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.
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.
How to make an easy wonton soup
Other Asian recipes
- easy egg drop soup with vegetables
- best pad Thai recipe
- shrimp and chicken fried rice (Thai-style)
- Chinese stir fry green beans
- honey garlic chicken or beef
- Thai curried shrimp and vegetables
- Chinese vegetable fried rice
- Thai mango salad recipe
- 3 minute Thai green curry paste
- simple chicken and green bean stir fry
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
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.
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
- 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.
- Variations
- 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.
- Flavorings: If you don’t have fresh herbs, the frozen herb cubes (basil, cilantro, red chilis, etc) are a great substitute.
- Vegetarian version: Use vegetable stock, broth or mushroom broth, vegetable dumplings and omit the chicken and shrimp. Add tofu cubes if desired.
- 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.
- 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.
Yum.
Beautiful flavours. Easy to make following great instructions. Will be eating this again.
Thank you Sue!
I should have added more veg. But tasted great
So perfect and easy for family dinners. Simple and delicious for tired people. Who ever invented this I love you!
Lazy me invented it! I think – I’m guessing I’m not the only one 🙂 Glad you like the quick and easy recipe Kayana!
Absolutely Delicious! It’s a keeper for a recipe! I will also try the spicy chili chips ! We had homemade sourdough bread!
Glad you enjoyed it Jeanette 🙂
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.
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!
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!
Glad you enjoyed it Karyn! I make it often and use the Costco dumplings too sometimes.
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 😊
It’s definitely in our rotation too. So glad it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment. 😊
Delicious !!
Glad you liked the soup Fran!
Spicy chili chips are a great idea for a garnish. Thanks!
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