Wontons

Name: Quick & Easy Pork Shrimp Wontons
Prep time: 27 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 14 oz wonton wrappers (approx. 60 wrappers); 10.5 oz shrimp (peeled, deveined and rinsed well with water); 7 oz ground pork (extra lean or use ground chicken/beef ); 1 large egg; 1 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch); 1 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian stir fry sauce); 2 tsp sesame oil; 2 tsp regular soy sauce; 2 tsp Shaoxing wine (or Dry Sherry wine or chicken broth); 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder; 1/2 tsp white pepper (or black pepper); chili oil (or homemade chili oil); dumpling dipping sauce (click here for a homemade version)

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Delicious Chinese homemade wontons filled with tender and flavorful pork and shrimp with aromatics! These quick and easy wontons are made with simple ingredients in 30 minutes. A great snack, side, meal or addition to soup noodles!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

Wontons are delicious little dumplings made with wonton wrapper and filled with a variety ingredients like minced meat (usually pork), shrimp, aromatics and seasoning.

They're usually boiled or served in noodle soup but wontons can also be deep fried. The most popular kind in Chinese cuisine are pork shrimp wontons. These Chinese dumplings differ from the Northern China version, as they contain shrimp.

These dumplings can be served with chili oil or in wonton soup with noodles or as a meal on its own or a quick snack with Chinese Chili Oil or Dumpling Dipping Sauce.

There are different ingredients used in all kinds of wontons but my personal favorite is the shrimp pork version! Other varieties can include: Crab Rangoon, Pork Chive Wontons, or Shrimp Wontons.

Wontons are one of my favourite Chinese foods because they are so quick to cook and versatile. You can serve them with leafy greens, with noodles or in soup and you have yourself a fast meal!

If you're looking for the full recipe for wonton noodle soup recipe, click here.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for full measurements.

Wonton Wrappers: these are around 3 x 3-inch square wrappers made of egg, wheat flour and water. Most Asian grocers or select Western grocers sells them in the refrigerated section.

Wonton Filling

Ground pork: or substitute with ground chicken or ground beef.
Shrimp: get the easy peel and deveined kind. Fresh or frozen shrimp both work but just thaw out the frozen kind ahead of time.
Large Egg: to help bind our bind our mixture.
Cornstarch: to emulsify the mixture.
Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce: This adds a deep umami flavor and I wouldn't advise skipping.
Sesame oil: this adds a nutty flavor. If you're allergic, omit it.
Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry or chicken broth.
Chicken bouillon powder: aka chicken stock powder. This offers additional flavor and I highly recommend it. I like using the Knorr brand.
White pepper: or substitute with black pepper.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Expert Tips

Rinse off the peeled deveined shrimp with cold water to remove tiny shell pieces or dirt on the shrimp.
Finely mince the shrimp so it becomes a paste so the paste can easily incorporate with the ground pork.
Cover and keep wrappers moist by placing plastic wrap or a clean damp paper towel on top or store them in an airtight container. Avoid exposure to air until you're ready to use them or they will dry out quickly.
Do not add too much filling to the wonton wrapper or you will not the able to seal it.
Remove any excess air pockets in the wonton and tightly seal the wrappers or they will explode in the boiling process.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make wontons:

Make Filling

Rinse peeled and deveined shrimp under cold water until it runs clear and strain out as much water as possible. Transfer shrimp to a cutting board and finely mince it with a large knife in a chopping motion until it becomes pasty. You may also use a food processor with a pulsing motion.

First rinse off peeled and deveined shrimp under cold water until it runs clear and strain out as much water as possible. Transfer shrimp to a cutting board and finely mince it with a large knife in a chopping motion until it becomes pasty. You may also use a food processor with a pulsing motion.

In a large bowl, add Wonton Filling ingredients (as listed). With clean hands, mix in one direction until the pork breaks down and becomes a paste, about 1-2 minutes. You may also use a food processor for this step.

Then in a large bowl, add wonton filling ingredients as listed. With clean hands or chopsticks, mix in one direction until the pork breaks down and becomes a paste, about 1-2 minutes.

