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Dumpling 101: How to Freeze Dumplings

Nov 8, 2018 37 Comments

Got uncooked dumplings? Here is your guide on how to freeze dumplings and how to cook frozen dumplings.How to Freeze DumplingsI often receive dumpling-related questions on social media, and I want to gather and address them in a periodic series that I’m calling “Dumpling 101.” One of the most common questions I get is how to store uncooked dumplings.

HOW TO FREEZE DUMPLINGS

The best method is to freeze dumplings. I usually line pleated dumplings on a baking sheet that fits in my freezer (see photo above). You can also line the dumplings on large plates. Make sure that the dumplings do not touch each other. Otherwise, the dumplings will stick together into a large clump.

Then, I stick the baking sheet straight into the freezer. After several hours, the outsides of the dumplings will harden. At this point, you can remove the dumplings from the baking sheet and store them in a freezer bag, like you see below.

How to Freeze Dumplings

WHEN FROZEN DUMPLINGS GET STUCK TO THE PAN

It’s not unusual for me to forget about the frozen dumplings in the freezer. I’ll leave them on the pan overnight or find them after two days. When that happens, I inevitably find one or two dumplings stuck to the pan as I remove them. It’s not a big deal. I usually give them an extra tug, and they come right off.

You can also line the baking sheet with a sheet of parchment or wax paper before setting the dumplings on top. The dumplings definitely will not stick to the baking sheet when it’s lined. I don’t usually do this because I try not want to waste paper, if possible.

One important note about using glass containers: If possible, do not freeze dumplings directly on glass plates or baking sheets. For whatever reason, frozen dumplings tend to stick on glass and they’re very stubborn to remove. I found out the hard way at my in-laws’ house. If you are using a glass plate or tray for freezing dumplings, line it with parchment first. 

Once bagged, you should eat the frozen dumplings in 2 or 3 months. If you store them for any longer, they may get freezer burn.

DO NOT REFRIGERATE UNCOOKED DUMPLINGS

One important thing to note: DO NOT refrigerate uncooked dumplings. Dumpling fillings tend to be moist. When you refrigerate uncooked dumplings, the moisture continues to seep into the dumpling skins, causing them to turn soggy. The next day, the dumplings can get stuck to your container or each other and lose their shape. This problem is even worse when you use thin dumpling skins. I can’t tell you how many messages I receive from people telling me that their uncooked dumplings turned soggy in the refrigerator. That’s why the best thing to do is freeze dumplings. (Additional note: Mama Lin insists that there are dumplings with certain fillings are okay to refrigerate uncooked. To be on the safe side, I would freeze them.)

How to Freeze Dumplings

NO NEED TO DEFROST DUMPLINGS BEFORE COOKING THEM

When you are ready to eat the dumplings, you do not need to defrost the dumplings. In fact, I would advise against it. The ice crystals around the frozen dumplings will melt as the dumplings defrost. When left unattended for a few hours, your dumplings might turn soggy and lose their shape.

If you are making wontons, just throw the dumplings straight into a pot of boiling water. If you are making potstickers, throw the dumplings straight onto the hot pan. The dumplings will need a few more minutes to cook, say an extra 1 to 3 minutes. When cooking potstickers with this method, you’ll notice that it takes an extra minute or two before they brown on the bottom. That’s completely normal.

I freeze batches of dumplings all the time. They are perfect for days when I don’t feel like spending much time on cooking dinner, which is often.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ynah Quirante says

    March 13, 2019 at 12:47 pm

    Hi, I would just like to ask if it is necessary to cook the dumplings i.e. steam it before freezing? Or is it okay to freeze the dumplings uncooked? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      March 13, 2019 at 2:28 pm

      Hi, Ynah! Great question! You do not need to cook the dumplings first before freezing. It’s better if you leave them raw.

      Reply
      • Yuvraj says

        October 8, 2019 at 11:16 pm

        I live in a hot and humid place where the electricity is not stable so I semi cook/steam the dumplings before I freeze them and I do this commercially. So when customers take time to reach home the dumplings stay without becoming soggy.
        One of the cons is that when you open the packet it releases a foul smell which doesn’t linger for much long but still if there’s a way to not have that it would be great. Regards

        Reply
  2. Jessica says

    April 1, 2019 at 8:14 am

    Great advice! I’ve learned to do this too from my mom; however, I’ve also found that those cheap, flexible cutting mats from IKEA work perfectly without worrying about the dumplings sticking to the pan. Keep posting more vegan dumpling recipes 🙂 I find it hard to make good vegan dumplings because vegetables have so much moisture that can’t be absorbed by ground meet.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      April 1, 2019 at 5:10 pm

      Thanks for the tip, Jessica! And I’ll definitely be posting more vegan dumpling recipes soon!!

