If you’ve been craving something cozy, this easy wonton soup is exactly what you need. I grew up eating this homemade wonton soup, so it’s based on my family’s recipe and inspired by my favorite bowl that I had in Hong Kong. Fold a big batch once and you’ve got better than takeout soup waiting in your freezer.
Quick Summary: Easy Wonton Soup
- ⭐️ What It Is: Easy wonton soup is a light Cantonese style soup with homemade pork and shrimp wontons and bok choy in a gingery chicken broth.
- 👍 Why Make This Recipe: The wontons use my quick “C” fold, so there’s no fancy pleating and they freeze beautifully for later.
- ⏰ Total Time: 55 minutes.
- 🧂 Key Ingredients: Ground pork, shrimp, wonton wrappers, ginger, chicken broth, and bok choy.
- 🚫 Skip This: Don’t stress over perfect folds or homemade stock, since a sealed wonton and a good low sodium broth are all you need.
- 🫢 The Secret: Stir the filling until it turns sticky so the wontons come out bouncy and juicy instead of crumbly.
- ❓ Can I Use Frozen Wontons?: Yes, store bought frozen wontons work great in this broth, just cook them according to the package until they float and are cooked through.
- 🍽️ Best For: Cozy weeknight dinners, meal prep, and stocking your freezer.
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What is Wonton Soup?
Wonton soup is a classic Chinese dish made of delicate dumplings filled with seasoned pork, shrimp, and aromatics, served in a clear, flavorful broth. The word “wonton” translates to “swallowing clouds” in Cantonese, which I think perfectly describes how these little dumplings look as they float in the soup.
It’s a staple in Chinese households and restaurants, and the pork and shrimp filling is the same combo you’ll find in dim sum favorites like my shu mai (siu mai). If you want to turn this into a full meal, add some thin egg noodles and you’ve got my wonton noodle soup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better than takeout: I’ve been making this family recipe for years, and the broth alone beats most restaurant bowls, just like my hot and sour soup.
- Freezer friendly: Fold extra wontons once and you’ll have a lazy dinner ready in minutes whenever you need it.
- Light but filling: If you love egg drop soup, this is its heartier cousin with plenty of protein from the shrimp and pork.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Pork: Adds a rich, meaty base for the wonton filling. You can substitute for ground chicken or turkey if you want the wontons leaner.
- Shrimp: Brings sweetness and texture and I roughly chop it into small chunks so every wonton has a nice bite. You can omit this or replace it with equal parts ground pork if you don't want shrimp in it.
- Ginger: Gives both the filling and the broth a fresh, cozy warmth.
- Wonton Wrappers: Thin, square wrappers that cook up soft and silky, found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.
- Chicken Broth: The base of the soup, so use a low sodium broth you like the taste of.
- Bok Choy: Adds a fresh crunch that balances the rich wontons.
Customizations and Substitutions
- Protein Swap: Ground chicken or turkey works great instead of pork, and readers have loved it with turkey.
- Vegetarian Option: Skip the meat and fill the wontons with chopped mushrooms, tofu, and shredded carrots.
- Spicy Kick: Add a drizzle of my homemade lemongrass chili oil or a spoonful of chili crisp when serving.
- Bone Broth: I used to use chicken bone broth for extra protein and collagen in the soup!
- Extra Veggies: Snow peas, sliced shiitake mushrooms, or a few noodles turn this into a bigger meal.
- Make It a Mashup: Stream in a beaten egg for wonton egg drop soup, or swap the broth for coconut curry to make Thai red curry wonton soup.
How to Make Easy Wonton Soup
Make the filling
In a large bowl, mix the pork, chopped shrimp, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch until sticky.
Fold the wontons
Form a “C” shape with your hand, place a wrapper over your fingers, add about a teaspoon of filling, then fold the edges inward and pinch to seal.
Cook the wontons
Boil the wontons in a large pot of water at a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon.
Blanch the bok choy
In the same pot, blanch the bok choy for about 30 seconds until bright green and slightly tender.
Make the broth
In another pot, simmer the chicken broth with ginger slices, chicken bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine for 5 minutes. Remove the ginger and stir in the green onions.
Assemble
Divide the wontons and bok choy among bowls, pour the hot broth over the top, and garnish with green onions and white pepper.
Herman’s Expert Tips
- Stir until sticky: Mixing the filling well for a minute or two is what makes the wontons bouncy and juicy, the same trick I use for my pork and chive dumplings.
- Don’t overfill: About a teaspoon is plenty, and if the wrappers feel dry, dab a little water on the edges so they seal nice and tight and don’t burst in the pot.
- Cook wontons in water, not broth: Starch from the wrappers clouds the soup so I always boil them separately to keep the soup broth clear. If you’d rather crisp them up, try making them open faced style like my pan fried pork and shrimp dumplings.
Storage
Store leftover wontons and broth separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat gently on the stove. The broth can also be made a day ahead.
To freeze, arrange uncooked wontons on a tray, without touching, until solid then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook them straight from frozen for 5-7 minutes. That freezer stash is perfect for spicy wontons in chili oil and leftover wrappers make great crab rangoon wonton cups.
Easy Wonton Soup FAQs
My version is chicken broth simmered with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and a splash of Shaoxing wine. Hong Kong noodle shops often build their broth from pork bones and dried flounder for a deeper, more savory flavor.
