Today's Tofu Wonton recipes is the perfect delicious vegan appetizer, or light lunch/dinner recipe. It's made with plant based ingredients, it's high in protein, and full of flavor. These wontons can be made both steamed and air-fried!
Homemade wontons can be a delicious and healthy treat. I love making them myself, because I can add whatever vegetables, flavorings, or protein I want. When you make them at home you avoid all the preservatives, highly processed oils, and flavorings added to pre-made wontons.
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Tofu Wonton Ingredients:
For The Vegan Wontons:
- Wonton Wrappers - You can find wonton wrappers in any grocery store. Look for them near the tofu/vegan section. They're also available at Asian markets (you can find more variety there).
For The Tofu Wonton Filling:
- Extra Firm Tofu - It's important to use extra firm tofu, because the water content is lower, and therefore the filling won't be watery. I also recommend pressing the tofu with a press before adding to the mix as well.
- Green Cabbage - Both green cabbage and purple cabbage work perfectly. Purple cabbage will dye the entire filling blue/purple, so just keep that in mind.
- Scallions - I love using scallions for recipes like this tofu wonton where you need to pack a lot of flavor in a little bite. They're super flavorful, and don't take up a lot a space in the filling.
- Carrots - I love the flavor combination of carrots and cabbage. You can prepare the carrots any way you like. I personally just like to mince them.
- Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base - If you're unfamiliar with Better Than Bouillon, allow me to let you in on this secret ingredient. I add it to anything I am sautéing. It adds so much flavor, and a little goes a long way. Make sure you only use the Seasoned Vegetable Base, because it's the only vegan flavor.
- Toasted Sesame Oil - If you want to make this recipe oil-free, sauté the filling with vegetable broth. Toasted Sesame Oil is one of my favorite Asian flavors, so I love adding it to recipes like this. A little goes a long way, so make sure not to overdue it!
For The Sweet And Spicy Sauce:
- Vegetable Broth - I love using vegetable broth as the base for many of my sauces. It's loaded with flavor, and it's low in calories. I like to use a low-sodium vegetable broth for this sauce, because it is on the saltier side.
- Coconut Aminos - This is what adds the sweetness to the sauce. I absolutely love coconut aminos. It is naturally sweet, slightly salty, and SO flavorful.
- Sriracha - Another one of my favorite condiments. Be careful when choosing sriracha, because many of them are full of sugar and preservatives. I linked my favorite brand - It's full of vegetables, and doesn't have any added sweeteners.
- Toasted Sesame Oil - I like to add a little toasted sesame oil to the sauce to bring out all the flavors. Again a little goes a long way, so make sure not to overdue it.
- Scallions - Adds flavor and a little added crunch.
- Sesame Seeds - Adds texture, and it looks pretty haha.
- Red Pepper Flakes - This ingredient is optional based on the amount of spiciness you want. I personally love spicy food, so I add lots of red pepper flakes, but it is totally up to you if you want to add them or not!
How To Make Tofu Wontons:
Making this tofu wonton recipe may be a bit intimidating, however I promise this recipe is quite easy to make. Making homemade vegan wontons may seem tedious, but once you get in a flow it goes by quickly!
Begin by getting your ingredients ready, and chopping the carrots, cabbage, and scallions into small pieces.
Add the chopped carrots, scallions, and cabbage to a wok with the toasted sesame oil and Better Than Bouillon.
Crumble the tofu on top and sauté until carrots and cabbage is soft.
Lay out a wonton wrap and place the cooked filling in the middle. I like to measure out about a tablespoon.
Wet ½ the wonton with water.
Fold in half.
Wet the two corners and connect them.
At this point you can either add the tofu wontons to the air-fryer, or you can steam them. I use a wooden steamer on my wok and it works great.
Hint: lf you're wanting to make crispy wontons in the air-fryer, spray them with. a touch of oil to achieve the perfect golden hue.
Tofu Wonton Substitutions:
This Tofu Wonton is a great base recipe. I say this, because there are a lot of substitutions you can make to better suite it to your personal preference. Here are some easy substitutions.
