Homemade wonton soup! These wontons are filled with a juicy pork and prawn / shrimp filling and will knock your socks off. With step by step photos and a recipe video, you’re going to be a Wonton Wrapping Master in no time! Added bonus: Best standby freezer meal ever and super healthy (350 calories for a bowl!)
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Wonton soup
If you’ve ever had store bought frozen wontons or wontons from a good value Chinese place that probably uses frozen wontons, you will be amazed how different homemade ones are. The main difference is the texture of the filling – because homemade wontons are made with just pure fresh ingredients, NO mysterious fillers!
I think wontons are one of those things that many people don’t think to make, assuming they are really tedious and take ages. But they don’t!! The wonton filling takes minutes to make (literally – 5 minutes) and wrapping the wontons is quite fast if you use my method!
About this Wonton recipe
I used to use my mother’s Wonton recipe, because it’s the one I have used all my cooking life. Then a few years ago, I came across this Wonton Soup recipe by my friend Maggie from Omnivore’s Cookbook, a wonderful authentic Chinese food blog.
I’ve learnt so much about authentic Chinese cooking from Maggie who was born and raised in China and only recently moved to the States. She takes such great care with her recipes, if you love Chinese food, I think you’ll be as delighted to discover her blog as I was. 🙂
So I think my mother was a bit disgruntled when I told her I was using Maggie’s Wonton filling for this post because it’s better than hers. I sent her away with samples, and she agreed that Maggie’s Wontons are fantastic, but didn’t admit it was better.
It IS better. Sorry mum! Maggie’s has better seasoning! 😉
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.
With all the possible variations out there, and not knowing which recipes are actually “real”, you can be confident that this is authentic because I have used Maggie’s recipe exactly as it is written.
Wrapping Wontons
This is where Maggie and I differ. If you click over to Maggie’s recipe, you will see that she uses trapezium shaped wontons wrappers (I had to Google that!!!). I use plain square ones because they are readily available here in Australia, even in supermarkets (Woolies, Coles). Once cooked, they look pretty similar.
So here is how I wrap wontons. This is a fast way of wrapping wontons because you can lay out 10, even 20, and do them all in one go, rather than doing them one by one, because they are wrapped on the work surface rather than in your hand.
My Way of Wrapping Wontons
The above is the way I usually fold wontons because I like the way the “tails” flap around like noodles once cooked. Yes, I’m a 7 year old at heart.
But to me, the flappy wonton skins are part of the Wonton Soup experience. 😂
The better way for freezing (more compact)
However, when I know I’m going to be freezing all or most of them, I wrap them in a more compact way so they fit better inside containers. This is the way the frozen wontons in Asian grocery stores are wrapped.
The photo on the bottom right is a container of frozen wontons I bought to show you how they are sold. Also so I could make some and smugly say how much better homemade is!
Asian Grocery Store Way
Both wonton wrapping methods are just as easy, and you can do them in batches rather than holding them one by one. But you can see how much more compact the Asian Grocery Store Way is compared to My Way in the photo below. The Wontons at the top are the compact Asian Grocery Way, the ones on the bottom are My Way with more flap page once cooked.
This is what mine looks like once cooked. See all that wonton wrapper flappage? YUM.
Don’t get too hung up about how neat your wontons are. Once cooked, they mostly lose their shape, so just make sure that your filling is well sealed inside. And even if the filling falls out, you still get the same flavour, so don’t fret!!!
Tip: As tempting as it is, do not bunch them up like a money bag otherwise you end up with a thick wad of wonton wrapper that won’t cook through.
Broth for Wonton Soup
Wontons are served in a clear Chinese chicken broth. Sometimes with just wontons, sometimes with wontons and noodles, called “Combination Long and Short Soup” on Chinese restaurant menus. “Short” refers to the wontons and “Long” refers to the long noodles!
If I am at an Asian store, I usually pick up Chinese chicken broth which is more yellow but just as tasty as Western chicken broth that is available at supermarkets. However, I usually make this with ordinary Chicken broth using the same soup broth recipe as my Chinese Noodle Soup.
So….what do you think??? Have I convinced you to give homemade Wonton Soup a go? I promise it is WORTH IT! They taste absolutely incredible. You will be amazed!
– Nagi x
PS Homemade wontons are so fantastic for standby meals to keep in your freezer because you can throw in whatever veggies you have and voila! You have a complete HEALTHY meal!
