Chinese dumplings, especially Chinese Fried Wontons, are probably one of the most convenient and versatile foods to keep around. A crispy, crunchy, and delicious appetizer that’s a real crowd pleaser.
Why These Chinese Fried Wontons Are So Good
- They go from frozen to appetizer or dinner in just a few minutes.
- You can pan fry/steam (like potstickers/gyoza), deep fry, boil or steam.
- They’ll store in the freezer for months. Dumplings are my emergency food (unexpected hungry visitors!), midnight snack (shhhh….don’t tell anyone) and my emergency dinner (crap! what can I make for dinner that takes 15 minutes?)
- You can use any type of ingredient your little tummy desires. Shrimp, beef, lamb, tofu, mushroom, kale, spinach, carrots, etc. etc.
Ingredients
- Ground meat
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic, onion
- Soy sauce, oyster sauce
- Kale
- Egg
- Wonton wrappers
- Cooking oil
How To Make Chinese Fried Wontons – Step By Step
- In a large bowl, add the meat, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, curry powder and kale and mix well to combine. To make the egg wash, in a small bowl, add the water and egg and whisk with a fork.
- To assemble the wontons, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand. If frying, add 1 teaspoon of mixture to the center of the wrapper. If boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Dip a finger in the egg wash, and paint all 4 edges with the wash.
- Fold the wonton in half, corner to opposite corner to make a triangle. Seal tightly all around. Make sure there are no air pockets or holes in the wonton. Fold the longer two triangle points together and seal to make the wonton shape.
- Place folded wonton on a clean, dry plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying out. When wontons are all folded, you can store or freeze.
- To fry wontons, add 1 to 1 1/2 inches of cooking oil to a wok or pot. Heat the oil until it reaches 375F. Add a few wontons to the oil to fry, turning occasionally until they are golden brown. Remove them to a draining rack placed over a baking sheet so they can drain excess oil.
- To boil wontons, see the recipe direction #6 from the Pork and Spinach Wontons recipe.
Wontons Are Fun!
And if you make it a “dumpling party” where you invite your friends and family to fold up a crazy batch, it’s also entertainment 🙂 Not only can you eat them the same day, but everyone gets to take home a batch to store in the freezer.
Fried Wontons
I don’t deep fry the dumplings much, but if I’m frying up a batch of My Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls (and here’s a vegetable version), then we most definitely make double duty use of the oil to make Chinese Fried Wontons.
Variations Of Fried Dumplings
In this batch below, I used kale from the garden and ground turkey. But have fun, throw in whatever chopped vegetable that you like, whatever meat (or not) that you have on hand. Make up a big batch and save some for the freezer!
Chinese Fried Wontons Recipe Video
Top Tips For Chinese Fried Wonton
- Vegetable: I used kale in my video, and kale is NOT a water-dense vegetable. If you are using a water dense vegetable, like Napa cabbage, spinach and even regular cabbage, you will want to get rid of as much water from the vegetable as possible to avoid soggy wonton. Shred or finely chop the vegetable and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and toss. Let sit for 10 minutes. The salt will draw out a lot of the moisture from the vegetable. Take a handful of the shredded vegetable and squeeze hard to discard the water.If you are using frozen spinach, defrost, then squeeze out and discard as much water as possible. No need to salt.
- If you want to boil the wonton instead of frying, bring a pot of water to boil. Add in a batch of wonton. When the water returns to a boil, pour in 1 cup of cool water. Bring to a boil again. Add one more cup of cool water. Bring to a boil. Repeat one more time. Now your wonton is ready. Same procedure if you are adding the wonton frozen into the water. Drain and serve with dipping sauce. Substitute broth for water if you want to serve wonton with the broth. Throw in some noodles and vegetables to make wonton noodle soup!
- Dipping sauces – I love ready-made chile sauces like Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce, Lingham Chili Sauce, Chinese chili-garlic sauce or rooster sriracha sauce. You can also make your own.
Check Out These Other Delicious Chinese Dishes
- Chinese Sausage and Rice Recipe
- Chinese Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Recipe
- Chinese Bird’s Nest Soup Recipe
- Chinese Steamed Buns
Have you tried this Chinese Fried Wonton recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Chinese Fried Wonton Recipe
Chinese dumplings, especially Chinese Fried Wontons, are probably one of the most convenient and versatile foods to keep around. A crispy, crunchy, and delicious appetizer that's a real crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 cups finely chopped kale leaf only or vegetables of your choice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg
- 50 wonton wrappers defrosted
- cooking oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the meat, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, curry powder and kale and mix well to combine. To make the egg wash, in a small bowl, add the water and egg and whisk with a fork.
- To assemble the wontons, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand. If frying, add 1 teaspoon of mixture to the center of the wrapper. If boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Dip a finger in the egg wash, and paint all 4 edges with the wash. Fold the wonton in half, corner to opposite corner to make a triangle. Seal tightly all around. Make sure there are no air pockets or holes in the wonton. Fold the longer two triangle points together and seal to make the wonton shape.
