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Vegetable Wonton Soup

A healthy, quick, light vegetarian or meat meal-in-a-bowl, this build-your-own vegetable wonton soup is super versatile. And a perfect weeknight meal.

I love making this soup recipe when when I’m feeling lazy and want to whip up dinner in 20 minutes or so. Virtually everything in this soup is optional or ‘to your taste’ except the soup broth. The soup can be vegetarian or meat based.

vegetable wonton soup in a pot f

I like to pack it with vegetables and other goodies, typically broccoli, asparagus and green onion. I also add a few purchased items I usually have in my freezer like  frozen wontons or dumplings, chopped loose spinach and various types of herb cubes if I don’t have the fresh versions on hand.

Just select your favorite items, add some flavors and start creating your soup.  Go big and serve the vegetable wonton soup with some take-out spring rolls, sushi, our best Pad Thai recipe or our Vegetable Summer Rolls.

If you like healthy meals, quick prep and a simple recipe, you’ve landed in the right place. Everyone I’ve introduced to this yummy soup says it’s a great recipe.

Tailor To Your Taste

Wontons

  • Use any type of wontons, including vegetarian wontons or Chinese dumplings (shrimp, chicken, pork), vegetable) – frozen or homemade. These are widely available now in Asian or large mainstream grocery stores.

Add-ins

  • In addition to wontons, try adding leftover chicken, cooked shrimp, rice noodles, bok choy, carrots, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, bean sprouts or whatever else you have or like.
  • I often use fresh baby spinach instead of loose chopped frozen spinach. For frozen spinach, add a couple of handfuls to the first step of the recipe (boiling wontons) for about 2 minutes before they are done. This saves an extra pot and step. It also helps avoid watering down the soup. Fresh spinach can be added directly to the broth.

Flavorings 

  • Some great flavor options to add to the clear broth are low sodium soy sauce, a little bit of hot sauce, fresh cilantro, basil, sesame oil, lemon/lime and freshly grated ginger.
  • If you don’t have fresh herbs, the frozen herb cubes (basil, cilantro, red chilis, etc) are great in a pinch.

Vegetarian Versions

  • Use vegetable stock, broth or mushroom broth, vegetable dumplings and omit the chicken and shrimp.
  • Add tofu cubes if desired. And of course as many veggies as you like.

Make Ahead 

  • I prefer the vegetable wonton soup fresh for dinner but it’s also delicious as leftovers the next day. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Other Asian food recipes you might like

How to make an easy wonton soup

wontons in package, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, spinach, basil, shrimp, chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil
Ingredients: Broth, wontons or dumplings, lots of cut up veggies you like, green onions, and add-ins of your choice (chicken, shrimp, tofu, etc)
Wonton Soup wontons in strainer
Boil wontons according to package directions, drain and set aside.
wonton soup in pot, raw shrimp added
Bring broth to a boil on medium high heat. Add veggies. Lower heat to medium and cook for a few minutes until tender. Add shrimp (if using) and baby spinach in the last 3 minutes.
Wonton Soup with vegetables in pot
Add seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil, chili flakes or sriracha, herbs, etc.
bowl of vegetable wonton soup in front of pot on wooden plank
Help yourself to a large bowl of this delicious soup and dig in!
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4.96 from 25 votes

Vegetable Wonton Soup

A healthy, quick, light vegetarian or meat meal-in-a-bowl, this build-your-own Asian Vegetable Wonton Soup is super versatile. A perfect weeknight meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 24 wontons or dumplings (frozen package), found in Asian or larger mainstream grocery stores
  • 8 cups broth/stock Note 1 (chicken broth or vegetable broth)
  • 1/2 pound medium raw, peeled, deveined shrimp (optional)
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut up into smaller florets
  • 4 cups other vegetables cut up as needed (e.g. asparagus , carrots (very thin discs or strips), chopped nappa (chinese lettuce), bok choy, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, etc)
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces (optional)
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach (loose frozen is fine too – add when boiling the wontons instead of at the end)

