🥬🥕 This EASY, Chinese-inspired Wonton Soup recipe is made in ONE pot, ready in 25 minutes, and is faster than calling for takeout! Loaded with an array of healthy vegetables and tender chicken wontons, it’s such a flavorful and satisfying soup without being heavy.
Easy Wonton Soup Recipe
One of the easiest Chinese-inspired soups to make is wonton soup, especially when you use frozen wonton noodles as I do in this recipe. Here are a few reasons it has a five-star review:
- It’s made in one pot, and it’s ready in 20 minutes, which is faster than calling for takeout.
- This classic Chinese soup has a wonderfully savory broth and along with a variety of veggies including mushrooms, carrots, green onions, and bok choy.
- If you’re in need of a soup that’s quick and easy to prepare and full of flavor without unnecessary fat or calories, this is just the one to warm you up!
First time making wonton soup. So delicious. Recipe was easy to follow and flavor combinations were perfect. Most of the ingredients were already in my kitchen. Will definitely make again for a large crowd. Thanks Averie.
Barbara Austin
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mushrooms, carrots, and green onions (scallions): I use diced shiitake mushrooms, but you can experiment and see what you like best. Cremini mushrooms, brown mushrooms, or another more exotic mushroom, I’m sure would be fine. If you’re not a fan, you can omit the mushrooms. I would add more carrots or bok choy
- Bok choy: This is a quintessential ingredient for this easy Asian wonton soup. Treat it like celery, trimming off the bottom white root area and the top bit of leaves if they’re raggedy. If you can find baby bok choy in your local supermarket, that’s great too, and I prefer it.
- Flavoring and seasoning: Garlic, ginger (fresh ginger is great, but ground ginger will work), honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, kosher salt, and pepper to taste. If you don’t want the look of black pepper, white pepper is a nice trick for this pale broth
- Chicken broth: I like using reduced-sodium broth, so I can control the salt level more easily. If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, vegetable broth may be used
- Wontons: I used frozen chicken and vegetable-filled wontons. If you see wontons with ground pork or turkey, they’ll work fine too. Items going by the name ‘dumplings’ or ‘potstickers‘ will also work in this Chinese wonton soup recipe. You can use vegetarian (no chicken) if preferred
- Garnishes: All optional, but additional green onions, cilantro, or another favorite fresh herb will work. A splash of rice vinegar to the pot of soup can be a good addition
Can I add shrimp or chicken?
If you’d like to add protein, you certainly may. If you’re using small to medium fresh shrimp, add them when you add the wontons. They’ll cook in about 3 minutes – very quickly, so don’t overcook them!
If you’re using previously cooked shrimp or previously cooked and shredded chicken, add them at the very end, just for a minute or so, and long enough to warm them through.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Wonton Soup in 25 Minutes
While you’re prepping the soup, take the wontons out of your freezer and let them sit out. They don’t have to be fully thawed when you add them to the broth. The uncooked wontons will do their cooking in the soup broth.
- To a large Dutch oven or deep skillet, add the mushrooms, carrots, white parts of green onions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sauté over medium-high heat until tender.
- Add the broth, soy sauce, honey, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Then, add the bok choy. Simmer for a couple of minutes or until the bok choy wilts.
- Add the wontons and cook until the wontons float.
- Grab your spoon, garnish, and serve immediately.
Can I use homemade wontons that I make myself with wonton paper?
You probably can, but I’ve never tried making this soup with anything other than frozen wontons. Like fresh pasta, I assume that fresh wontons will cook very quickly compared to commercially-prepared wontons, so watch the cooking time.
what to serve with homemade wonton soup
Wonton Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven (or soup pot)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, if necessary
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced small or quartered (discard the stems)
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 3 or 4 green onions, sliced into thin rounds, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger); or to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth, I use reduced sodium
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 4 pieces bok choy, green and white parts, cleaned, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced into 2-inch pieces (use about 4 pieces from a large bok choy plant OR about 3 baby bok choy that you slice into 2-inch pieces; use your judgment for quantity based on your preference for it; it does wilt significantly)
- 12 ounces mini frozen chicken wontons, partially thawed so set them out when you start making the soup (I use chicken and vegetable wontons; potstickers may be substituted; see FAQs for more info)
- fresh cilantro or other fresh herbs, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or high-sided pot, add the sesame oil, olive oil if desired, the mushrooms, carrots, about 2/3 of the green onions (white and green parts; reserve the other 1/3 for garnishing), garlic, ginger, and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until mushrooms and carrots have softened. Stir frequently.
- Add the broth, soy sauce, honey, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the boy choy as desired, and allow it to simmer in the broth for about 3-5 minutes, or until wilted.
- Add the wontons and simmer for about 3 minutes, or until they're done. Tips – When they float, it usually means they're done. I don't thaw them completely, but usually if I take them out when I start the soup, by the time I add them now, they're partially thawed.
- Taste the soup, and as desired, make any necessary seasoning adjustment. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or chili garlic sauce if you want it spicier.
- Garnish with the remaining green onions, optional cilantro or herbs, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thank You Avery. This is a great recipe which we all enjoyed. I’m sure the leftovers will be just as good
Thanks, Tom, for the 5 star review and I’m glad you all enjoyed it and have some tasty leftovers in store!
Delicious!
A real winner!!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Dolly, and I’m glad to hear this soup was a real winner!
This recipe is so easily prepared and delicious.
Thanks for the five star review. Caroline, and I’m glad it was easy and delicious!
I rushed to Trader Joe’s and got the ingredients and made it. My husband and I loved it! I too, live in Sand Diego and it is perfect for this cold rain we are getting. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Anna, and I’m so glad this was a big hit and that you raced to TJs for the ingredients! I live in San Diego too and the weather is as bad and nasty as it gets (for San Diego) and I’m glad this kept you cozy!
First time making wonton soup. So delicious. Recipe was easy to follow and flavor combinations were perfect. Most of the ingredients were already in my kitchen. Will definitely make again for a large crowd. Thanks Averie.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Barbara, and I’m so glaad to hear that this was easy and the flavor combinations were perfect and you already had much of the ingredients on hand and that you’ll make it again!
This recipe sounds delicious! Is there any other substitute for the wontons? Would noodles work, or something else? I am asking because most of the wontons and potstickers have sugar in them and I’m looking for less ingredients and no sugar.
I love your recipes!!!
Thank you!!
Yes you could drop in some noodles that you know will work for your dietary goals and needs. You could also add some cooked and shredded chicken or extra veggies based on what you think you’d prefer.
Excellent! I was laughing as there were only two bags of the wontons at TJ’s today, everything else was full! Perfect soup for a blustery rainy day. Guess everyone read their recipe emails today and rushed to buy the wontons..I had cooked shredded chicken and i added it. Next time i won’t…it isn’t needed and takes away from the vegies and ginger. Try this you will be glad you did!
Haha that’s funny about this recipe causing a rush on wontons at TJ’s today! Doubtful but it’s fun to think about. I am glad to hear you don’t think it needs cooked/shredded chicken and that the chicken may actually take away from the broth and flavor. Glad to hear it was perfect for a blustery rainy day! I’m in San Diego and it’s as blustery and rainy as it ever gets here!