- Place folded wonton on a clean, dry plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying out. When wontons are all folded, you can store or freeze.
- To fry wontons, add 1 to 1 1/2 inches of cooking oil to a wok or pot. Heat the oil until it reaches 375F. Add a few wontons to the oil to fry, turning occasionally until they are golden brown. Remove them to a draining rack placed over a baking sheet so they can drain excess oil.
- To boil wontons, see the recipe direction #6 from the Pork and Spinach Wontons recipe.
Notes
TO STORE:
- If you want to freeze the wonton, place all the UNCOOKED wonton flat on a plate. Do not crowd. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once the wonton are frozen, you can gather them up and store in freezer bag. This ensures that the wonton freeze individually (otherwise if the wonton froze and stuck together, it would be nearly impossible to cook.
- When ready to cook frozen wonton, they can go from freezer to simmering broth. Follow exact same cooking instructions. Since the wonton is frozen, it will take longer time for the broth to return to a simmer -- so it's self timing!
- If you want to freeze the wonton, place all the UNCOOKED wonton flat on a plate. Do not crowd. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once the wonton are frozen, you can gather them up and store in freezer bag. This ensures that the wonton freeze individually (otherwise if the wonton froze and stuck together, it would be nearly impossible to cook.
- When ready to cook frozen wonton, they can go from freezer to simmering broth. Follow exact same cooking instructions. Since the wonton is frozen, it will take longer time for the broth to return to a simmer -- so it's self timing!
Nutrition
Calories: 49kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 91mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 276IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
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with homemade wontons that my mom, Dave, and I made for our house dinner
GRAET ARTICLE
THANK U
gooooooooooooooood article
I made this recipe with napa cabbage. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly including using the fantastic tips. They are the best wontons I’ve ever eaten. Thank you Jaden.
Wontons? This is the first time I’ve heard about this name. Is it dumplings?
Our TV went out. would love to be considered for this TV Thank You
Hello.. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your via Facebook I have your cook book.
I was wondering for the wontons if they can be baked instead of being fried in oil!!
Thanks and have a wonderful day
Hi Germaine! You can air-fry them! Do you have an air fryer? I have not ever baked wontons before.
This method is “self timing” – because the number of wonton will vary and because I don’t know if you’re using frozen or fresh, it’s easier for to add 3 rounds of cool water. Frozen wonton will take longer to come back to a boil. Likewise, a big batch will take longer than a small batch.
I hope that makes sense!
really, Sam? REALLY???????/
How much oil do you need for this? Please? I’m sorry!
Hi Sam, find a small saucepan (small pot with long handle). Add about 1.5″ of oil to pot (approx 1 1/2 cups). That should be enough to fry the wontons. The smaller the pot, the smaller the batches that you can fry.
I just tried making Homemade egg rolls for the first time and they were delicious. I found your post while searching for more recipes. Can you refrigerate the wantons to fry later the same day? I’m having a party and want to have all the food premade and ready to cook. Since I’ll make them earlier the same day I won’t freeze them.
Hi Sara – Yes, same day is fine. If longer than a day, I’d freeze, then fry them frozen (add a minute to frying time to account for them being frozen)
I tried these yesterday. My husband flipped out! Delicious! I am making a couple of hundred for the freezer. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Jan!
I found it difficult here in New Zealand to find won ton wrappers, but I found spring roll wrappers so I used those (cut them to size). They turned out perfect. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe! I will definitely make these again 🙂
Great tip about reducing the water content of what goes into your wonton. I get really frustrated when details like this are left out of recipe books and then wonder why I can’t produce something close to the original.
Theses little tips would make a great blog in their own right – things that we do wrong with everyday recipes!
Hi!!! My imagination usually runs quite wild this time of year, and I was thinking about making a Quinoa, chicken, veggie, filling, will this work Ok as a filling? all the ingredients in the filling are precooked so I was wondering if this would hold up well in a fried wonton..Thanks for any advice and I LOVE your style!!!
Hi Sherrie! Absolutely it would work! It’s perfect. Since the filling is cooked, you don’t have to worry about frying time – just let the wrapper crisp up.
is pound ground meat precooked?
No, it is not precooked.
I am so going to do this! I’ve made these before, steamed…never fried. And I’m gonna make a big old batch and freeze them as you suggested cause once you open those won-ton wrappers ya pretty much have to use them cause they do dry out even when in a plastic bag. I’ve cheated and used leftovers to make ravioli beforer though LOL. Works great…
Just wanted to say thank you!
this recipe is amazing, i sometimes cook those wont tons with friends and they always turn out perfect! 🙂
I find out I couldn’t find one time straight from the freezer cause he always gets burnt I only could fry them when they are freshly made
Is there a way to fry them straight from freezer
Yes, I fry them straight from freezer! Just add a minute to the frying time. Be careful when you slide them into the oil.
If you are burning the wontons, turn your heat down. It means that the oil is too hot.
hello! looks great!
i read your comment that says you can fry straight from the freezer? means you dont even have to thaw them?
how long wld they take to be ready? or is there a way to tell when it is cooked?
tk u!
