This vegan wonton soup is made with savory shiitake mushroom stuffed wontons and napa cabbage in a light gingery broth. It's delicious, comforting and surprisingly easy to make!
Wonton soup is the first thing I think of when I think about classic Chinese comfort food dishes. There's so much about it to love, between the tender dumplings, veggies and piping hot gingery broth.
But there's one thing I don't love about classic wonton soup: pork. In fact, I wasn't even a fan of wonton soup when I was a kid, because even back in my omnivore days I didn't like pork.
I finally decided to create a wonton soup recipe that I could really enjoy (and of course that fits in with my current diet!). So that's where this vegan wonton soup recipe was born. It uses only ingredients that I LOVE, like napa cabbage and wontons stuffed with shiitake mushrooms instead of meat.
The recipe is also pretty darn easy. The trickiest part is folding the wontons, and that's really not that tricky at all! I'll walk you through the process below.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Shiitake mushrooms. These are the base for our vegan wontons. Shiitakes go great with the other flavors in this soup, like garlic and ginger, and they have the perfect texture for stuffing dumplings.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Soy sauce. Tamari and liquid aminos both work just fine as substitutes.
- Toasted sesame oil. This is for flavoring our filling. Look for it in the international foods aisle of your supermarket.
- Liquid smoke. This ingredient is totally optional! It's a polarizing one and not everyone is a fan of the intensely smoky flavor. If you're one of the folks that like liquid smoke, absolutely use it! It will give the filling a flavor similar to that of traditional pork wontons. You can find it in the supermarket near the barbecue sauce.
- Scallions. You might also know these as green onions.
- Wonton wrappers. Be careful and make sure you check the ingredients. Not all wonton wrappers are vegan, and many brands use egg. Both Twin Marquis and Dynasty make vegan wonton wrappers, and I've found both brands at regular supermarkets in the freezer. You can also look for them at Asian markets.
- Vegetable oil. Just about any high-heat oil will work. Canola oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil will all work!
- Vegetable broth.
- Napa cabbage.
- Rice vinegar.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Make the filling first. Simply stir together finely chopped shiitakes, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, optionally liquid smoke, and chopped scallions.
Make your wontons next. Here's how to do that:
- Lay a wonton wrapper on a work surface and place some filling in the center. Moisten the edges using a finger dipped in some water.
- Fold the wrapper in half over the filling. Press the edges together to form a seal.
- Grab the two corners of the triangle that are furthest from each other, bring them together, and pinch tightly. You can moisten the corners a bit to help them stick together.
Now to start on the soup! Sauté some ginger and garlic in a bit of oil. Make sure to stir them constantly to prevent burning.
Add the broth, raise the heat and bring it to a boil.
Carefully add the wontons to the soup. Gently give them a stir, and boil them just until they all float. Make sure not to overcook the wontons or they'll get mushy.
Stir in shredded napa cabbage, then immediately remove the pot from heat. The hot broth should quickly wilt the cabbage.
Tip: Be super careful when adding wontons to the soup. They tend to splash!
Remove the pot from heat and stir in some rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Your vegan wonton soup is ready to enjoy! Top it with chopped scallions. I also like to serve mine with some hot sauce on the side.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan wonton soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce and use gluten-free vegan wonton wrappers. If you can't find them at the store, try using homemade wraps.
Other varieties of mushrooms, like white button mushrooms should work just fine. Otherwise you could try a mixture of veggies like I used in my vegetable potstickers, or a crumbled tofu mixture like I used in my tofu potstickers.
More Asian-Inspired Vegan Soups
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Wonton Soup
Ingredients
For the Wontons
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 16 vegan wonton wrappers (Note 1), or more as needed (up to about 20)
For the Wonton Soup
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Soy sauce, to taste (or salt)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 scallions, chopped
Instructions
Make the Wontons
- Clean the shiitake mushrooms and remove the stems. Finely dice the caps and place them in a medium bowl. Stir in the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, liquid smoke, if using, and scallion.
- Fill a small bowl with water. Arrange a wonton wrapper on work surface.
- Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center or the wrapper. Dip your fingers in water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold it in half, diagonally, over the filling to create a triangle. Press the edges of the wrapper together to create a seal.
- Draw the side corners of the wrapper inward, join and press them together to seal, creating a loop.
- Repeat until all of the filling and wrappers are used.
Make the Wonton Soup
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the vegetable oil and place it over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger. Sauté the aromatics for 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Add the broth, raise the heat, and bring it to a boil.
- Carefully add the wontons to the broth (Note 2). Allow the soup to simmer until all of the wontons float, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the napa cabbage, then remove the pot from heat.
- Stir in the rice vinegar and sesame oil, then season the soup with soy sauce or salt to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with scallions. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you read the ingredients on your wonton wrappers, as many brands contain egg. Twin Marquis and Dynasty both make vegan wrappers.
