Making wonton wrappers at home is funny and easy. This version is Elaine’s handmade wonton wrapper recipe.
I have received several requests about how to make wonton wrapper at home. So here is Elaine’s 100% handmade version with a video for a better description of the process.
In totally, homemade wonton wrappers are easy! However there are lots of the small tips to make the process no failure.
When I search the wonton wrappers, I got lots of dumpling wrappers (Elaine’s version) from Google. Previously, when I was not the operator in my family kitchen (my mom was), I was always wondering about the difference between dumplings, pot-stickers and wonton. Then my first impression was about the shape. Dumpling wrapper was around while wonton wrapper was square. However after making them at home for several times, I find out more difference. For example dumpling wrappers are much thicker while good wonton wrappers needs to be thinner. Most of the dumpling wrappers are egg free while most of the wonton wrappers call for eggs. You may find lots of recipes introducing how to making dumpling wrappers at home but little information about how to make wonton wrapper at home.
I guess the most difficult part lays in the thickness-how to make wonton wrappers paper-thin. The answer is enough kneading and enough rest time. The gluten can relax during the rest time and thus making the rolling out process easier.
Here is the video showing the detailed process.
Want to lean how to wrap wonton beautifully, check how to wrap wonton with picture tutorials and video.
- 4 cups of plain flour
- 3 middle size eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water +1/4 cup more if needed
- Starch for dusting (cornstarch or wheat starch recommended)
- In a large bowl, mix flour with salt and then add egg in. Stir well.
- Slowly add water and keep stirring the mixture. Then grasp with hand to form a ball. Adjust the amount of water based on the water absorbing capacity of your brand of flour. Stop adding water when there is no dry flour in your bowl.
- Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes.
- And then knead the dough again for around 8-15 minutes until smooth. Rest for around 30 minutes.
- Divide dough in half. Press on half down and roll out to a larger wrapper around 3mm in thickness. Fold up and cover with plastic wrap again for the next resting process.
- Finish the other half and reset both for another 30 minutes.
- Take one larger wrapper out and divide in half. Roll each of the halves into paper-thin wrapper or as thin as possible. Keep dusting. Then cut the large wrappers into small squares around 8cm.
- Repeat to finish all.
Vegan friendly solution: Skip eggs and add around around 2g dietary alkali powder in the water. If you do not have dietary alkali powder, you can use baked soda as a substitute (bake baking soda on a lined baking tray at 120 degree C). Do not touch it during the process to prevent skin irritation.
You can surely use stand mixer or bread-maker to knead the dough and use a noodle machine to flatten the dough firstly.
Assembled!
Cooked! To make the filling and the red oil broth, check red oil wonton.
How did you prepare the finished wontons in the picture? They look amazing!
Yes Gus,
That’s my favorite Sichuan Red Oil Wonton.
Hi Elaine,
I’m so happy I came across your blog via Food Bloggers Central. I live in Shanghai and Sichuan is my favourite Chinese cuisine! This is a brilliant resource for me – you’ve made my day!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for leaving me this note, which made my day too! It is really glad to know that you are living in China now. Shanghai is a great place where you can find almost every cuisine from the entire China. Enjoy your wonderful days in Shanghai and if you ever plan to visit Shenzhen, come to me and taste my Sichuan food.
I never thought to make my own wontons. This is a great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Thao,
I received so many requests about homemade wrappers, so I think it is necessary to share the process to those who cannot purchase wonton wrappers easily. I enjoyed the process a lot.
I read a recipe she said her mother always used half hot water hot first helped to relax the dough gluten in it also the working rolling etc
That’s sound quite smart,Terri!!! Does this method influence the texture or taste?
Wow! thanks so much! I made my own wontons (including the wrapper) and they were soooo good! My parents are coming over tonight and Im making them again!! Thanks!
Jessica
You are so talented Jessica. Wish you a good dinner time with your family.
Can I freeze the dough?
Hi Jen,
I have not freeze the dough previously. But I think you can give it a go, just with a small batch. Before making the wrappers, move it to refrigerating part and wait until it becomes soft again and then continue the following steps accordingly.
Hi Elaine,
if you ever were to release your own recipe book, I will buy it immediatly!
So great! And very nice pictures.
Thank you very much!
Hi Sofia,
Thanks so much for the sweet words. I do not have a plan to write a book for sale recently. But I will see whether there is an opportunity in future. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you so much for the recipe and amazing video. I’ll try to make the wrapper tomorrow – it looks like the real deal 🙂
I’ve moved to New Zealand a couple of years ago and have been unable to find any decent wonton wrappers – the ones they sell are nonsense and not authentic. This will be a live saver 🙂
Will let you know the outcome!
