Fried wontons are a crispy, crunchy, and delicious appetizer that will have your guests talking about them at the office on Monday morning. We make these for dinner parties and sporting events, and they always disappear. When you hear the word wonton, you usually think of soups. But as taboo as fried food may be, fried wontons are everyone’s guilty pleasure. Bet ya can’t eat just one!
Wontons have various fillings, including shrimp and pork–a Cantonese favorite; Shanghai wontons, which have very little meat and thin skins; and of course, the simplest wonton soup with chopped veggies and pork. The good news is that any of these wontons can be fried, yielding different flavors in the filling and crunchiness levels from the various wonton skins. This fried wonton recipe is really simple and uses a basic pork and scallion filling, but you can get creative with different fillings, or even make a vegetarian or vegan version if you’re so inclined.
Better yet, all of these wontons can be carefully frozen (lay them out in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put them in the freezer) after they are folded and you can decide whether you want a soup or tasty fried appetizer when the occasion arises.
You may have noticed that wontons don’t just vary by wrapper and filling, but also shape. Wonton folding styles are mostly a matter of personal preference–pick your favorite or mix and match if you want to get fancy! A good idea is to vary the style according to the filling so you can tell what the fillings are when you take them out of the freezer; it’s also handy for advising your guests as to what the fillings are by the wonton’s shape.
Now, let’s talk dipping sauces. Fried wonton dipping sauces are infinitely customizable but most like a sweet dipping sauce, a sweet and spicy sauce, or a sweet soy dipping sauce, all of which we have included in this recipe!
Here’s what you’ll need, and in just 30 minutes you’ll be in appetizer heaven!
Fried Wontons: Recipe Instructions
Start by making the filling. Simply combine the ground pork, chopped scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine (or sherry), sugar, oil, water, and white pepper in a bowl. Whip everything together by hand for 5 minutes or in a food processor for 1 minute. You want the pork to look a bit like a paste.
To make the wontons, take a wonton wrapper, and add about a teaspoon of filling. Overstuffed wontons will pop open during the cooking process and make a mess. Use your finger to coat the edges with a little water (this helps the two sides seal together).
Continue reading for methods on how to fold wontons in different shapes!
Fried wontons – shape #1:
Fold the wrapper in half into a rectangle, and press the two sides together so you get a firm seal. Hold the bottom two corners of the little rectangle you just made, and bring the two corners together, pressing firmly to seal. (Use a little water to make sure it sticks.)
Fried wontons – shape #2
Fold the wonton in half so you have a triangle shape. Bring together the two outer corners, and press to seal (you can use a little water to make sure it sticks).
For more detailed wonton folding photos, instructions and different ways to wrap wontons, see Sarah’s post on How to fold wontons.
Keep assembling until all the filling is gone (this recipe should make between 40 and 50 fried wontons). Place the wontons on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
At this point, you can cover the wontons with plastic wrap, put the baking sheet/plate into the freezer, and transfer them to Ziploc bags once they’re frozen. They’ll keep for a couple months in the freezer and be ready for the fryer whenever you’re ready.
To conserve oil, use a small pot to fry the wontons. Fill it with 2 to 3 inches of oil, making sure the pot is deep enough so the oil does not overflow when adding the wontons. Heat the oil to 350 degrees, and fry in small batches, turning the wontons occasionally until they are golden brown.
If you have a small spider strainer or slotted spoon, you can use it to keep the wontons submerged when frying. This method will give you the most uniform golden brown look without the fuss of turning them. Remove the fried wontons to a sheet pan lined with paper towels or a metal cooling rack to drain.
To make one or all of the sauces, simply mix the respective ingredients in a small bowl, and you’re ready to eat!
Make these crispy fried wontons for your next party!
Fried Wontons
Ingredients
For the wontons:
- 12 oz. ground pork (340g)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons water (plus more for sealing the wontons)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 40-50 Wonton skins (1 pack, medium thickness)
For the Sweet Apricot Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
For the Honey Sriracha Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
For the Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce:
- 1 ½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar (dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Start by making the filling. Simply combine the ground pork, chopped scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, wine (or sherry), sugar, oil, water, and white pepper in a bowl. Whip everything together by hand for 5 minutes or in a food processor for 1 minute. You want the pork to look a bit like a paste.
