One of our all-time favorite dinners is ground beef wontons. My hubby and I love them, and the kiddos fight over the last one every time. I first learned to make beef wontons from my mom, and have fond childhood memories of helping her assemble them in the wrappers. Over the years I’ve made the recipe my own with some ingredient tweaks, and our family truly loves them. You should see the way everyone lights up when they see me bring home wonton wrappers from the grocery store! Today I’m sharing my beef wonton recipe. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we do!
If you’re ready to get cooking, you can Jump to Recipe at the bottom of this post. For some of my tips for preparing these beef wontons (along with some step-by-step instructions with photos), keep reading.
Love wontons? Check out our other popular wonton recipe:
Bacon and Shrimp Rangoons recipe
How to make ground beef wontons
Our homemade ground beef wontons recipe is much easier to make than you might think.
To start, combine ground beef, chopped green onions, sesame oil, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and ground ginger in a bowl and mix well.
Heat frying oil (I prefer vegetable or corn oil) to 350 degrees in a deep skillet or fryer.
Next, set up a beef wonton assembly station. I use about half of a 16-ounce package of 4.5-inch prepared wonton wrappers for this recipe. Place a wonton wrapper on a plate or cutting board (you can also prep a few at a time by placing several of the wonton wrappers out at a time, as long as they’re not overlapping). Pour some water into a small bowl next to the plate.
Dip your fingertips in the bowl of water and swipe some water around the edges of the wonton wrappers.
Form about 1 tablespoon of beef mixture into an oval ball and place it on one side of each wrapper.
Fold the wontons in half so that they form a triangle around the beef mixture.
Wet your fingers with additional water from your water bowl and pinch the edges of the wrapper together. Place the folded beef wontons onto plates (making sure they don’t overlap, or they will stick together and tear) while you assemble the remaining wontons.
Place the ground beef wontons into the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet, since things will move pretty quickly. Fry for 2 minutes on one side, then carefully flip the wontons with tongs. Cook on the second side until the wontons are crispy and the edges are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the wontons to a paper towel-lined plate to let cool while you cook the rest of the wontons in batches (the meat will continue to cook inside the wontons as they cool).
Serve your beef wontons with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil for dipping. We love eating them with white rice and soy sauce on the side.
True story, my oldest saw me writing this post and now he’s requesting these for dinner tonight. I’m not kidding; they are one of our family’s all-time favorites.
Here’s my recipe for beef wontons! Enjoy!
Print Recipe
Beef Wontons
One of our all-time favorite dinners is ground beef wontons. I first learned to make beef wontons from my mom, and have fond childhood memories of helping her assemble them in the wrappers. Over the years I've made the recipe my own with some ingredient tweaks, and our family truly loves these crispy, savory, fried treats. Here is my recipe! I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we do.
Combine ground beef, green onions, sesame oil, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and ginger in a bowl; mix well.
Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep skillet or fryer.
Place several of the wonton wrappers on a plate or a cutting board without overlapping. Pour some water into a small bowl next to the plate.
Form about 1 tablespoon of beef mixture into a ball and place on one side of each wrapper. Dip your fingertips in the bowl of water and swipe some water around the edges of the wonton wrappers. Fold the wontons in half so that they form a triangle around the beef mixture.
Wet your fingers with additional water and pinch the edges of the wrapper together. Place folded wontons onto plates, making sure they don't overlap, while you assemble the remaining wontons.
Place wontons into the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet.
Fry for 2 minutes on one side, then carefully flip the wontons with tongs. Cook on the second side until the wontons are crispy and the edges are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer wontons to a paper towel-lined plate to let cool while you cook the rest of the wontons in batches (the meat will continue to cook inside the wontons as they cool).
Serve with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil for dipping.
Recipe Notes
This recipe can be modified for the air fryer, too! See the recipe and instructions for making my Air Fryer Beef Wontons on Allrecipes here.
Wontons are basically fried dumplings that are filled with a mix of vegetables and meat, typically ground beef or pork. Wontons wrappers are typically thinner and made with wheat flour, whereas dumplings can be made from potato or wheat flour. Both can be boiled, steamed, or fried.
Serve while hot with the sweet-and-sour sauce for dipping. These wontons can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month. You can also refrigerate them overnight and fry them the next day, but don't refrigerate them for longer than that.
Spray the wontons with oil and place them in the air fryer basket without overlapping. (You can use a perforated parchment sheet on the bottom to prevent sticking). Air fry at 350°F (176°C) for about 4 to 5 minutes, until golden. Flip the wontons over and air fry for 3 to 4 minutes longer, until golden brown and crisp.
What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).
To the pork and shrimp, add chopped scallions, minced garlic & ginger, then season with light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, and msg. Mix in ONE direction with your hand until you see streaks on the bowl as seen in the images below.
The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. If you're frying multiple batches, throw the whole setup into a low oven to keep everything warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.
I like to use either peanut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying. Both are neutral flavored and have a high smoke point. They can handle the amount of heat needed to make sure that your wonton strips fry up crispy without absorbing too much oil.
You need an oil with a high smoke point so you can go with canola oil, avocado oil, or if you don't mind the taste, coconut oil. OR if you have the means, use an air fryer. Also, don't forget about the dipping sauce.
Wontons, which have their origins in China, has achieved significant popularity as a sought-after delicacy that is not only celebrated and enjoyed in East Asian cuisine, but also across various Southeast Asian culinary traditions as well.
When comparing Chinese dumplings vs wontons, some key differences are: Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thinner, are usually square, and may contain egg.Dumpling wrappers are thicker, are usually round, and don't require egg. Filling: Dumplings can be filled or unfilled.
Wontons may provide some protein, but they may also be high in sodium and fat, depending on how they are prepared. Enjoyed in moderation, these steamed dumplings or wonton soup can add variety to a balanced diet.
Bring a wok halfway full with water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the wontons in batches until they float to the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
During the deep frying process, the water in the filling can turn into steam and cause the wonton to puff up and even burst, causing the filling to ooze out, leaving only an empty shell.
Because while wontons are primarily meant to be used in soups, you can also pan-fry them—if you would rather have some crispy potsticker-y vibes! The method is the same as pan-frying a dumpling, so if you already have experience with that, just take this post as a PSA that it's okay to pan-fry a wonton.
The most common filling is ground pork or chicken and shrimp with a small amount of flour added as a binder. The mixture is seasoned with salt, spices, and often garlic or finely chopped green onion. Factory-made, frozen varieties are sold in supermarkets.
Common Chinese wonton is made with ground pork. However, in my hometown Sichuan, beef wonton is usually served with a hot and spicy broth. Wontons may differ in sizes and fillings from one area to another with different localized names and serving method.
In Chinese cooking, a wonton is a small dumpling or roll with a savory filling, often of minced pork. These can be steamed or fried. They are usually eaten boiled in soup.
What are wontons made from? The wrapper's dough is generally made from flour, water, salt and eggs but the filling can be made from almost anything – ground and spiced vegetables, shrimps or meat are most common though.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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