- Cabbage - instead of green cabbage, you can use any variety such as purple, napa, or savory.
- Gluten-free - unfortunately gluten-free wontons aren't really a thing. However you use rice paper wraps for a gluten-free alternative. I recommend using 2 wraps instead of 1 so it will stick together better. The wontons will not have to cook as long either.
- Protein - I completely understand that tofu isn't for everyone, however these vegan wontons can be made with all types of protein. You can use TVP (make sure to soak it in vegetable broth first), Tempeh, or red lentils for a soy-free option.
If you have any questions about substitutions, leave a comment and I'll get right back to you!
Vegan Wonton Variations:
Like I said before, this tofu wonton recipe is a great base recipe. These vegan wontons can be prepared a couple different ways!
- Spicy - add some sriracha, or hot sauce to the filling to make them extra spicy. You can also make them buffalo style by adding buffalo to the mix, air frying them, and dipping them in vegan ranch.
- Cream Cheese - add vegan cream cheese (I recommend Kite Hill) for a creamy wonton. I recommend only doing this is you're planning on air-frying them.
- Soup - add the steamed wontons to some vegetable broth for a wonton soup. You can also replace the noodles in recipes like my Best Vegan Pho, or Thai Green Curry Ramen with the wontons. Simply add them when you have about 5 minutes left of cooking!
Equipment:
Equipment can always have an impact on how the recipe turned out. Here's what you'll need for this vegan wonton recipe.
Air-Fryer - Any air-fryer will work. However keep in mind that every air-fryer cooks slightly differently, so you'll want to keep a close eye on your air-fried wontons. This is the air-fryer I use.
Steamer - You can use a wooden steamer like I did, or you can steam them in a pot, or with a steamer. I honestly love the wooden steamer, because the wontons never get stuck and rip.
Wok - Although a wok isn't necessary, I recommend it. It's much easier to sauté vegetables in, and it works great with the steamer mentioned above.
Parchment Paper - I recommend using parchment paper for both the steaming method, and the air fryer method. It helps prevent to wontons from sticking.
You can find most my kitchen equipment linked on my Amazon storefront.
Tofu Wonton Storage:
Vegan wontons do not store super well, since they are meant to be eaten fresh. I recommend storing these tofu wontons in the sauce, in an air-tight container if steamed, and in an air tight container if air-fried. They will keep for about 3 days in the fridge. The air-fried wontons won't hold the crisp, so you'll need to reheat them if you have leftovers.
Top Tip
Let the steamed wontons sit in the sauce for about 10 minutes. This helps them absorb more flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Wontons are a very popular traditional Asian dish. Typically they are not vegan, and they are loaded with meat, dairy, and refined ingredients. Therefore they are usually not healthy. However, if made like these tofu wontons, they can be very healthy.
Dumplings and Wontons may look very similar, but they are not the same. Wontons have much thinner wrappings than dumplings, wontons always have fillings, but dumplings don't, and wontons are not always served with a sauce, whereas dumplings almost always are.
Related Vegan Appetizers:
Looking for other Vegan Appetizer recipes like this? Try these:
Tofu Wonton Pairings:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Tofu Wonton Recipe:
Tofu Wontons
Ingredients
For The Tofu Wontons:
- 1 package wonton wraps there should be 30 in the package
- ½ head cabbage
- 2 medium carrots
- 4 scallions AKA green onions
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base
For The Sweet And Spicy Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon sriracha
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 scallions sliced
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
For The Tofu Wontons:
- Begin by getting your ingredients ready, and chopping the carrots, cabbage, and scallions into small pieces.
- Add the chopped carrots, scallions, and cabbage to a wok with the toasted sesame oil and Better Than Bouillon.
- Crumble the tofu on top and sauté until carrots and cabbage is soft.
- Lay out a wonton wrap and place the cooked filling in the middle. I like to measure out about a tablespoon.
- Wet ½ the wonton with water, fold in half, and then connect the two corners together.
- At this point you can either add the tofu wontons to the air-fryer, or you can steam them. I use a wooden steamer on my wok and it works great.
For The Sweet And Spicy Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
Food Safety.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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