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    Home / Appetizers

    Simple Fried Cream Cheese Wontons

    By 18 Comments

    Let's talk about Asian food. It's all amazing. I could literally eat it every day. And my favorite way to begin any Asian meal is with these Simple Fried Cream Cheese Wontons. So I finally decided to try my hand at frying. That's right, my previous frying experience is next to nil. But the temptation to eat fresh wontons in the comfort of my own home made me do it. I was helpless to resist. I bet you will be too once you see how crazy easy it is!

    Jump to Recipe
    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal!

    Simple Wonton Ingredients

    • Cream Cheese - I prefer to stick with full fat, quality cream cheese here. The fat helps keep the cream cheese from getting watery and leaking out while frying.
    • Shallots - I adore shallots. I replace onions with this sweeter little brother any time I can. They also have a low water content, which helps keep the filling thick.
    • Granulated White Sugar - It may seem a bit odd to add sugar, but this is the perfect complement to the tangy cream cheese. The sweetness brings out the flavor of the shallots too.
    • Wonton Wrappers - These are often found in the freezer aisle near frozen breads or Asian foods. Make sure to give yourself enough time to defrost the wrappers. They're thin, so they don't take too long.

    How to make Dairy Free Wontons

    Thanks to all the wonderful dairy free options available, making these wontons dairy free is as simple as swapping the cream cheese with a dairy free cream cheese. I love the Miyokos brand best, made with cashew milk.

    How to make gluten free wontons

    Finding ready made gluten free wontons has been a challenge, but if you can find them (usually in the freezer section), just use those. However, Gluten Free on a Shoestring has an awesome gluten free wonton recipe using just a few ingredients.

    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal!

    Kids Love Wontons Too!

    That's my 2 year old daughters hand dipping her wonton there. I had no clue the kids would like these so much, but they were all chowing down. So there's another reason to make these. AND they can be super cheap to make. AND it's easy to make a ton in no time at all, so they're the perfect party food. That's like a million reasons right there. What more do you need?

    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal!

    How to fry wontons

    Look how cute and perfect they came out? This is with no previous experience. I've made them many times now, but I'm still no expert, however this recipe is so easy that they've come out perfect every time! So if you've never fried anything before, don't be intimidated, it's really quite simple!

    • In a heavy-bottomed deep pan, pour 3-4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat on medium until 350°F, using a candy thermometer to track the temperature.
    • Once oil is hot, use a slotted spoon or frying strainer to gently place 4-5 wontons in at a time and leave for about 1 minute until lightly browned. If they flip or turn, gently coax them so the points are up and the filling stays in.
    • Once cooked, remove wontons from the oil and place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet or paper towels underneath to catch the dripping oil. 
    • Repeat with the remaining wontons until they're all fried. Watch your temperature as you fry and adjust your heat as needed to keep it close to 350 degrees F as possible.

    A few easy frying tips

    • A few oils can be used for frying wontons, but those with a high smoke point are peanut, vegetable or corn oil. I use vegetable oil because it is most readily available and inexpensive.
    • Just 3 to 4 inches of oil is enough to cover the wontons and this will conserve oil as well as make it easier to keep the temperature steady.
    • Use a good candy thermometer to watch the temperature closely.
    • These wontons are made to fry completely with the points facing up, so that the bottom and sides fry and help close the pinched edges and keep the filling from falling out. If they turn over, just gently coax them back so the points are up.

    Shallots in Wontons

    Shallots are my favorite onion. They're so sweet and such a perfect size for smaller recipes. I use these more than any other kind of onion. Like in my Balsamic Fig Sauce and my Quinoa Side Dish with Spinach and Bacon.

    After digging around online, I finally found a great explanation why shallots are so amazing. They have an intensified sweet onion flavor but have a much lower water content, so they can be added to fillings and sauces without watering them down.

    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal!

    Yikes, those look amazing! Why don't we all eat Asian food all the stinkin' time? They seriously know what they're doing.

    I used a pre-made dipping sauce from Trader Joe's called Sweet Chili Sauce. It did the job just fine, but my next mission is to make an amazing dipping sauce for these babies.

    If you love recipes using wonton wrappers, try these Baked Wonton Cups Filled With Sumi Salad. It makes for a delicious and light appetizer that can be made ahead of time!

    How to Make Ahead

    Uncooked wontons can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Simply place prepared (not fried) wontons on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper, being sure they don't touch one another. Then cover the wontons with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

    When ready to fry, remove from refrigerator and place them straight into the frying oil and proceed with recipe as outlined below.

    How to Freeze Wontons

    Freezing fried wontons is actually very easy! Once drained and cooled, place fried wontons together into a freezer safe bag and label with date. Place in a safe spot in the freezer where they won't get bumped around too much, since frozen wonton wrappers can become brittle and break. Wontons will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal!

