Baked Wontons

Nothing brightens up a party spread like a platter of wontons. They’re always the food I turn to when I’m cooking for a potluck. While other snacks made in a wonton wrapper are typically deep-fried, these crispy baked wontons gain a golden-brown crust in the oven without the extra oil; you just need a little cooking spray to keep them from sticking to the baking sheet.

Stuffed with seasoned ground pork and turkey, these oven-baked wontons take about 30 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to bake. Dunk them in sweet-and-sour sauce to make the comforting starter courser a meal of Chinese food recipes. The baked wontons also pair well with soups, and are a kid-pleasing handheld snack. As a bonus, they also freeze well, so you can make a big batch and pop half in the ice box for later.

Baked Wontons Ingredients

• Wonton wrappers: These thin, square sheets are often made with wheat flour, eggs and water. They’re used to make wontons in Chinese, Thai and other Asian cuisines. Look for brands such as Dynasty, Twin Marquis and Nasoya in the refrigerated section of your grocery store or specialty market.
• Pork and turkey: Extra-lean ground turkey melds with fattier ground pork to become a moist and hearty filling for the baked wontons.
• Onions: Chopped white or yellow onions add sweet and savory flavors to the filling.
• Water chestnuts: Chopped water chestnuts have a subtly sweet, fresh flavor. They also contribute a crunchy texture to the filling.
• Soy sauce: Season the filling with low-sodium soy sauce, which brings saltiness and umami-packed flavor to the party.
• Egg substitute: We use an egg substitute to infuse the filling with moisture. If you’d rather use whole eggs, you can swap in one beaten egg for the egg substitute.
• Ground ginger: This pantry staple brings a hint of spiciness to the filling. You can also use grated fresh ginger if you’re looking for more ways to use fresh ginger root
• Cooking spray: Spraying the pan with cooking spray prevents the baked wontons from sticking. We also spray the filled wontons to help them crisp up in the oven.
• Sweet-and-sour sauce: Pair this baked wonton recipe with your favorite store-bought or homemade sauce, like copycat McDonald’s sweet-and-sour sauce. Sweet chili sauce is also a great substitute.

Directions

Step 1: Make the filling

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

In a large skillet, cook the pork, turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the water chestnuts, soy sauce, egg substitute and ginger.

Editor’s Tip: Letting your filling cool slightly will make it easier to wrap the wontons.

Step 2: Fold the wontons

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Position a wonton wrapper with one point toward you. Keep the remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.

Place 2 heaping teaspoons of filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner over the filling (like a burrito), then fold the sides toward the center over the filling. Roll toward the remaining point. Moisten the top corner with water and press to seal it. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Editor’s Tip: Set up a wonton folding station on a large cutting board (or other flat surface) with your wrappers and a small bowl of water for sealing the wontons. Also, try to avoid overstuffing your wontons, which will make them harder to fold.

Step 3: Bake the wontons

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Place the wontons on baking sheets coated with cooking spray, and lightly coat them with additional cooking spray. Bake them at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re golden brown, turning them once. Serve the wontons warm, with sweet-and-sour sauce, if desired.

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Baked Wontons Variations

• Use another meat: Substitute bison, chicken or beef for the ground turkey. While almost any combination of ground meats will work, consider including a fat-rich meat (like ground pork) to help the filling stay moist.
• Fry ’em up: Instead of baking the wontons in the oven, you can make them in an air fryer (like air-fryer beef Wellington wontons). Pop them into a 325° air fryer for 8 to 10 minutes or until they’re golden brown, turning them halfway through. Or fry them in 375° oil until they’re golden brown, two to three minutes, turning once (similar to our ginger-pork wontons recipe).
• Swap in your favorite flavors: Increase the heat level by adding Sriracha hot sauce to the filling. Or use garlic powder instead of ginger and mix in diced jicama instead of water chestnuts.

How to Store Baked Wontons

Store leftover baked wontons in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also keep well in a sealed storage bag.

How long do baked wontons last?

While baked wontons taste best right out of the oven, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. However, the longer you store them, the soggier they may become.

Can you freeze baked wontons?

To freeze baked wontons, let them cool and place them in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to separate the layers with wax paper so the wontons don’t stick together. You can also freeze them unbaked for up to three months using the same method. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or bake them straight from the freezer, increasing the baking time as needed for the filling to reach an internal temperature of 165°.

How do you reheat baked wontons?

Reheat your wontons on a baking sheet in a 400° oven until they’re crisp and heated through. They’ll also crisp up well when reheated in an air fryer that’s preheated to 375°.

Baked Wontons Tips

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

How else can you shape baked wontons?

Wontons can be folded into various shapes, as seen in our recipes for chicken wonton rolls and sausage wonton stars. For a simple triangle, place one teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper and moisten the edges with water. Fold one corner diagonally over the filling to form a triangle, then press the edges to seal. You can also turn the triangle into a purse by bringing the two bottom corners together and sealing them at the center.

What can you serve with baked wontons?

Baked wontons are a wonderful addition to a spread of other Chinese-inspired or Chinese-American dishes. Serve them with sesame chicken, kung pao shrimp, chicken lo mein or other stir-fry recipes.

What can you make with extra wonton wrappers?

Wonton wrappers can be used in many different dishes and snacks. Cut them into strips to crisp them up and use them as a topping for chicken salad with crispy wontons. Or try making deconstructed wonton soup, chicken chili wonton bites or baked crab rangoon.