Wonton Soup
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Wonton soup is a favorite on Chinese takeout menus! Filled with savory flavors and beautiful textures, this is a popular comfort food recipe.
Quick to make, homemade wonton soup is a healthy meal idea the whole family will enjoy. The Chinese dumplings are made the traditional way, with pork and shrimp. But you can use all pork. Make this easy soup in 35 minutes!
What is Wonton Soup?
Wonton soup is a traditional Chinese recipe. Wontons are Chinese dumplings that are filled with a variety of tasty ingredients. These usually include ground pork, or a mixture of pork and shrimp. After being gently boiled, they’re added to a delicious savory broth. For additional texture and crunch, and to provide more nutritional value, veggies can be added to the soup.
🛒 Ingredients
There’s something very special about making delicious food from scratch. It’s made with kindness and love.
With these Chinese dumplings, you have control over the ingredients. There’s a sense of satisfaction knowing there are no strange fillers in your food.
If you don’t have shrimp on hand, you can still make this recipe work! Simply use 1 pound of ground pork, or ground chicken, or ground turkey!
For Wonton Filling
- Wonton wrappers
- Ground pork
- Peeled shrimp, chopped
- Green onions
- Fresh ginger, finely minced
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing cooking wine (Chinese rice wine)
- Sesame oil
- Sea salt
For the Broth
- Chicken broth
- Chicken bouillon
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing cooking wine
- Fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- Sesame oil
Optional Ingredients
- Bok choy (Chinese cabbage)
- Chili oil, or red pepper flakes
About Wonton Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thin square noodles. At most large markets, they’re readily located in the produce section. Check the refrigerated area around the salad kits. If you don’t find them there, ask your grocer for assistance.
📖 Recipe Steps
Make the Filling
The wonton filling for this recipe comes from Maggie at OmnivoresCookbook. Visit her blog for a delicious collection of authentic Chinese recipes!
- Peel the ginger. Finley mince it. Chop the peeled shrimp. Slice the green onions.
- Add all wonton filling ingredients to a medium bowl.
- With a fork, mix and mash the ingredients into a thick sticky paste. Small chunks will remain, and that’s okay. They’ll provide a nice texture for the wonton filling.
- Open the package of wonton wrappers. Cover them with a lightly-damp cloth so they don’t dry out. Add a small dish of water to your work surface. Have a container with lid ready. Use it to keep wontons from drying out.
Fill & Fold the Wonton Wrappers
- Place a wonton wrapper on your work surface. Add 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of filling to the middle. Dip a fingertip into the water. Lightly wet all four edges of the wrapper. This will help to seal the wonton.
- Fold the bottom half up and over the filling. Press out any air. Edges should neatly align and be sealed together.
- Bring the top piece of the noodle up over the pocket of filling, like a little bonnet. Bring the left and right edges tightly down toward the bottom.
- Press the edges together to seal the wonton. If needed, use a tiny dab of water to keep the pieces together.
FOR QUICKER ASSEMBLY: Once you’re comfortable wrapping individual wontons, you can start working in batches of 3-6 until all wrappers are filled.
Cook the Chinese Dumplings
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the wontons to the water. Lower the heat to medium.
- Allow them to cook for 4 minutes, or until filling is cooked through. The wrappers will swell and the wontons will start to float.
- Remove Chinese dumplings from the pot with a slotted spoon. Add them to individual serving bowls.
- Repeat the process with remaining batch.
NOTE: Don’t worry if a few of the noodles open up and release their filling while boiling. This will not affect the flavor of your wonton soup!
Make the Broth
While the Chinese dumplings are boiling, make this flavorful broth.
- Add broth ingredients to a pot over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat to medium, and allow the broth to simmer for 10 minutes.
- With a spoon or strainer, remove the pieces of ginger. The broth is ready to be ladled over the cooked wontons!
For added color and texture: Add bok choy to this recipe! Blanch it in the hot broth for 1 1/2 minutes, or until it reaches desired tenderness.
Assemble & Serve Wonton Soup
- In individual serving bowls, ladle broth over the dumplings. Add in pieces of bok choy.
- Sprinkle sliced green onions over the soup. If desired, serve with red pepper flakes or chili oil.
Expert Tips
- How to peel ginger. Put away the vegetable peeler! The easiest way to peel ginger is with the back of a spoon. This also prevents waste, as less of the flesh is peeled away.
- Optional fillings: Instead of pork and shrimp, you can use 1 pound of ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Best substitutes for Shaoxing cooking wine: Pale dry sherry, gin, or dry white wine.
- Best substitutes for sesame oil: Olive oil or canola oil. But if you have tahini (sesame seed paste) on hand, that’s even better! Dilute it with a neutral oil to maintain it’s nutty flavor!
- How to use leftover wonton wrappers: Make delicious wonton taco cups and avoid food waste.
