How to Fold Wontons: 3 Ways

Wontons will always have a very special place in my heart. Like dumplings, we grew up with a bag of frozen wontons always in the freezer, ready to become wonton soup (breakfast, lunch or dinner), spicy wontons (a tasty snack or appetizer), or even fried wontons (a crowd-pleasing party favorite). We’ve posted several wonton recipes over the years, but today, we’re going to talk about how to fold wontons! 

How to Fold Wontons: Our 3 Methods Explained

Today, we’ll show you three ways to fold wontons. We use each method in different scenarios based on factors like the thickness of the wrapper, the amount of filling used, and how the wonton will be cooked.

1. The Bonnet: the most common method, perfect for wontons using regular white wrappers that will eventually be boiled and mixed into soup or sauce.
2. The Diamond: An alternative to the bonnet, yielding a slightly less compact wonton with pointed/flared ends. You can use this method for wontons that will be boiled, but it’s also our preferred folding method for fried wontons. It’s also a good option for wontons that will be tossed in sauce.
3. The Scrunch: This method is used only with very thin wrappers and small amounts of filling. It involves simply squeezing the wrapper around the filling. We use this method for small Shanghai-style wontons in soup. 

Wonton Recipes to Try

Once you’ve figured out how to fold wontons, be sure to give these recipes a try! 

• Simple Wonton Soup: Your basic, delicious wonton soup, and the wontons we make the most often! 
• San Xian Wontons (Shrimp, Pork & Chicken Wontons): Wontons on steroids––these are incredibly delicious. 
• Shanghai Wonton Soup: A bowl of light-as-air wontons in a clear broth.
• Mom’s Chicken Wontons: My grandma’s recipe! Comforting and tasty. 
• Sichuan Spicy Wontons: Tossed in a delectably spicy, addictive sauce that you’ll want to put on everything. 
• Cream Cheese Wontons: Everyone’s favorite crispy takeout snack. 
• Fried Wontons: A favorite party appetizer to feed a crowd. 
• Chicken Noodle Wonton Soup: A fusion mashup of wonton soup and your grandmother’s chicken noodle! 

We also have a couple wonton recipes in our cookbook (available November 1, 2022)!

Ok, now that you know how to apply these new skills, let’s get into the folding techniques! 

Wonton Folding Method 1: The Bonnet

We call this method the “bonnet,” because the wontons look like little heads with bonnets on.

It is our go-to folding method for most of the wontons we make, and yields a compact shape with tasty, chewy folds. Here’s how to do it:

1. Take a square wonton wrapper, and use your index finger to dab the edges of the wrapper with water.

2. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

3. Fold in half to create a rectangle.

4. Grasp the bottom corners of the rectangle (the filling side, not the seam side), and dab one of the corners with a little water.

5. Bring the two corners together and squeeze to seal. 

Wonton Folding Method 2: The Diamond

This method is similar to the bonnet, except that instead of folding the wrapper in half into a rectangle, you fold it in half into a triangle. When the two ends on the filling side of the triangle are brought together, you get kind of a diamond shape. 

The shape of this wonton is a little less compact, as you have two pointed ends of wrapper coming out of the sides. This makes this method especially well suited to fried wontons (crispy ends!).

Here’s how to do it:

1. Take a square wonton wrapper, and use your index finger to dab the edges of the wrapper with water.

2. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of the wrapper and fold in half along the diagonal to create a triangle.

3. Dab one of the filling-side corners of the triangle with water.

4. Bring the two corners together and seal. 

Wonton Folding Method 3: The Scrunch

This is the simplest and most specialized wonton folding method. This method is used to make a particular type of light wonton, using very thin wrappers. You basically gather the wrapper around the filling and squeeze to seal. 

Here’s how: 

1. Place a small amount of filling on the wrapper.

2. Make a loose fist with your hand, and push the wrapper/filling into your fist.

3. Gently squeeze to seal.

That’s it! Which one of these methods do you like best? Do you have an alternative fold to share with us? Which wonton recipes are you eyeing? Let us know in the comments!