Tofu and Vegetable Wontons

Looking for a fun appetizer that’s bursting with flavour? These Tofu and Vegetable Wontons are packed with umami and delicious veggie goodness. They’re paired with a bold, spicy, chilli dipping sauce, which totally hits the spot.

Tofu and Vegetable Wontons

These Tofu and Vegetable Wontons are proof that you can have great plant-based dumplings packed with flavour and nutrition. Made with crumbled tofu, a medley of vegetables, and an umami rich seasoning mix. You honestly can’t go wrong.

These tofu dumplings then get boiled until plump and tender (steaming and pan frying works great too!). Before being doused in a homemade chilli dipping sauce. This was the same dumpling sauce I served to clients as a private chef and it was always a total hit.

Tofu and veggie dumplings are also great for meal prepping. I keep a bag of these in the freezer at all times, they’re perfect for quick snacks or appetisers. You can find the instructions for freezing them under the Frequently asked questions section or in the notes of the recipe card.

What are wontons?

Wontons are a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made by wrapping a flavourful filling (often consisting of minced meat, vegetables, or tofu) in a thin dough wrapper. Popular across many Asian cuisines, they’re known for their delicate texture and versatility.

Wontons are commonly served boiled, steamed, or pan-fried, which is entirely down to personal preference. They can also be enjoyed in broths, with a drizzle of chilli oil, or with a dipping sauce. They’re great for appetisers or quick snacks!

Boiled vs Steamed vs Pan Fried dumplings

Dumplings can be cooked in several delicious ways – each offering a unique texture and flavour. Boiled dumplings are soft and tender, often served in a broth or with dipping sauces. This makes them perfect for soups or a light meal.

Steamed dumplings are delicate but with a lovely light chew to the wrapper. They often require a slightly longer cooking time in comparison to boiled. Due to the extra firmness of the wrapper, these are ideal for tossing in chilli oil or dunking in dipping sauces.

Pan-fried dumplings, also known as potstickers, have a crispy golden base and juicy interior. They deliver the perfect balance of crunch and softness. They’re made by pan frying the base of the dumplings in oil until golden and crisp. A splash of water is then added and the pan is covered with a lid. This steams the dumplings to finish the cooking process.

Why you’ll love these Tofu and Vegetable Wontons

• Delicious and full of umami
• Packed with plant-based protein
• Easy to make and therapeutic to fold
• Served with an epic homemade dipping sauce
• Perfect for meal prepping, dinner parties, or a fun activity

Wontons need a chili dipping sauce!

The best combination (in my opinion) are boiled dumplings tossed in a chilli dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is spicy, sour, sweet, and salty – which adds a burst of flavour to every bite.

There’s also extra aromatics and seasonings which really elevate this dumpling sauce. Namely fresh garlic, spring onions (scallions), coriander (cilantro), and toasted sesame oil. This was the same dipping sauce I served to clients during the time I worked as a private chef, and it was the star condiment of the night on many nights!

Let’s talk about some of the ingredients

I’ll cover the main ones below but the full recipe can be found at the end

• Wonton wrappers – you’ll find these in your local East Asian supermarkets (see below for the one I use)
• Extra firm tofu – the firmer the better as we don’t want a lot of moisture here (see below for the one I use)
• Vegetables – I recommend using carrots, edamame, mushrooms, and garlic chives (or spring onions/scallions)
• Mushroom sauce – this is a vegetarian oyster sauce alternative that I purchase from my local East Asian shop. If you don’t have this, substitute with a mixture of hoisin and dark soy sauce
• Chilli oil – you can either use your favourite one or make your own using my recipe here.
• Black vinegar – I use Chinkiang vinegar, also commonly known as Zhenjiang Xiangcu). Its flavour profile is quite acidic with a hint of sweetness and smokiness. If you don’t have this, feel free to use white rice vinegar
• Toasted sesame oil – this is quite a key finishing note for both the filling and the chilli dipping oil. The recipe will work fine without it, but won’t taste quite the same!