More great dumplings of the world
Potstickers (Chinese pan fried dumplings)
Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)
Shumai (Japanese steamed dumplings on my mother’s site, RecipeTin Japan!)
Browse the Yum Cha recipe collection
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Wonton Soup
Ingredients
- 50 – 60 wonton wrappers (Note 1)
Wonton Filling
- 200 g / 7 oz lean pork mince (ground pork)
- 200 g / 7 oz peeled prawns / shrimp , roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger , finely grated (1.5″ / 3cm piece)
- 2 shallots / green onions , finely chopped (5 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sesame oil, toasted (Note 4)
Broth (for 2 servings)
- 3 cups / 750 ml chicken broth (Note 5)
- 2 garlic cloves , smashed (6)
- ⅓” / 1 cm piece of ginger , sliced (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1½ tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 1½ tbsp chinese cooking wine (Note 3)
- ¼ – ½ tsp sesame oil
To Serve
- Shallots / scallions , finely chopped
- Bok choy , quartered, or Chinese broccoli cut into 10cm /4″ lengths (optional)
- 40 – 50 g / 1.5 – 1.75 oz dried egg noodles per person , (optional) (8)
Instructions
Wontons:
- Place Filling ingredients in a bowl. Use a potato masher to mash until fairly smooth – about 20 mashes. Don’t turn the prawn into a complete paste, small chunks are good.
Wrapping (See photos and video):
- Use My Way (better Wonton Soup experience!) or the Asian Grocery Store Way (easier to pack for freezing).
- Lay Wontons on work surface. Use 2 teaspoons to put the Filling on the wontons. Work in batches of 5 if starting out, up to 15 or 20 if confident. Brush 2 edges with water. Fold to seal, pressing out air. Brush water on one corner and bring corners together, pressing to seal.
- Place wrapped wontons into a container with a lid as you work (so they don’t dry out).
Cooking/Freezing:
- To cook: bring a large pot of water to boil. Place wontons in water and cook for 4 minutes or until they float. Remove with slotted spoon straight into serving bowls. Ladle over broth.
- To freeze: Freeze uncooked in airtight containers. Cook from frozen for 6 to 8 minutes. IMPORTANT: Do not freeze if you made this with defrosted frozen prawns. (Note 11)
Broth:
- Place Broth ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Add white ends of scallions/shallots if leftover from Wonton filling.
- Place lid on, bring to simmer then reduce to medium high and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Pick garlic and ginger out before using.
- If using vegetables, blanch in the soup broth and place in serving bowl.
Assemble Soup:
- Prepare noodles according to packet directions (if using noodles). Place in serving bowl with cooked wontons and blanched vegetables.
- Ladle over soup. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This wonton recipe was originally published in September 2016. Updated for housekeeping matters in 2018 – no change to recipe!
Life Of Dozer
Little impromptu home video I put together of Dozer with the gang at the beach!
Oh yum yum yum! I haven’t had wontons in so long, and these look perfect! And only 350 calories? I can’t believe it!
I know, right??! 🙂
what an idea! simple yet nutritious ?
hay Nagi, what if i use salmon instead of pork?
is it good?
eumm yeah. this recipe is worthed to share on G+ my official pages https://plus.google.com/115459295070343423497/posts/UphapykUZxt
His Adinda! I haven’t tried this with salmon instead of pork, instinct tells me it would need a binding agent like what I do for Thai Fish Cakes. Sorry to disappoint! And thank you for sharing this recipe on your G+ page!! N x
Hi Nagi, can I just make this with prawns? What do you recommend re mixture? Needs to be pork free.
Thank you
You sure can Samara! Even more indulgent! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! You are an inspiration. I have prepared a lot of your recipes. I love the wonton soup, easy and light. Just to let you know I am writing you from Aruba!! there is where I live.
Thank you,
Suzy
Wow – Aruba! So exotic 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipes, and I do hope you try the wonton soup, it is SO CRAZY GOOD!!!
Hello Nagi, hope ALLs Well at your place. Here is wet, wet…… Day and night. Love the soup BUT DOZER VIDEO IS EXTRA SPECIAL!! Thank YOU. Regards Vera.
Hope you had a great weekend Vera! Glad you enjoyed the Dozer video, I think I broke the internet watching it so many times – ha ha ha!! N x
Hi Nagi, thanks so much for so many of your recipes. I can’t begin to add up the number of times I’ve made your sausage rolls over the last couple of months. The family love them (though I substitute a tsp of Italian herbs for the fennel. They weren’t fussed on that).