- They tend to splash! I find the safest route is to add them one at a time, keeping in mind that you need to be relatively quick when adding them, as they cook fast.
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So you don’t cook the cabbage at all? Is it crunchy?
You don't need to cook it. Napa cabbage is delicate, so it wilts very quickly in the hot broth.
I followed the recipe exactly the first time and it was indeed delicious. The second time I made a few changes; though I am vegetarian, I personally don’t mind consuming chicken broth (though you can find some pretty good “no chicken” chicken broth online or at Whole Foods). Second time around I used chicken bone broth instead and added minced baked tofu, shredded carrot, and cabbage to my wonton filling. I also sautéed some leeks with the ginger and garlic in sesame oil before adding my broth. Whatever route you go, this is a wonderful soup that warms the body and the soul and I look forward to making it again.
I don't quite know how to use the veggie broth from Better than Bullion. Can you please tell me how much water and powder you used to make the veggie broth?
It's actually a paste, and I think the ratio is 1 teaspoon per cup of water. The jar has the instructions printed on on it.
Hi, may I ask what vegetable broth are you using?
I have just made this for the 3rd time. It is delicious! The ingredients are simple and readily available. I've used Swiss brown mushrooms as shiitake are hard to get where I live. One time I just made the broth with some soba noodles and baby pack choi which was less filling but still delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
What vegetable broth exactly do you use for this ? Thank you!
I usually use Better Than Bullion - it's my favorite!
This recipe is amazing!!! Sooo goood thank you so much for sharing this deliciousness! You can totally also freeze the wontons if you have extra and they are still great!
Holy flavour! I made mine with three types of mushrooms and I added crumbled firm tofu to my filling. I also added enoki mushrooms and Bok Choi and a teaspoon of miso paste to my broth. It was incredible. Thank you for the guidance on my first time making wonton soup. :)
Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Enoki mushrooms sound like a great addition!
Really great recipe. I don't think my homemade veg broth was quite right for the flavours, so I added a smidge of miso and some extra garlic and ginger. I also added a bit of TVP to the filling. I'd probably reduce or omit the liquid smoke next time. I was so upset with myself though. I did a bloody brilliant job wrapping those wontons, but I wasn't thinking about storing leftovers so I left them in the broth leaving them to fully unravel, lol. Husband couldn't care less though, he's going to scarf down the rest of it tonight anyway, I'm sure.
I'm so glad you like it! I've done that myself, and I actually usually end up sending the leftovers to work with my husband - he doesn't mind either! Thanks so much Vanessa!
This is delicious!!!! I couldn’t ask for a vegan wonton recipe. I do terribly at wrapping the wontons themselves but I survived. Ha!
Lol! Glad it worked out and glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jessica!
Looking forward to trying this. It sounds like the perfect light meal for a cold evening.
This is the first time on your site and will definitely be back. I love how you just tell it like it is and are so down to earth.
Thank you so much Jewel! I'm so glad you like the site. Enjoy your wonton soup!!
Made this tonight, it was a big hit. This is going to definitely be in rotation. We did not use the liquid smoke and it tasted fine. Now we gotta figure out what to do with the remaining wonton wraps. Thanks!
Yay!! I'm so glad it was a hit! Thanks Penny!
I make wontons all the time, and I suck at wrapping them too. I started making them in bulk cause they take so much time, and freezing them for later. Freezing the wonton really helped so that it doesn't unwrap as much while boiling, after I discovered this I do it all the time!
That's such a great idea - I can't believe I never thought to try it! I'll definitely give it a go with my next batch. Thanks Steph!
Love the idea of being able to freeze the wontons! Do you thaw them first or pop them frozen into the stock? How much longer to they take to cook? Thanks.
Liquid smoke just about ruined it. I’m still enjoying it, but no liquid smoke for me next time.
Tonight is our 5th or 6th time making this recipe in recent years. I cooked a double batch and used some "Hen of the Woods" mushroom stock I recently made from some foraged wild mushrooms. (Wish I still had some of the actual mushrooms for the wontons!). Recipe came out awesome, as always. This is one of our favorite soup recipes. Thanks so much!
That sounds delicious! I'd love to try this with some hen of the woods stock. I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe! Thanks Eric!
This was sooo yummy, even if my wontons were a little ugly! Thanks for sharing! 😁
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Super yummy! The ginger inside the wontons was a little much for us so next time I will leave that out and maybe put a little extra in the broth :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow, minus the oils. Yum!
I hope you enjoy!!
i thought soy sauce wasnt vegan?
You're probably thinking of Worcestershire sauce - many brands are made with anchovy paste!
My husband and I both loved this recipe....it is especially light for the hot summertime. Yes, I cheated somewhat....I used some frozen vegetable pot-stickers that were in the freezer and sauteed some mushrooms for the broth. I will keep this recipe "on file".
Frozen potstickers are a great way to simplify this one! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Christel!
