Cream Cheese Wontons (Easy Recipe)

If you’ve visited a Chinese restaurant, you’re likely familiar with cream cheese wontons. For a lot of people, no takeout order is complete without adding them to the mix.

In terms of popularity, they’re right up there with crab rangoons, fried rice, and pot stickers! They’re incredibly delicious.

But what happens if you start craving them when heading to a restaurant isn’t an option?

Well, that’s where this recipe comes in! It’ll give you easy access to crunchy cream cheese wontons whenever you want! 

Cream Cheese Wontons

If you enjoy snacking, cream cheese wontons are an excellent option. 

They’re more exotic than your typical chips and dip. And they’re the perfect choice to delight a crowd. Each little morsel is full of flavor.

They combine the tanginess of cream cheese with the umami goodness of green onions. And who can forget the crunchy, deep-fried crust?

It’s an easy pairing to love.

Ingredients 

There are two components to this recipe: the sauce and the wontons. Let’s check out the dipping sauce first. Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Honey. This adds the signature sweet component to your sweet-n-sour dipping sauce.

• Low-sodium soy sauce. Low-sodium is best because it helps control the saltiness in the sauce. Sweet and sour are the two notes you want to shine through, not salty.

• Hot sauce. The recipe calls for Sriracha, and it’s an excellent choice. If you’re not a fan, you can use another type of hot sauce. It just gives the sauce a bit of extra kick.

• Vinegar. You can use rice wine vinegar if you have it on hand. It provides the sour notes in the sweet-n-sour sauce.

• Sesame oil. Sesame oil adds that bit of Asian flavor that makes the sauce taste so good.

As for the wontons, you won’t need much. These seven ingredients are all it takes: 

• Cream cheese. I like to use full-fat cream cheese. It gives the recipe a better taste. Be sure to let it warm and soften before trying to use it. 

• Hot sauce. As with the dipping sauce, the recipe calls for Sriracha. You can use whatever hot sauce you like best, though.

• Green onions. You only need the light and dark green parts of the onions. Be sure to chop them very finely. You don’t want any lumps or chunks. Discard the white bulbs.

• Egg wash. Make this with one egg and 1/2 cup of water. This will help hold the wontons together before you fry them.

• Wonton wrappers. You can typically find these in any grocery store with an Asian food section. If your local store doesn’t have them, you can order them online.

• Vegetable oil. For frying.

Some people also add a little garlic powder to the filling. Give it a try if you want a more savory flavor.

How to Make Cream Cheese Wontons

When you get ready to make these, be sure to make the sauce first. You want to have it ready so that your wontons don’t get cold while you’re making it later. 

Making the sauce is simple. Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then, set it aside.

Now, here are the steps for the wontons.

1. Mix the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients. (Cream cheese, onions, and hot sauce.) Mix them well so that the resulting filling is smooth, not lumpy.

2. Prepare the egg wash. In a second bowl, mix the egg and water. 

3. Assemble the wontons. This is the trickiest part. Still, following the detailed instructions below, you shouldn’t have any problems. 

Just remember to keep the wonton wrappers covered with a towel or plastic wrap.

Cover the assembled wontons the same way. Otherwise, they might dry out before you fry them.

4. Fry the wontons. Use a medium skillet, and heat the oil to almost 350 degrees. Fry them in batches of four to five at a time. 

5. Cool, then serve! Once all the wontons are fried, give them about 7-10 minutes to cool. That will ensure you don’t burn your mouth with the hot cream cheese.

Then, serve with the dipping sauce, and enjoy! 

Tips for the Best Wontons 

Here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

• Keep the wonton wrappers covered! I’ve said it already, but it warrants a repeat. The wonton wrappers will dry out rapidly. Keep them covered. 

• Use oils with high smoke points. Vegetable oil is best. Canola oil or peanut oil would also work.

• Fry in batches in order of assembly. I’ve already mentioned frying the wontons in batches to keep from crowding them. However, you should also fry them in the order you assembled them to prevent drying out.

• Don’t fry them in super-hot oil. Keep the oil’s internal temperature at just below 350 degrees. If the oil is too hot, the wontons will burst open. 

• Don’t stress over folding the wontons. Don’t stress over making them perfect. Finding a way to fold them where they stay together tightly is all that matters.

• Add crab. Simply dice the cooked crabmeat into extra-small portions. Then, mix it in with the cream cheese.

Storage Recommendations 

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. Here’s how: 

• Storage: Place the wontons in an air-tight container. Pop them in the fridge. They’ll only last a couple of days before getting soggy, though. 

• Freezing (fried wontons): Stick them in a freezer-safe, air-tight container. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

• Freezing (unfried wontons): Freeze the uncooked wontons on a sheet pan. (They’ll need about an hour to freeze solid.) Then, place them in freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

• Reheating: If you have an air fryer, that’s your best option for reheating. Pop chilled ones in for just a minute at 350 degrees. Fry the frozen wontons for 4 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can reheat cooked wontons in the oven for a few minutes.

Fry uncooked wontons following the directions on the recipe card.