My question about the wontons is this:- since I live in the country I can only buy frozen green prawns. Is it all right to refreeze these when they’re in the mix when I freeze the uncooked extra wontons? If have always heard you can’t refreeze seafood.
Thank you so much for so many intriguing and delicious recipes.
Hi Lenette! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes and YES to the sausage rolls! They are the BEST!!! Re: wontons you are right, you can’t refreeze raw prawns that were previously frozen. I have added a note 11 for how to get around this!
So thrilled to see my name here! You’re so kind 🙂 The pork and shrimp wonton is definitely a classic and I crave it all the time. I love the chicken broth. Definitely belongs to winter warmer!
Actually we were in sync! I cooked your pumpkin soup recipe a few days ago and it was SO GOOD! Just published the slightly adapted version today. Hope you don’t mind that I stole your food styling tricks 😛
Will promote both of your posts in the next few days and hopefully bring you some traffic!
Have a great one 🙂
Ha ha that’s so FUNNY!!!! Maggie seriously this is better than my mum’s. 🙂 I was loyal to her recipe until I found yours last year then her recipe was ditched!
I learned to make wontons years ago. Taught by a Chinese chef. Anyway the easiest way to explain how I wrap is similar to a money bag. Place about a heaped teaspoon of filling into the centre of the wrapper and squeeze the wrapper around the filling. Leaves lots of “noodle” to slurp up. Also if you make them small enough you can deep fry and serve with a nice dipping sauce like sweet chilli or sweet and sour or whatever takes your fancy. When I make a batch I freeze them. Just make sure you freeze in a single layer then pack into container otherwise wontons might stick together and then have holes in them. The real key to the dish though is having a tasty broth. You can actually buy wonton soup stock from Asian grocery stores. You can use this to boost your chicken stock for that authentic restaurant flavour. But this is purely optional. Cheers
Thanks for the tips Denise! You are so lucky to have been taught by a real Chinese chef 🙂
OHhh Nagi san, I love Wonton and so want to practice the way you wrapped. I only know and kind of mastered to wrap Gyoza but not this wonton. It is so cute and it reminds me my favourite 2 minutes “Wantanmen” 😀 (I am not talking about any types of man here, I am talking about 麺)
Gyoza is harder! So if you can do them, you can do these super fast!!! N xx
Dozer: you ARE a lucky, lucky boy not only to have the Mom you have but to be so close to the beach and have such a fab group of friends! Good’on’ya!! Of course I have spent 10 minutes of a busy Saturday morning clapping you on!! Wonton soup: one of the loves of my life and I have not made my own for quite a few weeks: have just checked: yup, wrappers at home . . . thanks for the nudge . . .
What?? You HAVE wrappers?? You just keep constantly amazing Eha! Who has wonton wrappers in stock?? (As in – non Chinese people!!) You are a cracker Eha!
Huh? Why: I find them SO versatile for N European stuffings also 🙂 ! And living in the country one has to have most needed ingredients ‘on the ready’!! Oh, reading the above: I find gyoza easier than this somehow . . peculiar me!!
Ke?? Seriously?? Wonton wrappers for European STUFFINGS????
Well, Nagi dearHeart – I hope you do not mind!! Remember we have pelmeni and other soups hugely popular and the wrappers make piroshky [meat turnovers] awfully fast 🙂 !! Not so different from Chinese dumplings be they steamed, in soup or fried!!
That is so clever, I never would have thought of that!!!
Oh I’m doing a happy dance. This will be on my table next week. Thank you.
Loved the wee video of Dozer (actionman) and his mates.
I’m glad this has you doing the happy dance! Can you move closer to me so a) you can Dozer-sit b) I can deliver food to you???
A and B does appeal but you will have to do something about the Sydney climate. Does your homeless man have a spare patch near him?
You’re speeding through France and I’m still in China! Had the Wonton soup for lunch complete with noodles and Bok Choy, beautiful. I’m too full to do another happy dance right now. Will be repeating the exercise tomorrow to finish off the broth and bok choy, can hardly wait.
Thank you for another great recipe Nagi.
Woof and hugs to Dozer.
Yee haaaaaa!!! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed the wontons Ann! Aren’t they incredible?? Maggie has the BEST authentic Chinese recipes 🙂 My mother is still grumpy I think, because I chose Maggie’s over hers! 😉 N x PS Dozer says to give you a huge sloppy wet kiss. Even I don’t get those.