- To make the wontons, take a wrapper, and add about a teaspoon of filling. Overstuffed wontons will pop open during the cooking process and make a mess. Use your finger to coat the edges with a little water (this helps the two sides seal together).
- For shape #1:
- Fold the wrapper in half into a rectangle, and press the two sides together so you get a firm seal. Hold the bottom two corners of the little rectangle you just made, and bring the two corners together, pressing firmly to seal. (Use a little water to make sure it sticks.)
- Shape #2:
- Fold the wonton in half so you have a triangle shape. Bring together the two outer corners, and press to seal (you can use a little water to make sure it sticks).
- Keep assembling until all the filling is gone (this recipe should make between 40 and 50 wontons). Place the wontons on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- At this point, you can cover the wontons with plastic wrap, put the baking sheet/plate into the freezer, and transfer them to Ziploc bags once they’re frozen. They’ll keep for a couple months in the freezer and be ready for the fryer whenever you’re ready.
- To conserve oil, use a small pot to fry the wontons. Fill it with 2 to 3 inches of oil, making sure the pot is deep enough so the oil does not overflow when adding the wontons. Heat the oil to 350 degrees, and fry in small batches, turning the wontons occasionally until they are golden brown.
- If you have a small spider strainer or slotted spoon, you can use it to keep the wontons submerged when frying. This method will give you the most uniform golden brown look without the fuss of turning them. Remove the fried wontons to a sheet pan lined with paper towels or a metal cooling rack to drain.
- To make one or all of the sauces, simply mix the respective ingredients in a small bowl, and you’re ready to eat!
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Perfect. I’ve tried several recipes from woks of life and have always been delighted. This website is the first one I go to for accurate Chinese takeout/dim sum replica. Thank you! No one else compares. This time I came to find a way to make the dipping sauce for a set of crab Rangoon I made. Like always, perfect.
Hi Heather, thank you so much for your comment and kudos!
Hi I am.looking at the fried wonton receipe. I am not understanding about the wrapper how does this wrapper come out or do you take the wrapper out or is it dissolvabe?
Hi Kim, the wonton wrapper, also called a wonton skin, is the edible dough wrapper, so there is no other wrapper that you have to take out. See our ingredient glossary for wonton wrappers. They are stacked one on top of another and without any separators – you simply open the package and use them one at a time, and they separate quite easily. Hope that answers your question!
What kind of oil is used for frying, please?
Hi Chris, we mostly use canola oil for frying but if you have peanut oil, definitely use it!
They were amazing! My family enjoyed them. I’m looking forward to making 3 different fillings for our next get-together. Your recipe is spot on!
Thanks Lisa, try making our duck sauce recipe and Chinese hot mustard for dips/condiments. They’re super easy to make :)
Hi there just want to know how much is 12 oz. To grams
Hi Arahia, 12 oz is about 340 grams.
Thanks so much for the recipe! The wonton are so good.
Hi Rebecca, glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, just wondering if I can make these but boil it in a soup rather than frying? If so, is there a different shape the wonton has to be made into? How long would I cook it for in my soup?
Hi Amy, you can definitely boil them, but check out our other wonton recipes, where we make soup wontons. Check out our soup category in our recipe list and/or visual recipe index.
I just wanted to thank you guys for a huge winner. I made a bunch for a block party and they were gone in 15 minutes! I hadn’t made wontons in about 10 years, but this recipe made it easy to dive back in. Thanks again!
Nice Job Leo!
This might be a silly question, but is that 12 oz. of ground pork by weight or by volume?
Hey Robert, it’s weight!
I tried baking (preheated 425 F degree oven for 10 minutes) the wontons instead of frying them since I don’t like the mess frying creates. They came out ok. Luckily, I just baked 1/2 of them and froze the rest. I know to fry them next time and just deal with the mess. I should have known better.
Hi Vicky,
Wonton skins are really meant for soup or frying :) Thanks so much for trying it and sharing your experience with us!