Best Chinese Appetizer Recipes (2024)

These crispy fried wontons, filled juicy pork and green onions, are easy to make at home. They’re even better than takeout, and you can deep fry them or make them in an air fryer.

These pork fried wontons are my go-to party appetizer — for 30 years running! I’ve made so many batches over the years and they’re always gobbled up.

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Fried wontons are the perfect bite-sized appetizer — even better than takeout. And they’re really easy to make with a few basic ingredients. You can deep fry them — my preference — or make air fryer wontons.

Serve them with Wonton Dipping Sauce, this delicious or authentic homemade Chinese Hot Mustard.

I have been making these sausage-filled appetizers since I was in middle school. My recipe is adaptedfrom a book on Chinese culture. Rather than requiring us to write a book report, our teacher assigned us to give a presentation to the class and to bring something handmade or homemade to share.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Each fried wonton is filled with a juicy flavorful bite of pork and green onions, accented with soy and sesame flavors. They’re wonderfully crispy around the edges, but chewy and toothsome where the wonton wrapper dough puffs around the filling.

My restaurant-style pork fried wonton recipe is really quite simple to make. Just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your refrigerator or pantry, plus wonton wrappers.

If you’re planning a party or a get-together, these definitely need to be on the menu. My recipe makes 50 fried wontons. I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe because these delicious fried wontons do no last long!

In fact, wontons, in all their forms, might be my favorite party food ever.

I’ve curated a list of 100+ Wonton Wrapper Recipesyou’ll want to try, including

• Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
• Taco Wonton Cups
• Strawberry Jam Wonton Envelopes
• Apple Butter Wontons

Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Watch my web story on how to make fried wontons.

🥟 What is a fried wonton?

Fried wontons are bite-sized dumplings filled with ground meat and seasonings and fried to a crisp, golden brown. They’re a very popular Chinese appetizer, but you easily can make this restaurant favorite at home.

Fried wontons are made using paper-thin sheets of dough. Popular wonton fillings include pork, shrimp, cream cheese, crab meat and vegetables.

Everyone needs a signature dish, and fried wontons are mine. They are my go-to potluck contribution. My favorite party appetizer to serve. The hors d’oeuvre that never lasts long enough. The nosh that always runs out, whether I make a double batch or a triple.

🥡 How to Make Pork Fried Wontons

You can find the full pork fried wonton recipe, with measurements and instructions at the end of this post, but I wanted to share some tips and answer some frequently asked questions based on my 30+ years experience making these fried wontons.

This recpe was originally published on Atta Girl Says in 2012, but it was updated in January 2019 and January 2022.

🥘 Ingredients for Pork Wontons

To make fried wontons, you’ll these ingredients:

• ground pork or ground sausage
• green onions
• egg
• soy sauce
• sugar
• salt
• sesame oil
• water
• wonton wrappers
• vegetable oil for frying

The original version of this fried wonton recipe called for ground pork, but I prefer using sausage. That’s what I used the first time I made the fried wontons because it’s what was avaialble at our local grocery store.

Using sausage makes the wontons even more flavorful. I usually use our favorite brand of breakfast sausage, but you could also use sweet, mild or hot Italian-style sausage.

How to Make the Pork Wonton Filling

• Begin by combining the sausage, sliced green onions, beaten egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar and water in a large bowl.
• You may find it helpful to use your hands to mix the wonton filling.

How to Fold Wontons (With Video)

With the filling mixed, it’s now time to assemble the wontons.

Folding the wontons does take a bit of time, but it’s not hard to do at all. It goes quickly if you recruit friends or family to help you.

I use a large plastic cutting board as a folding surface. I also keep a small glass of water nearby so I can moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers before folding them.

I also keep a baking sheet, lined with wax paper, nearby so I have a place to set the filled and folded wontons.

1. Open the package of wonton wrappers and place the stack between dampened paper towels to keep them moist.
2. Separate wonton wrappers and place several on a cutting board to fill.
3. Add a teaspoon of filling to the center of each one. Be careful not to overfill.
4. Dip your fingers in the water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper.
5. Fold each wonton in half to create a triangle. Press the edges to seal.
6. Bring the side points of the triangle down (away from the center point) and press together to form the dumpling shape.
7. Transfer to lined baking sheet for frying.

When you buy your wonton wrappers, the package will probably have a diagram for how to fold them. The diagram is pretty straightforward, but sometimes it’s better to see the technique in action.

In fact, I folded my wontons “wrong” for years because I misunderstood that diagram when I first saw it in 8th grade! So I’ve created a little video tutorial showing you my “wrong” way and the right way for folding wonton skins into dumplings.

For the full how-to on how to fold wontons, be sure to check out my video tutorial below, as well as video in the recipe card.

📋How to Cook Fried Wontons (With Video)

Once you have all your wontons filled and folded, it’s time to fry them. We like to tag team things, especially if I’m making a double or triple batch of wontons.

