Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I’m always happy with a bowl of this wonton soup.
Wonton Soup is something that seems familiar to a lot of us. Take the wonton soup from your local takeout place—or the most dipped-into pot in the Chinese buffet line. Those giant rubbery yellow dumplings that take at least three bites to tackle.
While I do have a soft spot in my heart for those giant rubbery takeout wontons (like the guilty pleasure of a fast food cheeseburger), there’s nothing like the wonton soup recipe my mom has been making—and that we’ve been eating—for decades.
(ACTUAL decades. Because unlike the 23-year-old me that originally published this post in 2013, the me updating it in 2025 is hitting mid-30s. But who’s counting?)
Note: This wonton soup recipe was originally published in December 2013. In order to bring back one of our old favorites, we’ve updated it with new photos, a video, metric measurements, and clearer instructions. The tried-and-true recipe is the same!
Why THIS Wonton Soup Recipe?
You may never look at another wonton soup recipe after you make this one. But why?
We’ve published many OTHER great wonton soup recipes, like:
- Classic Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup (Bonus! Not only are there wontons, there are noodles involved.)
- Shanghai Style Wontons (Smaller, one-bite wontons that are just like the ones you’d get from a Shanghai street vendor.)
- San Xian Wontons (“Three Flavor” Wontons, with chicken, pork, AND shrimp.)
- Chicken Wontons (Don’t eat pork? These chicken wontons are a comforting, delicious alternative!)
- Wor Wonton Soup (The Chinese takeout complete meal in a bowl, with wontons, veggies, shrimp, chicken, and roast pork!)
- Wonton Egg Drop Soup (A classic combination soup that’s become an “off-menu” request at Chinese takeout restaurants—so easy to make with this recipe or any of our other wonton recipe!)
All that said, THIS simple wonton soup recipe is the one that we come back to again and again.
Traditionally, wontons are very delicate little things, sometimes filled with vegetables and usually pork…served in a flavorful broth seasoned with some sesame oil and white pepper.
There are different types and versions, but for us, this is wonton soup in its simplest, purest form.
A Note on Wonton Wrappers
Head to your local Asian grocer for the wonton wrappers. You’ll see a couple different kinds, including ones made with just white flour and others that are yellow (they’re also thinner––we use those wrappers for our Cantonese wonton soup and Shanghai-Style wonton soup).
But for this recipe, you’re looking for square-shaped, white wrappers.
If you can’t find wonton wrappers locally, you can make your own using our homemade wonton wrapper recipe with just 3 ingredients: bread flour, cornstarch, and water. Check out our article on how to make wonton wrappers, and use a pasta roller for best results.
This recipe uses one pack of wonton wrappers, which usually makes about four dozen, or about 16 appetizer portions of three wontons each, or 6 meal-size portions of eight wontons.
If you have another person to help you with assembly, or the idea of sitting in front of the TV making wontons for a couple hours while you watch a favorite movie (one of those movies you’ve seen so many times you can practically watch it in your head) appeals to you, I suggest doubling the recipe to use two packs of wonton wrappers. Then you’ll have more to freeze for later!
For more information on wonton wrappers, check out our Chinese Noodles and wrappers page, which describes all types of noodles, wonton wrappers, dumpling skins and more!
So easy to follow and delicious, this wonton soup recipe will serve you for years to come. The wontons can be frozen for quick and easy meals during the week, or for a lazy weekend morning brunch.
Let’s talk about how to make them.
Simple Wonton Soup Recipe Instructions
Start by thoroughly washing your leafy green vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the vegetables just until wilted, about 60-90 seconds. Drain and rinse in cold water. Grab a good clump of veg and carefully squeeze out as much water as you can.
Very finely chop the vegetables (you can also speed up the process by throwing them in the food processor). Repeat until all the vegetables are chopped.
A note on vegetables!
In the photos for this recipe, we’re using baby bok choy for the wonton filling. In the YouTube video for this post, we used Shepherd’s Purse, a Chinese vegetable that you can only find frozen here in the US. You could also use baby yu choy/choy sum (just the leaves if the stems are thick) or even spinach if you can’t find Chinese leafy greens.
In a medium bowl, add the finely chopped vegetables, ground pork, sesame oil, white pepper, soy sauce, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Mix very thoroughly until the mixture is totally emulsified—almost like a paste.
