If you’re a fan of Trader Joe’s and love their selection of pre-cooked frozen foods, you’ve probably come across their popular gyoza (otherwise known as potstickers or dumplings). These fully cooked, frozen dumplings come in both chicken and Thai vegetable varieties, making them a quick and easy appetizer or lunch option.
And they are downright delicious.
The packaging offers various methods for preparing frozen potstickers: pan frying, microwaving, steaming, and even preparing them in soup.
But have you ever thought about cooking them in your air fryer? If you want to achieve the perfect crisp without the hassle of pan frying, air frying your Trader Joe’s gyoza is the way to go, and it is incredibly simple.
Why Air Fry Trader Joe’s Gyoza?
Trader Joe’s chicken gyoza is delicious, but it is also a pretty impressive main dish as far as nutrition is concerned.
Four pieces contain just 130 calories, 2g fat, 20g carbs, and 7g protein. Enjoying two servings (8 pieces) will provide you with a satisfying 260-calorie meal packed with 14g of protein.
While the packaging suggests various cooking methods like pan frying, steaming, microwaving, or adding them to soup, air frying is an excellent option for those who want a hands-off approach that yields the same crispy results as pan frying without the need for extra oil.
Experimenting With Different Air Frying Methods
To find the best way to air fry Trader Joe’s gyoza, I decided to test three different methods: cooking them dry, coating them with cooking spray, and tossing them in sesame oil.
I was curious to see how each method would affect the final texture and flavor of the potstickers, so let’s find out together.
Regardless of the method you choose, the first step is always to preheat the air fryer for a few minutes. This step is essential for achieving maximum crispiness, as the air fryer works best when it’s really hot. Just a short 3-minute preheat should do the trick.
Since the gyoza are fully cooked, there’s no need for any additional prep. Simply take them out of the freezer and place them directly into the air fryer basket.
If you opt to use cooking spray, you can spray the potstickers once they’re in the air fryer basket. If you prefer to use oil, toss the chicken gyoza potstickers in a bowl with a small amount of oil before placing them in the air fryer.
How to cook air fryer dumplings:
- Place the frozen gyoza in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave space between each dumpling to allow for even browning on all sides.
- Air fry at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes total.
- After the first 5 minutes, use tongs to flip the potstickers over to ensure even cooking.
- After 10 minutes, your gyoza should be perfectly golden brown and crispy and ready to pair with your favorite dipping sauce.
Cooking Spray vs Oil? Which is Better?
After trying all three methods, I found that the gyoza looked quite similar, regardless of whether they were cooked dry, with cooking spray, or tossed in oil.
However, if I had to choose a favorite, I’d recommend using cooking spray for the Trader Joe’s frozen gyoza.
The cooking spray moistened the exterior of the potstickers, resulting in the perfect combination of crispiness and moisture that you want from gyoza. Without any spray, the dumplings were a bit too dry on the outside, despite having a great crisp.
Once dipped into a sauce, the dry option wasn’t too bad, but the edges reminded me more of crispy wontons than I would have liked.
Tossing them in sesame oil yielded similar results to the cooking spray method, but I didn’t notice a significant difference in flavor. Sesame oil tends to work really well in stir fry due to the strong flavor, but since the amount of oil used was minimal, it didn’t contribute much to the overall taste.
You can certainly use sesame oil or olive oil if you don’t prefer to use cooking spray.
Personally, I prefer using cooking spray for its ease, since you can spray the frozen gyoza right in the air fryer. Plus, the calorie-saving component is pretty nice as well.
How to Serve Air Fryer Frozen Dumplings
Once your Trader Joe’s gyoza are perfectly air fried, you can serve them with your favorite dipping sauce. Classic options like soy sauce or teriyaki work well, but I highly recommend trying Trader Joe’s gyoza dipping sauce.
I love this as an all-around sauce, not exclusively for dipping, and I use it as my stir fry sauce fairly often.
Pair your crispy air fryer gyoza with other Trader Joe’s frozen favorites like their Mandarin Orange Chicken or fried rice for a complete meal.
Tips for air frying Trader Joe’s gyoza:
- Preheat your air fryer for a few minutes before cooking to ensure maximum crispiness.
- Leave space between each gyoza in the air fryer basket to allow for even browning on all sides.
- Use cooking oil spray to achieve the perfect balance of crispiness and moisture.
- Flip the gyoza halfway through cooking for even results.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, like Trader Joe’s gyoza dipping sauce, for an extra burst of flavor.
Air frying Trader Joe’s gyoza is a quick, easy, and delicious way to enjoy these popular frozen dumplings. With just a few simple steps and minimal prep, you can have perfectly crispy potstickers ready in no time!
More Trader Joe’s-Inspired Recipes
This guide is just one of many I have put together for Trader Joe’s. If you need some more tips for transforming some Trader Joe’s frozen food into a delicious air fryer recipe, I’ve got some great ones for you to check out!
- The BEST Way To Cook Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken
- Hot Honey Ground Beef & Broccoli
- How To Make Air Fryer Hashbrowns
- 15-Minute Trader Joe’s Stir Fry
- The Easiest Air Fryer Parmesan Truffle Fries
- How To Make Homemade Pizza With Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough
How to Cook Trader Joe's Frozen Gyoza in the Air Fryer
Trader Joe's frozen gyoza (otherwise known as potstickers or dumplings) is one of the most popular pre-cooked frozen dishes that Trader Joe's offers. But since they don't currently include air fryer instructions on the package, here is how I suggest preparing the frozen gyoza in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- Trader Joe's Frozen Gyoza
- Cooking Spray or Oil
- Dipping Sauce of Choice (Trader Joe's gyoza dipping sauce is excellent)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer at 370 degrees F for a few minutes.
- Place the frozen gyoza in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave space between each piece to allow for even browning on all sides.
- Spray the tops of the frozen gyoza with the cooking spray of your choice.
- Air fry at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes total.
- After the first 5 minutes, use tongs to flip the potstickers over to ensure even cooking. Spray the potstickers once more after you flip them before air frying for the final 5 minutes.
- Remove the crispy air fryer gyoza and pair with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- If you do not want to use cooking spray, you can also toss the potstickers in a small amount of oil before placing them into the air fryer basket.
- Without preheating the air fryer, these may take an extra minute or two to achieve the ideal crisp.
- These can be air fried without any cooking spray or oil, but the final result is on the dry side. Once paired with dipping sauce it is not bad, but cooking spray is recommended.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 4 PotstickersAmount Per Serving Calories 130Total Fat 2gCarbohydrates 20gProtein 7g
