These crispy fried pork wontons are so easy to make and ready in 30 minutes! Known as Hoanh Thanh Chien, try them with our delicious Vietnamese style sweet and sour dipping sauce or make up a big batch to freeze for later.

Why We Love This
Vietnamese fried pork wontons are super quick and easy to make. Simply blend up your filling, seal a dab inside each wonton wrapper and fold them up into a simple triangular shape. No fussy sealing pattern or tricky techniques required!
You can shallow fry them in a regular frying pan, steam them or boil them in soups such as mi hoanh thanh.
Why not make up a big batch or hoanh thanh so you eat some now and freeze the rest for a tasty appetiser or main meal? It’s even more fun if you can make them with a friend or family member helping – then you can cook them up together, or share the wontons between you.

What is Hoanh Thanh Chien?
Hoanh Thanh Chien are the Vietnamese version of Chinese wonton dumplings. A symbol of prosperity, luck and hope in Chinese cuisine, wontons made their way to Vietnam through migration and trade, through port cities like Hoi An.
While similar in essence to Chinese wontons or Japanese gyoza dumplings, Vietnamese style wontons (known as hoanh thanh chien) differ slightly when it comes to ingredients and flavour.
The biggest difference between Vietnamese fried wontons and spring rolls is in the shape and ingredients of the wrapper. Wontons use smaller wrappers made with egg, while Thai spring roll wrappers are larger and thinner, and Vietnamese spring rolls are make with rice paper.
Hoanh Thanh are usually filled with minced pork seasoned with garlic, ginger, hoisin and fish sauce, then deep fried until golden brown and crispy. They’re often served as an appetiser with a sweet and sour dipping sauce, but would also be delicious with our super quick dumpling dipping sauce too.
These would go great as an appetiser alongside bigger dishes like Vietnamese Ginger Chicken or Chicken Congee.
Where We Learned This
We first discovered this recipe on a wandering foodie adventure through the port town of Hoi An, Vietnam. We’d already eaten banh xeo wrapped in rice paper rolls.
Then what topped everything off was when a batch of piping hot, crispy, golden Vietnamese fried wontons hit the table in front of us, smothered in a flavourful combo of sweet, sour and fruity flavours unlike any other Vietnamese dish we’d gorged on before.
One bite and we knew we needed to recreate our own version as closely as possible to how we experienced it that night.
What You’ll Need
For the wontons (hoành thánh chiên):
- Wonton Wrappers – This recipe calls for square wrappers that are then folded over into a simple triangle shape. The yellow colour comes from the inclusion of eggs in the dough. Wonton wrappers can usually be found in the fridge section of supermarkets or Asian grocers, or you could make your own wonton wrappers at home. If you can only find gyoza wrappers (usually pale white circles), you can use them too and fold them over into half moon shapes instead. Cover your wrappers with a damp towel while working to keep them from drying out.
- Pork Mince – You could use any kind of pork, then finely chop it by hand or in the blender if you need. If you don’t like pork, you can substitute for the same amount of minced chicken, turkey, shrimp/prawn or beef.
- Fish Sauce – This staple Asian ingredient has a strong smell in the bottle, but is perfect for adding savoury flavour to your cooking. You’ll find it at Asian grocers or in well-stocked supermarkets in the international foods section, or online. If you can’t find it or don’t want to use, you can substitute with soy sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce – This tart, sweet and savoury condiment is popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Popular substitutes are miso paste, soy sauce or sweet kecap manis.
- Other Ingredients – Use fresh or jarred garlic and ginger, along with black pepper, cornstarch and vegetable oil.
For the sweet & sour sauce (sốt chua ngọt):
Tomato and pineapple provide sweetness and texture, amped up with garlic, shallots and spring onion. Fish sauce brings savoury umami flavour alongside sriracha for heat, lime juice for a hint of sour, and a little cornstarch to thicken it all up.
For a slightly different flavour profile, you could try it with this simple Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc mam cham).
Wandercook’s Tips
- Filling – This recipe calls for a blender or food processor to mix all the ingredients together, but if you don’t have one you can mix it with your hands. You could wear food-prep suitable gloves if you prefer to keep your hands clean.
