dumplings (or frozen potstickers, or frozen gyoza) in the microwave, you know that you end up with soft, chewy, sometimes slightly tough dumplings. With the air fryer, though, they turn out perfectly crispy every single time. You don’t even need to thaw them first – just take them out of the freezer and dump them straight into the air fryer!
- We included a simple, 3-ingredient dipping sauce that really takes the dumplings to another level. Sure, most of the time frozen dumplings come with their own sauce, and you could also just use soy sauce. But this sauce blends soy sauce with rice vinegar and chili paste for a wonderfully rich dipping sauce with a touch of heat.
- If you want to take these from a snack or app to a full-blown, Asian-inspired, easy-to-make dinner, you TOTALLY can. Just pair your air fryer dumplings with noodles, fried rice, egg rolls, hibachi veggies, or whatever you like!
Chef’s Tips
- To get really good, evenly-cooked dumplings, you have to be a little strategic with your placement. Don’t overcrowd the basket, or stack or pile up the dumplings. They need to be spread out in an even layer so the air can circulate around them fully. If your air fryer is on the small side, or if you’re cooking a lot of dumplings, work in as many batches as you need to.
- Air fryer performance can vary from one appliance to another, even if both appliances are the same size, the same brand, and the same age, sitting right next to each other in the same kitchen. Keep an eye on the dumplings and adjust your cook time as needed so you don’t over- or under-cook them. When they’re ready, they should be golden brown and warmed all the way through.
- A spray of air-fryer-safe cooking oil makes a big difference! Spray the basket with oil so the dumplings don’t stick. That’s obvious. BUT! Then you want to spray the tops of the dumplings, too, so they crisp up really beautifully and turn a gorgeous golden-brown color. You can skip the second spray if you really don’t want to use oil, and the dumplings will still be delish, they just won’t be quite as crispy.
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Home Fries
- Sausage In The Air Fryer
- Frozen Egg Rolls In The Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
- Air Fryer Hot Pockets (Frozen And Homemade)
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Air Fryer Dumplings
Ingredients
For the Dumplings
- 12 frozen dumplings any brand, any variety
For the Dipping Sauce (Optional)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons chili paste more or less to taste
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- spray cooking oil must be safe for air fryers
- Small bowl for dipping sauce
- whisk
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 380° Fahrenheit.
- When air fryer is preheated, spray basket with spray oil then place frozen dumplings in basket in one flat layer, working in batches as needed stacking, piling, or overlapping dumplings.
- Spray tops of dumplings with spray oil, then place basket in air fryer and air fry 8 minutes.
- While dumplings cook, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili paste to small bowl. Whisk ingredients together until fully combined, then set aside.
- After 8 minutes, check doneness of dumplings. Once dumplings are heated through completely, remove dumplings from air fryer basket and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
- Spray Oil: Use a cooking spray that is safe for air fryers. Non-stick sprays are not recommended as they can damage the coating of the basket or rack.
- Chili Paste: All chili pastes are not created equal! Depending on the brand, the paste could be really spicy. I recommend starting out with just 1 teaspoon (or even ½ teaspoon if you’re super sensitive) and then tasting the sauce before adding more.
- Cooking times can vary from one air fryer to another. Keep an eye on the dumplings and adjust the cook time as needed. When they’re ready to eat, they should be golden brown and warmed through completely.
Nutrition Information
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Jeannie Ryan says
Not even close to being done in 8 minutes, what did I do wrong?
Jessica | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says
Hi Jeannie! Every air fryer heats differently, so we suggest adjusting the cook time as needed. It also helps to make sure the basket isn’t overcrowded, that way the heat reaches each dumpling evenly. I hope this helps!
Paula says
QUESTION: Would this work for frozen perogies (cheese, onion, potato or plain)? I’m thinking it might. I usually brown them anyway after boiling them.
Jessica | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says
We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure! We’d love to hear the results if you try it!
Paula says
QUESTION: Would this work for frozen perogies (cheese, onion, or plain)? I’m thinking it might. I usually brown them anyway after boiling them.
Jessica | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says
We haven’t tried this recipe with perogies, so we can’t say for sure how they would turn out! We’d love to hear how it goes if you do try it!