Ciao
Thanks Chris for your kind words. Homemade Wonton wrapper is better then store bought version, but just a little bit time-consuming. Wish you good luck and I am waiting for your good news.
Oh My god. The wonton skin turned out fabulous – getting them really paper thin was the hard part but definitely worth it 😀
Thank you and thank you again for this wonderful recipe.
I had leftover wonton wrappers after I made all my wontons and used the rest for Thai banana street pancake 😀
(double the wrapper up and put 3 thinly sliced banana slices side by side. Fold/ stick wrapper like a rectangle wonton. Fry in thin pan with little oil – the texture will be like Roti. Then when done spread nutella over the pancake and slice half if desire. Thai street dessert at hand!)
Have a wonderful day and I’ll be back for more of your lovely recipes!
This is good idéal will give it a go tonight n surprise My hubby when hé comtés home. Thanks for sharing.
I was in China foshan juste got back home a couple of dans n i really love chinese Food.
Hi Marie,
Thanks for leaving me such a kind comment. Wish you good luck with the adventure.
Would a pasta machine work for rolling out the dough very thin?
Hi Kay,
I never use a machine to do this job and I see one of my friend used once. So you can give it a go.
Hi Elaine,
I have been trying to make an egg roll wrapper which is, I think, more or less a bigger wonton wrapper if I am correct. I actually love the Nasoya brand but cannot purchase them in the quantities that I would like. I am now trying develop a recipe that is as crispy as theirs on my own. I have a recipe which is essentially flour egg water and salt and while it is ok…it is not nearly as thin or as crispy. I don’t knead or use the dough hook on the mixer and only rest the dough for ten minutes so in the short term it doesn’t seem as time consuming as your recipe but I think I overworked the dough. They were tough when I tried to make a lot of them ahead of time. I only doubled my recipe and did keep to small batches but my recipe does not lend itself to making a lot of them and keeping them crispy. It seems like your recipe could be. I’ve scoured my resources and the internet for a good recipe and have read that some people use ice cold water and or corn starch to get them crispy. I can’t wait to try this. I’m going to be this week. If I made the wrappers in volume would they keep in the fridge for a few days? How would you recommend ” scaling ” this recipe for a much larger amount? I have read online that even if you want to increase your yield substantially that the batches should remain small like even only doubling. Is this the case with your recipe?
Anyway, anxious to try d so happy to find your blog.
J. Morgan
Hi Jennifer,
I am sorry for the late reply, as I was on a trip last week and got a bad and unstable network condition. May I know that whether the egg roll wrapper is Chinese spring roll wrapper, like the ones I used in this recipe https://chinasichuanfood.com/chinese-spring-roll/? Traditionally, Chinese egg roll wrapper is difficult from Wonton wrappers. If you want to make crispy spring roll wrapper, you will need to wash the gluten out of the dough.The gluten will make the wrapper to be elastic not crispy. It is slightly complex indeed.
I’ve been looking for recipes of wonton wrappers for such a long time! I always buy these at the market and what I got were very yellow wrappers which I am not comfortable eating. Thank you so much for the tutorial. I will try this out very soon!
You are the most welcome! Thida! Homemade wonton wrappers are really much much better than store bought ones. So go ahead and try it.
Would a pasta machine work at all ? I have a hand injury that makes putting even pressure on a rolling pin difficult.
Hi there,
Yes, a pasta machine may work but you need to work the dough with pasta machine several times than make normal noodles. Just make sure that the wrappers are thin enough.
This is embarrassing but I’m going to share you this. I actually tried this out, and I made the fillings, The dough looked great before steaming. After steaming, the wonton got hard and cannot be eaten. my family said I put little water that seemed to make sense.
Hi: This is a simple recipe. I can’t believe how many people are amazed by this recipe. They must not know how to cook at all. The one thing I would suggest is that you should use more egg yolks than whole eggs. It’s makes for a richer dough. What recipe of yours would you consider to be the most secret of your recipes. I’m talking about something authentic I.e. the real Chinese version, not some Americanized version. I keep hearing about Chinese recipes that use Black Mushroom soy sauce. What would be the perfect dish for using that?
Thx Mark
Thanks for your suggestion Mark. I am devote to make authentic Chinese dishes. As for the black mushroom soy sauce, I guess you are referring to oyster sauce. It is an excellent sauce to make stir fries like this one https://chinasichuanfood.com/oyster-beef-with-chinese-broccoli/, salad etc.
