Air Frying Frozen Dumplings Creates a New Kind of Crispy Dish
I air fry a lot of things, but they usually fall into a few specific categories: pizza, various vegetables, and chicken wings. Despite how much I love frozen dumplings, I had never put them in the air fryer until today. Will they be able to prepare properly? Will the texture be affected? I’m happy to report that air frying frozen dumplings works well and actually crisps them up in a new and exciting way.
I almost always have frozen Trader Joe’s dumplings in my freezer. The taste is excellent compared to other frozen brands I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot) and the price per bag is about $4. In general, I steam them. It’s easier and more hands-on than frying them in a pan, and my one-bedroom apartment doesn’t smell like oil. Does this mean my days of crispy fried dumpling skin are over? Hardly.
Pan-frying frozen dumplings usually requires some supervision to ensure the bottoms are browned and not burnt. Air-frying frozen dumplings is a way to cook them with much less attention and even less splatter. The result is a moist, meaty center and a crisp, bubbly surface. It’s almost like an egg roll shell with tiny, tiny, delicate bubbles. Here’s how to do it.
How to air fry frozen dumplings
1. Preheat the air fryer.
Like most air fryer snacks, this one is quick and easy to make. Preheat air fryer to 320°F. Place frozen dumplings on a platter, as many as you want to cook at a time without overcrowding the air fryer basket.
2. Grease them with oil.
You can use an oil spray, but I ended up just using my hands. Pour about a teaspoon of neutral oil into one cupped palm. Rub your palms together and then start picking up the dumplings, rubbing them with oil. Make sure you cover them thoroughly and completely. Uncoated stains will eventually dry out in the fryer and develop a pasty texture. If you need more oil, simply pour more oil into one hand.
3. Air fry the dumps.
When the fryer is ready, add the dumplings to the basket. Leave about an inch of space between them. Cook them on the Air Fry setting for about 15 minutes. Turn them on their side halfway through cooking to crisp up the bottom.
Dumplings are a very different experience than pan frying, but they are different in a good way. Instead of a crispy bottom, you get a gently puffed shell with a crispy seam on top. The inside was still juicy, and my fears that the dense frozen center might be cold were unfounded.
Save on steam cooking on the stove.
Unfortunately, you cannot steam dumplings in an air fryer. I made a test batch with water in the air fryer basket. I dipped each dumpling in water to moisten the shell and loaded them up. Although steam is produced, the machine is well ventilated and not enough to actually steam the meaty pockets; the shell eventually dries out. The dumplings will be more tender if you simply steam them in a pan on the stove.