- How to freeze uncooked wontons: Place uncooked wontons on a baking tray in a single layer, leaving space between each piece. Put tray in freezer until the wontons are solid. Transfer frozen dumplings to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. If freezing cooked dumplings, use them within a week.
- How to cook frozen dumplings: Cook them from frozen by adding 1-2 minutes to the original cooking time.
🥡 More Takeout Recipes to Make at Home
- Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Salad Dressing
- Orange Chicken
- Sweet Chili Tofu
- PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- Cream Cheese Wontons
- Buffalo Chicken Wontons
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do you love this savory Chinese recipe? In the comments, give it a 5-star rating!
Wonton Soup
- Total Time: 35 Minutes
- Yield: 40 Wontons 1x
Description
Homemade wonton soup is savory, healthy and delicious! Better than Chinese takeout, it’s quick and simple to make. Assemble this easy recipe in 35 minutes!
Ingredients
WONTON FILLING
- 1 (12-ounce) package of wonton wrappers
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound peeled shrimp, chopped
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon peeled & finely-minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine (Chinese rice wine)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
BROTH FOR WONTON SOUP
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled & thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
RECOMMENDED GARNISHES
- Bok choy
- Sliced green onions
- Red pepper flakes or Chinese chili oil
Instructions
WONTON FILLING AND WRAPPING
RECIPE PREP: Open the package of wonton wrappers. Cover them with a lightly-damp cloth so they don’t dry out. Add a small dish of water to your work surface. Have a container with lid ready. Use it to keep wontons from drying out.
- Add all wonton filling ingredients to a medium bowl. With a fork, mix and mash the ingredients into a thick sticky paste. Small chunks will remain, and that’s okay. They’ll provide a nice texture for the wonton filling.
- Place a wonton wrapper on your work surface. Add 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of filling to the middle. Dip a fingertip into the water. Lightly wet all four edges of the wrapper. This will help to seal the wonton. Fold the bottom half up and over the filling. Press out any air. Edges should neatly align and be sealed together. Bring the top piece of the noodle up over the pocket of filling, like a little bonnet. Bring the left and right edges tightly down toward the bottom. Press the edges together to seal the wonton. If needed, use a tiny dab of water to keep the pieces together.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the wontons to the water. Lower the heat to medium. Allow them to cook for 4 minutes, or until filling is cooked through. The wrappers will swell and the wontons will start to float. Remove dumplings from the pot with a slotted spoon. Repeat process with remaining batch.
WONTON SOUP BROTH
While the Chinese dumplings are boiling, make this flavorful broth:
- Add broth ingredients to a pot over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat to medium. Allow broth to simmer for 10 minutes.
- With a spoon or strainer, remove the pieces of ginger.
OPTIONAL: For added color and texture, add bok choy to this recipe! Blanch it in the hot broth for 1 1/2 minutes, or until it reaches desired tenderness.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE WONTON SOUP
- Divide the dumplings between individual soup bowls.
- Ladle broth over the dumplings. Add in pieces of bok choy. Sprinkle sliced green onions over the soup.
- If desired, serve with red pepper flakes or chili oil.
Notes
Where to find wonton wrappers: At the market, look for them in the refrigerated aisle of the produce section. If you can’t locate them, ask a grocer for assistance.
Other filling ideas: Instead of pork and shrimp, use 1 pound of ground chicken or ground turkey instead.
How to peel ginger: Put away the vegetable peeler! The easiest way to peel ginger is with the back of a spoon. This also prevents waste, as less of the flesh is peeled away.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
EASY WONTON SOUP > JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Have you been craving good Chinese take-out? Do you enjoy making traditional recipes at home? Share your thoughts about homemade wonton soup!
My husband and I love this recipe! We cooked a small batch and froze the rest for another night. We used all ground pork and a ton of ginger and they were perfect!
What a delicious and authentic recipe! Homemade versions are always best <3
I love a good wonton soup! And I love how easy this is to make. Definitely making it again later this week.
Such a flavorful recipe, your step by step process was so helpful! Thank you!
Such a delicious recipe. I made this with my family today for lunch! We love to cook as a family and this recipe was delish!
We love wonton soup, and this is a good guide to prepare the soup at home. The step-by-step wrapping instruction is so helpful for newbies. :)
I wish I was having this soup for dinner! I love wontons and yours look amazing. The step by step photos are great too. This is slurp worthy and I bet the flavours are superb! Cheers for sharing.
Yum! I had some left over bok choy and added it to the soup. So yummy with all the vegetables. Thanks for this great recipe!
Such a comforting and delicious soup!
The time has come – I NEED to make this soup because a) I have been craving some soup for a long time; and b) I haven’t had wontons in quite a while either!
It’s been so long since I made a proper wonton recipe. Delicious and absolutely inviting – yum!
This soup is so good! I love the won tons. My family really enjoyed it too.