I use the House Foods brand of extra firm tofu with a firmness of 5/6. My local East Asian shop doesn’t stock the 6/6 but this still works perfectly!

This is the brand of wonton wrappers I regularly use. Some brands will state wonton wrappers on the front, but Shanghai pastry is pretty much the same. These are thinner than regular dumpling wrappers

The KEY tips for making wontons

1. Use pre-made wrappers for convenience – or make your own if you’re confident doing so. I used to make my own regularly while I worked as a private chef, it is a rewarding and therapeutic process but also more time-consuming
2. Keep the wrappers and wontons covered with a lightly damp towel – this will stop them from drying out. I keep my wrapped wontons in a tray lined with baking paper and covered with a lightly damp kitchen towel
3. Wet the edges to seal – the wrappers need to be moistened in the areas where they need to be sealed. Wet the tip of your finger in a bowl of cold water, and run it across the edges that will be sealed
4. Try and avoid air bubbles – squeeze these out if you see them and carefully seal the wontons tightly around the filling. These bubbles will expand as the wontons cook and can burst, especially if the water is vigorously boiling

How to make these Tofu and Vegetable Wontons

First, the Tofu and Vegetable Wontons

Start by blitzing the carrots, edamame, and shiitake mushrooms in a food processor until they’re all very finely chopped. I recommend doing each one separately to ensure even sizes

For the extra firm tofu, this can either be blitzed in a food processor as well, or simply just crushed by hand. To make the filling, start by sautéing the tofu and mushrooms

Continue to cook the tofu and mushrooms until the moisture has dried up and you start to see a small amount of caramelisation. At this point, add in the carrots, edamame, garlic, and ginger

Continue to cook the mixture together for 2-3 minutes before adding all the sauces and seasonings (listed in full in the recipe card below)

Continue you to cook the tofu and vegetable filling for a further 1-2 minutes. Then while still hot, add in the garlic chives, toasted sesame oil, and cornflour (this is corn starch for US readers and cornflour for UK). I prefer to transfer the mixture into a separate bowl to cool down

Once cooled completely, place a tablespoon of filling right in the centre of the wonton wrapper. Then, lightly wet the edges of the wrapper – this will help it to seal

Fold the wonton in half, sealing around the filling tightly. Try and avoid air bubbles here as they can puff up and burst during cooking (especially if boiled too rapidly). Next, wet one edge of the folded wonton

Bring both edges together and pinch tightly to seal

To prevent the wontons from drying out, place them into a tray lined with baking paper and cover with a lightly damp kitchen towel. When ready to cook, the wontons can either be simmered, steamed, or pan fried (all methods explained in the recipe card). My preference for wontons is simmering

Next, let’s make the chili dipping sauce

To make the spicy dumpling sauce, simply mix together the chilli oil, black vinegar, light soy sauce, sugar, garlic, coriander, spring onions, and toasted sesame oil

Next, add in the steaming hot wontons and gently toss them in the spicy wonton sauce to coat

Finally, finish with sliced spring onions and enjoy your spicy saucy tofu and vegetable wontons!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will these wontons keep? What’s the best way to store wontons?

Uncooked wontons will keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. The wrappers can start to dry out so I recommend doing a surface wrap with clingwrap (as best as possible) inside the container.

Cooked wontons will keep for up to 3-4 days refrigerated in an air tight container. To reheat, I’d recommend simmering or steaming, but microwaving them also works fairly well too.

Sauce Storage: Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

How to freeze these tofu and vegetable wontons

To Freeze: Place uncooked wontons on a baking tray lined with baking paper (make sure none of them are touching) and freeze until solid. Then, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: Boil, steam, or pan-fry straight from frozen. No need to thaw. Add an extra 2 minutes to the cooking time.

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

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Until then, happy wonton-making!