Buldak Turned Their Viral Ramen Into Dumplings and We Tried Them

Folks, I’m scared. I would not consider myself a spice expert in the slightest, but I absolutely consider myself a team player. So, when Sporked’s editor-in-chief Justine asked if I could find and review Buldak’s line of frozen pot stickers (which they call dumplings on the bag), I did my due diligence. The nice people at Buldak arranged a delivery of their “Carbonara” spicy chicken dumplings, which meant there was no escape for yours truly. Today, someone whose spice tolerance extends exactly as far as Subway’s Chipotle Southwest sauce will be reviewing a Buldak product. What could possibly go wrong?

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Buldak makes products besides ramen?

Thank you for asking that question to extend my life a few minutes before I eat this and, presumably, die. Yes, Buldak produces an entire slate of products with varying levels of pain spice. Alongside the ramen cups and packets you’re familiar with, Buldak also offers these frozen dumplings, “tteokbokki” rice cakes, potato chips, packets and bottles of hot sauce, and stovetop fried rice.

Can’t prolong the inevitable any longer; here’s my review of Buldak’s Carbonara Spicy Chicken Dumplings. 

Buldak Dumplings!

Buldak Carbonara Spicy Chicken Dumplings

Target

Pros: Buldak’s Carbonara line of products is “for consumers who find the spiciness of Buldak Original too intense.” I find this disrespectful since my first tentative bite had me coughing. Ow. Finishing the dumpling in due diligence as a food reviewer had me slamming a cup of whole milk yogurt and praying. And this is their easy mode spice level. I really should have passed this review to Tyler, y’all.

Luckily, my more spice-resistant taste testers could actually taste these dumplings, and they were impressed with the diverse contents of the dumpling filling. Per our own Jessica Block, that filling consists of “vermicelli, cabbage, tofu, spring onion, and Buldak Carbonara Hot Chicken Flavor sauce.” Even I could tell there was a pleasant back-and-forth dance between flavor and heat as you chew. 

Cons: You should definitely ignore the instructions that suggest you can microwave these dumplings; the resulting texture is incomprehensibly gummy and stiff at the same time. I trust the recommended air fryer method would do much better at replicating authentic, fresh pot stickers.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

6.5/10

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