Hi Elaine,
How is this different from that paper thin wraps that we see in Japanese and Vietnamese cuisines?
I have that with me and was wondering if I can use those for this recipe?
Would appreciate your help.
Thanks
Hi Sarah,
The wrappers are almost the same. So I guess you can use it in other dishes.
The Japanese and Vietnamese wraps you’re referring to are probably rice-papers, which have a different character to these wonton-skins, made of flour. You’d get much less bite from the rice-paper and they’re used to make different dishes, but both taste good.
Hi, thank you for your recipe.I have a question, could I use flour instead of starch?(I am intolerant to it).
Thank you
Sure, you can use flour for dusting.
Please clarify what do you mean, “plain flour”?
It is all purpose flour.
Thank you for this delightful and informative post and video!
You are welcome! I hope they are helpful.
Does This recipe work well if I plan on steaming my dumplings?
Hi,
I believe this https://chinasichuanfood.com/how-to-make-dumplings/ will help for steamed dumplings.
Hi—I was wondering if rice flour can be used?
Thank you
Rice flour cannot work for wonton wrappers.
I just recently moved to a very rural area and I no longer have access to buy wonton wrappers like I did in the city, Learning to make them has made a world of difference!!!
Its looks yum..Elaine..can u plz..share with me the wonton feelings…plz…i am eagarly waiting …
Hi Debojit,
You can follow this recipe https://chinasichuanfood.com/red-oil-wonton/ to make your filling.
very nice demonstration. now i hope I could do it.
I have used this recipe for ever but, thank all the gods, >I have a KA mixer to do the hard work and a pasta macine for olling.
This is a simple recipe. I can’t believe how many people are amazed by this recipe. They must not know how to cook at all. The one thing I would suggest is that you should use more egg yolks than whole eggs. It’s makes for a richer dough. What recipe of yours would you consider to be the most secret of your recipes.
Mike and Mohan really have no creativity in making up pseudonyms.
This recipe is very helpful; I haven’t been able to find one elsewhere on the internet that demonstrates how to make the wonton wrappers so thin like they should be. And the recipe itself is not simple; the ingredients are simple, the methods are not. Thank you very much Elaine for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment, Shelby! It is a simple recipe but it is true that not everyone know how to make real wonton wrappers. With the hope of showing my readers what real wonton wrappers looks like and how they can be made at home, I post this recipe. And I am so happy to get lovely feedback from your guys.
can you make the wonton wrappers with gluten free flour? I am gluten intolerant
I am sorry Kaye. If there is no gluten in the flour, the wrappers can never be paper thin and elastic.
I want to makr the vegan….do you mean one pinch of baking soda? Thanks
Hi Aj,
adding some alkaline solution can make the wrapper more stretchable, just like Chinese alkaline noodles. You can use alkaline powder or baked soda (bake baking soda on a lined baking tray at 120 degree C for around 1 hour)
never made these before! they did not came out like your but they are still tasty! thank you!
You are the most welcome, Lisa.I want to know how it looks like?
Thank you for this very informative recipe. How long can you keep them stored? Is there any form of preservative I can use to prolong their life?
Hi Jenninah,
I have not tried any preservative in my own food. So I am sorry I can’t provide useful information. However if you want to store them for longer time, dust the wrapper firstly and then store in air-tight bag. They can be frozen for 1 or 2 weeks.
NEW FAVORITE BLOG. I love making traditional Chinese food and am striving to learn as much about the language and culture as I can! Can’t wait to make your recipes.
Hi,Jenni
Thanks for comment. I’m glad you love it.
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Is the second 30min rest essential or can I roll out and cut after the first resting period? Will it make a big difference to them?
Thanks in advance!
If you are in hurry, you can slightly shorten the resting time. Resting can relax the gluten and make the rolling out process much easier, so the wonton wrappers can be made paper-thin.
In the world of food, chinese are way ahead of any other country.
You gave me a decent tip to no additional salt with dish the vegetables, and I think this is my issue when I broil butternut that I can’t get them fresh. Everything about your tips is recently phenomenal.
Thanks
Hallo Thanks for the Recipe . How Long Can we store the homemade wonton wrappers in freezer??
I usually kept them less than 1 week.
Hallo there
Thanks for the Recipe . How long Can we store the homemade wonton wrappers in freezer?
i tried to make wonton wrappers for how many times but it always comes out so bad,it becomes so thick and tough after steaming even fried steamed,,me and my husband likes dumplings and i can not find wonton wrapper here,the reason why i tried to make by myself searching for recipes but nothing turns good even i follow the right procedure and measurement..i want to try your recipe,do i really need to use cornstarch instead of all purpose flour,,,this is the first recipe actually that i’ve seen using cornstarch..
