Gyoza is one of those dishes that I just can’t say no to.
The crispy bottom and that delicious savory filling = perfection!
But the next day, when I excitedly go to eat them, I’m met with disappointment.
Sound familiar?
Don’t despair just yet.
I experimented to find out the best way to reheat gyoza… and I’m about to tell you how!
(Spoiler alert: don’t bother with the air fryer)
The best way to reheat gyoza is in a pan. Heat your skillet on medium-high heat and add a light spray of oil. Cook the gyoza for 1-2 minutes until crispy. Add two to three tablespoons of water, cover the pan, and steam until the water boils off.
A note on my experiment
I cooked a batch of gyoza one Friday night (exciting, I know!) and stored them in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, I tried 4 different ways of reheating the gyoza.
- Reheating gyoza in a pan
- Reheating gyoza in the microwave
- Reheating gyoza in the oven
- Reheating gyoza in the air fryer
Two problems come with reheating gyoza.
Either you lose that delicious crispy bottom. Or end up with overcooked and chewy skin.
My main goal was to find the perfect method to prevent that from happening.
The best way was in the frying pan – the gyoza had a crispy bottom, and the rest was moist.
The air fryer was too drying, while the oven and the microwave were okay but not great.
Related: How To Reheat Bao
Reheating gyoza in a pan
Heat your skillet over medium-high heat with a light covering of oil. Cook the gyoza for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is crispy (kitchen tongs can make a world of difference in checking the bottom). Reduce the heat and sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of water in the pan. Cover and steam for 30-60 seconds.
Steaming your gyoza with a few tablespoons of water will help re-moisturize dry skin.
How to reheat gyoza in a pan:
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Add the gyoza fried side down, ensuring that they do not touch.
- Pan fry for 1-2 minutes to crisp the bottom, checking them frequently.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low (so you don’t burn the bottom).
- Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of water into the pan.
- Put a lid on the pan and steam for 30-60 seconds.
- Use kitchen tongs to check if the bottoms are crispy. If not, fry for a further 30 seconds.
Make sure that the oil is hot enough before putting the gyoza in. Otherwise, the skin will soak up the oil and become greasy.
The steaming process helps to keep the skin moist whilst warming the filling evenly.
Be careful not to steam your gyoza for too long.
If you do, the skin will retain too much moisture and have a mushy, almost chewy, texture. Also, you might find the bottom burns!
My verdict
Out of all the methods that I tried, this was hands-down my favorite.
It wasn’t like having freshly cooked gyoza, but it was the closest method.
All the key parts of the gyoza were nicely heated. The bottom, filling, and skin were all delicious!
Reheating gyoza in the microwave
To reheat gyoza in the microwave, place the gyoza on a microwave-safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Heat the gyoza in 15-second intervals until warmed through. Check the gyoza in each break and take them out as soon as they’re done to avoid overcooking them.
How to reheat gyoza in the microwave:
- Place the gyoza on a microwave-safe plate, making sure that they don’t touch.
- Cover them with a damp paper towel to help ‘steam’ them.
- Heat the gyoza for 15-seconds.
- After 15 seconds, test the gyoza and heat for a further 15 seconds if they’re not done.
The insides of the gyoza can get very hot in the microwave, so take care biting straight into them.
You don’t want to burn your mouth!
That said, you don’t want to leave the gyoza hanging around for too long once they’ve come out of the microwave.
After around 5 minutes, the skin will start to dry out and become unpleasantly tough.
My verdict
I was skeptical at first.
I was worried that reheating the gyoza in the microwave would overcook them, but the result wasn’t actually that bad.
Sure, there was no crispy bottom, and the skin was slightly chewy. But the inside was moist, and there was no dry skin.
The biggest benefit of this method is that it is quick, easy, and convenient.
Reheating gyoza in the oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). While preheating, put a baking tray into the oven to let it get hot. Arrange the gyoza on the baking tray with the fried surface facing down. Alternatively, you can also use a wire rack. Heat for 3-5 minutes until evenly warmed.
How to reheat gyoza in the oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Heat the baking tray in the oven until it is hot.
- Arrange the gyoza on the hot baking tray with the fried side facing down (or put them directly on a wire rack).
- Heat for 3-5 minutes, until warmed through.
The hot tray helps the bottom of the gyoza crisp up more efficiently, but it’s by no means as effective as the frying pan.
