I love making my own vegan wontons from scratch since they're really a joy to make.
For this wonton recipe, I share two different filling options:
- Filling Option 1: using a plant-based ground meat alternative
- Filling Option 2: using tofu and a mix of veggies for the wonton filling
A very delicious bite!
WONTONS FILLED WITH MINCED "MEAT" OR PLANT BASED GROUND
The photo below of wontons in the bowl of chili broth are filled with Omnipork, a vegan plant-based ground meat substitute, before being boiled and soaked in a deliciously fragrant chili broth.
WONTONS BELOW FILLED WITH TOFU AND VEGETABLES
Meanwhile, the wontons in the photo below are filled with a homemade tofu + vegetable filling, which was just as good!
Plant-based ground 'meat' alternative
I only recently tried Omnipork for the first time, and I'm amazed at the consistency and texture.
It's a plant-based meat substitute that is so versatile and really 'meaty', especially when cooked. It has a very subtle flavour so is best when seasoned well before cooking.
Also, thank you to Prime Pacific Foods for sponsoring this post.
Omnipork is imported and distributed by Prime Pacific Foods here in the Philippines, and they also carry other plant-based products like Beyond Meat, Alpha Foods and Daiya Cheese.
For the Omnipork, I simply thawed it at room temperature before seasoning it and adding some chopped chives.
Note: If you don't have access to Omnipork ground, you can of course use other plant-based ground alternatives you have access to.
If not, you can make your own wonton filling from tofu!
I also share alternative filling recipe below, which is a mix of tofu and veggies.
HOMEMADE TOFU AND VEGETABLE FILLING
For the alternative, you'll need the following:
- 450g extra firm tofu
- 5 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms of choice, diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (100g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
I simply cooked these in a pan. The cornstarch really helps bind the ingredients together.
You'll find the full recipe below!
FOLDING THE WONTONS
Before folding your wontons, one important thing to note is:
- Your wrappers should be thawed at room temperature. This way they're pliable and won't break apart when folding! Using wrappers that haven't been thawed will easily break because they're much stiffer.
If you don't have store-bought wrappers, you can opt to make your own from scratch! I have a homemade dumpling wrappers recipe here.
These are a lot thicker than store-bought wonton wrappers so you can run them through a pasta machine if you have one. If not, it's no problem at all! You can also opt to cut them into squares or just make rounded wontons from round wrappers.
HOW TO SHAPE WONTONS
This is my favourite type of fold, but you can of course opt to fold them in other ways if you'd like.
Now, let's begin with wrapping the wontons!
Prepare a small bowl with water. Carefully separate the wrappers. It’s best to work with the wrappers at room temperature so they’re pliable and won’t easily break.
- Place 1 wrapper on a flat surface or on your palm.
- Dip your finger n the water and trace the edges of the wrapper.
- Add 1/2 - 1 tbsp of the filling (note that the amount of filling will depend on the size of your wrapper and type of fold you’re doing). Press down the filling to pack it tightly.
- Fold the wrapper into half until you have a triangle.
- Carefully press down on the filling to remove any air pockets. Then seal the edges tight.
- Flip over the triangle then carefully press down the centre of the triangle.
- Dab one bottom corner of the triangles with water. Afterwards, bring both ends together.
- Press down both tips to seal well.
- Repeat this for the rest of the wrappers until you have all your wontons.
TO STORE AND FREEZE WONTONS
- Place wrapped uncooked wontons on a tray. Make sure there is enough space between each one so they don’t stick. Leave to freeze for 3-5 hours until hardened before transferring to a container or bag.
- To cook: Boil wontons from frozen, no need to thaw.
You can see the video below on 3 different ways to fold wontons.
COOKING OR BOILING THE WONTONS
- Boil a pot with water. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add in the wontons in batches. Make sure not to crowd the pot and add just a few wontons at a time.
This is a very quick cooking process! You can cook the wontons for 1-2 minutes or until they float to the top.
Keep a close eye on them so as not to overcook them because the wrappers can easily break down.
