Best Homemade Pork Wontons with Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

These easy homemade pork wontons are juicy, delicious and simply the best.  Made with simple authentic ingredients you’ll never go back to the packaged stuff!  These pork wontons are easy to make and freeze beautifully.  Make a batch ahead of time and pull them out for a quick weeknight dinner.  Serve them with my easy dipping sauce as an appetizer or in noodle soup for a cozy meal.

What are Wontons?

Wontons are thinly wrapped morsels of minced meat or vegetables.  The wrapping is usually made of wheat and eggs.  Every Chinese region has their own version of wonton fillings with various seasonings.  The most recognizable ones are probably Cantonese wontons which are usually a mixture of pork and shrimp.  

Wontons can also be cooked a variety of ways – deep fried, pan fried, steamed or boiled.  The most common are probably deep fried with a sauce or boiled with a flavourful broth (usually chicken) with or without noodles.  

What’s the Difference between Wontons and Dumplings?

Wontons and dumplings are pretty similar!  I’m strictly talking about Chinese dumplings here but the biggest difference is the wrapper.  Chinese wontons are square in shape, generally have a thinner wrapper than their dumpling counterparts and have egg in them giving that distinct yellow color.  Dumplings on the other hand are circle shaped, thicker wrappers and are usually white.  

The fillings in wontons are generally pork, chicken, shrimp and sometimes vegetables.  Generally simpler.  Dumpling fillings are more varied with all kinds of proteins (chicken, pork, beef, fish etc) along with mushrooms and any kind of vegetable you can think of.  The reason being their thicker wrappers can handle heavier fillings without bursting.

Last but not least, wontons are more delicate and smaller in size and dumplings are generally meatier and larger – I call a wonton a ballet dancer and a dumpling a football player 🙂   There are also a bunch of different ways to wrap a wonton from a square, triangle, bonnet or ruffled sack.  Dumplings generally only half moon shape with or without ruffles.

Pork Wonton Filling Key Ingredients

My pork wontons have a simple filling that is easy to make without a lot of leftover ingredients.  The flavour is delicate and mild tasting so it’s hard not to eat a whole bunch at once!

Minced Pork 

This is the main ingredient in my pork wontons.  For extra juiciness I would recommend a medium pork mince but a lean mince is fine too.  The added egg makes sure the filling is tender and luscious.  

Chives or Scallions

Chives add a delicate sweetness and ensure the pork wontons are tender.  I use yellow ones because they are more mild than green ones.   Either are great!  If you don’t have chives, scallions work great too and give a stronger oniony flavour to the wontons. 

Ginger

Grated ginger adds a nice bite to the dumplings.  Without it, the filling is rather bland and lacks flavour dimension.

Egg

An egg ensures a nice pasty consistency to the filling and ensures it’s not crumbly.  Other recipes call for blending in a food processor or stirring it till it reaches a paste-like consistency.  I find it’s a little too much arm grease to accomplish and the egg is way easier.  The wonton wrapper has egg in it already so you’re just highlighting this important ingredient.

Other Wonton Filling Ideas

Given the thin wonton wrapping, I wouldn’t recommend any fillings with too much water content and keep it simple.

Chicken

Instead of pork, you can try chicken instead.  Chicken generally has a smoother texture and also delivers a juicy wonton.

Shrimp

I highly recommend adding shrimp to wontons!  If you’re combining it with pork/chicken I would do a 1:1 ratio.  The smooth texture and sweetness of shrimp is what makes a classic Chinese wonton.  I would even recommend doing an all shrimp wonton!  Cut the shrimp into bite size pieces so no need to splurge on large size shrimps.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a lovely addition.  Brown, shiitake or enoki are good options.  I would recommend cutting them thin and no larger than a fingernail size.

Cilantro

Instead of chives or green onion, cilantro is also a great option and offers a nice herbaceous note.

Leafy Vegetables

Any Chinese vegetable would be a great addition such as bok choy, yu choy, watercress, spinach etc.  I would recommend chopping up the vegetables thinly and squeezing out excess water or else the filling will become too watery.  Don’t go for more than a 2:1 ratio of protein to leafy vegetables.

