The Freezer 25 · No. 2 of 25 · Trader Joe's

1. 2Trader Joe'sA photo like it: Robigasp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

   Trader Joe's · Dumplings

   Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings

   Trader Joe's

   Real broth inside a thin skin, for about the price of a coffee. The box says microwave; steam them instead and they're nearly dim sum.

   A 2026 Trader Joe's Customer Choice Award winner, and the top pick in The Daily Meal's ranking of nine Trader Joe's dumplings.

   The box saysMicrowave 1 1/2 to 2 minutes in their tray, covered.

   Chef's upgrade5 min on top of the box, serves 2

   Make it taste homemade

   Steamed soup dumplings with black vinegar and ginger

   Steaming keeps the skins soft and the soup inside. The dipping sauce is the classic Shanghai one: black vinegar and thin threads of fresh ginger.

   Save to my recipes

   You need

   • 1 box Trader Joe's Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings (6 dumplings)
   • 4 large napa cabbage or lettuce leaves, to line the steamer
   • 3 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar (or rice vinegar with a drop of soy sauce)
   • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks
   • 1 tsp chili crisp (optional)
   • 1 scallion, thinly sliced

   How to make it

   1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide pot. Line a bamboo or metal steamer basket with the cabbage leaves so the dumplings can't stick or tear.
   2. Set the frozen dumplings on the leaves, 1 inch apart. Cover and steam over the boiling water 8 to 9 minutes, until the skins look glossy and a little see-through.
   3. While they steam, stir the vinegar and ginger together in a small dish. Add the chili crisp if you like heat.
   4. Lift each dumpling by the knot at the top onto a soup spoon. Bite a small hole, sip the soup, then eat the rest with a little vinegar and ginger.
   5. Scatter the scallion over the plate. If you only have a microwave, microwave them as the box says, then rest 1 minute before eating so the soup doesn't burn.

   Chef's own upgrade, in our words. Save it and it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, the prep laid out and what you already have.

   Find it at Trader Joe's ↗

More from Trader Joe's

Next on the list

More to cook

Trader Joe's didn't pay to be here. The photo shows a dish like the upgrade, not the box. The recipe is Chef's own, in our words.