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!
Allison says
Nagi,
This is another knockout recipe! My boyfriend doesn’t eat pork, so I made this with ground turkey and kept everything else the same, and it was delicious! Happy I doubled the wontons because we now have something delicious to look forward to in the freezer. I’m excited to try crisping them up in some frying oil and serving with chili oil and black vinegar.
Nagi says
Love hearing that Allison! So pleased you enjoyed this so much! N xx
Lauren says
Tried this last night for me and my partner. I had bought the circular wonton wrappers a long time ago and had to use those instead. But it was absolutely delicious. We were worried whether the pork would cook in just 4 minutes, but it was cooked completely through. We also fried some spare wontons separately and dipped them in vinegar as a side-dish. This recipe is much more of a fresher, non-processed, and flavour-some dish than restaurant wonton soup. We absolutely loved it and I will use this recipe every time I make wonton soup from now on! We have tried this and your Beef Rendang now. I have to say, your recipes are truly authentic and amazing, unlike most of the recipe books in our kitchen! We are now big fans of your website, and can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Thank you for your shared wisdom! <3 <3
Nagi says
FANTASTIC to hear Lauren!! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this 🙂 N xx
Gayle says
Just made this and, oh my goodness, I’ll never order won ton soup in a restaurant again. This is so delicious and actually quite easy. Yes, it’s a bit time consuming to wrap the won tons but it is well worth it. Absolutely yummy! Thanks so much for sharing these recipes. I a man grateful.
Nagi says
I LOVE hearing that Gayle! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Beth L Bilous says
OH my, this is so darn good. I cheated and used Trader Joes frozen chicken and cilantro won tons. But used the recipe for the broth. I did add one additional cup of chicken stock, and two xtra scallions. Wow was I surprised how good this was. Hey thanks.
Nagi says
LOVE HEARING THAT Beth! N x ❤️
Della says
How do you feel about cooking the wonton in the broth? I made my wonton in the broth it turned out great. Also can this be tripled the recipe? Hoping to have about 12 people total.
Nagi says
Hi Della! It works great 🙂 The reason I don’t in the “proper” recipe is because it actually sucks up a fair amount of liquid so if you’re adding noodles / veg etc then you might find yourself a bit short on soup!! 🙂 N x
Emma says
It was really good. I have added a small ” quail” to make the broth. I have added fresh shitake mushroom 2 pieces to the mix and 1/4 of a carrot 1 leaf of a chinese cabbage.
10/10! Thank you for this tasty perfect recipe!
Nagi says
LOVE hearing that Emma!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Casey says
Hi Nagi,
I’ve been an avid follower for quite some time now. Recently I got some take out from my favourite Asian takeaway and it was so bad I threw most of it out! So I decided I would try it myself using your recipes! I invited some friends over last night and had a Asian banquet using your recipes! They were an absolute hit! I deep fried the wontons and the flavour was amazing!! I also made your chicken chop suey and it was better then any take out I’ve ever had!! I also made your sweet and sour chicken using pork instead, and your beef and broccoli noodles. Every one commented how amazing and delicious it was! And with a little prep work it was actually pretty super easy to do!! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipes!!!
Nagi says
Awww I love hearing that! Sounds like a great party, your friends are lucky 🙂 N x
Jason Marcel says
Green onions are key for me. It just doesn’t taste right without them.
Nagi says
I hear you Jason 🙂
Monique says
Thank you so much for this delicious reecipe, it was a big hit. Will definately be a staple from now on.
Cristine says
OK so I posted before how this is hands-down the best wonton soup recipe. Today I made it with ground turkey instead of ground pork, just because we’re all on the health kick right now. I can’t even tell that it’s not pork and to treat myself I bought some barbeque pork from my local Asian market which I thinly slice and garnish on top at the end with. The only variation I made to your recipe is I added some minced garlic into my meat mixture. Last couple times I’ve made this I’ve been just rolling little meatballs and throwing them in the broth and using some fresh wonton egg noodles that I also picked up at my Asian market. I actually prefer the long noodles as sometimes there’s just too much wonton wrapper. Just an option.
