Wontons are a crowd-favorite when it comes to Chinese cuisine. You don‘t have to rely on takeouts since you can make them yourself at home with my easy recipe guides. Cook your delicious wontons in different cooking methods, whichever works best for you! If you are looking for the correct way to cook wontons, check out my 5 easy cooking methods to make the best wontons.
First, How Do You Make Wontons?
Wontons (馄饨) come in various shapes, styles, and flavors. You can make it into a soup dish or maybe as a fried snack or an appetizer. Its texture varies, depending on how it is cooked.
For instance, it is chewy, soft, and translucent when steamed and boiled. On the other hand, it is crispy and golden brown when fried, baked, or air-fried. But one thing’s for sure, regardless of the cooking method, it has the juiciest and flavorful filling in the center.
You can fill a wonton with various fillings, from pork to beef and shrimp. Aside from the filling, another important ingredient when making wontons is the wonton wrapper or wonton skin. The success of cooking wontons depends on how well the wonton wrapper is handled and shaped, so make sure to read on to learn about my tips and tricks for cooking wontons.
Where To Buy Wonton Wrappers
Of course, you can’t make wontons without wonton wrappers. You can buy these in Asian supermarkets or the international section of grocery stores. These are typically placed in the refrigerated section in plastic packaging and in square sheets.
If you can’t find wonton wrappers or prefer fresh and homemade, make one yourself with three pantry ingredients: egg, flour, and cornstarch. Check out my easy guide on How To Make Authentic Wonton Wrappers. To give you an overview, making wonton wrappers involves mixing, kneading, resting, and shaping the dough into square-cut wonton wrappers.
The Correct Way To Use Wonton Wrappers
Even if you cook the wontons correctly in the pan or pot, there are a few reasons the wontons can break or tear. Wontons opening or tearing during cooking is something you don’t want to happen. So, make sure to read these tips on how to properly handle wontons.
- Keep the wontons moist, not wet: Although this tip is for the preparation process and not during cooking, it is still a factor that will break the wrappers. The wrappers should be placed on a dry area covered with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out. If the wontons dry out, it becomes too stiff for folding which can cause it to crack and break. Aside from external factors, avoid using a filling that is too watery or runny as these will soak up the wonton wrappers as well. If the filling is too wet, add cornstarch or flour to absorb the excess water.
- Pinch and seal the edges: Another reason why your wontons may open up during the cooking process is that it is not sealed properly. To seal the wontons, the edges are pinched to stick together. It also helps to dab a smear of water on the edges with your fingertips to seal it. Moreover, it should be folded properly as you seal. Learn more about the folding techniques with my guide, 5 Easy Ways To Fold A Wonton.
- Remove air pockets: As you seal the wonton, make sure there is no air left. Air pockets tend to inflate during the cooking process. If it inflates too much, it may break the wonton wrapper.
- Do not overload the filling: Aside from air pockets, too much filling will cause the wonton wrappers to break. Make sure to fill it with about 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling. With this small amount, you leave a wider border to pinch and seal the edges.
- Place the assembled wontons on parchment paper or a dusted tray: If you are not ready to cook the wontons, it is best to place them on a container lined with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can dust the kitchen counter or container with cornstarch. In this way, the assembled wontons won’t stick to the surface. If it sticks to the surface, it will be difficult to remove it without breaking or tearing.
- Do not overload with too many wontons: Whether you are boiling, air-frying, or frying the wontons, do not overload it with too many wontons. Put just enough wontons to cook it evenly and prevent them from sticking together. If you are cooking in a pot of boiling water or a frying pan with oil, it should have enough space for your stirrer to move the wontons around without the possibility of sticking.
5 Ways To Cook Wontons
If you are finished assembling the filling and wonton wrappers, here are 5 ways to cook wontons. In a nutshell, wontons can be steamed, boiled, deep-fried or pan-fried, air-fried, and baked.
1. Steam
The steps in steaming are based on my Shrimp Wontons Recipe. You will need a steamer and parchment paper to do this method. Here’s how to do it:
- Assemble the filling and wonton wrappers.
- Fill the steamer with water.
- Line the steamer basket with parchment paper.
- Place the wontons on top.
- Bring the water to a boil. Once it starts to boil, steam for 10 minutes.
2. Boil or Wonton Soup
This is one of the easiest ways to cook wontons since you only need a pot for boiling. I used the same method in my Warming Pork And Shrimp Wonton Soup and Homemade Beef Wontons With Soup. Follow these steps to boil wontons:
- Assemble the filling and wonton wrappers.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Once it boils, carefully drop the wontons and let it cook until they start to float.
3. Deep-Fried Or Pan-Fried
This is the best cooking method if you want something crispy and golden brown. You can deep-fry them or pan-fry them for minimal oil.
- Assemble the filling and wonton wrappers.
- Heat oil in the pan.
- Carefully place the wontons to fry.
- Flip the wontons to the other side to cook evenly. For pan-frying, you may have to do this for all sides and corners since the oil won’t reach all parts of the wontons.
- Fry until crispy and golden brown.
4. Air-Fried
If you love that crispy texture minus the oil, go for air-frying instead. As you can see in my Air Fryer Wontons recipe, I was able to achieve delightful crispiness. Here’s how to do it:
- Assemble the filling and wonton wrappers.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil.
- Place the wontons in a single layer. Do not stack or overload the basket.
- Spray the wontons with a bit of oil if desired.
- Air-fry for 12 minutes at 200°C (392°F) or until crispy and golden brown.
5. Baked
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the wontons as well. Similarly, baking wontons requires lining in parchment paper and setting the temperature and time. Here are the steps to bake wontons:
- Assemble the filling and wonton wrappers.
- Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place the wontons in a single layer with ample space in between.
- Bake the wontons at 200°C (392°F) for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
How To Serve Wontons
Wontons are already delicious on their own, but it is even better with a sweet or savory sauce. Make your own dipping sauce with a few ingredients. For instance, you can eat it with sweet chili sauce, chili garlic, or soy sauce with sesame oil.
If you want something spicy, mix red chili flakes, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and black vinegar. For a hint of ginger, mix ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and sesame oil.
You can also make my Four Dumpling Sauce Recipes and use any of the sauces for wontons. In this sauce recipe, you can make the following sauces:
- Garlic-flavored dipping sauce
- Chili-infused dipping sauce
- Sesame dipping sauce
- Hot wasabi dipping sauce.
Which Cooking Method Is The Best?
Any thoughts? Share which cooking method is your preference by writing a comment in the comments section. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok to stay in the loop with more cooking tips and tricks.