Rafaela,
Cornstarch is only used for dusting. The dough is made with all purpose flour. Make sure that your dough is well kneaded and well rested with the instructions. Good luck! I hope my recipes come out good with you.
To be honest, I never tried a Chinese recipe before but my wife insisted me on trying this one. Looks yummy and you did an awesome job sharing these wonderful pictures inside the article.
Thanks Paul. I hope you will love my recipe.
Hi, Elaine
This recipe for wonton wrappings that are so similar to those available in the market?
I am really bad as far as masses are concerned
Sorry for my english
Hi Ruth,
My wonton wrapper is ever much thinner than the store bought version. Most of the wonton wrappers are made by machine and cannot be paper thin. Please be patience and try the recipe. It will amaze you.
Happy cooking!
Can I use this wonton wrappers recipe to make egg rolls?
Yes, but you will need larger wrappers.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks a lot for the recipe.
I would like to know, how many grams of flour is inside a “cup”, which you use in this recipe.
By scooping the flour directly, 1 cup all purpose flour is around 150g.
Elaine
Can two duck eggs substitute for three chicken eggs?
At which stage you start using starch for dusting?
Thank you
Vicky,
I believe that you can try with two duck eggs. From the very beginning, I use starch for dusting.
Thank you very much, I will try your recipe.
Hi Elaine
I want to try this recipe, but would like to find out if self-rising flour may be used?
Hi Dee,
No, self-rising flour cannot work. We do not need any fermentation during the process.
Hi , there’s a restaurant in Seattle called Din Tai Fung
Where I ate for the first time chineese dumplings! I regularly went there for various foods that I I enjoyed immensely. AMAZING! Now I live in Romania where there’s no decent Chinese food! I make occasionally fried rice and a basic stir fry but that’s about it. I would love to be able to have some wantons and in my resurch I found your blog! What beautiful pictures and delicious looking food! Why isn’t Shenzen closer to Romania? I would love to have you come over and make us some authentic Sichuan food! Anyhow congratulations on you blog and keep up the amazing work you are certainly talented and thank you for sharing you talent with us. Have a great day!
Claudia,
Thanks for such a kind comment. I hope I can visit you someday and we can eat yummy dishes together. Though I am not near to you, but it is quite easy and common to reproduce the food I eat here in your own kitchen. That’s the value of my little blog and all of my efforts.
Happy cooking and I hope you can produce yummy Chinese dishes in your kitchen too. Enjoy your cooking.
Try dumpling wrappers.
excellent video, all points covered
Thanks!
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for sharing your family and cultural recipes with us. Most people that recipes are not all inclusive and very from generations of experience, geographic location, available ingrediencies and. family tastes. We love what we grew up with. As cooks, we experiment and modify recipes to suit our tastes. Experience teaches us to taste and determine the ingredients involved and texture indicates methods and techniques of preparation. I appreciate all of your recipes and Blog, because it gives me need information to help do this and duplicate a once tasted dish. This invaluable, because I live in a remote part of North Dakota, but was raised just North of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, where a cuisines are enjoyed.,
Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and letting us see a part of your family.
Hi,
Thanks! This is one of the best comment I have ever received. As a food blogger myself, I am always not only trying to introduce our Chinese dishes, but also introduce our theory, techniques and local ingredients to the foodie in the world. And I am excited to know some of my readers like you have got my information. Happy cooking and best wishes for you!
Hi, Elaine
I have followed your blog for some time and used some of your recipes. We lived in Sichuan for 5 years and recently returned to Canada. We grew to love Sichuan food and I learned as much as I could by observing Chinese home cooks. Your blog is a treasure chest of recipes for our favorite foods, which I can now enjoy making in Canada. Today I tried the wonton wrappers and the recipe worked well, although the wrappers were very soft to work with. Our supper guests were super impressed with their bowls of 红油抄手！Thank you for your hard work in writing these recipes in English!
Arlene
Arlene,
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment. It make me feel all the working are so worthy! Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy all the Chinese dishes finished in your kitchen in Canada.
This looks Yummy. I have a question can we use wonton wrappers recipe to make egg rolls?
Hadi,
Yes, paper thin wonton wrapper can be a substitute for egg roll wrappers. Cut them into larger pieces.
Hey Elaine, Can two duck eggs substitute for three chicken eggs?
Yes, you can use duck egg.
A very friendly place to come and refresh what we once knew and to learn things we always wanted to know. Thanks.