Nagi says
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! N xx
Carla says
I can’t figure out how to start a new string – I have the ingredients to make this tomorrow; however, from the directions/posts, I am not clear how and when to add in the bokchoy…???
Nagi says
Hi Carla! under “Broth” step 2 – just cook them in the soup broth, then put them into the bowl 🙂 N x
Shane McDonald says
Thanks for this. I love the flappage of the won ton as you call it. So tasty. I love these little guys either fried or in soup!!
Nagi says
The flappage! it’s the best part! N xx
Briana says
I was wondering for the Wonton filling, what else can you make as the filling besides using shrimp/prawns? Thank you!
Nagi says
More pork, chicken, fish 🙂
Amy says
I just made this soup today and thought it was great. Although, I think I used the wrong Chinese cooking wine as I only could find Rice Wine Vinegar in my local grocery store. The soup was a little sour.
After making the wontons, I put them in the soup. They tasted great. How do you keep the wontons from getting mushy?
Nagi says
Hi Amy! Rice wine vinegar is a VINEGAR so yes unfrotguantely it would make it sour! Cooking wine / rice wine doesn’t have the word “vinegar” in it 🙂 N x
elizabeth says
The recipe says “2 shallots / green onions , finely chopped (5 tbsp)” do you mean 2 shallots or 2 green onions? Because they’re very different. It seems unusual to substitute one for the other because shallots are way stronger than green onions. Thanks!
Nagi says
Use the long green stalks WITHOUT the white bulbous onions at the roots 🙂 There is massive differences all around the world for the names of these – green onions, shallots, scallions, spring onions. It’s so frustrating!! 🙂 I always ensure I include photos that clearly show what I used – you can see the green rings in the soup photos 🙂 N x
Beatrix says
I think you’re confusing shallots with scallions (aka green onion, spring onion). Shallots are like mini red onions that resemble large purple garlic cloves. They are in the same family as scallions I think as well.
I should have checked out your recipe before attempting our first wonton soup (using homemade wraps) They would have turned out a lot prettier 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Beatrix! I had to add a page explaining scallions!!! The long green things are known as shallots to many Australians and also in most parts of Asia. We call the mini onions eschallots or French onions! IT IS SO CONFUSING! N x
Cristine says
This is hands down the best one I’ve ever made. I like a good wor wonton so I beefed it up a bit. Thanks for this recipe.
Nagi says
So pleased to hear that Cristine! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
Lauren says
I’m a wonton soup addict! I only get it from one small place that makes everything from scratch including the broth. No sodium, too. But now I can make my own! I’d add scallions to the soup when served and do pork/beef so they freeze well. I’ll add roast pork strips for salt. Thank you so much!
Amber Jean says
Hi Nagi! I made these cute little wontons tonight, and they are delicious! Thank you! My hunny came home to a warm bowl of soup, absolutely loved it, and his only criticism was that he missed the little slice of bbq pork on the bottom, so that is the next recipe of yours that I will be making 🙂 this made a huge batch, and I am going to bring the leftover frozen wontons over to my family’s house for christmas eve. Thank you! I hope you and your family are enjoying the holidays
Xoxo – amber
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Amber! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
Beth says
Made these 2 ways. First in your wonton soup recipe and then I deep fried some. Also, made dipped sauce.
My son said best dinner ever!
I have to agree. This was a well written recipe. Enjoyed the links and photos.
Thank you for sharing.
Nagi says
WHOOT WHOOT!!! 🙌🏻
Sue Marshalla says
can this be mad ahead of time before guests arrive?
Nagi says
The soup and wontons separately yes, keep the wontons raw then plonk them in at the last minute! Don’t leave cooked wontons in the soup, they will become soggy and bloated 🙂
Gillian DidierSerre says
Thanks for replying it is so cold now in toronto canada , that your wonton soup has arrived just in time..dozer you are lucky to be on the beach poor luca is upset that soon he will have to wear his dog walking winter jacket..I will try to send you a picture of him in the snow.