Does anyone else here LOVE the Chinese buffet? The food is definitely not healthy and not traditional Chinese food (unless you’re lucky and live in a diverse metropolitan area). However, I have rarely met anyone who can avoid the call of the Chinese buffet staple, the cream cheese wonton. You wouldn’t believe how easy and cheap these are to make at home, so I’m sharing my Cream Cheese Wonton Recipe today! Here’s what you’ll need.
You might also like this homemade ramen soup recipe!
Cream Cheese Wonton Recipe
Ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Green onions
- Wonton wrappers
- Garlic powder
- Vegetable oil
Two quick notes: I don’t deep fry my wontons. I lightly fry them with a few tablespoons of oil. They still get crunchy and yummy, but are slightly healthier. You of course can deep fry them if you want to. Also, wonton wrappers can always be found in a grocery store next to the tofu. Or if you have a local Asian grocery store, they’ll be half the price and you’ll be supporting local businesses!
Pop a whole brick of cream cheese, about 8 ounces, into a bowl. Pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds on half power, mixing in between until it’s just a little softer and mixable. Then chop up 3-4 green onions and throw them in.
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Next your’e going to add garlic powder to taste. In my house, that means A LOT. We go through fresh garlic and garlic powder at the speed of light. Mix it all together really well. Now you’re going to get your things set up to make the wontons. I have a cutting board to work on, a pile of wrappers, the cream cheese mixture, a plate to put the wontons on, and a small bowl of warm water to seal the wrappers.
I use the wrapping method my local Chinese buffet uses, but there are a bunch of different ways to fold wonton wrappers. If you’re feeling creative, do a search and you’ll find plenty of tutorials on more complicated methods. However, in my house speed is super important when it comes to prepping food, and this is the fastest method for making these.
Place a wrapper diagonally on your work surface, and fill it with about a tablespoon of cream cheese. Dip your finger into the water bowl, and wet the bottom two sides of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper up around the filling, meeting the two top points first and then pinching the edges closed. Make sure to squeeze out any extra air around the filling. Then I gently flatten the mound of filling just a bit to have more of the wrapper touch the pan since I don’t use a lot of oil.
Go ahead and pop your filled wonton on a plate, and then make a bunch more! When you’re ready to cook, heat a non stick pan on medium high heat, and put about 3-5 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pan. I just eye it now, so you may need to use more or less depending on your pan size. While the oil is heating up, line a plate with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the oil off the cooked wontons, which keeps them crispy instead of mushy.
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Set your wontons in the pan with enough space for them to breathe, and cook them until one side is brown and crispy. Flip them over with tongs, and cook until the other side is done. The second side will usually cook much faster, so keep an eye on them. When they’re done, place them on your paper towel lined plate and let them cool just a bit before serving.
I hope you all enjoy making this Cream Cheese Wonton Recipe at home! This is also a great beginner recipe for older kids!