    Fried Cream Cheese Wontons

    4 ingredients—super quick to prep and fry.
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 24 wontons
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

    Ingredients

    • 1 8oz package cream cheese use full-fat for best results—keep cream cheese cold until ready to use
    • 1 medium shallot diced (or 2 small shallots)
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 package wonton wrappers found in the freezer section of your grocery store
    • 1 egg

    Instructions

    • Defrost the wonton wrappers by setting on the counter at room temp for about 30 minutes.
    • In a medium bowl, using a spoon, stir together cream cheese, diced shallot and sugar until combined. 
    • In a small bowl, whisk up your egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Set nearby.
    • Place about 2 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in the middle of each wonton. Dip your finger in the egg mixture and dab a little onto the center part of each side. Press opposing sides together and pinch in the center to enclose the cream cheese. 
    • Don't worry if they flop over a bit, they'll perk up when you fry them.
    • In a heavy-bottomed deep pan, pour 3-4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat on medium until 350°F, using a candy thermometer.
    • Once oil is hot, use a slotted spoon or frying spoon strainer to gently place 4-5 wontons in at a time and leave for about 1 minute until lightly browned. If they flip or turn, gently coax them so the points are up and the filling stays in.
    • Once cooked, remove wontons from the oil and place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet or paper towels underneath to catch the dripping oil. 
    • Repeat with the remaining wontons until they're all fried. Watch your temperature as you fry and adjust your heat as needed to keep it close to 350°F. 
    • I like to serve immediately, but you can keep them in a warm oven up to 30 minutes to keep them hot for whenever you're ready to serve. Enjoy!!!!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0g | Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Cream cheese wontons. So easy! So much flavor and so quick to fry up! Great appetizer for any meal! #creamcheese #wontons #fried #easy #appetizer

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vicky Silva

      March 02, 2023 at 8:03 pm

      I made them , the family loved them.

      Reply
    2. Abby

      February 14, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      Third time making these. Altered recipe by adding eight oz. of finely chopped crabmeat, Cut down on shallots( personal preference) and cooked in basket style af for seven minutes at 345* FABULOUS

      Reply
    3. Abby Levine

      February 13, 2021 at 3:23 am

      5 stars
      I have made this before and they’re wonderful Rangoons. My niece would like me to make this with crab meat. How much crab meat should I add to your recipe? And do you have any tips for air frying this? Thank you

      Reply
      • Amy

        February 13, 2021 at 12:16 pm

        Hi Abby, thank you for your comment! I haven't tried air-frying these yet, but I'll let you know. I'm so glad you loved them! I would cut the cream cheese in half and add do equal parts with crab meat.

        Reply
    4. Jade

      December 07, 2020 at 4:50 pm

      Can you make then with spring roll papers

      Reply
      • Amy

        December 07, 2020 at 5:38 pm

        Spring roll papers are not made to be fried (as far as I know), so no I would not recommend. I've seen gluten free wonton wrappers made from coconut flour in the frozen section though, if you're looking for a GF substitute, try that!

        Reply
    5. Tracy Schmidt

      October 10, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Alternate dipping sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise and icing (confectioners) sugar in fairly equal amounts.

      I know it sounds weird, but it’s good!

      Making it today for a pot luck.

      Reply
      • Amy

        October 11, 2020 at 9:08 pm

        Ooh, thank you for the tip Tracy! I'll have to try that next time.

        Reply
      • Elisabeth Lundberg

        January 10, 2024 at 8:46 pm

        To Tracy, that's similar to a Chinese cream sauce that is used on shrimp or prawns, is a favorite of mine. Add some lemon juice, whip cream, granulated white sugar (instead of confectioners) and you'll have it! Nuts are usually added to it as well like cashews or walnuts. I know you can find a recipe online for it but some people play with the ingredients amounts. ❤️

        Reply
    6. Rana

      June 06, 2020 at 11:18 am

      Can i bake them instead?

      Reply
      • Amy

        June 06, 2020 at 7:09 pm

        I haven't tried baking these, but I've seen that it can be done based on other recipes. Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Be sure the edges are sealed so they don't burst open. Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    7. Leianne Frett

      April 18, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      5 stars
      I tried these out and they were perfect. My family loved them

      Reply
      • Amy

        April 19, 2020 at 4:09 pm

        I'm so glad! They're a favorite of my whole family too!

        Reply
    8. Sam

      January 08, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      can I make them before hand and fry them last minute ?

      Reply
      • Amy

        January 08, 2020 at 7:28 pm

        Hi Sam! I haven't tried it this way, I'd be concerned they wouldn't stick together well enough to wait to fry. But you could certainly make the filling ahead of time, and I would guess you can fry them and reheat in the oven. When I get a chance to experiment I'll let you know!

        Reply
      • Kristina

        July 14, 2022 at 8:12 pm

        5 stars
        Freeze after wrapping if wanting to make at a later time. Quick sweet sour saucesauce boil 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water (sometimes I drain pineapple juice from rings and add 2)3 cup water and onions and pineapple if making sweet sour chicken too) 1/2 cup ketchup (organic taste best) 1/2 cup of rice white or cider vinegar (I prefer rice) boil for about 15 minutes Make a rue with a 1/2 teaspoon or so with cornstarch to further thicken if needed and further boil 2 minutes or so stirring to consistency. Great recipe adding crab and garlic is delicious too!!

        Reply
    9. Patty Purcell

      September 14, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      These look delicious and so easy!

      Reply
      • Amy

        October 23, 2018 at 11:54 am

        They are! You should definitely try them!

        Reply
    4 from 22 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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