Frozen Potstickers Dumplings Air Fryer

Make this frozen potstickers air fryer crispy but soft and succulent on the inside with these super easy instructions that take no more than about 10-13 minutes. How would you like to cook frozen potstickers at home and have them come out as good as the fresh ones you eat in your local Asian restaurant with no added fat? Sound too good to be true? It is true that all you have to do to learn how is to read on.

Crispy potstickers cooked in an air fryer are one of the tastiest appetizers or snacks around. Air fried rather than pan-fried, they are so easy to make and take no more than about 10-13 minutes.

Jump to:

• Air fryer dumplings supplies
• How do you cook frozen potstickers in an air fryer
• How long do you cook potstickers in an air fryer?
• Prepare the dipping sauce
• Give your Potstickers an extra-crispy skirt.
• Related Asian recipes:
• Recipe

If you’ve never tried potstickers before, you are must have led a very sheltered life. They are little Chinese dumplings that people often pan-fry on their stovetops. But I am one for an easy life, and if I can avoid having to clean up the mess that pan-frying makes, I will.

That’s why I prefer to use my air fryer. Instead of having to heat a pan of hot oil and then babysit the cooking process, just put them in your air fryer. If you haven’t yet got one, this will give you the perfect excuse.

Air-frying pot stickers will provide you with a perfect result every time if you follow the instructions I give you to the letter. They will be soft and succulent on the inside with lovely crispy edges all around the outside. It’s so simple to do – even my potsticker-fanatic kids can do it.

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Air fryer dumplings supplies

Here is what you’ll need. Some frozen potstickers or gyoza. From a cultural point of view, one is Chinese, and the other is Japanese. You can use either.

• One teaspoon of sesame oil or olive oil. Don’t overdo it. Sesame oil is very aromatic.
• An air-fryer. The one I currently use is a Cosori.

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How do you cook frozen potstickers in an air fryer

To make it as easy to follow as possible, I will walk you through the process. But if you would like a printable version to refer to as and when you need, you can click on the recipe at the end of this article.

Step 1

Start by pre-heating the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes. Take your pot stickers out of the freezer and putting them in a bowl. Lightly drizzle with oil. My favorite for this is either olive oil or sesame oil. Oil the basket of your air-fryer too. Using a Misto sprayer to deliver the oil is perfect as it applies it in fine mist form.

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Step 2

Put your oiled potstickers into the oiled air-fryer basket. Don’t overlap them too much as any covered areas won’t cook evenly. Cook them at 350°F. After five minutes, give the basket a good shaking to move the dumplings a little to aid even cooking. There is no need to flip them.

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Step 3

After shaking the basket, carry on cooking for a further five minutes. Check to see if they are as crispy as you would like them to be. Depending on how many I am cooking and how crispy I want them, it takes between 10 and 13 minutes from start to finish.

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How long do you cook potstickers in an air fryer?

Frozen potstickers are only one type of dumpling. There are many other types, but generally, they all take about 10 – 13 minutes cook time in an air-fryer at a temperature of 350°F.

Give the air fryer basket a shake halfway through the cooking time, and if you think it needs it, add more oil. I mentioned the Misto sprayer above, and another good one to try out is an EVO oil sprayer. If you would like to know what types of oil you can use in your air-fryer, please click here.

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Pro tips/recipe notes

• You do not have to use oil when cooking potstickers in an air-fryer. However, in my experience, adding a little oil gets you a lovely golden, crispy sear outside.
• Don’t be tempted to defrost your potstickers before cooking. They cook better from frozen.
• If you get interrupted before eating, and your dumplings cool down too much, reheat them in your air-fryer for two minutes at 350°F.

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Prepare the dipping sauce

A delicious – and if you like it, spicy, it will make the potsticker eating experience even better. This is one of my favorite dipping sauce.

• • Grate fresh ginger, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and chili oil to make a dip that will get your tastebuds buzzing. I normally add some sugar, simply adjust according to your preference. You can just eyeball the amount according to your taste. Sprinkle some sesame seeds for garnish (optional).

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Give your Potstickers an extra-crispy skirt.

Who doesn’t like their potstickers nice and crunchy? Any takers? Thought not. It’s annoying when some of your dumplings don’t caramelize as well as others. Thankfully, there is a way around this, and it is called the dumpling skirt. It’s not something you do with an air-fryer, though, so you will have to resort to using your skillet.

It’s an old Asian restaurant trick and is something you can easily replicate at home (you can check my post here). Not only will you get a super-crispy add-on, but it makes for a great presentation too.

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What are the frozen dumplings skirt?