No, you don’t have to thaw them. Add an extra 90 seconds to the stated cook time in the instructions. The best way to tell when they are done is to cut one of them open to make sure they are cooked through.
Good day! I would just like to ask if I can put frozen wontons directly in hot oil to deep fry? would it work or would it just splatter and all? Thank you so much!
Hi there! You can carefully slide the frozen wonton in the hot oil. Surprisingly, it doesn’t splatter much if you slowly slide them in.
when did oil becomebroth confusing, thanks
I’ve had these on the to-try list for a while now and am so glad I did! We loved these! I used frozen spinach in place of the kale (kids/hubby not fans), added grated carrot and extra green onion and garlic. They were a huge hit! My eleven-year-old helped fold them so they were not nearly as pretty as yours — but devoured non-the-less!
Hi Jaden,
Terrific recipe and blog! I’m glad I discovered your site because it’s hard to find good Asian recipes – especially for dishes I loved from my childhood! Thank you for posting.
Can you cook (fry) these and the egg rolls before freezing, when ready to serve just pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes?
Yes you can!
Great recipe and photos. Thank You, I just may try these!!
how do you know when the meat is cooked ?
Once the filling turns brown, it’s cooked through. You can also cut into one of them to check for doneness and note the time.
thanks for the recipe! And one question, I can’t seem to find ANY wonton skins from my local supermarket. Is it okay to use spring roll pastries instead?
Yes you can!
Yummy! I want some now please 😉
I don’t have words because I provided this recipe to my wife and she tries it at home and you know the test was awesome thanks.
How much curry powder do you use? You mention it in the recipe, but it’s not listed in the ingredient list.
My mom adores these fried wontons! She used to order them a lot when we were having dim sum. I bet these homemade ones taste even better.
Can you deep fry the frozen wontons straight from the freezer or will the filling not cook thoroughly?
Yes, you can deep fry from freezer. Just add a couple of minutes to frying time.
Wow… it seems I can almost smell those cooking! Asian food is among the tastiest, for sure.
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I’ve seen “Easy Chicken Everywhere!” (have you?)
i agree delicous!!!!!
Unfortunately, you can’t defrost them before frying, they’ll fall apart. You’ll just have to try to separate them while they are frozen or perhaps just slightly defrosted.
Hi please help! I made some spring rolls the other day but used wonton wrappers instead by mistake… And to make it worst i freeze the whole thing but now they stick together… How can i deep fry them now? Should i deep fry the whole thing sticking together then separate them after frying? Or defrost them first then seperate before frying? Im afraid the wrapper will break apart… Please help! I need to make these for my son’s school tomorrow.
I love chinese food. Thanks for that reciepe. It tasted great today 🙂
These look amazing! Yum!
Every since your cookbook arrived at my door I have been consumed with wanting to know everything about Again cooking! Thank you for the video too! you make them look so super easy! I’m going to be making some soon to stock the freezer with!
I love meat filled wontons, but it seems like alot of the commercial places are only selling cream cheese filled these days. Guess I’ll have to start making my own!
This looks so delicious right now! I love wontons! Although, I can’t say mine have ever turned out looking quite that nice.
You just inspired me. I am going to use the meat from the last of this weekend’s smoked ribs to make some kind of a rib wonton. The gears of ma brain are a spinnin’.
A classic! Have you to attempt my own wontons or dumplings…soon! Love and appreciate how you make all these classic dishes look so simple to make 🙂
Now that’s what I’m talking about. If only I could find frozen wonton wrappers around here, it’s disturbing difficult. I’ve made my own, but it’s kind of a pain.
I totally need to have a dumpling party! That may be the best kind of party. mmm 🙂
Those look incredible. It makes me want to break out the fryer.
Hi Jaden, Love your recipes. I’m a huge fan of wontons. What can I use to replace ingredients such as oyster or fish sauces. I am not a fan of fishy tastes or fish for that matter. Please help.
These look delicious… I had to wipe the drool off my screen… hehehe
THOSE LOOK AMAZING! I want to make some right now!
Looks amazing! One question – how much curry powder do you use?
It’s an optional spice, but a teaspoon should do!
I love the idea of using kale. Thank you!
Could eat wontons every day, of the year! They’re so goo ^_^
Wow! Thank you Jaden.
How do I make the wontons with a cream cheese or mascarpone filling?
When you boil the wontons, why do you keep adding cool water?
This method is “self timing” – because the number of wonton will vary and because I don’t know if you’re using frozen or fresh, it’s easier for to add 3 rounds of cool water. Frozen wonton will take longer to come back to a boil. Likewise, a big batch will take longer than a small batch.
I hope that makes sense!
I’d like to place an order for delivery. 25,634,798. Thank you.
I just made the fried wontons from your recipe. I made them with pork and followed the recipe. I also made some with artichoke/spinach filling with chopped water chestnuts- I’m happy to say that they turned out amazing!!! I will definitely make them again!! Thanks for the great recipe and the video. I had never made wontons before and it was easy after watching the video. Jen
Thank you Jen!