      Reply
  3. Jenni Trinidad Teves says

    April 3, 2019 at 2:00 am

    Thank you for the great tip on how to store fresh dumplings. Anyway in some blogs i read that never freeze cooked dumplings. What is the reason behind? Thank you i hope i can get an answer.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      April 3, 2019 at 7:47 am

      Great question, Jenni! It’s not that you can’t freeze cooked ones, but I think the dumplings wrappers will probably rip and fall apart when you reheat them, especially if you boil them.

      Reply
      • Sean says

        December 21, 2020 at 5:25 pm

        Interesting article! Just wondering, would it be ok to make the dumpling mixture a day in advance, refrigerate that and then fill the wrappers the next day when we want to have them fresh? Any downsides?

        Reply
  4. Jasmine Ong says

    December 9, 2019 at 12:46 am

    Hi,

    Thank you for the tips! I would like to know how to store if I am making a big batch? Say each time 150 – 200 pcs. I have a meat freezer at home but I think we cant stack the dumplings? I tried stacking – as expected, they clump together 🙁

    Secondly, say nothing goes wrong in the freezing process… we run a hawker stall (and we do not have a freezer there, only chiller)… how can we keep our dumplings frozen? 🙁 any idea?

    Jasmine

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      December 9, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Hi Jasmine, you need to let the dumplings harden in the freezer first before stacking them. That might mean you need to freeze them in batches. You can’t stack them while they’re still fresh because they’ll stick together. I don’t really have any great tips on how to keep the dumplings frozen outside of the home besides maybe storing them in coolers with a lot of ice. If you are storing a lot in there, I recommend alternating layers of ice with layers of dumplings (in ziploc bags).

      Reply
      • Helle says

        April 11, 2020 at 1:06 pm

        I stack them in the freezer on a single tray with parchment paper between the layers. Works just fine. 🙂

        Reply
        • Lisa Lin says

          April 12, 2020 at 12:22 pm

          That’s great!

          Reply
  5. Mary Lane says

    January 2, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    Hi Lisa,
    I have made a large quantity of vegetable dumplings which were in a freezer overnight. However power went off before dumplings froze, when problem was discovered they still felt cold. We’re in there for 26 hours. Are they safe to eat now when frozen?
    Thanks
    Mary

    Reply
  6. Anuuj Karoliaa says

    January 6, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    Hi Lisa
    Thank you so much for such great tips. I practiced them and they were really helpful. But I would really appreciate if you could help me with a different problem.

    Actually I have a dumplings supply business. We first half steam the dumplings and let them cool completely before stacking them in the containers. And then, we give it to our clients who keep the half steamed dumplings in the refrigerator.

    But sometimes when they resteam the dumplings in their steamer, some of them turns brown, not regularly but it happens sometimes. What could be the reason? Your help will be really appreciated. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      January 9, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      So the entire dumpling turns brown or just parts of it? If so, which parts of the dumpling? I wonder if the parts that are brown are the parts that dried up before freezing.

      Reply
  7. Yolanda says

    January 17, 2020 at 2:13 am

    Hi, great advise! But I still don’t know the exact process:
    1. Half steam, steam or boil the dumpling? How long?
    2. Then, let them cool entirely, and freeze them.
    3. How to unfrozen? Should I boiled them? Steam? How long?

    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      January 28, 2020 at 10:02 am

      Hi Yolanda, there are a few ways to cook frozen dumplings. You can boil them in boiling water for about 5 to 6 minutes and then pan fry until the dumplings are golden brown. If you don’t want to pan fry them, make sure the dumplings are fully cooked (might be something like 6 yo 7 minutes). You can also place them on a nonstick or cast iron skillet and pan fry until they are light brown on the bottom. Then, pour about 1/3 cup of water into the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.

      Reply
  8. Jojo says

    March 19, 2020 at 11:56 pm

    Hi Lisa, love your site! For some reason, my dumplings always crack when I freeze them. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      March 20, 2020 at 8:40 am

      Yup, that will happen sometimes, especially if the skins you are using are relatively thin. If you are already storing this in a plastic freezer bag, you can try using a twist tie to get rid of excess air in the bag and prevent freezer burn. That said, don’t worry too much about the cracks, they should weld together when you cook the dumplings.

