Save to Pinterest My neighbor showed up one evening with an air fryer she'd just bought, insisting we needed to test it on something fun. I happened to have cream cheese softening on the counter and a stack of wonton wrappers gathering dust in the freezer, leftover from a failed dumpling-making attempt weeks prior. Twenty minutes later, we were folding wontons like we'd done it a thousand times, laughing at the inevitable water puddles and slightly lopsided shapes. When those golden, impossibly crispy wontons came out of the air fryer, the kitchen smelled like sesame oil and possibility, and I understood why she was so excited about that machine.
I made these for my book club once, thinking they'd be a simple appetizer. Instead, they sparked a whole conversation about favorite Asian fusion dishes and sparked three different people wanting the recipe. One friend said they tasted like "fancy takeout but somehow better," which felt like the highest compliment possible. That night taught me that the simplest dishes often make the biggest impression.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese, softened: This is your creamy base, and softening it first makes mixing effortless without any lumps dragging down your filling.
- Spring onions, finely chopped: They add a whisper of onion sweetness and brightness that keeps the filling from tasting one-dimensional.
- Garlic clove, minced: Just one small clove is enough to make people wonder what that savory depth is, without overpowering the delicate wonton wrapper.
- Soy sauce: This brings umami and saltiness together, seasoning the entire filling with barely a teaspoon.
- Toasted sesame oil: The secret ingredient that makes people pause and ask what you did differently, even though it's just a small drizzle.
- Ground white pepper: It dissolves into the filling completely, giving you heat without visible black specks.
- Wonton wrappers: Keep these in the freezer and they'll be ready whenever inspiration strikes, staying pliable even as you work through a whole batch.
- Water for sealing: Your best friend for keeping those wontons sealed tight during the air frying chaos.
Instructions
- Make the filling:
- Combine the softened cream cheese with spring onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt in a bowl, stirring until everything is completely smooth with no cream cheese chunks hiding in the corners. This takes about two minutes, and you'll know it's ready when it looks like silky potential.
- Assemble each wonton:
- Place a wrapper on your clean, dry surface and drop about one teaspoon of filling right in the center, being careful not to overfill or you'll have sealing disasters. Dip your fingertip in the water bowl and run it along all the wrapper edges, then fold the whole thing into a triangle, pressing firmly as you go to push out any hidden air pockets.
- Shape into traditional wontons (optional):
- If you're feeling fancy, bring those two bottom corners of your triangle together and seal them with just a tiny dab of water, creating the classic purse-like shape. It's purely aesthetic, but it does look impressive when you're serving them.
- Prepare your air fryer:
- Heat it to 180°C (350°F) and give it the full three minutes to preheat properly, because those wontons deserve consistent heat from the start. While it's warming, lightly brush or spray each wonton with oil so they'll brown evenly and turn impossibly crispy.
- Air fry until golden:
- Arrange the wontons in a single layer in your basket without crowding them, then slide them in for seven to eight minutes, shaking the basket or flipping them halfway through. You'll know they're ready when they've gone from pale to deep golden brown and they sound crispy when you tap them with a fork.
- Serve immediately:
- Transfer them to a plate and serve them hot with whatever sauce calls to you, whether that's sweet chili, soy, or something entirely different. They're best in those first few minutes while they still have that shatter-between-your-teeth quality.
Save to Pinterest My sister brought her young daughter over and watched her bite into one of these wontons with such concentrated joy on her small face. She declared them "better than restaurant wontons," which is exactly what every home cook wants to hear, and I realized these little pockets of cream cheese had become something worth making again and again. That moment made the entire process feel less like cooking and more like creating small moments of happiness.
The Magic of Cream Cheese in Asian Cooking
Using cream cheese in Asian fusion cooking felt like breaking a rule at first, but it's actually a brilliant move that works because it mimics the richness of traditional ingredients while staying completely neutral flavor-wise. The cheese doesn't fight with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic, instead letting them shine while adding a luxurious texture that makes people think you spent hours on the filling. Once you understand this balance, you'll find yourself adding cream cheese filling to other Asian appetizers and wondering why you didn't think of it sooner.
Why Air Frying Changes Everything
Air frying wontons removes the anxiety that comes with traditional deep frying, where hot oil splatters and your kitchen smells like grease for days. The circulating hot air crisps the wrappers perfectly, and because there's so little oil involved, you can taste the filling much more clearly. Plus, there's something deeply satisfying about checking the basket halfway through and seeing them transforming from pale to golden without any mess to clean up afterward.
Making Them Ahead and Storage Tips
You can absolutely assemble these wontons hours before you plan to serve them, keeping them uncovered in the refrigerator so the wrappers don't get soggy. They fry just as well cold as they do fresh, and sometimes I think they crisp up even better because the filling stays firmer. If you have leftovers, reheating them in the air fryer at 160°C for just two or three minutes brings them right back to crispy life, though I'll be honest, fresh ones are truly in a league of their own.
- Assemble wontons up to eight hours ahead and refrigerate them uncovered on a parchment-lined tray.
- You can even freeze assembled wontons for weeks, air frying them straight from frozen with just an extra minute or two of cooking time.
- Always reheat leftovers in the air fryer rather than the microwave, because the microwave will make them soft and sad in ways you won't recover from.
Save to Pinterest These wontons have become my go-to appetizer when I want to impress without stress, and they've introduced me to more conversations about food and memory than any complicated dish ever has. Every time I fold one, I think of that first evening with my neighbor's air fryer, and how something so simple became something worth making again and again.
Recipe Help Center
- → How do I achieve extra crispiness?
Brushing the wontons lightly with beaten egg before air frying adds extra crunch and helps them brown evenly.
- → Can I prepare these in advance?
Wontons are best cooked fresh for maximum crispiness, but you can assemble them ahead and refrigerate briefly before air frying.
- → What dipping sauces complement these wontons?
Sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, or a mix of both provide a perfect balance to the creamy filling and crispy wrapper.
- → Are there alternative fillings I can try?
Consider adding finely chopped water chestnuts, crab meat, or other savory ingredients to customize the filling.
- → Is air frying necessary or can I bake them?
Air frying ensures crispy texture with less oil, but baking at high temperature on a greased tray can be an alternative method.
