How to Make Wontons: 50 Easy Tips and Wonton Recipes (2024)

Whether you’re looking for a delicious, crispy appetizer or a scrumptious meal, wonton recipes are just about as good as it gets. Cooked in various ways and filled with your choice of veggies or meat, wontons are easy to make at home whether you’re cooking for one or a big group!

What are Wontons?

Wontons are a type of Chinese dumpling made with a wonton wrapper and stuffed with fillings such as shrimp, pork, vegetables or crab. They’re available in many forms, including steamed, deep-fried, baked or boiled and in soup. Fried wontons make for a crispy, delicious appetizer, while steamed wontons make for a great meal, as does wonton soup!

4 Wonton Making Essentials

1. Wonton Wrappers
Wonton wrappers are the number one essential for making wontons. While you can make them yourself with a homemade recipe, they’re also available to purchase at your local Asian grocery store. If store-bought, make sure your wrappers are thawed at room temperature. This way they’ll be pliable and won’t break apart when you fold them.

2. Baking Sheet
Often when you make wontons, you make a big batch of them. Since they keep for a couple months in the freezer, you can eat some now and save the rest for later. When you’re assembling the wontons, you’ll need somewhere to put them. Place filled wontons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

3. Deep Fryer
If you’re planning to make deep fried wontons on a regular basis, investing in a deep fryer is a great idea. Although you can use oil and a pot, a deep fryer will give you the perfectly crispy wontons you’re looking for.

4. Metal Cooling Rack
Once the wontons are fried, remove them from the deep fryer or pot and place them on a metal cooling rack. Once they’ve cooled, it’s time to enjoy with your favourite wonton dipping sauce.

How to Make Wontons

Start by making your filling. Combine everything in your filling mixture by hand for five minutes or in a food processor for one minute. Prepare a small bowl with water and gently separate the wonton wrappers. Then, take a wonton wrapper and add one teaspoon of filling. Use your fingers to trace the edges of the wrapper with water to help the two sides seal together. Press down the filling and pack it tightly. Then you can fold into your personal favourite folding style. Check out this post on the different ways you can fold wontons by The Woks of Life. After you’ve folded your wontons, you can either steam, boil, deep fry or bake your wontons, as well as use them for wonton soup!

4 Ways to Cook Wontons

1. Deep Fry
Using a deep fryer is an easy way to fry wontons, but if you don’t have a deep fryer, you can also use oil and a pot. Use a small pot and fill it with two to three inches of oil, ensuring the oil doesn’t overflow when you add the wontons. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fry in small batches, turning occasionally. Another option is using a small spider strainer to keep the wontons submerged when frying. This will give you the most uniform look without having to turn them.

2. Steam
To steam, bring a pot of water to a boil, place a bamboo steamer on top of the pot and place the wontons inside. Cover and steam for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on your filling. Steam small batches at a time, removing the ones that are cooked to make room for the next batch.

3. Boil
Boil a pot of water and once it comes to a rolling boil, add the wontons in batches. Make sure not to crowd the pot, adding only a few wontons at a time. They will cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them. Cook them for one to two minutes or until they float. Remove the wontons and place them in a deep plate or bowl. You can also use this method for wonton soup. Bring the soup broth and seasonings to a boil, add the wontons and gently simmer in the broth until cooked. This should only take a couple of minutes.

4. Bake
To bake your wontons, set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for five to seven minutes on a baking sheet until golden brown.

10 Pork Wonton Recipes

1. Homemade Pork Wontons | Two Sleevers
2. Boiled Pork Wontons with Sesame Sauce | Bon Appetit
3. Easy Pork Wonton Soup | Red House Spice
4. Spinach and Pork Wontons | Food & Wine
5. Grandma’s Crispy Pork Wontons | All Recipes
6. Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Wontons | Ahead of Thyme
7. Pork Wonton Soup with Vegetables | All Recipes
8. Homemade Spicy Pork Wontons | The FeedFeed
9. Crispy Ginger Pork Wontons | Taste of Home
10. Easy Pork and Shrimp Wontons | Christie at Home

10 Shrimp Wonton Recipes

1. Chinese Shrimp Wonton Soup | China Sichuan Food
2. Steamed Shrimp Wontons | Rasa Malaysia
3. Fried Shrimp Wontons with Mushrooms | In Search of Yummy-ness
4. Shrimp Wontons in a Spicy Sichuan Sauce | Steamy Kitchen
5. Cantonese Style Shrimp Wontons | Yi Reservation
6. Fried Shrimp and Pork Wontons | All Ways Delicious
7. Shrimp and Vegetable Wontons | Life’s Ambrosia
8. Scrumptious Shrimp Wontons | Just a Pinch
9. Shrimp and Chinese Chive Wonton Soup | Eating Well
10. Boiled Prawn Wontons with Chilli Dressing | Jamie Oliver

10 Chicken Wonton Recipes

1. Mom’s Chicken Wontons | The Woks of Life
2. Chicken and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Lemongrass Broth | Food & Wine
3. Chicken Wonton Soup | Damn Delicious
4. Fried Chicken Wontons | Rasa Malaysia
5. Chicken and Cilantro Wontons | Ahead of Thyme
6. Healthy Baked Chicken Wontons | The Spruce Eats
7. Crispy Chicken Wontons | Taste of Home
8. Chicken Wonton Soup | Omnivore’s Cookbook
9. Spicy Chicken Wontons | Just a Taste
10. Boiled Chicken Wontons with Chilli Sauce | Tasting Table

