I Tried 7 Frozen Dumplings & the Best Were Tender, Juicy, and Delicious

Dumplings are one of my favorite food groups. I love the delicious wrapped bites of all kinds of world cuisines, from Nepalese momos to Italian ravioli. Still, there's nothing better in my book than a platter of crisp, golden Chinese potstickers with their delicately pinched seams and crunchy, savory fillings. While you can't go wrong with take-out dumplings from your favorite local spot, frozen dumplings are a great alternative to ordering in, and there are plenty of delicious options at the store.

I tested seven store-bought frozen dumplings from well-known brands and was surprised by how much I enjoyed each one. It was hard to pick a winner in this taste test, as several contenders hit all the right notes. They were deeply savory and moist, with a bit of crunch in the filling and a delicate, paper-thin wrapper.

If you want to satisfy a dumpling craving, you'll likely find some great options in the freezer aisle. But before you head to the store, here's how these seven popular frozen dumplings ranked in descending order:

Feel Good Foods Pork Potstickers

The wrappers on these gluten-free potstickers are made with rice flour and tapioca starch. They also come with a tasty packet of tamari dipping sauce.

The look: The wrappers on the Feel Good Foods potstickers were the thickest and doughiest of the bunch. They lost any crimped pleats once they were cooked and had a pale, shiny color. These dumplings also felt heavier per piece than most of the others I tried.

The taste: The meaty filling in these dumplings was savory and had a slight crunch from shredded cabbage, but the wrappers were quite gooey and chewy. The thick dough took away from the filling and dominated each bite.

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Bibigo Organic Potstickers Chicken & Vegetable Dumplings

Bibigo has an impressive range of dumpling products, and this version is stuffed with organic chicken, cabbage, onions, and seasonings.

The look: These potstickers look like your classic Chinese restaurant menu item. The wrapper is thin and perfectly crimped, and each piece is identical. They took on a nice amount of browning and crispiness in the skillet and held their shape well.

The taste: The wrappers were nearly perfect–thin, crisp, and not too chewy. But I found the chicken and cabbage filling overly salty. You certainly don't need a soy sauce dunk with these potstickers.

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Lao Ban Livin' on the Vedge Dumplings

These adorably named dumplings are also handmade and vegetarian. They can be steamed, boiled, or pan-fried.

The look: These dumplings don't have quite the same refined crimped look as the Bibigo potstickers, but they're uniformly shaped and have the classic crescent curve you'd find at a Chinese dumpling shop.

The taste: The cabbage-based vegetarian filling is flavored with chili crisp made with Sichuan peppercorns, which gives these dumplings their slight tingling flavor. They're not exactly spicy, but fans of Sichuan food will appreciate the numbing sensation. Given their lack of meat, I was surprised by how meaty and umami-rich these dumplings tasted, but I also found the filling to be slightly greasy, and the dough was a tad thick.

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Dumpling Daughter Vegetable Buns

These are technically steamed buns, but they're in the frozen dumpling family and would certainly fulfill the craving. They're wrapped in a fluffy, airy dough and filled with mixed veggies, including cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots.

The look: These palm-sized buns are as cute as buttons. They have a nice homemade quality because each bun isn't completely uniform. The dough is pinched into a pretty swirl and is markedly thicker than your typical dumpling wrapper. They're cream-colored and puff up quite a bit when cooked.

The taste: These buns are delightfully bready and soft. I had an issue with some of the paper from the packaging sticking to the bottom of two buns, but what's a little paper? The filling is sweeter than most, but not overly so, and has a nice amount of crunch to balance out the fluffy dough. The bready wrapper absorbs soy sauce quickly, and you don't need much for these well-seasoned buns, so be careful when dipping!

Brooklyn Chop House Korean BBQ Dumplings

These unique dumplings come from a New York City-based restaurant known for its unusual dumpling offerings, including macaroni and cheese, chicken Parmesan, and sweet chocolate cake-filled buns.

The look: These dumplings are shorter, rounder, and fatter than most. They have a simple straight seam, and the wrappers crisped up nicely in a skillet, taking on a golden brown crust.

The taste: The filling is on the sweeter side and has a different flavor than the more traditional meat- and cabbage-filled potstickers I tried. It tasted a bit like cumin to me. There's a good amount of finely chopped beef inside each dumpling, and the slightly thicker wrapper is stretchy and soft enough to accommodate it all without being gloopy.

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Joyce Chen Pork & Vegetable Potstickers

These potstickers come from an iconic Chinese food brand started by pioneering Chinese-American restauranteur and chef Joyce Chen.

The look: These frilly potstickers look like the shiny, golden-brown dumplings you'd expect from a fast-paced Chinese restaurant. They're long, narrow, and have distinct ridges from crimping the seam closed. The wrapper is amongst the thinnest of the dumplings I tried.

The taste: These dumplings have an incredibly juicy, umami-rich filling. The center stays moist while the wrappers get crisp and golden. The ridges on these dumplings add more surface area for crispiness, so they're the perfect balance between crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The delicate wrapper is flavorful but not gummy or thick, and the dumplings hold their shape well. I like that these dumplings are meat- and veggie-forward with a nice soy-based sauce. They're not sweet nor overly salty.

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Mila Pork Soup Dumplings

Soup dumplings like these differ from potstickers in a few ways. They're cooked by steaming rather than pan-searing or boiling, which helps maintain a super juicy filling. They're also round with a pinched top to seal in the filling, which is looser and, well, soupier than your typical potsticker.

The look: These round little dumplings have a swirly pinched top similar to the buns from Dumpling Daughter, but the wrapper is significantly thinner and almost transparent after cooking. They're uniformly shaped, and you can see the round little ball of filling under the drape of the tender wrapper.

The taste: Talk about juicy! These soup dumplings are filled with a tight ball of porky goodness swimming in a delicious savory broth. The filling is slightly sweet and well-balanced, with lots of allium flavor from scallions, a gentle kick of ginger, and nutty sesame oil. The soup dumplings are light but satisfying and my favorite of the bunch.

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