      Reply
  9. Steve says

    April 2, 2020 at 5:00 pm

    Hi Lisa, great work here! What causes pot stickers (pork) to cook only on the bottom half and sometime stick to each other after steaming?

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      April 2, 2020 at 7:53 pm

      Do you cover the potstickers with a lid when you make the potstickers? You need the steam to cook the tops of the potstickers.

      Reply
  10. Arcie Mari Rinaldi says

    April 5, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    Great Tips Lisa, thank you! I made my first batch of dumplings from scratch this weekend and felt so prepared to tackle it with all your blog posts!! I decided to freeze some to share with family, and I followed all your tips. One thing I noticed was that all of my skins cracked. Maybe from the skin and filling expanding in the freezer? What’s the best way to avoid this in the future? We will still eat them and I’m sure they’ll fry up or steam just fine. But they’re just not as pretty..

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      April 6, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      Hi Arcie! Don’t worry too much about the cracking. It happens to me too often because the freezer is a little too cold (usually because my freezer is packed with things and the freezer constantly pumps cold air to keep the temperature regulated). The cracks should weld together as the dumplings cook.

      Reply
  11. Anna Savoie says

    April 6, 2020 at 12:04 am

    These tips are invaluable, I have absolutely made the mistake of freezing dumplings improperly and ending up with a dumpling mass that needed to be cooked in one go. Still tasted good thankfully. But looked like hell.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      April 6, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      Thank you, Anna!

      Reply
  12. Regine says

    May 14, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    Hi Lisa, thank you for the tips. I just need to confirm with you again….I am doing vegetable dumplings “Cai Kueh” and wish to bring back to my hometown. Shall I steam it, let it cooled and frozen it? Or I just frozen it after wrapped without steaming? The fillings are cooked before wrap.

    Reply
  13. Farah says

    June 7, 2020 at 12:07 am

    Hi Lisa, great post! Anyway, I wonder if you know why do my frozen dumplings will completely lose it’s shape once cooked (especially the flapping skin). I froze it raw, so I wonder whether it’s the skin that I’m using is too thin (need a thicker skin)? Or something else? Appreciate much your response 🙂

    Reply
  14. ItunnuA says

    June 13, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    I froze my dumplings together they are in a big clump now, what can I do to get them separate again

    Reply
    • Kavita says

      July 31, 2020 at 1:54 am

      Hi Lisa. Can u plse explain how to steam frozen momos? Do we have ti defrost then steam?
      Moreover, i noticed that once the momos get cold they become dry….any idea how to prevent this?
      Can we sell half steamwd momos ti customers and they complete the steaming once home?
      Thank u.

      Reply
      • Lisa Lin says

        August 2, 2020 at 4:01 pm

        You don’t need to defrost before steaming. You may need 2 extra minutes if you are steaming from frozen, but there is no need to defrost. I don’t see why you need to half steam the dumplings in the first place if the customer is going to steam them at home anyway. The cooking time isn’t that much longer from fresh, and it eliminates a step for you.

        Reply
  15. Priyanka Banthia says

    July 21, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    Hi.. i am from India.
    I have a small home kitchen business of veg momos.. i tried a batch of frozen momos where i freezed them uncooked.. and after few days i removed for an hour just to check how long can the stay outside if i start supplying to my clients and it started to release moisture and got stuck to one another… Is there any way to prevent this ???

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      July 21, 2020 at 9:42 pm

      When they defrost, they will stick together. It’s better if you transfer the dumplings in an insulated bag filled with ice packs or inside a small ice chest or something. The cold temperature is critical.

      Reply
  16. Theresa Lilley says

    July 31, 2020 at 11:15 am

    I just made a batch and want to know if I need to steam them before pan frying (pot sticker)? I haven’t made these in many years & forgot the procedure.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 2, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      It’s not necessary to steam the potsticker if you follow the cooking method outlined in this post: https://healthynibblesandbits.com/pork-and-cabbage-potstickers/

      Reply
  17. Amisha Rout says

    August 18, 2020 at 3:55 am

    I just want to know that, can I store the paneer dumplings in the freezer?
    If yes, then for how many days?
    Btw thanks for your tips.

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 18, 2020 at 7:28 pm

      Amisha, if you keep it in the freezer, they should keep for 1 or 2 months. The only thing I would watch out for is freezer burn because it does affect the flavor of the dumplings sometimes.

      Reply
  18. Sean says

    December 21, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    Interesting article! Just wondering, would it be ok to make the dumpling mixture a day in advance, refrigerate that and then fill the wrappers the next day when we want to have them fresh? Any downsides?

    Reply

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