10 Crab Wonton Recipes

1. Crab and Prawn Wontons | Jamie Oliver
2. Crab Wontons | Life’s Ambrosia
3. Crab Wonton Soup | What to Cook Today
4. Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons | Spend with Pennies
5. Crab Wontons with Brie | Eating Well
6. Chrissy Teigen’s Crab, Cream Cheese and Scallion Wontons | House and Home
7. Shrimp and Crab Wontons | Viking River Cruises
8. Air Fryer Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons | The Leaf
9. Lobster and Crab Wonton Filling | Group Recipes
10. Fried Crab Wontons | Food Network

10 Vegan Wonton Recipes

1. Vegan Wontons in Chilli Broth | The Foodie Takes Flight
2. Homemade Vegan Wontons | The Curious Chickpea
3. Sichuan Spicy Wontons in Chilli Sauce | Bianca Zapatka
4. Vegan Wonton Soup | It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
5. Crispy Vegan Air-Fryer Wontons | Healthy Girl Kitchen
6. Crispy Curry Vegetable Wontons | The Foodie Takes Flight
7. Vegan Shiitake Wonton Soup | Connoisseurus Veg
8. Vegan Fried Hot Tofu Wonton Soup | Green Bowl 2 Soul
9. Homemade Vegan Wonton Soup | Oh My Veggies
10. Vegan Chilli Wontons | Zucker & Zagdwurst

Whichever way you cook them, wontons offer a scrumptious bite that are easy to make at home!

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How to Make Wontons: 50 Easy Tips and Wonton Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the filling in a wonton made of? ›

Wonton filling

There are many types of wonton fillings, but I'd say that pork and shrimp/prawns are the most common. Then there are all sorts of additions, including mushrooms, water chestnuts, chopped up Asian greens and even carrots.

How do you keep wontons moist? ›

Wrappers – do not lay/spread them out but keep them in the opened package. Take out a few wrappers at a time (so they don't dry out). Cover the opened package with a damp tea towel.

What is the best oil for frying wontons? ›

I like to use either peanut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying. Both are neutral flavored and have a high smoke point. They can handle the amount of heat needed to make sure that your wonton strips fry up crispy without absorbing too much oil.

What dough are wontons made of? ›

Traditional Chinese wonton wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs and water, and can be used to wrap around any number of fillings to be cooked in soups or fried. That's obviously a no-go for anyone eating gluten free.

How long to boil wontons for? ›

Bring a wok halfway full with water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the wontons in batches until they float to the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Why do my wontons stick to the pan? ›

Tip for dumplings sticking to your pan:

This is a very common problem when pan frying dumplings, and most likely it is because your pan isn't hot enough. The easiest trick would be to buy a nonstick pan, but for those who don't want to spend the money, try out this test.

Why do my wontons fall apart? ›

Often they burst during cooking because they have too much filling for the amount of dough. Some doughs are too dry, so the dumplings won't stay sealed. Others can be too wet and sticky and end up tearing. If the filling isn't cohesive enough, it will tumble out when you bite into it.

Do you seal wontons with water or egg? ›

Use egg wash (1 egg + 1-2 Tbsp. water) as the “glue” around all the edges and make sure to seal them completely when folding your wontons.

How to make wontons not dry? ›

Make sure to seal the bag/container very well to prevent the wontons from possible drying up. Too cold temperatures can cause the wrappers to dry up and cause cracks.

How to cook wontons in a skillet? ›

To cook wontons in a pan, heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place the wontons in the pan, making sure they are not overcrowded. Cook them for a few minutes on each side until they turn golden brown and crispy.

Why are my wontons tough? ›

You could be thinking that it has something to do with the wrappers. Perhaps they are not of good quality or they just don't taste nice to begin with. But to solve this mystery, it is actually the flour, usually wheat, that makes the wonton wrappers tough and bitter, and even gummy.

Can you shallow fry wontons? ›

Because while wontons are primarily meant to be used in soups, you can also pan-fry them—if you would rather have some crispy potsticker-y vibes! The method is the same as pan-frying a dumpling, so if you already have experience with that, just take this post as a PSA that it's okay to pan-fry a wonton.

What is the meat inside of a wonton? ›

Wonton filling can be made from a variety of ingredients and each family has its own preferences and go-tos. My dad makes his filling in classic Cantonese style using pork and shrimp.

What is traditionally in a wonton? ›

The most common filling is ground pork or chicken and shrimp with a small amount of flour added as a binder. The mixture is seasoned with salt, spices, and often garlic or finely chopped green onion. Factory-made, frozen varieties are sold in supermarkets.

Are wontons healthy? ›

Consuming fried or steamed wontons is not likely to impart any significant health benefits. The food does provide energy in the form of carbohydrates and fat. If meat, poultry, or seafood is added you'll also get a small benefit from protein which helps to build and maintain muscle mass.

What is the crunchy stuff on wonton soup? ›

Fried Wonton Strips are wonton wrappers cut into strips and fried in oil to a crispy golden brown. So good! I love making these for my Egg Drop Soup.

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