Enjoy a vegan twist on Asian cuisine with these vegan Crab Cream Cheese Wontons! Homemade pastry is filled with vegan cream cheese, hearts of palm, and green onions for a delicious appetizer.
Oh, you guys I am SO excited to be sharing this recipe today! I have had this genius idea for the longest time, and recently while my infamous vegan best friend was visiting, we made it happen. VEGAN Crab Cream Cheese Wontons! These babies feature a super easy homemade wonton skin recipe that's filled with vegan cream cheese, green onions, and chopped hearts of palm in lieu of crab. These are absolutely amazing, and you won't even miss the fish or dairy!
So, interesting story. Did you know most store-bought wonton wrappers have EGGS?! Why? This made the recipe a little more tedious because we made our wonton dough from scratch, but if you're lucky enough to find egg-free dough in the stores, grab it! We went to the usual grocery stores, including Whole Foods, and they only had one brand of wontons. I'm sure if you were to venture to the Asian grocery store, you'd find more selection!
I don't have a lot of experience with vegan cream cheese, but I have to say both Emilie and I were super impressed with the Trader Joe's kind! It's creamy, tangy, and doesn't have any sort of weird texture or aftertaste. Two thumbs up from us. 🙂 Like I said, the only other things you need for the filling are hearts of palm, fresh green onions, and some garlic powder and salt! Super easy! For dipping these vegan crab cream cheese wontons, I kind of made it up as I went, inspired by the classic sweet chili sauce. I just combined some peach jam with sriracha and crushed red pepper flakes, and it turned out surprisingly good! You could always buy it from the store if that's easier for you.
Make these vegan crab cream cheese wontons and be amazed at how yummy they are, even without crab and without cream cheese 😉 Happy cooking!
UPDATE (2021) - I am happy to report that store-bought vegan wonton wraps are now widely available! You are welcome to use premade wonton skins in this recipe in place of making them from scratch.
{wonton skin recipe from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken}
- *for the wonton skins*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup warm water + more as needed
- pinch of salt
- *for the filling*
- 8oz vegan cream cheese
- 12oz hearts of palm
- 3-4 fresh green onions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil, for frying
- First, make the wonton skins. In a food processor, combine the flour, water, and salt, and pulse until a dough forms. Knead lightly by hand, then place in a clean bowl, top with a moist paper towel, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, make the filling. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese until cream and smooth. Finely chop the hearts of palm and green onions and add them in. Add in the garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and adjust seasonings to taste.
- When dough is ready, roll out using a rolling pin or pasta roller until very thin. Using a standard glass or 3" cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible. Re-knead the dough and cut circles until you run out.
- Place a ½ tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle, then dip your fingers in water and moisten the edge. Pinch edges together to form a tight seal. Repeat with all.
- Heat your oil over medium-high heat in a wide, deep pan, with the oil 2-3 inches deep.
- Fry wontons, 4-5 at a time, making sure you don't crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown and bubbly on the surface.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately! Leftovers can be reheated in the oven for best results.
Victoria says
FYI this doesn’t work well with VioLife cream cheese- it melts into nothing and then there’s seemingly none inside after frying
valentina says
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that! Thank you for reporting back. I have made these with Trader Joe’s brand of cream cheese as well as Kite Hill and both worked well.