This Trader Joe’s Freezer Find Is Our Weeknight Flotation Device

Let’s set the scene. It’s Tuesday or Wednesday, and you’ve had yourself a day. You are mentally and physically spent, and you are HUNGRY. You know that vibe. The thought of cooking dinner is daunting, but no takeout option sounds great either. You need something quick, easy, and delicious. Trader Joe’s has just the thing.

It’s a frozen product, so you can always have it on hand—you’ll know when the time's right to pull it out of the freezer. We’re talking about Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza.

These are perfect little dumplings packed with cabbage, carrots, radishes, and chives. The bag serves three, with 15 gyozas total for just $5.29. The cooking instructions call for searing and steaming the dumplings on the stove—it comes together in less than 10 minutes. You can air fry them at 400°F for six to eight minutes, until they’re brown on the outside and fully cooked through.

The gyozas are thin and crispy on the outside and filled with flavor inside—the best and easily the most convenient vegetarian dumplings we’ve had, so we always keep them stocked in our freezer.

Weeknight Dinner Ideas With Trader Joe’s Gyoza

TJ’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza doesn’t come with a dipping sauce, but to be honest, we prefer it that way. We make a delicious dipping sauce by mixing low-sodium soy sauce or tamari with a touch of sesame oil and sriracha (we like things spicy).

The potstickers can stand on their own as a meal, but you’ll probably want to up the portion size or serve it with rice and kimchi on the side. We like to serve it with Trader Joe’s Organic Baked Teriyaki Tofu, which comes ready to eat, for extra protein. You can even serve it with Vegetable Fried Rice—another weeknight favorite—to round out the meal.

Want a warm, comforting meal? Boil vegetable stock with sliced onions and minced garlic, add a handful of baby spinach and the gyozas, and season with sesame oil and soy sauce. It’s so satisfying! 

And while gyozas are perfect for quick and easy weeknight meals, they also make a great shareable appetizer. We love serving them to guests with a few dipping sauces—the sesame soy sauce mentioned above, spicy mayo, and peanut sauce. Gyozas with a dip trio? It doesn’t get any better than that and your guests are sure to agree.