Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Two of your two favorite appetizers, cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers & crab rangoons, had a beautiful love-child... these easy fried wontons!
Ingredients
- 1 package won-ton wrappers (usually 36-45 per package)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (can sub neufchatel cheese but not whipped)
- ¾ cup grated cheddar, colby-jack, or mexi-blend cheese
- ½ cup small diced jalapeno (seeds removed unless you want these extra hot)
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder (optional, or sub chili powder)
- ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water for egg wash to seal wrappers (can substitute water and cornstarch slurry if needed)
- vegetable oil for frying (or oil spray and air fryer)
- mae ploy (sweet chili sauce) or dipping sauce of your choice optional but tasty!
Instructions
prep and mix filling
- Prep your peppers. Wash & dice them (remove seeds for less spicy wontons).
- In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, mix the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Sprinkle the seasonings, diced peppers, and grated cheese over the top.
- Fold and stir the mixture until it is all evenly mixed together. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
fill the wontons
- Lay out 6-12 wonton skins on a clean working surface (I like to use a sheet tray for easy clean-up). If you are new to shaping wontons, start with less so that your wrappers don't dry out and crack
- Place about one teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. You can also use a piping bag with a large plain tip.
shape and seal the wontons
- Brush the edges of the wonton skin lightly with water, thin cornstarch slurry, or egg wash (whisk one egg with 2-3 tbsp of cold water).
- You can make different shapes- fold in simple triangles, pinch all four side seams towards the center to make crab rangoon shaped baskets, or fold them into triangles and then fold the tips down. (see photos in post for examples)
- Fold and pinch the wonton wrappers to seal the edges.
fry (or freeze) wontons
- Heat at least 2-3" of oil in a heavy dutch oven or deep pan, or preheat your deep fryer or air fryer.
- To air fry, you need to spray the wontons on all sides with oil using an atomizer or spray bottle. Then, cook until golden and crispy on the outside and cheese is melted inside.
- To deep fry, heat your oil to 375 deg F. Carefully fry a small batch of wontons at a time (your pan size will determine how many you can fry at once, but don't crowd the pan). Use a slotted spoon, spatula, or frying basket to lower the wontons in the oil so it doesn't splash. If you have a wire screen, cover the pot of oil so that steam can escape but less oil will spatter.
- Remove the wontons from the oil carefully when they are lightly golden brown and crispy.
- Drain the wontons on a sheet pan lined with a wire rack or paper towels, and keep warm until serving.
Notes
If you have any leftover wonton skins after using up your filling, they can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for a few days or frozen.
Make-Ahead Tip:
You can make these in advance and freeze them (unfried) for several days... prep them a few days before your party and cook them from frozen just before serving.
You can sometimes freeze them longer, but the longer they're in the freezer, the more likely they are to dry out and crack, which makes them leak filling when you fry them. You can try to seal the cracks with cornstarch or rice flour paste, or fry as-is. Be careful when putting frozen wontons into the hot oil as they can spatter!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!