Filled with an umami tofu vegetable filling, these vegan wontons are sure to impress! Turn them into crispy fried wontons, or a comforting vegan wonton soup.
We love recreating Chinese classics at home. Some of our other favorites include Szechuan tofu, vegan orange chicken, and Chinese taro cake.
I grew up eating thousands of wontons (literally). Wonton noodles are my go-to breakfast food court order, and we sometimes even order extra wontons!
Ever since going plant based, I know I will need to recreate them at home. After multiple attempts, I find that a tofu-vegetable filling works best for vegan wontons, like the one in my vegan egg rolls and rice paper egg rolls.
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💚Why you will love vegan wontons
- Juicy with a hearty and flavorful tofu filling
- Detailed and clear instructions provided for success
- Can be fried, cooked in an air-fryer, boiled, or added to soups
- Freezer-friendly - Make a large batch, and you will have wontons whenever!
🧄What you will need
- Tofu - Use extra-firm or firm tofu that has been pressed, either using a tofu press or by stacking something heavy on top.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms - Soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes before using. Can be substituted with fresh shiitake mushrooms.
- Oyster sauce - Use a vegetarian one; I recommend Lee Kum Kee's vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Shaoxing wine - A Chinese cooking wine; skip to keep recipe alcohol-free.
- Wonton wrappers - Check the label as some commercial wrappers contain eggs.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Thawing frozen wrappers
If using frozen wrappers, thaw them completely at room temperature before using. Partially frozen wonton wrappers are tricky to work with as they are brittle and tear easily.
🔪Making vegan wonton filling
Steps 1-3: Sauté garlic until fragrant, then add carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add tofu with cooked vegetables to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, then stir in green onion.
Step 5: Wrap the wontons in either a bonnet shape or a diamond shape. Start by wetting the edges of the wrapper using your finger.
Fold each wrapper into a rectangle or triangle and seal it tightly. Dab one corner with water, then bring the two ends together and pinch to seal.
Step 6: To cook in the air fryer, lightly coat the wontons with oil, then cook at 200 °C/400 °F for 6-10 minutes, or until golden and crispy (left).
For boiled wontons, simply prepare broth and cook until the wontons float to the top (right).
✅Helpful tips
- Keep wonton wrappers covered - Cover unused wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Do not overfill - Overfilling makes wrapping tricky, and wonton might burst open during cooking.
- Make fried wontons - Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a frying pan and cook for 2-4 minutes, until golden. Make it in batches to prevent wontons from sticking together.
🍜Serving vegan wontons
Wonton noodle soup - Serve cooked noodles with tofu wontons and broth, alongside blanched greens like bok choy or choy sum. Or, you can serve it with soy sauce green beans.
Dried wonton noodles - A Malaysian classic; serve either boiled or fried wontons with my dried wonton noodles.
Spicy wontons - For a fiery twist, coat these vegan wontons in chili oil, using the sauce from the Szechuan spicy wontons on the Woks of Life.
Dips for wontons - My go-tos are soy sauce, ketchup, spicy teriyaki sauce, or the dipping sauce from my tofu dumplings.
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❄️Freezing wontons
If planning to freeze vegan wontons, go with the more compact bonnet fold.
- Arrange the wontons in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, making sure they do not touch. Freeze for a few hours until solid.
- Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag, and store for 3 months.
No need to thaw wontons before heating; simply boil, fry, or air-fry them from frozen. You will need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
❔Commonly asked questions
Wontons can be steamed instead of boiled. Add wontons to the steamer, and steam for 8-10 minutes, or until hot. If steaming from frozen, the cook time will be closer to 15 minutes.
Some commercial wonton wrappers are not vegan as eggs might be added. Hence, it is recommended that you check out the ingredient label to ensure that no animal products are added.
It is recommended to freeze uncooked wontons rather than refrigerate them. Filling might seep water, making the wrappers soggy and more prone to breaking apart during cooking.
Overfilling your wontons, or using wrappers that are not completely thawed, will increase the chances of the wrapper tearing, causing your wontons to fall apart.
🍽️More Asian-inspired appetisers
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Wontons (soup or fried)
Ingredients
- 50-60 wonton wrappers (about 1 package) *
The filling
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms can be substituted for fresh
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ carrot roughly chopped
- 2 cups cabbage roughly chopped (120g)
- ½ block tofu drained, pressed, and roughly cubed (around 7oz/ 200g)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/ shoyu
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
Wonton broth (to make wonton soup)
- 5 cups vegetable broth (1200ml)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
Making the filling
- Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and slice them thinly.3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick pan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, around a minute.3 cloves garlic
- Add carrot next, cooking for 2-3 minutes.½ carrot
- Stir in cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until veggies are slightly tender. Allow vegetables to cool down slightly.2 cups cabbage
- Add tofu along with cooked veggies and seasonings to a food processor.½ block tofu, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine, ½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, 2 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- Pulse for a few times, or until ingredients are finely chopped (but not pureed!)1 stalk green onion
- Then, stir in green onion, giving it a taste and adding more seasonings if needed. Your filling is ready to be used.
Wrapping wontons
- You can either fold wontons into bonnet or diamond shaped. I highly recommend taking a look at the step-by-step picture in the blog post before attempting to fold your wontons.
- For both ways of wrapping, start by adding 2 teaspoons of filling to the center.
- Then, dip your finger in water and wet the edges of the wrapper.
- Bonnet: Fold the wrappers in half, seal tightly, and remove air bubbles to create a rectangle. Dab one bottom corner with water, then bring the two ends together and pinch to seal.Diamond: Fold the wrappers in half to form a triangle and pinch to seal, removing any air bubbles. Wet one bottom edge, bring the corners together, and pinch to seal.
- You can now proceed with making vegan wonton soup or fried wontons.
Wonton soup
- Add all ingredients needed to make the soup in a pan and bring mixture to a boil.5 cups vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon white pepper powder, salt
- Next, boil the wontons. You can either boil them separately in water, or in the broth itself. Wontons are cooked when they float to the top.
- If using vegetables, blanch them in the broth until tender.
- Serve it with broth and blanched vegetables.
Air fryer wontons
- Arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure they are not touching.
- Lightly spray on some cooking oil, and cook at 200C/ 400F for 6-10 minutes, or until they are brown and crispy. You might need to cook them in batches, especially if you have a smaller air fryer.
Fried wontons
- Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a large deep pot.
- Drop a few wontons in and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Continue until all wontons are cooked.
Notes
- Keep wonton wrappers covered - Cover unused wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Do not overfill - Overfilling makes wrapping tricky, and wonton might burst open during cooking.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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