In my quest to be healthier, I found this twist on traditional FRIED cream cheese wontons and am so excited to share it with you today. It was only a minor change, but I BAKED them instead of frying and they turned out to be an absolute delight!
Not only are they faster and easier to make than the fried version, but they are healthier as well. Yes please! These would make great finger foods for sports parties, family gatherings, or friend game nights. They’ll be a hit anytime you make them!
How to Make Baked Cream Cheese Wontons (step-by-step)
1. Gather your ingredients. You’ll need wonton wrappers, green onions, cream cheese, garlic salt & cooking spray.
2. Mix together cream cheese, garlic salt, and green onions.
3. Place about 1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper.
4. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.
5. Fold wonton in half to make a triangle, sealing the cream cheese mixture in the wonton well.
6. Moisten one corner of the wonton with more water. Bring the bottom edges of the wonton together, overlapping slightly. Repeat for the rest of the wontons.
7. Place wontons on a nonstick cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Additionally, spray wontons with cooking spray to help them brown.
8. Bake at 400F for 7 minutes per side until brown and crispy.
9. Serve immediately & enjoy!
Why is baking better than frying?
- Baking uses a fraction of the amount of oil as frying does, resulting in a healthier, lower calorie wonton.
- Frying involves heating oils to extremely high temperatures, and this heat can cause the oil to break down into compounds that are linked to chronic disease.
- Fried foods can also be more difficult for the body to digest, resulting in less vitamins and minerals being absorbed from a meal.
- As if all that wasn’t enough, baking is simply a faster, safer, and easier way to prepare food. You don’t have to worry about hot oil splashing all over the kitchen, or figuring out what to do with a vessel full of used frying oil.
What’s the best way to reheat wontons?
- The best way to reheat wontons is to place them on a plate or a baking sheet and then popping them into the oven (a toaster oven works great as well) at 325 F for 4-6 minutes. I would avoid using a microwave to reheat them, as that would be more likely to make them soft and remove that satisfying crispy texture that wontons are cherished for.
Can you make wontons ahead of time?
- Absolutely! As I mentioned above, wontons reheat very nicely in the oven and preparing them in advance would be a great way to ease some of the stress of throwing a get together or party.
Can I freeze cream cheese wontons?
- You sure can! The trick is to place a piece of parchment paper on a small plate or baking tray, and then neatly arrange your wontons in rows making sure that none of them are touching.
- Place the plate or tray of wontons into your freezer (ensuring that they don’t touch) and keep them there for 4-6 hours until they are frozen.
- Once frozen, you can transfer the wontons to an airtight food container or a plastic freezer bag (it’s okay for them to touch at this point) and store them in the freezer until you are ready to heat and enjoy them.
How do I make crab & cream cheese wontons?
- It’s as simple as adding crab to this recipe without any additional changes being necessary! I would recommend adding 1-2 oz of crab meat to the recipe for the best results. You’ll just want to make sure that you’re using smaller pieces of crab so that you achieve a good, even distribution in each bite of each wonton.
A few tips for the best Baked Cream Cheese Wontons:
- These are best served warm. Bake them until right before you’re ready to serve them!
- Wonton wrappers can be found in the product section typically by the refrigerated herbs and salad dressings in your local grocery store.
- I recommend Chosen Foods Avocado Oil cooking spray. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also healthy, and shelf-stable without additives or propellants (major brownie points!).
- Softening your cream cheese by leaving it at room temperature 1-2 hours before you begin making this recipe will make the cream cheese all the more easy to mix and spread.
- Speaking of cream cheese, Philadelphia is my favorite. Definitely worth the little bit extra cost to use the brand name. The difference in quality & taste is definitely noticeable.
- Spray wontons liberally with cooking spray! Not only will this help prevent your wontons from sticking to the tray in the oven – it will also help ensure that you get that beautiful crisp browning on the outside that wontons are famous for.
- Store bought sweet & sour sauce is perfect for these so be sure to add it to your shopping list when you’re grabbing the rest of your ingredients needed to make these. I’ve also made sweet & sour sauce at home and it’s easy and great as well.
Want more 5-Ingredient or Less Game Day Appetizer Ideas?
- Green Chile Hand Pies
- Cheesy Artichoke & Mozarella Sliders
- Mini Shrimp & Artichoke Appetizer Cups
- Chile Con Queso
Baked Cream Cheese Wontons
These Baked Cream Cheese Wontons are the perfect appetizer. With a cream cheese filling, you'll love these nearly guilt free finger foods even more because they are baked!
Ingredients
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
- 2 green onions chopped top to bottom
- 16 wonton wrappers
- cooking spray
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 F.
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Mix together cream cheese, garlic salt, and green onions.
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Place about 1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold wonton in half to make a triangle, sealing the cream in the wonton well. Moisten one corner of the wonton with more water. Bring the bottom edges of the wonton together, overlapping slightly.
-
Repeat for the rest of the wontons.
-
Place wontons on a nonstick cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray wontons with a bit of cooking spray as well to help them brown. Bake for 7 minutes per side until brown and crispy.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- These are best served warm so I would recommend waiting to bake them until right before you're ready to serve them.
- Wonton wrappers can be found in the product section typically by the refrigerated herbs and salad dressings in your local grocery store.
- My favorite cooking spray is Chosen Foods Avocado Oil cooking spray. Not only is it delicious, but it's also healthy, and shelf-stable without additives or propellants (major brownie points!)
- Softening your cream cheese by leaving it at room temperature 1-2 hours before you begin making this recipe will make the cream cheese all the more easy to mix and spread.
- Speaking of cream cheese, I'm a big fan of Philadelphia. I think it's worth the little bit extra cost to use the brand name - you can taste the difference in quality.
- Spray wontons liberally with cooking spray! Not only will this help prevent your wontons from sticking to the tray in the oven - it will also help ensure that you get that beautiful crisp browning on the outside that wontons are famous for.
- Store bought sweet & sour sauce is perfect for these so be sure to pick some up when you're grabbing the rest of your ingredients needed to make these. If you don't find a store bought sauce that you like it's just as easy to make the sauce at home as well!
Adapted from SparkRecipes
These baked cream cheese wontons look absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try making them myself. The video is super helpful—thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
These baked cream cheese wontons look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re baked instead of fried for a healthier twist. Can’t wait to try this recipe out at my next gathering. Thanks for sharing the video too; it really helps!
These baked cream cheese wontons look absolutely delicious! I love how easy the recipe seems to follow, and the video is a great touch. Can’t wait to try making these for my next get-together! Thank you for sharing!