This wonton soup recipe is an easy Chinese dish that is warm and comforting. Learn how to make and wrap homemade wontons and serve them in a flavorful chicken broth soup. This homemade version is better than take-out!

close-up photo of a bowl of wonton soup

It was hailing yesterday in San Diego. Definitely not the usual San Diego weather. The cold weather this week has had me craving warm, comforting soups like wonton soup. It has a great flavor with ginger, garlic, and scallions and the wontons have a nice chew and savory filling.

Wontons are a type of Chinese dumplings and making your own is pretty easy. I like that you can make a large batch and freeze them for whenever you’re in the mood for wontons. I like to save them for this wonton soup recipe and also use them to make spicy wontons.

Ingredients

  • Wonton wrappers
  • Ground pork
  • Finely chopped scallion/green onions
  • Sesame oil
  • Low sodium soy sauce
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • White pepper
  • Water
  • Low sodium chicken broth
  • Grated fresh ginger
  • Minced garlic cloves
  • Low sodium soy sauce

Easy wonton soup is just the broth, wontons, and some fresh scallions. However, you can definitely make it fancier by adding other ingredients like meat and veggies.

  • Vegetables are often added, like baby bok choy.
  • Noodles can be added to make wonton noodle soup.

overhead photo of a bowl of wonton soup

Pork Filling

First, make the filling. Set the wrapper aside and then combine the pork, scallions, oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and water in a large bowl until it resembles a thick paste.

You can mix the filling by hand or use a food processor for a smoother consistency.

How to Wrap Wontons

There are nearly a dozen different methods for wrapping wontons, but this is my favorite way for soup wontons.

  1. Set a small bowl of water next to you. Dip your finger in the water and moisten all four edges of the wonton wrapper.
  2. Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper.
  3. Fold the wrapper in half and press along the edges to seal.
  4. Press your fingers around the filling to eliminate any air pockets.
  5. Make a small indent in the bottom middle of the filling. This will make it easier for the edges of the wonton wrapper to wrap around the filling.
  6. Moisten the right bottom corner of your rectangle.
  7. Take the two bottom corners and pull them slightly downwards and towards each other. When they meet, have them overlap slightly and press to seal.

photo collage showing steps to making the wontons

You should be able to make about 36 wontons. For any you do not plan on eating right away, you should freeze them so place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Make sure the wontons are not touching so that they don’t freeze to each other. Place the tray in the freezer. Once they are frozen, place them in freezer bags and keep them in the freezer until ready to use.

photo of a wonton folded and ready to be cooked

How to Make Wonton Soup

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the wontons to the pot and boil them for a few minutes until they float to the top. If you are using frozen wontons you don’t need to thaw them first.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked wontons from the pot to the soup bowls.

In a separate pot, combine the chicken stock, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Taste the soup and add more salt if you think it needs it.

Simmer the soup for a few minutes and then add the sesame oil. Ladle it over the wontons in the soup bowls and sprinkle the scallions over the top.

Tips

If you only want a couple bowls of soup, you will have more wontons than you need. Be sure to freeze the extra uncooked wontons following the recipe instructions. If fresh wontons sit at room temperature too long, the wrappers will start to break down. 

Frozen wontons don’t need to be thawed before you boil them. You can take them straight from the freezer and add them to the boiling water.

At the same time you are cooking the wontons, you should also be cooking the soup base in a separate pot so that the soup and wontons finish at around the same time. This prevents your wontons from getting cold, overcooked, or sticking to each other.

overhead photo of a bowl of homemade wonton soup

More Chinese Soup Recipes

Update! I’ve created a video showing six different ways to wrap wontons. The method discussed in this post is method 1 in the video. You can also view all my recipe videos on my youtube channel.

4.80 from 5 votes

Wonton Soup

Homemade wonton soup is so much better than take out. Learn how to make this warm and comforting soup at home. 
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients

Wontons

  • 36 wonton wrappers
  • ½ lb ground pork
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped scallion
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp white pepper
  • 2 tbsp water

Soup

  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 4 scallions , thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • To make wontons, first make the filling. Combine all remaining wonton ingredients and mix until it resembles a thick paste. You can mix by hand or in a food processor for a smoother consistency.
  • Wrap the wontons.
    a) Set a small container of water next to you. Dip your finger in the water and moisten all four edges of the wonton wrapper.
    b) Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper.
    c) Fold the wrapper in half and press along the edges to seal.
    d) Press your fingers around the filling to eliminate any air pockets.
    e) Make a small indent in the bottom middle of the filling. This will make it easier for the edges of the wonton wrapper to wrap around the filling.
    f) Moisten the right bottom corner of your rectangle.
    g) Take the two bottom corners and pull them slightly downwards and towards each other. When they meet, have them overlap slightly and press to seal.
  • You should be able to make about 36 wontons. For any wontons you do not plan on eating right away, place them onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure the wontons are not touching so that they don't freeze onto each other. Place tray in the freezer to freeze wontons. When wontons are frozen, place them into freezer bags and store until ready to use.
  • To cook the wontons, bring a pot of water to boil. Add in wontons and cook a few minutes. (If you are using frozen wontons, you do not need to defrost.) Be careful to not add more than a single layer of wontons into the pot. Stir the wontons a few times so they do not stick to the bottom of the pot. The wontons will float to the top when they are done. 
  • Use a slotted spoon to scoop out wontons and place into soup bowls. 
  • At the same time you are cooking the wontons, you should also be cooking the soup base in a separate pot so that the soup and wontons finish at around the same time. (This prevents your wontons from getting cold, overcooked, or sticking to each other). To make the soup, add chicken broth into a large stock pot. Add in ginger, garlic, soy sauce and bring to a boil. Taste and add salt if needed. Reduce soup to a simmer and let it simmer for a few minutes until the flavors of garlic and ginger are infused into the broth.
  • Drizzle sesame oil into soup when it is almost ready. 
  • Ladle hot soup over wontons. Garnish with scallions.

Notes

  • I usually serve 8 wontons per bowl for wonton soup. I use less if I am adding noodles or other ingredients.
  • The recipe makes enough broth for four bowls.
    If you are planning on making less than four servings, reduce the soup ingredients to match the number of servings you plan on cooking.
  • The recipe makes approximately 36 wontons. You can freeze the unused ones.
  • To make shrimp pork wontons, replace half the pork with diced raw shrimp for shrimp pork wontons.
Serving: 0.25of recipe, Calories: 441kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 847mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, NET CARBS: 44
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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