Your frozen potstickers are about to have their moment. This soup hits with ginger and garlic first, then mellows into a soy-sesame broth that makes those dumplings go ridiculously tender – the kind of clean, savory comfort you want when you’re too tired to think but still need real food. Takes 25 minutes, costs $8, and requires almost zero effort.
Here’s the trick to potstickers that don’t fall apart: Cook the dumplings separately before adding them to the broth. This keeps them intact and preserves any crispy edges instead of turning them to mush.
The broth itself is stupidly simple – ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil build flavor fast without simmering for hours. Carrots stay crisp for texture, spinach wilts in seconds, and everything comes together in one pot. Ladle the hot broth over your cooked potstickers, add chili oil if you want a little extra heat, and you’ve got the easiest soup that stays in our rotation for a reason.
If you’re in full autopilot mode but want something richer and unapologetically indulgent, put frozen potstickers to work with our coconut curry dumpling bake.
🔪 Ingredients for Potsticker Soup
Broth Base
- Chicken broth: Use low-sodium so you control the salt. Good broth matters here.
- Soy sauce: Brings depth and umami. Swap tamari if needed.
- Rice vinegar: Brightens the broth so it doesn’t taste flat.
- Sesame oil: A little goes a long way; add it early, not at the end, so you can adjust as needed and give it time to mellow.
- Fresh garlic cloves & fresh grated ginger: Fresh is worth it here. Skip the jar.
Vegetables
- Carrots: Cut them thin so they soften quickly.
- Baby spinach: Frozen works in a pinch, no need to thaw, but it will add liquid to your broth..
- Green onions: Whites for the broth, greens for garnish.
Potstickers
- 12–15 frozen potstickers: (chicken or pork) No need to thaw. Any good-quality frozen dumpling works.
Garnish
- Extra green onions
- Chili oil or red pepper flakes
Equipment
- Medium saucepan or Dutch oven: Big enough to simmer broth and vegetables without crowding.
- Small pot or steamer: For cooking potstickers separately so they don’t fall apart.
- Ladle: Gets broth and vegetables into the bowl without chasing dumplings around.
- Microplane or fine grater: For fresh ginger; faster and cleaner than mincing.
- Chef’s knife + cutting board: Basic prep for veg and aromatics.
📝 How to Make Potsticker Soup: step-by-step
- Simmer the broth: Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer—not a hard boil.
- Cook the carrots: Add the carrots and simmer 4–5 minutes until just tender. You want bite, not mush.
- Add greens: Stir in the spinach and the white parts of the green onions. Cook 30–60 seconds, just until wilted.
- Cook the potstickers separately: Boil, steam, or pan-cook according to package directions. They should be hot through with tender wrappers.
- Assemble and serve: Divide potstickers between bowls. Ladle hot broth and vegetables over the top. Finish with green onion tops and chili oil if using.
🔄 Substitutions & Variations
- Add protein: Toss in shredded rotisserie chicken or sliced leftover pork.
- Add More heat: Chili crisp, sambal, or a drizzle of chili oil all work.
- Extra veg: Mushrooms, bok choy, or snap peas slide right in.
If you want to level this up, our salmon potstickers work especially well here thanks to their lighter filling and clean flavor.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Frozen potstickers are already seasoned, so don’t oversalt the broth.
- Sesame oil is a fat, not a garnish. Adding it to hot broth helps it bloom properly.
- Don’t boil the broth aggressively. Keep it to a gentle simmer as a hard boil can dull the flavor and makes the soup cloudy.
- If your dumpling wrappers are thick, steam them rather than boil them to avoid waterlogging the filling.
- Cook dumplings separately. This keeps the wrappers from breaking down and thickening the soup.
- Taste before serving. Broth brands vary; adjust soy sauce or vinegar at the end if needed.
🍽️ How to Serve Potsticker Soup
- As a light dinner with a side of rice or simple cucumber salad
- As a starter before stir-fry or grilled meats
- As a lunch reset when leftovers are getting bleak and boring
🧊 Storage & Make Ahead
- Store broth separately from potstickers for the best texture.
- Refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Reheat over low heat on the stove; avoid boiling once dumplings are added.
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Potsticker Soup Recipe
Recommended Equipment
- Saucepan or Dutch oven Big enough to simmer broth and vegetables without crowding.
- Small pot or steamer For cooking potstickers separately so they don’t fall apart.
- Ladle
- Microplane or fine grater For fresh ginger; faster and cleaner than mincing.
- cutting board
Ingredients
Base
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
Vegetables
- 2 cups baby spinach fresh or frozen
- 1 cup carrots julienned or thinly sliced
- 3 green onions sliced
Potstickers
- 12-15 frozen potstickers chicken or pork, cooked according to package instructions
Garnish
- green onions sliced
- Chili flakes or chili oil to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the broth to a gentle simmer.
- Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
- Stir in carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly tender.
- Add spinach and green onions, cooking just until wilted.
- Place a few cooked potstickers into each serving bowl.
- Ladle the hot soup over the potstickers and garnish with green onions or chili oil if desired.
Notes
- Cook potstickers separately. Adding them directly to the soup can cause the wrappers to break down and thicken the broth.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer. A hard boil dulls flavor and can make the soup cloudy.
- Slice carrots thinly. Thick cuts won’t soften in the short cook time.
- Use low-sodium broth. Potstickers and soy sauce already bring salt.
- Add sesame oil early. It blooms better in hot broth than as a finishing drizzle.
- Taste before serving. Broth brands vary; adjust soy sauce or vinegar at the end if needed.
Nutrition
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❓ FAQs
You can, but they’ll release starch and soften quickly. Cooking them separately keeps the broth clean and the wrappers intact.
Thicker, pleated dumplings hold up better than thin wonton-style wrappers.
Avoid boiling them in the soup and don’t overcook. Gentle heat is key.
Freeze the broth only. Dumplings don’t reheat well from frozen once cooked.
