30+ Wonton Filling Recipes

If you like cream cheese wontons and other snacks made in a wonton wrapper, it’s time you learned how to make them yourself at home. It’s not hard – trust me. Here are dozens of wonton filling recipes to help get you started.

I’m a sucker for all kinds of fried wontons at Chinese restaurants. While crab rangoons are my favorite, I’ve never met a wonton I didn’t like!

If you like eating wonton appetizers at a restaurant – or in your Asian takeout order – then you should definitely learn how to make your own at home.

Once you get the hang of filling wonton wrappers, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can fill them with. And trust me: It’s not difficult. I have made homemade wonton appetizers dozens of times in my life – experimenting with a variety of different fillings.

Check out the complete guide to using wonton and egg roll wrappers:

Here are 30+ recipes and ideas to get you started.

Wonton Filling Recipes: Cream Cheese-Based

By far, my favorite fillings for wontons are cream cheese-based.

Why? Wonton filling needs to be thick – like a paste. A runny filling just won’t work as the wontons will turn out soggy and the liquid could seep out.

This is why cream cheese-based fillings work so well. The cream cheese is both thick enough and versatile enough to be turned into both savory and sweet fillings.

Here are some cream cheese-based filling ideas:

1. Cream cheese + hot pepper jam
2. Cream cheese + raspberry jam + mini chocolate chips
3. Cream cheese + crushed pineapple (drained) + diced jalapeno
4. Cream cheese + chopped green onions + garlic powder
5. Cream cheese + cheddar cheese + green olives
6. Cream cheese + bacon bits + cheddar cheese
7. Cream cheese + diced pepperoni + Italian seasoning + finely diced tomato (excess water drained)
8. Cream cheese + chopped imitation crab + sesame oil + chopped green onions + 1 tsp sugar
9. Cream cheese + shredded chicken breast + buffalo sauce + blue cheese
10. Cream cheese + shredded chicken breast + ranch dressing + diced onion
11. Cream cheese + cooked shrimp + sriracha sauce
12. Cream cheese + cooked shrimp + diced water chestnuts

How much cream cheese? You’ll use a 4-ounce block of cream cheese to fill approximately 15 wontons, and an 8-ounce block of cream cheese to fill approximately 30 wontons.

How much ingredient and sauce to add? You can add as much of the additional ingredients as you would like (chicken, imitation crab, etc.) If you’re adding sauce (jam, buffalo sauce, ranch, etc.), add 1 to 2 tablespoons – enough to add flavor, but not enough to make it runny.

Other Fillings

While I recommend starting out with a cream cheese-based dip as a filling for wontons, there are many other fillings options. Here are a few ideas:

1. Mascarpone cheese + 1-2 tsp. sugar + mini chocolate chips (a cannoli-like filling)
2. Peanut butter + jelly
3. Peanut butter + marshmallow
4. Diced banana + Nutella
5. Ground pork (cooked) + cabbage + garlic + ginger + egg (an egg roll filling)
6. Ground beef (browned) + black beans + cheddar cheese + Mexican blend seasoning (a taco filling)
7. Shredded chicken + corn + black beans + Mexican-blend cheese + spices (Southwest egg roll filling)
8. Shredded chicken + peanut sauce + diced red bell pepper (Thai-style)
9. Scrambled eggs + cooked pork sausage + bell peppers (breakfast-style)

How Much Filling Should I Make?

It takes a heaping teaspoon of filling to fill each wonton – that’s not a lot.

If you overfill the wrapper, the filling could ooze out of the wrapper when cooking.

A block of cream cheese is 8 ounces, and once you add filling ingredients you’ll have enough filling to fill up to 30 wontons. If you don’t want that many wontons, you should start out with a 4-ounce block of cream cheese + fillings, which will make approximately 15 wontons.

What To Do With Extra Filling

Most of these wonton filling recipes make great dips. If you have extra filling, eat it with crackers or fresh veggies.

