Oh, delicious, crispy-yet-tender Gyoza. Delicate dumplings filled with meat and vegetables, fried to a delectable golden brown on one side, served with a savory ponzu dipping sauce—a staple of any Japanese restaurant.
If you find yourself with some leftover gyoza, they can easily be reheated via pan-frying on the stovetop, crisping up in the air fryer, baking in the oven, or steaming in the microwave
Is It Possible to Reheat Gyoza?
It’s not often that one has leftovers of these mouthwatering pan-fried dumplings. However, if you have managed to bring some home it’s likely you were sorely disappointed when they turned to mush in the microwave.
While it is possible to perfect the microwave method, there are other sure-fire ways to reheat your gyoza that will let you enjoy them in all of their golden glory.
Reheating Gyoza on the Stovetop
Regarding reheating gyoza on the stovetop, there are two routes to take: with water or without water. Both will yield excellent results in preserving crispiness and can be done in less than ten minutes with just a skillet or other shallow pan and one tablespoon of oil.
How to Reheat Gyoza on the Stovetop
- Place your skillet on a stove turned to medium heat and add one tablespoon of cooking oil. Allow the oil a minute or two to heat up before adding your gyoza, lest they absorb the cooking oil and get soggy.
- After the oil has sufficiently heated, add your gyoza to the pan or skillet fried-side-down and immediately cover with a lid. Adding the lid ensures that heat can reach the gyoza’s filling, heating the entire dumpling evenly.
- Allow the gyoza to cook for approximately three minutes, occasionally checking to ensure they’re not burning.
- Remove gyoza from the pan, serve and enjoy while still hot.
Reheating the gyoza on the stove top with oil-only is a surefire way to ensure your gyoza stays nice and crisp. However, you risk burning the gyoza and or having them stick to your skillet. If this concerns you, a tablespoon or two of water can be added to your skillet in step two before placing the lid on top.
Reheating Gyoza in the Air Fryer
The air fryer is this decade’s go-to kitchen gadget for a reason. It is an excellent tool to have in your arsenal, especially when breathing life back into leftovers. This cooking method works not only to preserve crispiness but is ideal for those who want to add an additional crunch to each bite!
How to Reheat Gyoza in the Air Fryer:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F (188.8C). Even though crisp is what you’re aiming for, keeping the temperature nice and low will keep the gyoza from getting too crisp and mitigate the risk of uneven heating.
- Add the gyoza to your fryer basket, taking care not to crowd them as this will lead to uneven cooking. You’ll know the gyoza are crowded if any are touching.
- Heat the gyoza for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the basket and serve once they’re heated through.
Reheating Gyoza in the Oven
Another fantastic way to reheat gyoza is in the oven; this method has the added benefit of not requiring additional oil that could lead to greasy gyoza. R
eheating gyoza in the oven is as simple as setting them on a baking sheet and popping them in for a few short minutes!
While there is no standard-sized baking sheet called for by this method, make sure that the baking sheet has enough surface area to avoid crowding the gyoza.
How to Reheat Gyoza in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 350F (188C).
- Put your baking dish in the hot oven, allowing it a few minutes to heat up.
- With an oven mitt, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place gyoza on top, evenly spaced.
- Allow gyoza to bake for 5 minutes before removing baking sheet from oven, serve and enjoy while hot.
Reheating Gyoza in the Microwave
“Nuking” your food doesn’t have to be quite as catastrophic as the name would suggest. This common appliance can be more friend than foe in the war against bad leftovers when used in conjunction with a microwave-safe dish and a wet paper towel.
How to Reheat Gyoza in the Microwave
- Place gyoza in a microwave-safe dish, and make sure they’re not touching.
- Cover the gyoza with a dampened paper towel to help steam them back to life.
- Heat the gyoza for 15 seconds, check if they are heated through, and steam for an additional 15 seconds if necessary.
Reheating gyoza in the microwave is by far the quickest and most convenient method of reviving your leftovers, but be warned, you will sacrifice some of their signature crunch by steaming them only.
Which Method Should I Choose?
Each of the above options for reheating gyoza has pros and cons. Which method you choose comes down to what’s more important when it comes to your leftovers.
Do you want to enjoy them as close as you can to restaurant-quality (stovetop method), as quickly as possible (microwave method), add additional crunch (air fryer method), or avoid added grease (oven method)?
In the end, the choice is yours to make, and the gyoza yours to savor.