I loved this soup! I was requested to try to make wonton soup. :) And this is the recipe I settled on. I doubled the filling volume by blending in some firm tofu to add some protein. And it came out great. I substituted spinach for the napa because it is what I had at home. Somehow my wontons held together too. I'll be making this again.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Spinach sounds like a delicious addition!
I love your recipes. This was another hit for me and my friend who was super impressed. I ended up making my own wrappers so it was a bit of a process, but one I'd definitely do again. I did saute the mushroom mix for just a few minutes and I always add more aromatics/spice/salt to every recipe- those were my only deviations. Just fabulous. Thank you!
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jennifer!
This recipe is fantastic! I added diced, baked tofu to the wontons and precooked the wonton mix (worried the mushrooms would be too raw for my liking). Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely be making this again.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much!
Hi, I don't like mushrooms, do you have any substitute ideas?
I think the filling for these dumplings would work great: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/smoky-tofu-dumplings-with-sweet-chili-dipping-sauce/
Are wonton wrappers gluten free? My dietary restrictions are many but most of what you have in there is fine & it looks good.
Most store bought ones aren't, but here's a recipe for vegan & gluten-free wonton wraps that looks good: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vegan-dumplings-potstickers-oil-free-gluten-free/
This soup is really different from what I use to make, but I'm curious to try it. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you enjoy it!
This is similar to how I make vegan wontons :) I pulse mushrooms in a food processor to them finely minced, then brown them in a bit of sesame oil before wrapping them up. I haven't tried shiitake as a filling though, so I'll need to give your recipe a spin. Since wonton wrappers come in packages of about a million, I usually fold up a lot of little wontons, then freeze the extras. They're quite good fried, too!
Oh, that's a great idea! I always freeze the extra wrappers, but I often forget they're in there and they get freezer burned. If I had some frozen wontons ready to go I'd DEFINITELY remember!
Does this recipe freeze well?
I haven't frozen it myself, but I can't see why not!
This Wonton Soup made me salivate.. I love everything in it.. The sodium is high for me so I might opt for low sodium and a half amount of liquid smoke and hope it doesn't alter the taste too much.. Also I might use the stems, um but maybe not..
You can definitely cut back on the soy sauce or use a low sodium variety in this one! I'd love to hear how it works out if you try it! Thanks Judith!
Broth was delicious! Only one thing I would change is to not use the liquid smoke. Does not work with the light, fragrant broth. Husband loved it though!
Glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
Loved. Used Massel "chicken" stock instead.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Just made this tonight. It was amazing. I had to make my own wontons. I used this recipe http://www.cilantroandcitronella.com/vegan-wonton-wrappers/ I will definitely make this again. Yum Yum
Oh nice! I always get questions about vegan wonton wrappers, so that's a big help. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Sarah!
i loved this recipe thank you so much for posting!
i also would like to know where you bought those bowls!!
Thanks Julie! Glad you enjoyed it! The bowls came from Homegoods. :)
This looks so great. Can you suggest me substitute for mushrooms. My husband and I doesn't like it.
Thanks Niki! You could probably get away with substituting most types of veggies...broccoli, carrots or cabbage maybe. Whatever you use, just chop it up very finely and prepare as you would with the mushrooms. Some crumbled tofu would probably work as well. Enjoy!
This soup was delicious, but I overcooked my wontons. I didn't realize that they could get waterlogged and soggy. Next time, I will stick to the timing instructions.
Hi Claire! I believe the brand of wonton wrappers I used was Twin Marquis. There are a few vegan brands - I just thought I'd throw out a note of caution, as I almost bought Nasoya wrappers before I realized they had egg in them. They're also supposedly pretty easy to make, so you might be able to find a recipe online. The sesame oil in the recipe is just for flavor, so you can just skip it if you'd like. For the vegetable oil, feel free to use any neutral flavored cooking oil you like. I actually use grape seed most of the time, but because I know most folks have their favorites/dietary restrictions, I usually just use "vegetable oil" as a generic term. I think avocado oil should work just fine. Olive oil would work, though it might alter the flavor a bit. I hope that helps! Enjoy!
Hi,is there some way to cut down on the Sodium. I have high blood pressure and try to find recipe I love with a low sodium count.
Thanks
I think your best bet would be to use low sodium broth and soy sauce. If you want to check the sodium content with those modifications, give this calculator a try: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 Enjoy!!
I saw a recipe recently for deconstructed wonton soup that was essentially all of the elements of the wonton filling, then wonton wrappers sliced into noodles layered into the soup. I thought it was super clever and have been meaning to attempt a veggie version since I, like most folks, suck at wrapping wontons!
Such a lovely, cosy meal! And the wontons? They just look homemade... nobody can REALLY wrap a wonton successfully, but thats part of the charm :)
These wontons made my stomach growl! Looks delicious :)
Can I use a different mushroom! No shitake!🤔
Yup! You can use just about any common variety of fresh mushroom. Oyster or white button would be great!