I Asked 5 Food Experts To Name the Best Dumplings Brand—And They All Said the Same Thing
The freezer aisle is full of options. Which brand should you reach for?
If there’s one freezer staple that consistently saves dinner (and lunch and even snacktime), it’s frozen dumplings. These versatile, compact bites are super convenient and filling—whether you steam, boil, or pan-fry them, you’ll likely have a delicious meal on the table faster than it takes to order delivery.
Over the past few years, the freezer aisle has exploded with options, offering everything from Japanese gyoza to Korean mandu. There’s no shortage of options, ranging from imported brands and private-label ones at popular grocers to newer entrants to the market from restaurants like Dumpling Daughter and Mimi Cheng’s.
With so many widely available brands and styles, finding the best one can get overwhelming. To help you navigate the frozen dumpling scene, I asked five experts to name their favorite store-bought brand, and one came out on top. Read on to learn which one has earned a permanent spot in the freezers of professional chefs and recipe developers.
The Food Pros and Chefs I Asked
Cynthia Christensen: Chef and recipe developer behind But First We Brunch
Kate Itrich-Williams: Recipe developer and senior editor at Anova
Bill Kim: Chef at Urbanbelly and The Table at Crate
Ji Hye Kim: Chef and founder of Miss Kim
Myo Quinn: Associate Editorial Director at Simply Recipes
Simply Recipes / Bibigo
The Best Store-Bought Dumpling Brand, According to Food Pros
Bibigo emerged as the clear favorite among our panel of experts, who praised everything from its flavor to its accessibility.
Myo relies on Bibigo as a quick and easy lunch for her kids, especially the rectangular-shaped Japchae Potstickers. “The flat-sided dumplings get evenly crispy on both sides. They cook faster than half-moon-shaped dumplings because they are thinner, too.” She also appreciates how easy it is to find Bibigo products since the brand is available at major retailers like Kroger, Costco, and even the Dollar Store.
For Chynthia, a second-generation Korean American, Bibigo’s dumplings most closely resemble the homemade ones of her childhood. “My mother started letting me help fold mandu (Korean dumplings) almost before I could walk,” she recalls. The ones from Bibigo “look and taste the most like the ones I made with my mother.”
Chef Bill is another devoted fan, nothing that the wrapper-to-filling ratio of the Japchae Potstickers is “perfect.” “You can see all the ingredients as you bite into the dumplings,” he says. “It's a perfect amount of meat, noodles, and vegetables.”
Kate also spoke highly of Bibigo’s wrapper: “They're consistently both tender and sturdy, with a silky texture even when microwaved.”
Chef Ji Hye values Bibigo for its reliability and consistent quality. But no matter which brand ends up in your cart, she has one handy tip for making sure you’re getting the best frozen product. “Grab the bag. You should be able to feel individual frozen dumplings rather than one big chunk of ice. If you feel just one big lump, then it's very likely that the dumplings were defrosted and then frozen again,” she advises. “It's impossible to try to cook a whole ice block of dumplings!”
How To Cook Frozen Dumplings Like a Chef
Our pros agree that there’s no wrong way to enjoy frozen dumplings. Cynthia and Ji Hye both use the steam-fry method, which doesn’t require thawing. “One of my favorite ways is to pan fry them for two to three minutes in a little bit of oil until the bottoms are golden brown. Turn, and then add a splash of water, cover with a lid, and let them steam for five to seven minutes or until fully cooked,” says Cynthia.
She’ll also use dumplings to bulk up other dishes. “I also love adding frozen dumplings directly to soups, like my Mom’s traditional Korean Lunar New Year’s soup tteokguk, to make it more filling and delicious.
Bill, on the other hand, prefers to quickly boil dumplings and emphasizes that a dipping sauce is essential. “I love to eat it with my wicked fast dipping sauce, a mixture of soy sauce, scallions, fresh garlic, sesame oil, and distilled vinegar. It's a great addition of flavor.”
To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.
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