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.
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 the flavor, absolutely use it! It will give the filling a flavor similar to that of traditional pork wontons. You can find liquid smoke 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
The following 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 chopped scallions. Your vegan wonton soup is ready to enjoy! I 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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Vegan Wonton Soup
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!
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.
Recipe 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.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Wonton Soup
Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups)
Calories 317
Calories from Fat 52
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.8g9%
Saturated Fat 1.2g6%
Sodium 1685mg70%
Potassium 499mg14%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 2.7g11%
Sugar 2.7g3%
Protein 14.8g30%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 3.8mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.