Recipe Inspiration

If you want more direction and specific recipes to get you started on your wonton-making journey, check these out:

• Asparagus-cream cheese wonton fries
• Buffalo chicken wontons
• Mango chicken wontons
• Turkey and cranberry wontons
• Mozzarella sticks
• Crab rangoons

If you have leftover wonton wrappers, consider making a batch of these crispy wonton crackers.

You can also make smaller versions of the following recipes that are typically made in a larger egg roll wrapper:

• Basic egg rolls
• Ham and pickle roll up egg rolls
• Banana-Nutella egg rolls
• Deep fried candy bars (Minnesota State Fair-inspired)
• Cheesy hot dog wontons
• Mozzarella sticks

To make these in a smaller wrapper, simply cut down your filling (cut a mozzarella stick in thirds, for example) – or use less filling (as in the case of the egg rolls).

Can I Substitute Egg Roll Wrappers For Wonton Wrappers?

Egg roll wrappers are larger than wonton wrappers: 7-inches square vs. 3-inches square.

If you can only find egg roll wrappers, you can cut them with a knife or use a kitchen scissors to cut them into 3-inch square wrappers.

How To Fill Wontons

Most wontons are about 3 inches x 3 inches. You’ll want to place about one heaping teaspoon in the middle of a wonton wrapper.

Once you’ve chosen your filling, you’ll want to fill your wonton wrappers and seal the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Press down on the edges to make sure there are no gaps where filling could seep out.

How To Cook Wontons

There are a few options for cooking wontons:

1. Deep Frying: This is the most popular method used restaurants. But be warned: deep frying wontons – or anything – at home is a messy process. To fry, fill the wrappers, seal them, and then completely submerge them in hot oil (until they turn crispy and brown. Vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil or peanut oil work well.
2. Pan Frying: If you don’t want the mess of deep frying or don’t have a lot of oil, you can pan fry them. Heat a small amount of oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) in a frying pan or skillet and fry the wontons on both sides until they become crispy and brown. This is the method I most often use.
3. Air Frying: You can use your air fryer to make crispy homemade wontons. Simply spray the inside of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray, place filled wontons inside in a single layer, spray again, and cook at 375F for 8 to 10 minutes – or until golden brown.
4. Baking: If you want a healthier option and want to avoid frying altogether, you can bake wontons. Just grease a large baking sheet, brush the wonton wrappers with oil, and bake them at 375°F until crispy and golden brown

For crispy wontons with a cream cheese-based filling, I do not recommend steaming.

Steamed Wontons

While you can steam wontons, these types of wontons are a bit different = more potsticker or dumpling-like.

If you want to make steamed dumplings with wonton wrappers, read this recipe for Japanese-style potstickers (gyoza) made with ground pork or ground chicken, minced ginger, garlic, scallions, and soy sauce, served with a tangy potsticker sauce or soy sauce.

Or try this homemade wonton soup recipe.

Dipping Sauces For Fried Wontons

Just as there are many wonton filling recipes, there are so many delicious dipping sauces that go great with wontons!

Consider the filling and match it with a good sauce. For example:

• Buffalo chicken wontons + blue cheese dressing
• Crab rangoons + sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce
• Southwest wontons (egg rolls) + ranch dressing or creamy avocado dressing
• Thai-style wontons + sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce
• Taco wontons + spicy ranch dressing or tomato salsa

Be creative – and scour your fridge and cupboards for different sauce options. Check out this list of 25+ dipping sauce options for fries and other fried foods.

Recipe Recap

Is there a perfect wonton filling recipe? Perhaps – but that’s for every person to discover on their own. Just keep these simple tips in mind:

• Make sure your filling is thick and not runny
• Use a heaping teaspoon of filling per wonton
• Seal the edges with a bit of water
• Keep the wontons covered with a damp paper towel before frying or baking
• Fry, air fry or bake until golden brown
• Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce