My family loves Chinese food, and I’ve learned to recreate some of our favorite restaurant dishes at home including lettuce wraps, orange chicken, and these savory fried wontons.
Have you ever had a fried wonton at your local Chinese restaurant? If not, you’re totally missing out! The savory pork filling inside of a crispy outer shell just can’t be beat. Fried wontons take a little bit of time to assemble, but the end result is totally worth it.
How do you make fried wontons?
It is surprisingly easy and fun to make your own wontons. Make the filling by mixing together ground pork, minced mushrooms, chopped green onions, soy sauce, cornstarch and seasonings. When thoroughly combined, place a spoonful of filling in the center of a square wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton and set it aside. Repeat the process with the remaining filling and wrappers. After a quick dip in hot oil, the wontons become golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with dipping sauce and enjoy!
Fried wonton tips and tricks
You can fold these wontons any way you like. I’ve provided instructions below to fold them as shown in these photos, but you can also simply fold the wrapper over to make a triangle shape if that’s easier. The filling can be made up to one day before you plan to use it. Be sure to use a frying thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. If the oil is too hot, the wontons can burn. If the oil is too cold, the wontons will absorb more grease and have a heavier texture. I like to serve my wontons with sweet chili sauce for dipping. You can also use gyoza sauce, sweet and sour sauce, spicy mustard sauce, or any other Asian style sauce that you like. These wontons taste best freshly made, but you can store any leftovers in the fridge, then reheat them in the oven until crisp.
How to fold a wonton
To fold a wonton, set the wrapper on a flat surface set like a diamond with a point facing toward you and a point facing away from you. Place about 3/4 of a teaspoon of filling on the center of the wrapper. Dip a finger in water and draw an outline on the edge of the top half of the square. Fold the wrapper up away from yourself so the wrapper forms a triangle with the points facing away from you and the long side facing toward you. Press the top sides of the triangle facing away from you together. Now you have a sealed triangle facing away from you. Next, using two hands, fold the points of the triangle toward yourself using your thumbs to slightly indent the filing pocket. Put a drop of water on one of the folding points of the wonton and press the two points together. You will create a ring shape out of the folded triangle.
Fried Wonton Variations
I love this recipe as written, but sometimes I add other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
Protein: Ground pork is traditional in this dish, but you can substitute other types of ground meat such as chicken or turkey. Flavorings: Feel free to add other flavors to the mix such as sriracha, five spice seasoning, other types of herbs, hoisin sauce or oyster sauce. Vegetables: You can use button mushrooms instead of the shiitake mushrooms that the recipe calls for. Another option is to swap out the mushrooms for a different vegetable such as finely shredded cabbage.
What is the difference between a dumpling and a wonton?
A dumpling is a broad term for a dough wrapped around a filling. Dumplings are found in cuisines all over the world from Polish pierogies, Italian tortellini, Indian samosas, and Japanese gyoza to any number of Chinese dumplings like potstickers, soup dumplings and, of course, wontons. Wontons are a type of dumpling made with a wonton wrapper and usually filled with pork, shrimp or cheese. Wontons are popular in the southern parts of China.
Can you fry frozen wontons?
I do not recommend frying frozen wontons. If you want to store uncooked wontons in the freezer and fry them later, make sure they are fully thawed in the refrigerator before cooking them. Blot them with a paper towel before frying them to make sure there is no excess water.
Once you try these golden brown treats, you’ll want to make them all the time so you can enjoy the freshest and crispiest wontons around!
More fabulous Asian recipes
Kung Pao Chicken Shrimp Fried Rice Chicken Lo Mein Crab Rangoons Sweet and Sour Chicken