- Keep Fresh – Either cook or freeze your homemade pork wontons straight after preparing them. This will ensure the wrappers don’t become soggy from the moisture in the filling. Once cooked, pop them onto a plate lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil.
- Frying – Use a neutral flavoured vegetable oil which has a low smoke point for frying.
- Don’t Overcook – Just 3-4 mins should be enough to cook the wontons through perfectly.
- Don’t Crowd the Frying Pan – Adding too many wontons at once will lower the oil temperature, resulting in greasier wontons. For the best, crispiest texture, fry a few at a time, leaving plenty of space around each.
FAQs
This will depend on the size of the frying pan you’re using, which will also determine how many hoanh thanh you can cook at once. The goal is to fill the pan at least 4 cm / 1.4 inches deep which should be deep enough to fry them. If you don’t mind cooking them in batches, use a smaller pan if you’re worried about using a lot of oil.
Since there’s such a small amount of meat inside each wonton, they will cook really fast. If you’re still concerned, you can slice one in half to check.
Yes you can, although you’ll still need to spray or lightly brush them with a little oil to help them become golden. Bake at 200˚C / 400˚F for around 10 minutes or until golden, turning half way through. Note that they won’t be as crispy as fried wontons.
Wontons are best stored in the freezer (uncooked). A good method is to spread them out on a lined baking tray and then flash freeze for half an hour. Then you can pop them in a proper freezer-safe container and they won’t stick together. P.S. Never freeze cooked wontons as they tend to fall apart and won’t be as deliciously crispy once reheated.
If properly stored in an airtight container they’ll last for a few months in the freezer. Freeze them as quickly as possible so the liquid from the filling doesn’t soak through and make the wrappers soggy.
You don’t need to defrost wontons first, just fry or boil them straight from the freezer. If frying, slide them slowly and gently into the water to avoid splashing hot oil, and cook them for an extra minute to make sure they’ve fully cooked through.
Variations & Substitutes
- Protein – Swap the pork for freshly minced shrimp/prawns, chicken, tofu, or a combination of your favourites.
- Get Creative – Try folding the wontons into different shapes, like money bags, purses, fish or ingots.
- Simmer instead of Fry – For slightly healthier wontons, you can steam or simmer them in your favourite Asian soup broth. You could even add them to homemade hot pots like Korean Army Stew or Japanese Shabu Shabu.
- Sauces – Try our super quick dumpling dipping sauce or create a simple mix of soy sauce, chilli sauce and vinegar. Or for more fusion flavours, top with kewpie mayonnaise or your favourite aioli.

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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Wontons:
- 20 square wonton wrappers
- 160 g pork mince
- ½ shallot finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp soybean oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
- ½ tsp pepper
- vegetable oil extra, for cooking (soybean, canola or sunflower oil are ideal as they are neutral flavoured with a low smoke point for frying)
- water small bowlful, for sealing the wrappers
For the Sweet & Sour Sauce:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp garlic
- ½ shallot finely diced
- 1 tomato finely diced
- ½ cup pineapple finely chopped
- 2 spring onion / green onion finely sliced
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha or to taste
- 1 tsp lime juice or to taste
- 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour dissolved in 1/3 cup water to make a slurry
Instructions
For the wontons:
- Add the pork, shallots, garlic and ginger into a mixing bowl along with the hoisin sauce, fish sauce, vegetable oil and cornstarch. Season with pepper and mix with your hands until nicely blended.160 g pork mince, ½ shallot, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 2 tsp hoisin sauce, 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp soybean oil, 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour, ½ tsp pepper
- Take a wonton wrapper in your hand and place a teaspoon of filling on top. Spread the filling out in a thin layer across one half of the wrapper. Dab some water along the outside edges, then fold the wrapper across the top into a triangle shape and press the edges to seal. Repeat for remaining wontons.20 square wonton wrappers, water
- Heat the vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium heat until it’s around 4 cm / 1.5 inches deep. Slide the wontons gently into the pan to avoid splashing the hot oil. Fry the wontons in batches until the filling has cooked and the outside is a deep golden brown (around 2 minutes per side).vegetable oil
- Transfer the wontons to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
For the sweet and sour sauce:
- Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic and shallots. Stir fry for a minute or two until fragrant, then add the tomato and pineapple. Cook and stir until softened (around 3-5 mins).1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp garlic, ½ shallot, 1 tomato, ½ cup pineapple
- Add the spring onions and fish sauce, then season with sriracha and lime juice to taste. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir until it starts to thicken. Add a little more of any seasoning until you're happy with the flavour, then remove from the heat and set aside.2 spring onion / green onion, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sriracha, 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
- Serve the crispy fried wontons with the sweet and sour sauce drizzled over the top, or place the sauce in a separate dipping bowl. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Wonton Wrappers – This recipe calls for square wrappers that are then folded over into a simple triangle shape. The yellow colour comes from the inclusion of eggs in the dough. Wonton wrappers can usually be found in the fridge section of supermarkets or Asian grocers. If you can only find gyoza wrappers (usually pale white circles), you can use them too and fold them over into half moon shapes instead. Cover your wrappers with a damp towel while working to keep them from drying out. Try folding the wontons into different shapes, like money bags, purses, fish or ingots.