How to Wrap Pork Wontons 

There are many different ways to wrap a wonton but I stick to the “ingot” style since it’s classic and it’s the way I grew up eating it.  The wontons look like little hats and the corners are pointed so the wrappers almost act like a noodle when cooked.  If you’re new to wonton wrapping, simply fold them into a triangle.  The excess wrapper will float beautifully (like a noodle) in soup!

Wrapping Wonton Set up Tips

• Fill 3 tablespoons of water in your used egg bowl and use that for sealing.  I call it egg water 🙂
• Layout your wrappers, filling and egg water in a line above your work surface.  Having them easily accessible will allow you to wrap easier and quicker.
• Have a cookie sheet with parchment paper beside you.  Put your wrapped wontons in a single layer to avoid sticking and cover with a slightly damp paper towel. 
• Always cover your wonton wrappers while working. Cover with a slightly damp paper towel or plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

Wonton Wrapping Instructions – Step by Step

• Take your first wrapper and place it down in a diamond orientation. 
• Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling about ⅔ from the top of the wonton wrapper leaving about ½ inch (or 1 cm) gap from the edges to make sealing easier. 
• Using your middle finger, dip it into the egg/water mixture and spread it (like you’re sealing an envelope) along the two of the edges of the wrapper closest to your filling. 
• Take the opposite corner of the wrapper and close it over the filling forming a triangle.  Press down to seal the wonton and line up the edges as best you can.  Lift up the wonton and press between your thumb and index finger to ensure a good seal.
• Place the wonton triangle with the longer filling side facing you.  Take the two corners and bring them together towards you like you’re tying a bow.  Overlap these corners and seal them together with more egg water. 

How to wrap pork wontons – video

How to Cook Pork Wontons

Wontons cook extremely quickly especially if they are just freshly wrapped. 

• Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
• Drop in wontons with a slotted spoon (to avoid splashing).
• After about 2-3 mins, stir the wontons GENTLY to make sure none stick to the bottom of the pot. If some are stuck, wait an extra 2 minutes and nudge the wontons free by scrapping the bottom of the pot with a slotted spoon.
• Wontons will float to the top when ready.
• Cook for an extra 1 – 1.5 minutes until the wrappers are almost translucent.  They will continue to cook a bit when removed from the pot.

Cooking Pork Wontons from Frozen

If boiling directly from frozen, extra cooking time will be needed. Place frozen wontons directly in boiling water (no need to thaw) and follow the same steps. Wontons will float to the top when done cooking.

Expert Tips

• Cover wonton wrappers with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap to avoid drying out and hardening.
• Always have extra wrappers in case of tearing.  The wrappers are delicate and prone to tearing if handled improperly.
• Never overstuff your wontons.  For a 3”x3” wonton wrapper, a heaping teaspoon of filling is enough.
• Don’t overcrowd your pot when boiling.  Wontons should be spaced about 1 inch apart if they were to sit as one layer at the bottom of your pot (about 10-12 wontons for an 8 inch pot).  This is to prevent uneven cooking.  Or worse, overcooking and making a big sludgy mess.
• Wontons are done when they float and the dough is almost translucent.  Once the wontons float to the top, cook for an extra 1-1.5 minutes.  Don’t overcook!

Serving Tips

As Pork Wonton Soup

Add cooked wontons to chicken broth flavoured with some white pepper, rice wine and sesame oil.  Garnish with finely chopped scallions.

As Noodle Soup

In addition to wonton soup, add some wonton noodles and make it a healthy meal!

As an Appetizer

Serve boiled wontons on a plate drizzled with a tablespoon of dipping sauce included in this recipe.  Garnish with finely chopped scallion. Serve the extra sauce on the side.  

Storing Tips

Freezing Instructions

Pork wontons freeze beautifully and make a great quick meal!  To freeze wontons, place them on a single layer (without touching), cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.  Transfer into a freezer bag after and will keep for 2 months.

Storing in the Fridge

You can also store uncooked wrapped wontons in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Line your storage container with paper towel and cover over your wontons before placing the container cover.  This will prevent excessive moisture in your container and make the wontons soggy.  This won’t affect how they cook but will be harder to handle during cooking.  The paper towels might imprint on the wontons but also won’t affect their taste.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For other classic Chinese recipes check out:

Pork chow mein

Garlic soy chicken wings

Chinese chow mein with shiitake mushrooms

White cut chicken breast