- Remove the wontons from the pot and place them in a deep plate or bowl.
These are the cooked wontons with the homemade filling:
POUR THE CHILI BROTH OTHER THE WONTONS
After cooking, I added in the chili broth, which was really well absorbed by the wontons! SO GOOD!
These were really so good and so satisfying. My family (who aren't vegan) loved these and raved about how meaty and close they are to the actual pork wontons we'd have.
Check out the recipe for these wontons below!
Some images you can pin to your Pinterest board:
Enjoy your wontons!
MORE VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE
- Crispy Wontons
- Wonton Noodle Soup
- Vegetable Dumplings
- Chinese Chive Pies
- Pan-Fried Cabbage and Noodle Buns
- Scallion and Sesame Buns
- Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
- Kimchi Pancakes or Kimchi Jeon
- Filipino Kaldereta or 'Meat' Stew
- Tantanmen (Vegan Ramen)
- Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
- Thai Tom Yum Soup
- Filipino Lumpiang Gulay or Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
If you try out this recipe, I’d appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my recipe card!
Vegan Wontons in Chili Broth
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz wonton wrappers around 60 pieces, thawed at room temperature (mine were around 3x3" squares), see notes
- 20 oz plant-based ground meat substitute, thawed at room temperature (see below for homemade tofu filling option)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped chives or spring onions optional
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
HOMEMADE TOFU FILLING
- 1 lb extra firm tofu drained
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 5 shiitake mushrooms fresh or rehydrated, finely minced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely grated (100g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce to taste
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce for colour, optional
- Pinch white pepper or black pepper, to taste
- 2 1/2 tbsp corn starch sub with potato or arrowroot starch
CHILI BROTH
- 1/2 cup wonton broth (water used to cook wontons) or hot water
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or more, to taste
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce adjust according to desired heat, homemade sauce recipe here
- 1 tsp doubanjiang or more chili sauce
- 1 tsp sugar adjust according to desired taste
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar, adjust according to desired taste
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
Preparing the Filling and Shaping Wontons
- In a bowl, mix together the plant-based meat substitute, soy sauce, salt, pepper, chives/spring onion, and cornstarch. See the steps below if making the homemade tofu filling.
- You can also see the video below on how to wrap wontons in 3 diferent ways!
- Prepare a small bowl with water. Carefully separate the wrappers. It’s best to work with the wrappers at room temperature so they’re pliable and won’t easily break.
- Place 1 wrapper on a flat surface or on your palm.
- Dip your finger in the bowl of water and trace the edges of the wrapper.
- Add 1/2 – 1 tbsp of the filling (note that the amount of filling will depend on the size of your wrapper and type of fold you’re doing). Press down the filling to pack it tightly.
- Fold the wrapper into half until you have a triangle.
- Carefully press down on the filling to remove any air pockets. Then seal the edges tight.
- Flip over the triangle. Carefully press down the centre of the triangle.
- Dab one bottom corner of the triangles with water. Afterwards, bring both ends together.
- Press down both tips to seal well. Repeat this for the rest of the wrappers until you have all your wontons.
- While you work on each wonton, you can cover your made wontons with a towel to prevent them from drying out.
Cooking the Wontons
- Heat a large pot with water. Add a pinch of salt. Leave to boil over medium high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in 8-10 wontons, or depending on the size of your pot. Leave to boil for 3-4 minutes, moving around with a spoon to prevent the wontons from sticking to the bottom, until the wontons float and wrappers are translucent.
- Remove from the water and transfer to a large plate or bowl. Repeat this for the rest of the wontons.
- Don’t discard the water after cooking since it’ll be used for the broth.
Preparing the Broth
- Mix the broth, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Feel free to adjust according to your desired taste. Pour over the cooked wontons. Enjoy while hot!
Storage and Freezing Tips
- Place wrapped uncooked wontons on a tray. Make sure there is enough space between each one so they don’t stick. Cover the tray/container. Leave to freeze for 3-5 hours until hardened before transferring to a container or bag.Make sure to seal the bag/container very well to prevent the wontons from possible drying up. Too cold temperatures can cause the wrappers to dry up and cause cracks.