Now it’s time to assemble! Fill a small bowl with water. Grab a wrapper and use your finger to moisten the edges of the wrapper. Add a couple teaspoons of filling to the middle.
Fold the wrapper in half and press the two sides together so you get a firm seal. If using a rectangular wonton wrapper, you can fold it all the way in half.
Hold the bottom two corners of the little rectangle you just made (the side where the filling is). Pulling the back edge of the wrapper toward you, bring the bottom two corners together. You can use a bit of water to make sure they stick.
And that’s it! (Check out our step-by-step guide to folding wontons for more details and a second alternative method!)
At this point, you can cook (boil) and taste a couple of wontons and adjust the seasoning of your filling to taste––you can always add a little more Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and/or white pepper to your liking.
Once you’re happy with the flavor of the filling, keep assembling until all the filling is gone. Place the wontons on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper, and make sure they are not touching (this will prevent sticking).
To make the soup, heat your chicken stock to a simmer and add 2-3 teaspoons sesame oil and white pepper and salt to taste.
Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the wontons one at a time to the pot. Pick up the pot and use a swirling, twisting motion to keep the pot moving and prevent the wontons from sticking to the bottom.
If they do stick, don’t worry. And don’t try to move them immediately. They should come free once they’re cooked. If the water ever comes back up to a vigorous boil, add a cup of cold water to the pot. This prevents the wrapper from overcooking while you’re waiting for the filling to cook through.
Once they’re floating, boil them for another 1-2 minutes. Take care not to overcook them. Mushy wontons are a sin!
Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and put them in bowls. Pour the soup over the wontons and garnish with scallions. Serve!
Watch Us Make This Wonton Soup!
Freezing Wontons For Later
We highly recommend making a big batch of wontons and freezing them for wonton soup anytime the mood strikes.
To freeze your wontons, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or dish (as long as it will fit in your freezer) so that they are not touching. If they’re packed too tightly, they’ll stick together when frozen, making them very difficult/nearly impossible to separate for cooking!
Cover the wontons (we usually use clean plastic grocery bags and just put the entire plate/baking sheet inside and close the bags.
Transfer the wontons to the freezer, and freeze overnight, or however long it takes to freeze them solid (in our experience, this takes at least 6 hours).
Once frozen, transfer them to freezer bags and put them back into the freezer for long-term storage. They’ll keep at best quality for up to 3 months, and be ready for wonton soup whenever you want it!
Simple Wonton Soup
Ingredients
- 10 oz. baby bok choy shepherd's purse, or other similar leafy green vegetable
- 8 oz. ground pork (fatty ground pork preferred)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil (plus more for the stock)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper (plus more for the stock)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more for the stock)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 package wonton wrappers
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- Start by thoroughly washing the vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the vegetables just until wilted, about 60-90 seconds. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Squeeze out the water from the vegetables, and very finely chop them. (You can do this in the food processor in small batches). Repeat until all the vegetables are chopped.
- In a medium bowl, add the finely chopped vegetables, ground pork, sesame oil, =white pepper, soy sauce, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is totally emulsified—almost like a paste.
- Now it’s time to assemble! Fill a small bowl with water. Grab a wrapper and dip your finger in water to moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. Add about 2 teaspoons of filling to the middle. Fold the wrapper in half and press the two sides together so you get a firm seal. Bringing the back edge of the wrapper towards you, bring the two bottom corners of the wrapper together. Use a dab of water to make sure they stick.
- Boil and taste a couple wontons and adjust the seasoning of your filling to taste––you can always add a little more Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and/or white pepper to your liking. Once you're happy with the flavor of the filling, keep assembling until all the filling is gone. Place the wontons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and make sure they are not touching.
- After assembly, you must either cook or freeze your wontons right away. To freeze, cover the wontons and transfer to the freezer. Once frozen solid (at least 6 hours or overnight), move them to freezer bags and keep for up to 3 months at best quality.
- To make the soup, heat your chicken stock to a simmer. Add 2-3 teaspoons sesame oil and white pepper and salt to taste.
- Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Stir the water to create a whirlpool, and carefully add the wontons one at a time to the pot (keeping the water moving prevents the wonton from sticking to the bottom of the pot). If they do stick, don’t worry; they should come free once they’re cooked. Once they're floating, boil them for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and put them in bowls. Pour the soup over the wontons and garnish with scallions. Serve!
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