Yes! Buy frozen wontons from the store or make a big batch of homemade wontons and freeze them for later. Frozen wontons make the best lazy wonton soup for multiple meals.
Follow the cook times that I suggest in the recipe. Also, wontons typically float to the top when they’re close but give them about another minute in case. If you want to sure, cut one open to check that the filling is firm and the shrimp is pink.
It’s light yet filling, with lean protein from the shrimp and pork plus bok choy for veggies. Use low sodium broth and go easy on the bouillon to keep the salt in check.
Not traditionally, since wonton wrappers contain wheat. You can use gluten free wrappers or try rice paper like in my gluten free rice paper soup dumplings.
What to Serve with Easy Wonton Soup
If you loved this Easy Wonton Soup recipe or any other recipes on my site, please leave a ⭐️ rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Easy Wonton Soup
Ingredients
Wontons
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound shrimp peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Dash of white pepper
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pack wonton wrappers about 40 pieces
Soup
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth or chicken bone broth
- 2 inch ginger thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Dash of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine optional
- 2 green onions finely chopped
For Serving
- 4 Bok choy halved or quartered
- Chopped green onions
- White pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped shrimp, minced ginger, minced garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix well using your hands or chopsticks until mixture is sticky and cohesive.½ pound ground pork, ½ pound shrimp, 1 Tbsp minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 2 green onions, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, ½ tsp salt, Dash of white pepper, ½ Tbsp cornstarch
- Form a “C” shape with your hand then place one wonton wrapper over your fingers. Use a butter knife or small spoon to scoop about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. Push down gently in the middle as you fold all edges inward then pinch to seal it. This is one quick method to fold the wontons so it doesn’t have to look perfect! Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.1 pack wonton wrappers
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, add water and bring to a gentle boil. Add wontons to the water, gently stir to prevent sticking, then cook for about 3-4 minutes and the wontons should float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove wontons and transfer to a bowl or plate. If you don’t want to eat all wontons in one sitting, you can freeze remaining wontons for future meals. Just boil the wontons for 5-6 minutes until cooked through.
- Using the same pot of water, add the bok choy and blanch for about 30 seconds until bright green and slightly tender.4 Bok choy
- In a separate large pot over medium-high heat, add chicken broth, ginger, chicken bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine if using. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes until flavors come together. Remove ginger slices, stir in the chopped green onions, then turn off heat.6 cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 inch ginger, 2 tsp chicken bouillon, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, ¼ tsp salt, Dash of white pepper, 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine, 2 green onions
- Divide the cooked wontons and bok choy among serving bowls then pour the hot soup on top. Garnish with more chopped green onions and white pepper if desired.Chopped green onions, White pepper
Notes
- This recipe makes about 40 homemade wontons but I usually only need about 6-8 wontons per bowl of soup so I typically freeze the remaining wontons, which makes it perfect for an easy, lazy wonton soup in the future.
- If freezing remaining wontons, place the wontons on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the wontons aren't touching, then freeze for a few hours. After this time, you can transfer to a plastic bag. This ensures the wontons don't stick together when freezing.
- If cooking frozen wontons, you can cook straight from frozen and simmer for about 5-7 mins.
Milissa O says
Oh my this was absolutely delicious. I didn't have an extra pot to cook the wontons and bok choy separately and cooked it all together instead. My kids were amazed and want me to make it again! Yay! Thanks for the great recipe
Herman Chan says
Thats ok if you don't separately cook them but the wonton wrappers have extra starch sometimes so as long as the soup is clean/clear, that works!
San conz says
Simple and delicious! I just love being able to make my favorite takeout at home with these amazing recipes!
Herman Chan says
thanks so much!
Holly says
My first time using wonton wrappers and it’s our new favorite meal. I used ground turkey instead of pork and omitted the wine from the broth, only because I couldn’t find it anywhere. I froze most of the wontons, making it an easy meal to put together. Boil the water, cook the wontons, then spoon into heated broth.
The broth alone is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing!
Herman says
ground turkey works great for this! so glad you liked it and thanks for the review!
Deidre Jenkins says
Many years ago we had an Asian restaurant that offered wonton soup with several veg's in it. It was so delicious that I would often go there and order two bowls of soup and an order of egg roll. Sadly, the restaurant is no longer there and there are no restaurants for miles that makes the soup the way they used to. Now, we get three wontons in broth and that's it. I have been yearning for days gone by where I could have just one more bowl of that delicious soup... I feel that I may have found the solution here with your recipe Herman! I can't wait to give it a go... Bok choy... snow peas and other ingredients will be back in rotation once again. I did as you said and found this recipe in my saved folder!!!!! Now I am going to subscribe!
Herman says
Thank you so much!
Katie says
It was soooo, good! And easy! Definitely a family favorite!
Herman says
It's a family recipe so I'm glad you liked it!!
Katelyn says
Absolutely amazing! It took me about an hour and a half to make.
Herman says
Thanks for trying my recipe, glad you liked it! You can make extra wontons and freeze them and the next soup will be much quicker
Vicky says
I’m not a big fan of wontons and have never made dumplings from scratch but I saw this recipe and it actually looked really good so decided to give it a shot. They are sooo delicious! Tastes restaurant quality and so comforting on a cold winter day. My husband really enjoyed it too. Definitely will be making this again and keeping it as a staple in our home for comfort food.
Herman says
I'm so glad you liked my family recipe Vicky! Thanks for the positive review.