Crispy Baked Veggie Wontons Recipe

Aug 19, 2023

Modern wontons take on a variety of shapes, flavors, and textures, most commonly being soft, wrapped dumplings used in wonton soup. Almost as common is a fried wonton, stuffed with meat and vegetables and fried until crispy.

One of the West's most popular wontons is stuffed with cream cheese and crab, and when bitten into, oozes creamy, salty filling. Crab rangoons may be half of America's favorite takeout item, but they can't be enjoyed by vegetarians or people with allergies — not to mention, they aren't exactly healthy.

This recipe developed by Michelle McGlinn solves that while still delivering a seriously delicious, crunchy appetizer. Mushrooms, carrots, ginger, and — of course — cream cheese melt together inside a crispy, low-oil baked wonton wrapper. And they aren't hard to make, either. Pinch a few wontons together and throw them in the oven while you prepare a quick stir fry, and you'll have a full takeout-style dinner ready in barely 30 minutes. Who needs Ubereats? Not us (at least, not tonight).

Most grocery stores sell wonton wrappers these days, especially if they already sell tofu and egg roll wrappers. Wonton wrappers have to be refrigerated, so look for the square wrappers in the produce aisles somewhere near the tofu and fermented vegetables. Square wonton wrappers work best here, but in a pinch, you can also use round dumpling wrappers. If swapping, note that the dumpling wrappers won't get quite a crisp.

For the filling, you'll need cream cheese, scallions, garlic, ginger, carrots, mushrooms, sesame oil, and soy sauce. We love cremini mushrooms here, but you can use any mushrooms available. To fold and crisp the wontons, you'll just need a little bowl of water and an egg.

The filling comes together easily with just a spatula, but you'll need to soften the cream cheese first. You can do this the old-school way by resting the cheese at room temperature for several hours, or you can warm the cream cheese on top of the oven while it preheats, rotating frequently to warm all sides. You just need it soft enough to stir with a spatula. Place the softened cream cheese and all of the chopped vegetables into a large bowl and combine well, using your hands if needed.

Assemble a station with wonton wrappers, a little bowl of water, and a bowl of filling. Place a wrapper on the table and spoon about a tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. To help seal the wrapper, dip a finger into the water and draw an outline around the wrapper, coating each side with water. The next few steps might take some practice, but don't overthink it: The goal is to adhere all four sides together. You can do this slowly at first, by joining each side together until all four are adhered and come together in the center.

As you get better at folding, you can hold the wonton in one hand and use three fingers to join three sides together at once. With the wonton in an envelope shape, you can then use your other hand to close the wonton and pinch the sides together. Find what works for you; you may find a new technique you love.

Lay parchment on a sheet tray, then spray with oil. This might seem redundant, but will help the heavy, delicate wontons from sticking to the sheet and tearing open. Place the wontons onto the sheet tray and ensure all sides are completely closed, including the tops of the wontons. Pinch any rogue openings closed.

Whisk the egg and a splash of water together, then use a pastry brush to coat the wontons lightly in egg wash. Don't go too heavy, here, or your wontons will end up soggy. Once they are brushed with egg, spray them lightly with oil and place in the oven. Bake in the oven at 400 F until browned and crispy (the tops will get dark first), then remove from the heat.

Serve these wontons as you would any dumpling or crab rangoon — with plenty of chili or yum yum sauce. These make a great appetizer before dinner, as they'll tide your guests over while still saving room for the main course. This recipe makes 30 wontons, which may seem like a lot — but you'll learn pretty quickly that these go fast. And if you don't want to eat 30 wontons all at once, you can store them for later. The filling, uncooked, lasts for a week in the refrigerator and can be spooned into fresh wrappers for a quick snack anytime. Cooked wontons can be reheated in the oven or air fryer until crispy.

Serving these with dinner? Pair these with lo mein, vegan chow mein, or Chinese pepper steak for a full and filling meal.