- To cook frozen wontons: Boil the wontons directly from frozen, do not thaw.
Alternative Filling: Homemade Tofu Filling
- Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. Afterwards, place tofu in a bowl and crumbled with your hands or a fork.Heat a medium-sized pan or wok over medium high. Add in the sesame oil.
- Once hot, add in the onion and garlic, for 2 minutes. Add in the carrot and mushrooms. Sauté for another 3 minutes until tender. Add in the crumbled tofu, soy sauce, pepper, and salt, to taste.Mix well and leave to cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add in the cornstarch and mix until well incorporated. The cornstarch will help bind the mixture together. The tofu mixture will thicken as the cornstarch dissolves.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the filling to a bowl and leave to cool before using.
WATCH Video
Notes
Alternative Homemade Filling you can use for the wontons:
- 450g extra firm tofu
- 5 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms of choice, diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (100g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. Afterwards, place tofu in a bowl and crumbled with your hands or a fork.
- Once hot, add in the onion and garlic, for 2 minutes. Add in the carrot and mushrooms. Sauté for another 3 minutes until tender. Add in the crumbled tofu, soy sauce, pepper, and salt, to taste.
- Mix well and leave to cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add in the cornstarch and mix until well incorporated. The cornstarch will help bind the mixture together. The tofu mixture will thicken as the cornstarch dissolves.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the filling to a bowl and leave to cool before using.
WONTON WRAPPERS
- If you don't have store-bought wrappers, you can opt to make your own from scratch! I have a homemade dumpling wrappers recipe here.
- These are a lot thicker than store-bought wonton wrappers so you can run them through a pasta machine if you have one. If not, it's no problem at all! You can also opt to cut them into squares or just make rounded wontons from round wrappers.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
You can pin these images
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These are so delicious! How do you keep the wontons from sticking to each other (before you boil them and after)?
Hi Emily! Glad you liked them, thank you! I place the wontons on a tray and make sure they’re spaced apart ◡̈ you can also sprinkle on some cornstarch if you’d like. This helps them from sticking to one another.
I cannot seem to find the link for the wrappers can you please share it?
Hi! The wrappers are usually in the chiller/freezer section of your local grocery or Asian store. I don’t have a link to the exact ones I use but you can look for square wonton wrappers. They usually come in a small stack. ◡̈ hope this helps!
these are so good! I really enjoyed making them too – my only issue is that they cracked a bit when I froze them, so some of them came apart when I was boiling them. I’m not sure why? I wonder if I stuffed them too much or if it was because I left air bubbles in there. regardless of my error they tasted delicious and I am definitely going to make them again!
Hi Tori! I’ve encountered this too before and it was because the wrappers dried up in the freezer. My bag wasn’t sealed so tight so that might’ve been the case. So it’s best to really seal it tight in a freezer safe bag/container to prevent this. And also the longer it is in the freezer the higher the change of this happening since it’ll continue to dehydrate in the freezer if kept for long. Hope this helps ◡̈
It happened when I was freezing them on the tray, before I placed them in a bag. I put them all on a big tray, then into the freezer for a few hours so they could completely harden before I placed them into a bag. should I have covered the tray when I put it in the freezer so they wouldn’t dry up?
Thank you so much for the inspiration! I had a bunch of stuff in the fridge that needed to be used up that I turned into wonton filling. This was the chili broth to my wontons I’ve been looking for! 🙂
Ahh so happy to hear ◡̈ great way to use up leftover veg for the filling too. Hope you enjoyed your wontons!!
Yum! These were delicious and very fun to make. I put your cookbook on my wishlist for Christmas and received it so I followed the recipe that’s in there. I used about 1.5 tsp of filling in each and made 48 wontons out of it. I boiled 18 for dinner and froze 30. I think I over boiled them by a minute or 2 so I’ll be more careful next time. Very tasty and filling!