These gluten free fried wontons are made with very little oil in the air fryer but are still super crispy and crunchy. They'll be the first thing to go at a party! If you don't have an air fryer, don't worry. I have alternate instructions for baking them in the oven or deep frying them in oil.
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Why I love these gluten free fried wontons
We're back at it with another Air Fryer recipe! Our first recipe was our Air Fryer chicken nuggets, and it was a very big eye-opener for me. I really like it! I have the Power Air Fryer XL 5.3 Quart and I've been experimenting like crazy with mine. (That's an affiliate link for Amazon.com, but of course feel free to shop around.)
So many of you seem at the very least intrigued by the idea of an air fryer, especially those of you in England, where I think these little contraptions have been common for much longer. I do remember when I studied in Spain while I was in college that everyone had a deep fryer on the kitchen counter at all times, so maybe the whole concept of frying is super common in Europe in general? If I'm wrong, I'm sure you'll correct me in the comments. Just be kind, and all corrections are welcome!
Anyway, since I know that not everyone has (or wants) and Air Fryer, I've included alternative directions in the recipe below both for oven-baking and for traditional deep-frying.
I would like to be clear that “air frying” is not, in fact, frying. It is a handy way of getting foods crispy all over, though. I like to think of air frying as more like cooking in a super efficient convection oven.
One thing I've learned (the hard way, of course) in all of my experimentation so far is that, if you want your air fried foods like these fried wontons to actually look and taste more like they were actually deep-fried, you need more oil than a light spray.
So I got these fried wontons even to bubble a bit similar to how they would if they were deep-fried by actually brushing oil onto them before they went into the fryer. If you simply spray them with a light coating of oil, you'll have crispy air fried wontons, but they won't look or taste like they were fried. They'll taste baked.
Even if they do taste more like they were baked, air frying is still easier in many ways than baking in the oven. You don't have to preheat anything, it doesn't heat up your kitchen, and the cook time is faster all around.
Ingredients and substitutions
You can play with the filling ingredients in these wontons in lots of different ways. You can use whatever type of ground meat you like (I've used all of the recommended meats on different occasions). Just be careful that you don't skimp on any of the ingredients that provide real flavor, like the oyster or sweet chili sauce, the soy sauce (see note below about soy-free ingredients), and the ginger and garlic.
Egg-free: You could try making the wonton wrappers themselves with “chia eggs” (one “chia egg” is 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel), but there are 3 eggs in the recipe so I'm honestly not sure if it would work. And the wrappers would be speckled with the seeds. Instead of egg wash to seal the edges of the wrappers, you can try using just milk (a nondairy milk if necessary).
Soy-free: In place of traditional gluten free soy sauce or tamari, you can use soy-free coconut aminos but I do find that it has considerably less flavor than its soy-based cousin. I recommend doubling the amount.
Air Fryer-free: See the recipe below for oven-baking and deep fryer directions!
Air Fryer Fried Wontons
Equipment
- Air Fryer alternative oven directions; alternative deep frying directions
Ingredients
- 1 recipe gluten free wonton wrappers
- 1 pound ground chicken beef, pork or white meat turkey
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and finely grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions (from about 1 large scallion, white and green parts)
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons gluten free sweet chili sauce (or 2 tablespoons gluten free oyster sauce)
- 2 cups chopped fresh greens such as kale brussels sprouts and/or cabbage
- Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
- Oil for coating (or for frying)
Instructions
- Make the wonton wrappers according to the recipe instructions, cut into approximately 3-inch squares.
- Set the wrappers aside. In a large bowl, place the meat, ginger, garlic, scallion, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce or oyster sauce, and greens, and mix well to combine. The mixture will be thick and relatively sticky.
- To assemble the wontons, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand.
- Dip the index finger of your free hand in the egg wash, and paint all 4 edges of the wrapper with the egg wash.
- Add about 1 teaspoonful of the filling mixture to the center of the wrapper.
- Fold one corner of the wrapper catty-corner to the opposite corner to enclose the filling. Seal the wrapper tightly around the filling, squeezing out any air bubbles.
- Place the shaped and filled wontons in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer and spray or brush generously with oil on both sides.
- Place in the air fryer and fry at 350°F for 4 minutes. Remove the basket and shake it around, turning over as many of the wontons as possible.
- Return the basket to the air fryer and continue to fry for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Serve immediately with extra sweet chili sauce or soy sauce.
Alternate Oven-Baking Directions.
- Prepare the wontons in the same manner, but place them on a wire rack above the lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart from one another. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the tops with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), then place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. They can also be boiled in hot soup until tender and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes.
Alternate Deep-Frying Directions.
- Prepare the wontons in the same manner.
- Place paper towels on a plate, and set it aside. Place about 1 1/2 inches of a neutral oil with a high smoke point (like peanut or avocado oil) in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring the oil to 350°F over medium-high heat. Add a few wontons to the oil to fry, turning occasionally until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Remove them using a strainer to the paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Bring the oil back to temperature between batches. Repeat with the remaining wontons.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
beaux says
I was given the exact model Air Fryer as yours for Christmas (w/ “Learn to cook instead of pigging on fast food” enclosed w/ the card). Will you be doing other recipes for the air fryer? I will be trying the cookie as I am trying to boot refined sugar.
Nicole Hunn says
Yikes, Beaux! I’m not sure how I feel about that card. :)
So far, I’ve shared one other recipe in addition to this one for the Air Fryer. It’s my Air Fryer chicken nuggets (they’re linked to in the post), and they can also be used in other recipes like my orange chicken and sesame chicken recipes here on the blog. More will be coming, too for sure!
Emmy says
Totally agree I purchased a book by Todd English – some good ideas.
Peggy says
I just got it want to try a lot of stuff but need a better cook book then this little book they give . Found out it does do crispy! U have to watch the minutes so u dont do to crispy. Love your
Wontons.
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, I really don’t like the little book they include with the Air Fryer, Peggy. In fact, the recipes don’t look properly balanced and the instructions are unclear or just plain wrong. I’d stay away from those! :)