My husband will start frying while I continue to fold the wontons.

1. Use a deep fryer or a large, deep pan filled about halfway with vegetable oil. (A cast iron dutch oven works great.)
2. Over medium heat, bring oil to temperature — about 350 ℉ — to ensure the filling cooks completely while the wontons fry up to a nice golden brown color.
3. Fry in small batches, flipping the wontons to ensure both sides are browned.
4. Use stainless steel tongs or a spider strainerto remove the hot fried wontons from the oil.
5. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

If the wontons are browning too quickly, turn the heat down on the oil slightly.

You’ll probably have to do this anyway as you work your way through the batch; the oil will get hotter the longer it is over the heat.

For more tips, please watch the video where my husband, Bruce, shows how he fries up a batch of wontons.

📖 Variations and substitutions

• Use ground pork or Italian-style sausage, instead of breakfast sausage, to make wontons.
• If you don’t like green onions, you can substitute regular yellow or white onions. Just be sure to dice them finely.
• If you don’t want to deep fry the pork wontons, you can make them in an air fryer, add them to broth to make wonton soup them, or steam them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions about how to make pork fried wontons.

Do I have to fry these pork wontons?

Actually, you don’t! You can also steam these wontons. Or you can use them to make a delicious wonton soup. Just boil the wontons in broth four about 5 mintes until they float.

I have a recipe for air fryer wontons made in our Ninja Foodi Grill air fryer.

Can you make wontons ahead of time?

You definitely can make wontons ahead of time.

If you don’t have time to fry the wontons after folding them, you can put them in the refrigerator for a few hours, up to a day, and fry them later. Make sure to store the uncooked wontons in an airtight container, lined with wax paper.

Allow plenty of space between the wontons. You want to be careful that they don’t stick together and that the wonton wrappers don’t dry out too much.

When you’re ready, just fry or cook as you normally would.

Can I reheat fried wontons?

Absolutely!

In fact, I usually make fried wontons ahead of time, then store them in the refrigerator until I’m ready to serve. I’ll reheat them just before I’m ready to serve them so they’re nice and hot when party guests arrive and hit the buffet table.

Pork fried wontons reheat nicely in the oven at 350 degrees on a baking sheet. Just spread them in a single layer.

You can also reheat them in an air fryer, set to 300 degrees, for a few minutes. Be sure to check them regularly to make sure they’re not browning too much.

Where can I buy wonton wrappers?

You don’t have to go to a specialty food store or an Asian market to find wonton wrappers. Most grocery stores should carry them.

If you don’t know where to look for wonton wrappers at your grocery store, check the produce section. That’s where I always find them. They’re usually near the tofu, egg roll wrappers and fresh packaged herbs.

For this recipe, I like to use square wonton wrappers, instead of round wonton wrappers.

What is the best oil to use for fried wontons?

I usually use vegetable oil or canola oil to make this pork fried wonton recipe, but you can also use peanut oil. I do not recommend using olive oil to fry wontons.

How do I freeze wontons?

You can freeze these wontons before frying them or afterwards.

To freeze before frying: Place filled and folded wontons on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure they’re not touching one another. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours before transferring the wontons to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.

When you’re ready to cook them, thaw the wontons and fry as normal. Make sure the thawed wontons aren’t too wet when you drop them into the fryer to avoid oil from splattering and burning you.

You can also use frozen wontons in soup. Just add a little extra boiling time to ensure they’re fully cooked.

To freeze already fried wontons: Place them in the freezer on a baking sheet or plate so they’re not touching one another. Freeze for several hours, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.

Prepare the frozen, cooked wontons by baking for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

You also can cook the frozen wontons in your air fryer.

Place the frozen wontons in a single layer in the air fryer basket and spray with cooking spray. Cook at 375 degrees for 14 minutes, turning the wontons or shaking the basket once.

What is the best dipping sauce for fried wontons?

We enjoy fried wontons dipped in with spicy homemade honey mustard or in soy sauce with a bit of sriracha mixed in.

They’re also good dipped in sriracha mayonnaise and Chinese mustard, if you like spicier appetizers.

To make the honey mustard dipping sauce, mix together equal parts of honey and yellow mustard (or the mustard of your choice). Add soy sauce, to taste, to thin the mixture.

If you have any more questions about making fried wontons, leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer.

More Chinese Appetizers To Make at Home

Skip takeout and make these Chinese restaurant appetizers at home.

• Cream Cheese Wontons
• Homemade Crab Rangoon
• More Homemade Chinese Takeout Appetizers

More Wonton Recipes

You might also enjoy these other wonton recipes:

• 100+ Amazing Wonton Recipes
• Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Wonton Cups
• Jam-Filled Wonton Envelopes
• Taco Wonton Cups
• Apple Butter Wontons
• Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
• Crispy Air Fryer Wontons

Pin This! Pork Fried Wontons

🎥 Recipe Video & Printable Recipe Card