(I learned the pan trick from reheating pizza!)
You can also use a wire rack instead of a baking tray.
The benefit here is that the bottom is directly exposed to the heat. However, I found that the gyoza warmed on the wire rack were slightly less crispy than those cooked on the baking tray.
If the gyoza are very dry, try sprinkling some water over them and covering them with aluminum foil.
This will lock in moisture and ‘steam’ the gyoza. I can’t promise it will work, but it won’t do any harm!
My verdict
The oven was an okay way to reheat the gyoza.
While they were edible, there just wasn’t that desirable crisp, and the really dry parts of the skin were still dry after I took them out of the oven.
The only upside is that the oven is convenient for reheating large amounts of gyoza.
Reheating gyoza in the air fryer
To reheat gyoza in the air fryer, preheat it to 300°F (148.8°C) and spread the gyoza out evenly in the basket. Heat the gyoza for 2-4 minutes until they’re heated through. Be sure not to overcrowd the gyoza because this will make them cook unevenly.
How to reheat gyoza in the air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 300°F (148.8°C).
- Arrange the gyoza in the air fryer basket, ensure that they don’t touch.
- Cook for 2-4 minutes until warmed through.
While it may be tempting to crank the temperature up, resist that urge.
Cooking the gyoza at a lower temperature means the filling can warm up before the skin starts to dry out.
At 350°F (180°C), I found that the skin was overdone, and the filling was still cold – not a great combo.
My verdict
The air fryer was my least favorite method. The edges of the gyoza skin became brittle and crunchy rather than the soft melt-in-your-mouth I was looking for.
However, some people might enjoy the added texture!
Top tip: If you’ve fried dumplings, the air fryer is my recommended method.
How to store gyoza
To store leftover gyoza in the fridge, first, leave them to cool. Then arrange them in an air-tight container lined with paper towel or parchment paper. To lock in more moisture, wrap the gyoza in Saran wrap before putting them into the container. The gyoza will last for 3-4 days.
But be aware that the longer they’re in the fridge, the dryer they’ll become.
I like to line my container with paper towel to soak up any excess moisture, so the gyoza don’t become overly soggy.
Never put hot gyoza on paper towel or they will stick and the wrapped will tear. If you’re worried about this, or have delicate gyoza, parchment paper is a good option.
Never put uncooked gyoza in the fridge.
If you do, the moisture from the filling will seep into the wrappers and result in a soggy mess. (Soggy dough is a big no with gyoza!)
Can you freeze gyoza?
Yes, you can freeze gyoza, but it’s best to freeze them in their uncooked state. While it’s possible to freeze cooked gyoza, they’ll become soggy and soft when you reheat them.
The method for freezing cooked and uncooked gyoza is the same.
How to freeze gyoza:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the gyoza out of the baking sheet, so they’re not touching.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the gyoza are frozen solid.
- Transfer the gyoza to a freezer bag and remove as much excess air as possible.
- Freeze the gyoza for 2-3 months.
Flash freezing the gyoza on a baking tray first prevents them from sticking together in the freezer and turning into one big clump.
Getting rid of the excess air is an essential step because air leads to freezer burn.
You can squeeze it out with your hands, suck it out with a straw or submerge the freezer bag in water to force the air out.
If you have a vacuum sealer – even better, use this.
How to reheat frozen gyoza
It’s best to reheat gyoza straight from frozen because thawing them will lead to mushy skins. I recommend the pan-frying method. Heat some oil in a skillet and add the gyoza crispy-side down. Fry for 2-3 minutes before adding a sprinkle of water and a lid to steam the inside.
With this, you achieve a crispy bottom, soft skin, and an evenly heated middle.
However, if you want to save time, reheating frozen gyoza in the microwave will also work. You’ll just have to forgo any crispy bottoms and accept a slightly rubbery texture.
The Best Way To Reheat Gyoza
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 portion gyoza
Instructions
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Add the gyoza fried side down, ensuring that they do not touch.
- Pan fry for 1-2 minutes to crisp the bottom, checking them frequently.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low (so you don’t burn the bottom).
- Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of water into the pan.
- Put a lid on the pan and steam for 30-60 seconds.
- Use kitchen tongs to check if the bottoms are crispy. If not, fry for a further 30 seconds.
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