The Worst Frozen Dumplings Come From The Bougiest Grocery Store

Between gyoza, pot stickers, and dumplings, there are a lot of ways to enjoy some delicious little pocketfuls of filling — and a good deal of store-bought options to choose from, too. But it doesn't take long to get bogged down with so many choices, making it hard to know which is the best brand to buy at the store. But that's why we're here to tell you which ones to buy — or, in this case, which ones to avoid.

When we ranked 12 store-bought frozen dumplings from worst to best, there were some surprises — and perhaps the biggest one came from the extremely disappointing 365 Vegetable Pot Stickers from Whole Foods. While these all-veggie pot stickers may have tasted fine enough, even good enough to not be a complete bust, the real issue came from the texture. These dumplings were way too mushy, acting more as a mouthful of baby food than a delicious vegetable-filled meal.

It's safe to say that the 365 Vegetable Pot Stickers left much to be desired. As for the dough, the outside actually managed to crisp up well enough; the problem was that the wrapper was simply too thick, so this crispiness was all for naught. A vegetable dumpling should also highlight the ingredients and textures in the filling. In this case, where one might expect some crunch and textural variety, we experienced only one-note disappointment of the mushy filling.

The other dumplings that performed in the ranking well were full but not dense, textured instead of mushy, and provided the closest thing you can get to a restaurant-quality dumpling without breaking out the steaming basket. And if that's what you're looking for, Whole Foods' 365 Vegetable Pot Stickers are not for you. We advise staying away from these dumplings, which is no surprise considering we also think you should avoid buying your next meal at the Whole Foods hot bar, too.