I was skeptical when I saw that Trader Joe’s newest dumpling was teriyaki-flavored. Teriyaki in a bao? I imagined a gloopy super sweet soy-based sauce overwhelming the veg filling. But now that I’ve tried Trader Joe’s Teriyaki Mushroom Mini Bao Buns?
I think it’s meant to be more of a shorthand toward a sweet, but not too sweet, soy sauce-based sauce mixed with the mushroom and veg. It’s certainly not as sweet as most teriyaki sauces I’ve had.
I opted to steam them on the stove, but I think they’d do just fine in the microwave. They’re small enough that the dough shouldn’t get too hard, even as they cool. Steamed, the dough has a nice texture and the mushroom-veg filling holds up well.
With a mix of King Oyster, Shiitake, and Oyster Mushrooms along with carrot, onion and spring onion, they’ve got a good ratio of filling to bun. While I will always love char siu bao the best, these are a totally respectable option for vegetarians, vegans, and meat eaters like.
I should mention the mini bao are Trader Joe’s third vegan dumpling option in the last little while. The other two are: vegan soup dumplings, and the chive and veggie-filled vegetable dumplings.
The vegetable dumplings have a chewy dumpling skin and for me, they definitely needed a dipping sauce. I did the traditional black vinegar and soy sauce with a little green onion thrown in. But they’re quite good, too. And I will say, if you’re watching your sugar intake, the vegetable dumplings come in at 2g of sugar, 1g added sugar per 3 dumplings.
Back to the bao. Here’s the rundown on Nutrition Facts:
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s: