I air fry a lot of things, but they tend to fall into a few specific categories: pizza, various vegetables, and chicken wings. Despite my love for frozen dumplings, I had never put them in my air fryer until today. Would they cook properly? Would the texture suffer? I’m happy to report that frying frozen dumplings works well and they crisp up in a new and exciting way.

I almost always have Trader Joe's frozen dumplings in my freezer. The flavor is excellent compared to other frozen brands I've tried (and I've tried a lot), and a bag is reasonably priced at about $4. I generally steam them. It's easier and a more hands-off approach than pan-frying them, and my one-bedroom apartment doesn't end up smelling like oil. Does this mean my days of crispy fried dumpling skin are over? Hardly.

Pan-frying frozen dumplings usually requires a bit of supervision to ensure the bottoms brown without burning. Air-frying your 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 crispy, bubbly exterior. It almost looks like a spring roll shell, with its tiny, delicate bubbles. Here’s how to do it.

Like most air fryer appetizers, this one is quick and easy. Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. Place frozen dumplings on a platter, as many as you want to cook at once without crowding the air fryer basket.