He sleeps in his car, the council give him special permission to park his car there permanently. And there is a vacant space next to him. Or you can camp out on the grass. He will welcome the company! 😉
A lot to contemplate. Might do it over a bowl of Wonton Soup.
Nagi, in your notes, #6, you said to smash the garlic with a knife so it’s easier to REMOVE IT. Mğy question is this: do you go through the entire cooking process and BEFORE serving, remove the garlic so all you’re getting is the oils from it for the favor, not necessarily the texture of the clove? Thanks bunches for clarifying this for me!
Yes, that’s right – get the garlic flavour infused into the soup then remove it so you have a clean soup rather than bits of garlic in it. Which is why it isn’t minced, it is kept whole. I’ll add a note to explain this! N x
I have always ordered wonton soup in authentic Chinese restaurants. I love it and just about every other dish they make! Well, except for chicken feet…that’s too far off the rail for me! I am so excited to try your recipe! What really is awesome will be making a huge batch and freezing them. Omigosh! How awesome it will be to come home after running late, break open a can of broth, a handful of frozen wontons, some kind of vegetable and voilà! A quick dinner! Thank you, Nagi! You’re wonderful and so is your website!!!
YES!! That’s exactly what I do!! PS Me too re: chicken feet ? I have Chinese friends who rib me for being a “foodie” who doesn’t try new things!
This is going to be my birthday dinner. . .ranks right up there with prime rib. Thanks for the recipe and the how-to’s Nagi, wrapping these critters will never be easier. 🙂
Thanks for the video of Dozer and Buddies too, it made my heart laugh.
Awww, I love that – you rank wontons with prime rib? You ROCK Leah!! So glad you enjoyed the video, I’ve watched it so many times I thought I broke the internet 🙂
I love love love your blog. Your selection of recipes is right up my alley in terms of taste. Knowing this, was I surprised to open my inbox and see a recipe for delicious Wonton Soup?!! Not surprised, just immensely excited to try it! Thank you for your delicious recipes and keep up the good work!!
Also, your comment about being a 7 year old because you like flappy dough tails? The level of excitement to experience this is real! lol
Bring on the flappy tails! So glad you are enjoying my selection of recipes Julie, thank you for reading! N x
I have been following your blog for couple of months. Love the clear instructions, photos and Dozer. Keep the creativity going.
Have you tried freezing the uncooked wanton similar to how we do it with berries?
Hi CK, so glad you are enjoying my blog, thank you! And YES they freeze perfectly, I have instructions in the recipe. 🙂
This wonton soup looks terrific. Thanks!
And play on, Dozer!
He will happily oblige!!
Nagi do you have a recipe for pan fried wonton? We used to love to order these at our favourite Chinese Restaurant but I have not found a recipe for them. They had a pork and green vegetable combination (I am assuming that whatever green that was not completely used up the night before) I love love loved them.
Hi Karen! I’ve done Japanese pan fried dumplings 🙂 https://salesdock.info/gyoza-japanese-dumplings-potstickers/%3C/a%3E You can use the filling for this wonton recipe and wrap and cook them the way Goyza is done. I love the fry / steam combination – golden underneath, steamed on top!
I would like you to know…That I love LOVE wonton soup…I have since I emigrated to the states…And the munchkin is suuuuuch a fan too… Its been too long since I had them… And since I had wonton soup… FYI I make exceptions for soups (just call me the #imperfectvegetarian) Ahh this makes me drool…once its cold and miserable out here…I will make this with the munchkin 🙂 She does love playing with dough 🙂 Love ya Nags! Have a great weekend
You CRACK ME UP with your “exceptions”!!! Hey – how are Facebook LIVE videos going??? Are you still loving it??
Facebook live is amazing!!! If you have a chance I took your advice and tried to make it shorter and have a good theme for my live and I think I did well 🙂 Here is the link… If you have any time to Skype let me know would love to get your thoughts on a few things that are floating around in my head!
https://www.facebook.com/girlandthekitchenpage/videos/1142105259212031/
Hi Nagi! Wow,this is such an easy way to make wonton soup! Now that you’ve got me drooling I’m off to the grocer for my ingredients! Can hardly wait to make it! Thanks again for all you do and say hello to Dozer !!! ???
Dozer says WOOF! I do hope you try this Edward, I promise it is ridiculously delicious!!