Shrimp Wontons. Flavourful bouncy shrimp wrapped in soft wonton skins. A classic to Chinese cuisine that is undeniably good! Ready in 30 minutes.
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If you're looking for a delicious easy shrimp wonton recipe that is simple to make, then you've come to the right place! These Chinese wontons are made of minced shrimp, garlic, ginger, green onions and seasoning ingredients. The best part is that they only take minutes to cook (boiling or deep frying options below).
These simple wontons serve well as a wonderful appetizer, snack, quick lunch or meal. Or you can serve them in bowl of homemade wonton soup or wonton noodle soup! They're commonly served at many Chinese restaurants.
The great thing about these shrimp wontons is that you can make them ahead of time and freeze them. When you're ready to cook, they only take minutes to boil or fry from frozen.
In case, you're worried about how to wrap wontons, I share step by step visuals and instructions below.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.
- Wonton wrappers: I'm using store-bought wonton skins that most Asian grocery stores sell.
- Water: to seal wontons
Shrimp Filling:
- Jumbo shrimp: fresh or frozen work fine. Opt for the easy-peel deveined kind to make preparation faster. If you're not a fan of shrimp, you can also substitute with ground pork.
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Sesame oil
- Shaoxing wine
- Cornstarch
- Chicken bouillon powder: to give the wontons depth of flavor.
- Sugar
- White pepper
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
How to make Shrimp Wontons
Make the Filling
Finely chop peeled and deveined shrimp into a fine paste. Transfer shrimp to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining filling ingredients. Combine ingredients. Then using a pair of chopsticks mix in one direction until it forms a sticky paste.
Tip: if you have a food processor, you can also add all your filling ingredients into the processor and pulse until it becomes a sticky paste.
Wrap Wontons
Spoon 1 levelled teaspoon of the filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Apply a little bit of water on two adjacent edges of the wrapper.
Fold into a triangle and seal the edges well, squeezing out any air pockets. Apply water on one of the base triangular tips. Bring the two base tips together and seal one tip over the other.
Transfer wrapped wontons to a large baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to the surface.
To Boil Wontons:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Lower wontons and boil for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Strain them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy with chili oil or dumpling sauce.
To Deep Fry Wontons:
- In a large pot filled with 2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil, bring to medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, carefully lower wontons and fry on both sides until golden crispy brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove fried wontons with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack or a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce like plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce!
Storage & Reheating
- Leftover cooked wontons will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reboil them in a small pot with water on medium-high heat for 2 minutes until hot throughout.
Freezing Raw Wontons
Wontons can be frozen and will last up to 6 months or until you see freezer burn.
To freeze them: lay the finished dumpling in a single layer in a freezer bag on a baking sheet. Give the wontons enough space. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow them to freeze. Once frozen, you can remove the baking sheet.
To cook from frozen: boil or deep fry them the same way as instructed for an additional minute for the cooking time.
Expert Tips
- Finely chop shrimp into a paste. If you don't finely chop it, it'll be more difficult to scoop 1 levelled teaspoon of the filling because the shrimp will cling together.
- Mix filling ingredients in one direction with chopsticks to create a pastier filling that sticks together and won't fall apart when you go to wrap the wontons.
- If you have a food processor, it will speed up the filling preparation process as it will finely grind the shrimp into a paste and mix the ingredients for you. However, if you don’t own one, don’t worry - you can do this manually as per above.
- Place filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. This will ensure your filling doesn't explode out of the side.
- Do not overstuff the wonton. Just 1 levelled teaspoon per wonton. This can cause the filling to burst as you wrap the wonton.
- Make sure to squeeze out big air pockets. This prevents the dumplings from breaking apart when being cooked.
- Seal the edges of the wrapper well! Apply a little water to the two adjacent edges before sealing the wrapper. The water acts like glue. This prevents the wonton from breaking opening as you boil them.
FAQ
This means that you didn't seal the wontons well enough causing them to open. Next time, seal them well by pinching the edges together.
Chili oil is my favourite dipping sauce to have them with! I actually share a homemade chili oil you can find here. However, you can also serve these with my easy 3-ingredient dumpling sauce.
You can actually refrigerate them in an airtight container for usage later. Or you can store them in an airtight freezer bag to thaw and use later.
Yes! If you follow these step instructions, you can make a crispy wonton:
In a large pot filled with 2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil, bring to medium heat. Once oil is hot, carefully lower wontons and fry on both sides until golden crispy brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove fried wontons with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack or a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil. Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce like plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce!
Other recipes you may like!
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Shrimp Wontons
Ingredients
- 1 lb wonton wrappers approx 50 wrappers
Filling:
- 1.3 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger peeled and grated
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or sub with Dry Sherry Wine)
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- ¼ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Instructions
Making Wontons
- Finely chop peeled and deveined shrimp into a fine paste. Transfer shrimp to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining filling ingredients. Combine ingredients. Then using a pair of chopsticks mix in one direction until it forms a sticky paste. Tip: if you have a food processor, you can also add all your filling ingredients into the processor and pulse until it becomes a sticky paste.
- Spoon 1 levelled teaspoon of the filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Do not over stuff the wonton! Apply a little bit of water on two adjacent edges of the wrapper.
- Fold into a triangle and seal the edges well, squeezing out any air pockets. Apply water on one of the base triangular tips. Bring the two base tips together and seal one tip over the other.
- Transfer wrapped wontons to a large baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to the surface.
Choose Cooking Method Below:
- To Boil Wontons:Bring a large pot of water to boil. Lower wontons and boil for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Strain them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy with homemade chili oil or dumpling sauce.To Deep Fry Wontons:In a large pot filled with 2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil, bring to medium heat. Once oil is hot, carefully lower wontons and fry on both sides until golden crispy brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove fried wontons with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack or a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil.Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce like plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce!
Storage & Reheating Cooked Wontons
- Leftover cooked wontons will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat cooked wontons: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reboil them in a small pot with water on medium-high heat for 2 minutes until hot throughout.
Freezing Raw Wontons
- Raw wontons can be frozen and will last up to 6 months or until you see freezer burn. To freeze them: lay the finished dumpling in a single layer in a freezer bag on a baking sheet. Give the wontons enough space. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow them to freeze. Once frozen, you can remove the baking sheet.To cook from frozen: follow the same instructed steps as above and add an additional minute to the cooking time.
Bruce Berry
Can I put the shrimp in a blender for my wontons?
christieathome
Yes!