- Pork Mince – You could use any kind of pork, then finely chop it by hand or in the blender if you need. If you don’t like pork, you can substitute for the same amount of minced chicken, turkey, shrimp/prawn, tofu or beef. Or make a combination of your favourites.
- Fish Sauce – This staple Asian ingredient has a strong smell in the bottle, but is perfect for adding savoury flavour to your cooking. You’ll find it at Asian grocers or in well-stocked supermarkets in the international foods section, or online. If you can’t find it or don’t want to use, you can substitute with soy sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce – This tart, sweet and savoury condiment is popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Popular substitutes are miso paste, soy sauce or sweet kecap manis.
- Filling – This recipe calls for a blender or food processor to mix all the ingredients together, but if you don’t have one you can mix it with your hands. You could wear food-prep suitable gloves if you prefer to keep your hands clean.
- Keep Fresh – Either cook or freeze your homemade pork wontons straight after preparing them. This will ensure the wrappers don’t become soggy from the moisture in the filling. Once cooked, pop them onto a plate lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil.
- Frying – Use a neutral flavoured vegetable oil which has a low smoke point for frying.
- Don’t Overcook – Just 3-4 mins should be enough to cook the wontons through perfectly.
- Variations:
- Simmer Instead of Fry – For slightly healthier wontons, you can steam or simmer them in your favourite Asian soup broth. You could even add them to homemade hot pots like Korean Army Stew or Japanese Shabu Shabu.
- Sauces – Try our super quick dumpling dipping sauce or create a simple mix of soy sauce, chilli sauce and vinegar. Or for more fusion flavours, top with kewpie mayonnaise or your favourite aioli.
Nutrition

10 Comments
Razena | Tantalisemytastebuds.com
22/07/2016 at 3:08 amI’ve never made wontons although I love to eat it. Will give it shot with some minced chicken since I don’t eat pork.
Wandercooks
22/07/2016 at 11:24 amGreat idea, I think chicken will taste amazing with these flavours too. Hope you enjoy!
Jessica {Swanky Recipes}
21/07/2016 at 3:04 pmI’ve always wanted to make my own and am glad to learn how easy it is to do. I love the sweet and chicken so I know these wontons must be pretty amazing!
Wandercooks
22/07/2016 at 11:21 amThat’s great Jessica, glad we could help. Hope you enjoy the wontons!
Jovita @ Yummy Addiction
21/07/2016 at 3:47 amThese wontons look truly incredible. I can already imagine myself stuffing them into my face with a spoonful of this amazing sauce!
Wandercooks
22/07/2016 at 11:18 amGo for gold Jovita! There’s no better way to enjoy them! 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
20/07/2016 at 8:46 pmThese look delicious! So crispy!
Wandercooks
20/07/2016 at 9:27 pmThey taste even better 😀 There’s something about that crispy crunch combined with the sweet and sour sauce. To-die-for! 😛
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
20/07/2016 at 8:45 pmOh gosh these look delicious, topped with the dipping sauce. I think I’m going to make these tonight!
Wandercooks
20/07/2016 at 9:26 pmNo time like the present! 😉