This vegan wonton soup is made with savory shiitake stuffed wontons and crispy napa cabbage in a light gingery broth.
Disclaimer: I suck really bad at wrapping wontons, and you probably do too. Nothing personal...it's just that, based on my experience wrapping wontons for this soup, I've determined that it's something most people suck at. So there's a high statistical probability you are one of those people.
I know what you're thinking: the wontons in the photo look good enough. True. Those are the five wontons I spent most of an hour agonizing over. The rest, which were the majority of the wontons that we ate for dinner, were pretty hideous.
If you want to find out just how unskilled you are at wonton wrapping, go wrap some up and put them in soup. Based on my prior wonton wrapping experiences (one and two), I thought I wasn't half bad. Soup's different though. Once they get into liquid they start inflating, unwrapping, tearing. It's not pretty.
Having said all that, I'll now tell you this: the ugly ones taste better. It's true! It's often the ugliest food that's made with the most love and therefore tastes best.
So swallow your pride and serve your family some ugly wonton soup. They'll love it, and they'll love you, even if they make fun of you a little bit for your lack of dexterity.
Where to Find Vegan Wonton Wrappers
I'm sure I'll get some questions about vegan wonton wrappers because I always do. Both Twin Marquis and Dynasty make vegan wonton wrappers, and I've found both brands at regular supermarkets in the freezer.
There's usually a more popular brand that has eggs in the produce section near the tofu (why?), and that threw me off for a while. Then one day I looked in the freezer near the edamame, and lo and behold, vegan wonton wrappers.
If you still can't find them at the supermarket, try an Asian market. And you can always make your own. I've done it and it's easier than you'd think!
How to Make Vegan Wontons
I'm always tempted to go for tofu in recipes like this, but this time I went with shiitake mushrooms, because they are, for lack of a better term, meaty. Dice them up nice and fine, add in some seasoning and you've got something that isn't too far from the wonton soup you probably ordered from your favorite Chinese restaurant as a kid.
Next for the tough part: wrapping. Really, any method that keeps the fillings contained will do. But I like to orient my wrappers at an angle, place a spoonful of filling in the center, then fold the wrapper in half to make a little triangle. From there, fold the corners in to make a neat little packet.
The wontons go in your soup towards the end of cooking. Don't overcook them! And make sure to cook the soup at a low simmer to keep the wontons from being jostled too much.
For some more guidance, check out my video on how to make vegan wonton soup!
More Vegan Soups
- Vegan Clam Chowder
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
- Classic Lentil Soup
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Shiitake 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 sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- 1 scallion finely chopped
- 16-20 vegan wonton wrappers
For the Wonton Soup
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon sesame 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 or salt to taste
- 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.
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Fill a small bowl with water. Arrange a wonton wrapper on work surface. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in center. Dip fingers in water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold in half, over filling, diagonally, to create a triangle. Press the edges together to 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
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with the vegetable oil and sesame oil, and place it medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute, until very fragrant. Add broth, raise the heat, and bring it to a boil. Add the wontons and lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer until all of the wontons float, about 5 minutes. Stir in the napa cabbage and vinegar. Remove from heat and season with soy sauce or salt to taste.
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Ladle into bowls and top with scallions. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Make sure you read the ingredients on your wonton wrappers, as many brands contain egg.
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!
Hi Alissa!
I saw your beautiful picture of vegan wonton soup on Facebook and then just HAD to have the recipe! Thank you for your humorous blog post - I love your opener: "I suck really bad at wrapping wontons, and you probably do too." I'm going to go to the store tonight and get the ingredients and see just how bad I suck at making wontons! This will be my first attempt at it, and I actually feel good now that you've set my expectations not to expect perfection. :)
I did want to ask two questions. First, what vegan brand(s) of wonton wrappers would you recommend? And second, for those of us trying to eliminate non-whole food oils, such as vegetable oil and the other oil in your recipe, what would you recommend as substitutions? I'm trying to stick to whole foods that are rich in natural oil such as avocados and kalamata olives. But I was wondering if you might have other suggestions?
Thanks again for your gem of a recipe post, and I hope you'll find a moment to answer back!
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!!
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 :)
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!
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.
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!
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. :)
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!
Loved. Used Massel "chicken" stock instead.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
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!
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!
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 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!
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/
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/
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!
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!
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!
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 thought soy sauce wasnt vegan?
You're probably thinking of Worcestershire sauce - many brands are made with anchovy paste!
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow, minus the oils. Yum!
I hope you enjoy!!
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!
This was sooo yummy, even if my wontons were a little ugly! Thanks for sharing! 😁
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
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!
Liquid smoke just about ruined it. I’m still enjoying it, but no liquid smoke for me next time.
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.
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!
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!!
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!
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!
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!
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!
What vegetable broth exactly do you use for this ? Thank you!
I usually use Better Than Bullion - it's my favorite!
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!
Hi, may I ask what vegetable broth are you using?
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.
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.