A potsticker skirt is a wafer-thin sheet of crispy starch that can be created to keep a ring of dumplings held together on a crispy, circular base. As well as looking magnificent, it also adds an extra crunch factor.

You can use this technique to cook fresh, homemade potstickers, or shop-bought frozen ones. Whatever dumplings you cook in this way, it takes them to the next level.

I am well-traveled and have enjoyed and have eaten dumplings with skirts in several countries, including China, Japan, and Taiwan. My Chinese aunt made some of the best I’ve ever had. She makes more than 50 different types of dumplings, often complete with skirts.

She always told me it was merely a way of holding the potstickers together. It’s much more than that, though, because it gives that extra crispiness to me and my family loves it.

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Gather your tools

1 My aunt favors skillet frying her potstickers. She says it’s because the skillet doesn’t get too hot, too quickly, and it doesn’t cool down when the dumplings go in.

2 An eight-inch skillet is ideal. It will hold approximately six or seven potstickers (which are known as “guo tie” in Mandarin (Chinese: 鍋貼), and the skirt that forms isn’t too difficult to get out of the pan.

3 If you are new to skillet cooking dumplings, it might be wise to use a non-stick skillet, especially if your skillet hasn’t been properly seasoned.

4 Also, you will need a glass lid that is a good fit. It doesn’t have to be glass, but if it is, it gives you the advantage of being able to keep an eye on them as they cook.

5 Use a lid with little vents in it. These will allow just enough steam to escape to help a crust to form on your dumplings.

6 You will also need a spatula, which is as thin as can be and very flexible. I have a metal spatula, but one made from heatproof silicone will work too, as long as it is thin. You will need this to get under your potstickers for flipping.

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Prep your skirt slurry

You will need:

• • 5 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tbsp of wheat starch (or cornstarch)
  • ¼ tsp white vinegar

Mix all the ingredients and use a fork to whisk into a thin batter. It is this batter that will steam the potstickers, cooking them through. As the water evaporates from the mixture, it leaves behind starch. It is this starch that sets into a skirt.

Without knowing exactly why I have found with a practice that the vinegar results in a crispier crust.

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Start frying

1 Warm your skillet on a medium-high heat setting on your stovetop. If using frozen potstickers, no need to thaw them before putting into the skillet.

2 If your dumplings are made with wrappers you bought from the store, make sure they are properly sealed. The high heat of the skillet can rupture any edges that are not well sealed.

3 When the skillet is hot enough, brush or spray the bottom of the pan. You only need enough oil to make the bottom of the pan glisten.

4 Put your potstickers into the skillet with about an inch of space between them. Leave them where they are, or you risk breaking the skins if you try to move them.

5 When they start sizzling, carefully add the slurry mixture. Don’t put too much into the pan. Just enough to come one-third of the way up the side of the dumplings. Cover the pan and wait. The waiting is the most difficult bit.

6 It will take about six to eight minutes to cook through. As the cooking time progresses, lessen the heat. Start lowering the heat after two minutes, then bit by bit until it’s on a low setting.

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And be patient

I include lots of information because to be brutally honest, making top-notch “Guo tie” (Chinese: 鍋貼) is not that simple. You will need a few attempts to get your cooking time spot on and the skirt mixture right.

• There are lots of odds and ends at play. The BTUs your burner gives out, the thickness and area of the cooking surface of your skillet, and of course, the type of dumplings you are cooking.
• All our kitchens and appliances are different, and even I sometimes struggle to get the perfect result. However, I do get there more often than not, and when I do, I pat myself on the back and say, “Well done,  good job!”

The secret, as my aunt never tired of telling me, is to be patient and flexible.

• If your potstickers look as if they are ready, but there is still some liquid skirt mixture in the skillet, turn up the heat, and take off the lid to speed the evaporation process.
• If you spot any areas of burning, add a tablespoon of skirt mixture to the hot spots. Remember not to be impatient. Wait for the skirt to set and color before taking it out properly.
• When the edges of the skirt begin to lift, everything is ready to serve.

My aunt seems to get it right every time. Having said that, she has 40 years worth more experience than me, so I guess I will get there one day.

I can tell you with all honesty that the many mistakes I have made along the way in cooking potstickers always taste great. Nothing lost there.

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All-purpose flour versus rice flour

You can use either of these types of flour to make your skirt mixture. All-purpose flour will give you a thicker, crisper skirt.

If you prefer your skirt to be more delicate, use rice flour. The majority of Asian restaurants use rice flour. My brood prefers it made with all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Try both, and make your mind up.

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Related Asian recipes:

• How to Reheat Potstickers
• Potstickers Recipe
• Shumai Recipe

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Recipe