Assemble

Prepare a small bowl of water nearby. On a clean working surface, lay out one wonton skin flat. Add 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger or the back of the spoon, dab water along the corner of a wonton wrapper.

Next prepare a small bowl of water nearby. On a clean working surface, lay out one wonton skin flat. Add 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger or the back of the spoon, dab water along the corner of a wonton wrapper.

Fold the wonton into a triangle so the opposite corner is sealed to the other one. Push out any air bubbles and seal the edges of the wrapper. With your triangle, lightly dab water on the end of one wing.

Fold the wonton into a triangle so the opposite corner is sealed to the other one. Push out any air bubbles and seal the edges of the wrapper. With your triangle, lightly dab water on the end of one wing.

Then bring the two pointed ends of the wings together and pinch to seal them. Repeat this process for remaining wontons.

Then bring the two pointed ends of the wings together and pinch to seal them. Repeat this process for remaining wontons.

Place assembled wontons on a baking sheet with parchment paper or excess cornstarch to prevent them from sticking. (With the leftover filling, shape into little patties or meatballs and fry in a large pan with some oil over medium heat until cooked through).

Place assembled wontons on a baking sheet with parchment paper or excess cornstarch to prevent them from sticking. (With the leftover filling, shape into little patties or meatballs and fry in a large pan with some oil over medium heat until cooked through).

Boil

Lastly in a large pot of water, bring to a boil on high heat. Boil about 6-10 wontons at a time and stir immediately to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Boil uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Remove wontons with a slotted spoon and transfer to a medium bowl for serving. Serve with chili oil or dumpling dipping sauce and enjoy!

Deep Frying Wontons

In a large pan set on medium heat, heat 3 inches of neutral tasting oil. Ideal oil temperature should be around 350-375 F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden utensil into the oil and look for rapid bubbles.
Fry 7-8 wontons at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cooling rack or a baking sheet lined with clean paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Air Frying Wontons

Pre-heat air fryer to 350 F. Lightly spray air fryer basket with neutral oil. Place uncooked wontons in a single layer with enough space around each one. Do not overlap and you may need to air fry in small batches.
Lightly spray oil over the wontons. Air Fry for 6-8 minutes until crispy and internal temperature is 140 F to ensure filling is cooked through.

Storage

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 in water until hot throughout.
Cooked wontons can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool down completely and then store them in a freezer-safe bag and squeeze out any excess air. To reheat, re-boil them in water in a pot on medium-high heat until hot throughout.
Uncooked wontons can be frozen for up to 4-6 months or until you see freezer burn. Place a freezer-safe bag flat on a baking sheet. Place wontons in a single layer into the bag giving each one enough space. Seal the bag removing any excess out and place the baking sheet with the bag into your freezer. This prevents the uncooked wontons from sticking to one another as they freeze. Once they've been frozen for 1 hour, remove the baking sheet.

Cooking Frozen Wontons

To boil frozen wontons: Bring a pot of water to boil on medium-high heat. Boil wontons in small batches for 2-4 minutes until they float and are cooked in the center.
To air fry or deep fry frozen wontons: follow the above instructions.

Pairing Suggestions

Wontons serve well with:

starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
Pork Cabbage Dumplings, Pork Shrimp Dumplings, or Chinese Pork Chive Dumplings
fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like Mongolian Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!

FAQ

Can I prepare wontons in advance?

Wontons can be assembled in up to 4 days in advance and stored in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend placing the wontons onto parchment paper to prevent the wontons from sticking to the container. Then follow the recipe instructions to cook them on the day of serving.

You can also cook them up to 4 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or reboil them.

📖 Recipe

Quick & Easy Pork Shrimp Wontons

Christie Lai

Delicious Chinese homemade wontons filled with tender and flavorful pork and shrimp with aromatics! These quick and easy wontons are made with simple ingredients in 30 minutes. A great snack, side, meal or addition to soup noodles!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 27

Cook Time 3

Total Time 30

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings

Calories per serving 158 kcal