Seasoning/Garnish (choose what you like)

  • light soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh basil or cilantro, lime juice, chili flakes and/or fresh grated ginger (use frozen cubes of cilantro, basil, ginger, chili if you don't have fresh)
  • Garnish: bean sprouts, 1-2 green onions, chopped

Instructions

  • BOIL WONTONS: In a large pot of boiling water, cook frozen wontons or dumplings (as well as spinach if you're using frozen chopped spinach) as per package directions. Drain in a strainer and set aside.
  • MAKE SOUP: Heat broth in the same pot to medium-high heat until broth comes to boil. Add broccoli and other vegetables. Lower heat to Medium heat and cook for 3 minutes until tender. Add fresh baby spinach and shrimp if using and cook for 3 minutes until shrimp just become opaque.. Add chicken (if using), and cooked prepared wontons.
  • SEASON AND SERVE: Add additional herbs and seasonings to taste such as: splash of soy sauce, a 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil; fresh chopped basil or cilantro, a squeeze of lime, 1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger, a few drops of hot sauce or some chili pepper flakes. Garnish with bean sprouts, a drizzle of chili oil and chopped green onion if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and serve immediately right from the pot.

Recipe Notes

  1. Broth: Use the best chicken (or vegetable) broth you can find. I like to use Campbell’s concentrated chicken broth (lower salt kind is ok too) and add my own water. I add a bit less than a full can of water for every can of undiluted broth. Adjust seasonings and salt based on taste and intensity of broth used. You can of course use homemade broth! Or in a pinch, use a powdered or paste soup base and add water. 
  2. Variations
    1. Wontons: Use any type of wontons, including a vegetarian wonton or Chinese dumplings (shrimp, chicken, pork) – frozen or homemade. These are widely available now in an Asian market or your local grocery store. Costco has great mini wontons with chicken and cilantro.
    2. Flavorings: If you don’t have fresh herbs, the frozen herb cubes (basil, cilantro, red chilis, etc) are a great substitute.
    3. Vegetarian version: Use vegetable stock, broth or mushroom broth, vegetable dumplings and omit the chicken and shrimp. Add tofu cubes if desired.
    4. Add-ins: 
      • In addition to wontons, try adding leftover chicken, cooked shrimp, rice noodles, bok choy, carrots, snow peas, spring onins, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, bean sprouts or whatever else you have or like.
      • I often use fresh baby spinach instead of loose chopped frozen spinach. For frozen spinach, add a couple of handfuls to the first step of the recipe (boiling wontons) for about 2 minutes before they are done. This saves an extra pot and step. It also helps avoid watering down the soup. Fresh spinach can be added directly to the broth.
    5. Make Ahead: I prefer the vegetable wonton soup fresh but it’s also delicious as leftovers the next day. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 1184mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12087IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!

This recipe has been updated from March 2016 with new pictures. 

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Recipe Rating




15 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely Delicious! It’s a keeper for a recipe! I will also try the spicy chili chips ! We had homemade sourdough bread!

  2. 5 stars
    Made this the other night without the shrimp (didn’t have any) and it was delish, two thumbs up from my hubby. Gave some to my sister and she and her hubby gave it the thumbs up as well. Will put this one in the rotation.

    1. Glad you all liked it. It’s definitely in my rotation – so easy, light and healthy if you pack it with veggies. Thanks for leaving a comment Irene!

  3. This was delicious, easy and quick to prepare. Used veggies on hand with our chicken cilantro dumplings from Costco. We’ll be making this one again!

  4. 5 stars
    Hi! Just made this soup tonight using veggies I had on hand and wow! My husband went wild over it 😂 Delicious! Thank you! Putting this one in rotation 😊

  5. Delicious and great to bring to a potluck supper! Another possible flavouring on the side would be spicy chilli crisps, available at any Asian grocery store. Yummm