Potsticker Soup (Quick & Easy)

Dinner doesn’t get simpler than this quick & easy potsticker soup. Made with frozen gyoza and ready in under 20 minutes, it’s a delicious last minute dinner recipe you’ll want to have on repeat!

About this Recipe

This is the kind of quick, nourishing soup that’s perfect for a rainy day or whenever you’re feeling a bit under the weather. 

Especially since it comes together in under 20 minutes and can be made with pre-prepared, frozen potstickers (making it a great last minute dinner idea, too).

If you’ve never tried potsticker soup before, imagine pillowy potstickers and hearty veggies all swimming in a savory broth flavored with garlic, ginger and lime.

It may have a short ingredient list, minimal hands-on prep, and a super short cook time, but it tastes like a meal that was slowly simmered all day long.

And I don’t know about you, but that’s my kind of under 30-minute meal comfort food!

Process & Tips

This quick and easy soup recipe is a total cinch to make – all you need is one pan, 20 minutes and a few simple ingredients.

First, quickly saute your garlic, ginger and vegetables in a hot pan, before adding your stock and simmering until the flavors all marry together.

Then you just drop in your potstickers or gyoza, letting them cook for a few short minutes before finishing with your chopped baby bok choy, lime juice, tamari and sesame oil.

That’s seriously it – before you know it, you’ll be sitting down to a super cozy dinner!

Tip: This recipe is super versatile and customizable, and you can switch up your options week to week for endless variations! Make it with noodles, ramen, miso, or as a vegetarian meal – I’ve laid out all the simple swaps for you below.

Dumplings, Gyoza, and Potstickers: What to Use for This Recipe

Chinese dumplings, Japanese gyoza, and potstickers are not the same, as they come from different cultures and the process to make each varies (source), however for this particular soup any frozen potsticker, gyoza, or dumpling can be used.

I personally tested this recipe with frozen gyoza from Trader Joes in the vegetarian gyoza, pork gyoza, and shrimp gyoza varieties (and they all produced delicious results!).

If you want to try your hand at making your own authentic goyzas, I recommend checking out this gyoza soup recipe from Chopstick Chronicles.

Serving Suggestions

Since this easy potsticker soup is already loaded with protein and veggies, it makes for a super satisfying meal all in itself.

But you can make it extra special with your favorite fresh toppings – I love adding some chili garlic paste for a little extra heat, and chopped green onions for added color, flavor and texture.

You could also serve it with a simple side salad with some fresh greens tossed with an easy salad dressing (my personal pick would be this lemon dressing) for a fun soup & salad night!

Fun Variations to Try

With noodles: Add 2 cups of cooked noodles of choice (rice noodles would work great for this!) along with the bok choy.

With ramen: Make a potsticker ramen soup by adding uncooked ramen noodles along with the potstickers.

With miso: And for a super tasty miso gyoza soup, stir in 2 tablespoons of miso in place of the tamari.

Tip: For a vegetarian version, be sure to use vegetarian potstickers and vegetable stock.

Ingredients & Modifications

Frozen potstickers, gyoza, or dumplings: For this soup any frozen potsticker, gyoza, or dumpling can be used. For a vegetarian version, be sure to use vegetarian potstickers. If not vegetarian, any type of potsticker can be used, including pork, chicken, or shrimp.

Chicken stock: The stock together with the water, tamari, and lime juice, forms the base for this soup. I used homemade chicken stock for this recipe but you could also use chicken bone broth or vegetable stock in its place. Be sure to use vegetable stock if you want to make a vegetarian version.

Carrots: Fresh, whole carrots work best for this recipe.

Garlic cloves: Since we’re using so few fresh ingredients, I like using fresh garlic cloves in this recipe. But you could also use granulated garlic powder in its place.

Grated ginger: The fresh grated ginger adds such delicious flavor to the broth of this soup and makes it feel extra nourishing. You could also use dried ginger in its place if you prefer.

Baby bok choy: I like using chopped baby bok choy in this potsticker soup, but you could also use another green like chopped baby spinach. Since they’re both such tender greens, the heat of the soup will wilt them in – so be sure to add them at the very end of cooking to avoid overcooking them.

Tamari (or soy sauce): Tamari is a naturally gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, but you could also use coconut aminos in their place for another gluten-free alternative that’s also soy free. If gluten-free or soy-free aren’t a concern for you, then you can use soy sauce in its place.

Fresh lime juice: A bit of lime juice added at the end really helps to lift up and brighten all the flavors. I like the flavor of lime juice best for this recipe, but you can also use lemon juice or some rice wine vinegar in its place.

Sesame oil: I find that sesame oil tastes best when used as a finishing oil so I wait to add it until the very end. It adds a lot of extra flavor without a lot of extra effort on your part.

Olive oil: I like the flavor of olive oil in this recipe but you could also use another cooking oil in its place – like avocado, coconut, canola or vegetable oil.

Tips for Storing Leftovers

This soup does not store particularly well, as the dumplings continue to absorb liquid and eventually fall apart. 

If you have leftovers, you can remove the potstickers and store separately from the broth.

Or, just store it knowing the dumplings will not remain intact – but it will still taste good!

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