Today's Tofu Wonton recipe is the perfect delicious vegan appetizer, or light lunch/dinner recipe. It's made with plant-based simple ingredients, it's high in protein, and full of delicious flavor. These homemade 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 and avoid all the unnecessary additives found in pre-made ones.
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Tofu Wonton Ingredients:
These tofu wontons are the perfect homemade wonton recipe because they use super simple ingredients and they're easy to make.
For The Vegan Wontons:
- Square Wonton Wrappers - You can find square wonton wrappers in most local grocery stores, or at Asian grocery stores. Look for them near the tofu/vegan section. You can also use round wrappers, however, this will result in different shaped wontons.
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 it to the mix as well to avoid soggy wontons.
- 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.
- Green Onions - I love using green onions 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 of 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 to the tofu mixture in this recipe, 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 tofu mixture 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 overdo it!
For The Sweet And Spicy Chili Broth:
- 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 sweetness to the sauce. I absolutely love coconut aminos. It is naturally sweet, slightly salty, and SO flavorful. You can also use soy sauce or a soy sauce substitute like liquid aminos. I personally prefer coconut aminos over soy sauce, but whatever you have will work.
- 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 overdo it.
- Green Onions - Adds flavor and a little added crunch.
- Sesame Seeds - Adds crunch to the dipping sauce.
- Red Pepper Flakes - This ingredient is optional based on your desired spiciness. 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!
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Tofu Wontons:
Making this homemade tofu wonton recipe may be intimidating, but 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!
1. Begin by getting your ingredients prepped and ready. Chop the carrots into tiny cubes, and thinly slice the cabbage and the green onions.
2. Add the chopped carrots, green onions, and cabbage to a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat with the toasted sesame oil and Better Than Bouillon.
3. Crumble tofu on top and sauté until carrots and cabbage are soft and the crumbled tofu has absorbed the seasonings.
4. Lay out a wonton wrap on a flat surface and place a small scoop of the wonton filling in the middle. I like to measure out about a tablespoon's worth.
5. Wet one of the edges of the wrapper with a drop of water.
6. Fold in half and press to seal.
7. Wet the two corners and connect them in a ring shape.
8. At this point you can either add the tofu wontons to the air-fryer for 12 minutes at 390 or until golden brown, or you can steam them for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. I use a wooden steamer over boiling water in my wok and it works great.
Hint: If you want to make crispy wontons without deep frying, you can do so in the air-fryer, and spray them with a touch of oil to achieve the perfect golden brown hue.
Tofu Wonton Substitutions:
This Tofu Wonton is a great basic recipe. I say this because there are a lot of substitutions you can make to better suit 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. Or you can use other greens like bok choy or kale.
- Gluten-free - Unfortunately gluten-free wontons aren't really a thing. However, you use rice paper wraps as a gluten-free alternative. It's not perfect, but it's the next best thing. 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 the 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 basic recipe. These vegan wontons can be prepared in a couple of different ways!
- Spicy Wontons - 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. You can also dip these wontons in this sriracha aioli. I think this adds the perfect creamy spiciness.
- Cream Cheese - Add vegan cream cheese (I recommend Kite Hill) on the square wrappers along with the vegetable mixture. I recommend only doing this if you're planning on air-frying them. You will have to use less of the vegetable mixture to fit the cream cheese inside the middle of the wrapper.
- 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!
What You Will Need To Make These Vegan Tofu Wontons:
Equipment can always have an impact on how the recipe turns 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 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 wontons from sticking.
As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.
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 airtight container if steamed, and in an airtight 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.
Tofu Wonton Pairings:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Tofu Wonton Recipe:
If you try this Tofu Wonton recipe, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!
Tofu Wontons (2 Ways!)
Ingredients
For The Tofu Wontons:
- 1 package wonton wrappers there should be 30 in the package
- ½ head cabbage
- 2 medium carrots
- 4 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 green onions sliced
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
For The Tofu Wontons:
- Begin by getting your ingredients prepped and ready. Chop the carrots into tiny cubes, and thinly slice the cabbage and the green onions.
- Add the chopped carrots, green onions, and cabbage to a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat with the toasted sesame oil and Better Than Bouillon.
- Crumble tofu on top and sauté until carrots and cabbage are soft and the crumbled tofu has absorbed the seasonings.
- Lay out a wonton wrap on a flat surface and place a small scoop of the wonton filling in the middle. I like to measure out about a tablespoon's worth.
- Wet one of the edges of the wrapper with a drop of water. Fold in half and press to seal. Wet the two corners and connect them in a ring shape.
- At this point you can either add the tofu wontons to the air-fryer for 12 minutes at 390 or until golden brown, or you can steam them for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. I use a wooden steamer over boiling water in 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
Related Vegan Appetizers:
Looking for other Vegan Appetizer recipes like this? Try these:
Hilary
These tofu wontons were perfect! Super easy to make, and tasted incredible in the air fryer!
nancy
such lovely vegan wontons to get my dumpling cravings satisfied. The filling and flavour was lovely!