Crispy potstickers, tender cabbage, and a tangy sesame stir-fry sauce give this quick and easy stir-fry Chinese takeout vibes. The frozen potstickers are added straight from the freezer, so you don’t have to thaw them beforehand!
Stir-Frying Potstickers Is the Best Way to Cook Them!
This potsticker stir fry is my recent “I need something fast but still exciting” weeknight dinner solution.
It’s a one-pan, 30-minute recipe that starts with frozen potsticker dumplings from the freezer aisle of my local grocery store. After a bit of trial and error, I figured out that browning the dumplings before steaming them gives them so much texture and flavor while also helping them keep their shape.
To bulk up the stir-fry, I added handfuls of napa cabbage plus my favorite stir-fry veggies. Everything is coated in a salty, tangy sauce that’s reminiscent of the dipping sauce my favorite Chinese restaurant always serves with their dumplings.
If you’ve been reaching for that takeout menu on busy weeknights, buy some frozen potstickers at the grocery store and throw together this quick stir-fry instead. It scratches the takeout itch but is so much better for you!
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Frozen Potstickers
Pre-made potsticker dumplings from the frozen section of my local grocery store keeps this stir-fry weeknight friendly. If you can’t find frozen potstickers where you live, try making my deconstructed potsticker bowls instead (it’s basically the pork filling from the potstickers served over rice).
Stir-Fry Sauce
The 4-ingredient sauce is made with toasted sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a pinch of sugar. Make sure you’re using toasted sesame oil for the boldest sesame flavor. I’ve made the sauce with regular sesame oil in the past, and although tasty it’s not as rich and deep in flavor.
Stir-Fry Veggies
Tender napa cabbage is the star vegetable in this potsticker stir-fry, with matchstick carrots, bell pepper, and green onions playing supporting roles. You can mix and match the veggies to use up whatever is lingering in your produce drawer.
How to Make This Potsticker Stir-Fry
- Cook the potstickers. In my experience, the best way to cook potstickers is to brown, steam, and then crisp them up. Don’t worry, it’s all done in one pan in about 10 minutes and you don’t even have to thaw the frozen potstickers ahead of time.
Heidi’s Tip: Use a large skillet for this recipe so the potstickers can cook in a single layer (this helps with browning). If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, set another skillet or a large plate on top of it to steam the dumplings.
- Whisk together the stir-fry sauce. Once the veggies are added to the hot skillet the recipe moves very quickly, so it’s good to do this in advance.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. The trick here is to heat the canola oil in the skillet until it’s screaming hot (nearly to its smoke point). Add the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and green onions and stir-fry for just 2 to 3 minutes. You want the veggies to retain some crunch and texture, not turn to mush.
- Add the aromatics. The ginger, garlic, and Thai chiles only need to cook for a minute or two to wake them up.
- Finish the dish. Return the crispy potstickers to the skillet, along with the stir-fry sauce. Once everything is hot, serve immediately.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Cabbage and Potsticker Stir-Fry Recipe
PrintIngredients
Sauce
- ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Stir-Fry
- 15 frozen potstickers (pork, chicken, or vegetable)
- 4 tablespoons canola or peanut oil, divided
- 6 cups roughly chopped napa cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into matchstick pieces
- 6 green onions, white and green parts diagonally cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1-2 red Thai chilies, cored, seeded, and minced (depending on your heat preference)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Brown, steam, then crisp the potstickers. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high and place 15 frozen potstickers in a single layer, flat-side down. Fry for 2–3 minutes, nudging and swirling the potstickers around so they cook evenly, until the bottoms are golden brown. Carefully pour in enough water to submerge the bottom third of the dumplings, and immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam until the water evaporates, 5-8 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for 1-2 more minutes for the bottoms to get crispy. Transfer to a plate and loosely tent with foil.
- Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar, and set aside.
- Stir-fry the veggies. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in the non-stick skillet over high until nearly smoking. Add 6 cups chopped cabbage, 2 matchstick-sliced carrots, 1 matchstick-sliced bell pepper, and 6 sliced green onions. Stir-fry until barely tender, 2-3 minutes. Add 3 pressed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons minced ginger, and 1-2 minced Thai chiles. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sauce and potstickers to finish the dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the skillet and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. Nestle the cooked potstickers in the skillet with the veggies, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and more chopped chiles if desired.
Nutrition
FAQs
No! Add them to the skillet straight from the freezer. This will better preserve their texture.
I suggest cooking them first (brown, steam, and then crisp), then transferring them to a plate while you stir-fry the cabbage and vegetables. Returning the potstickers to the skillet as the very last step helps them hold their shape and prevents them from falling apart.
The vegetables can be prepped in advance and stored airtight in the fridge until ready you’re ready to begin stir-frying, but once the entire dish is cooked I recommend eating it right away since the potstickers lose their crispiness over time.
What to Serve With This Stir-Fry
More Quick Stir-Fry Dinners
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Rate & Comment