Wontons are the most popular Chinese food either for soups, pan-fried, or even deep-fried. In this guide, we cover wonton wrapping methods for three classic shapes – crescent, nurse’s cap, and another 4 ways. With the right folding methods with step-by-step tutorials and a bit of practice, you’ll be pumping out professional-looking wontons and sealing them completely for soups.
Benefits of Making Your Own Wontons at Home
While frozen store-bought wontons are convenient, homemade wontons have many advantages:
- Better texture – Freshly made wrappers and filling yield the best consistency
- Healthier – Control ingredients and reduce sodium, fat, and preservatives
- Make creative fillings – Endless possibilities like shrimp, chicken, vegetable
- Satisfaction – Learn a valuable cooking skill and taste the delicious difference
Our top wonton recipes
Check out our top wonton recipes to make after you mastered the technique of how to wrap wontons at home.
Store-bought wonton wrapper vs homemade wonton wrapper
There are some difference between using store-bought vs homemade wonton wrappers to fold your wontons.
Store-bought wrappers tend to be thinner. This allows for a very tender bite when cooked. But in most cases, store-bought wrappers are hard to seal. So you will need to use water as a glue.
Homemade wrappers will typically be a bit thicker. They can hold up better during cooking with a pleasantly chewy texture. You may skip water for homemade wonton wrappers.
My top tips for folding wonton
- Always keep the wonton skin covered so it will not dry out in the air.
- Mind the size of your filling and avoid big wontons. We recommend around 1/2 teaspoon of filling.
- We include 6 different ways of folding wonton. You can choose and work with one or two. Or you can try to master all of the 6 types.
1.How to wrap Nurse’s Cap wonton
- Place around 1/2 teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper. Moisten the edges with your fingers.
- Fold the wrap in the middle to form a rectangular shape in the center part of the wrapper.
- Fold up the filling again.
- Moisten one corner and at last overlay the two corners.
2.How to Fold Triangle Wontons
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle and seal the openings. Moisten one corner of the triangle.
- Gently overlay the two corners.
3.How to fold half gold ingot wonton
- Place a teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper and moisten the bottom edge with your fingers.
- Fold the near corner to the middle of the wrapper.
- Fold up again (leaving the top 1/4 of the wrapper unfolded ).
- Moisten the two corners
- Overlay the two corners together.
4.How to fold Money Purse wontons
Money purse wonton is from Cantonese style. Usually wrapped with smaller wontons for soups and deep-frying.
- moisten a round ring on the wrapper with your finger.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Slowly move your fingers to close the ring to wrap the wrapper around the filling.
- Seal the wrapper completely.
5. How to fold crossed triangle wonton
- Place a teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper and fold a shape like the following picture.
- Moisten one end with your fingers.
- Press the two ends together.
6. How to make gold Ingot wonton
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Moisten the bottom edges and fold it up to the top edge to form a rectangle.
- Rotate the wrapper, moisten one end and press the two ends together.
Ingredients
- 1 cup wonton fillings
- 25-32 wonton wrappers
Instructions
Method 1
- Place around 1 teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper.Moisten the edges with your fingers.
- Fold the wrap in the middle to form a rectangular shape in the center part of the wrapper.
- Fold up the filling again.
- Moisten one corner and at last overlay the two corners.
Method 2
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle and seal the openings. Moisten one corners of the triangle.
- Gently overlay the two corners.
Method 3
- Place a teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper and moisten the bottom edge with fingers.
- Fold the near corner to the middle of the wrapper.
- Fold up again (leaving top 1/4 of the wrapper unfolded ).
- Moisten the two corners.
- Overlay the two corners together.
Method 4
- Moisten a round ring on the wrapper with your finger.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Slowly move your fingers to close the ring to wrap the wrapper around the filling.
- Seal the wrapper completely.
Method 5
- Place a teaspoon of filling at 1/3 of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper and fold a shape like the following picture.
- Moisten one end with fingers.
- Press the two ends together.
Method 6
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
- Moisten the bottom edges and fold it up to the top edge to form a rectangle.
- Rotate the wrapper, moisten one end and press the two ends together.
Video
Yes, you can prep the filling a day ahead. But for best results, wrap and cook the wontons on the same day.
Use at least 1-2 inches of oil depth to fry. Turn the wontons frequently for even crisping on all sides.
Absolutely. Arrange uncooked wontons in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container.
What a great instructional posting. I’ve made many dumplings but never tried to make a wontons. You make it look so simple. I’ve pinned this and will be giving it a try soon. Thanks for the post.