Panda Express Cream Cheese wontons are a tasty appetizer available at Panda Express. I like how they don’t pretend these are Crab Rangoon. These are the creamy and crunchy wontons you would often find at your favorite Chinese food buffet. With just a couple of ingredients, you can be making a whole batch of similar cream cheese wontons in no time.
These cream cheese wontons are tasty and very simple to make. You need some cream cheese, sliced green onions, wonton wrappers, your favorite sweet and sour sauce, and some cooking oil or shortening. I made mine with shortening because I personally think you get a crispier fry when you use shortening. If you have plain vegetable oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil, all of these will work well. I have never tried deep frying in olive oil, and since it is so expensive, it is unlikely that I will try to do that anytime soon.
sweet and sour sauce
Restaurant inspired Sweet and Sour Sauce
I love these little puffs. I just love biting into the savory filling and dipping this into a sweet and sour sauce. Whenever I go to the Panda Express for me, this is a must-have menu item. Enjoy making Panda Express Cream Cheese Wontons today. You don’t to stop here, you could also fill these with leftover taco meat for taco wontons, a little bit of spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese, the possibilities really are endless. These are simple to make and inexpensive, and we will save the crab puffs for another time.
Check out these other Panda Express copycat recipes
Panda Express Firecracker Chicken
Panda Express Chow Mein
Panda Express Broccoli Beef
Panda Express Cream Cheese Wontons
Ingredients
- Vegetable shortening or oil, for frying
- 8 ounces package cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons scallion thinly sliced
- Garlic powder (optional)
- 48 wonton wrappers
Instructions
- Heat enough vegetable shortening or oil to fill 2 to 3 inches in a medium pot to 350 degrees F. If you have an electric fryer, you can use that.
- In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese and scallions. If desired a touch of garlic powder may be added for additional flavor. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto a wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton by brushing a little water over all of the edges of the wonton skin. Fold the wonton diagonally into a triangle. Be sure to seal all of the edges completely; this will keep the filling from running out of the wonton when being cooked. Take the two opposite corners and press and twist them together. You may need to tack them together by brushing with a little water.
- When the shortening is heated, you can use a thermometer and test to see that it is 350 degrees F, or you may test with a small piece of wonton wrapper. If the wrapper bubbles immediately when dropped into the hot fat, it is ready. Drop only 4 or 5 pieces at a time into the hot fat. After about 1 minute, the wonton will begin to brown, then it will brown rapidly, so be careful to remove it when it is lightly browned. If your oil is shallow, you may need to flip over the wonton. Carefully remove the wontons and drain briefly on paper towels before serving.
Raine says
February 25, 2019 at 11:30 pmLiving in Japan and been craving these. Thank you for an easy to follow recipe that hit the right taste I’ve been looking for. Can you also do Panda Express’ Mushroom Chicken, I can’t get the sauce to taste right 🙁
Patricia says
February 24, 2019 at 4:23 amI like adding minced water chestnuts to my wontons….yummy!
Teddie says
June 8, 2018 at 9:09 pmMade these tonight in COCONUT OIL!
OH MY … DELISH! ????
Stephanie says
June 9, 2018 at 4:28 amI hope you like them.
Jeremy huller says
March 19, 2018 at 1:15 pmJust to address the comment about olive oil. Never use olive oil to fry things, the smoke point is too low, so you won’t be able to get it hot enough to fry without burning the oil
Teddie says
June 8, 2018 at 9:08 pmCorrect!
No oilve oil, the heat (high) males the oil rancid.
Melissia Grimmett says
January 25, 2018 at 10:22 pmAbout 30 years ago I went to the same Chinese restaurant all the time for years and asked the guy that new my husband and I at this point about the recipe. I have made them the way he told me all this time which is Cream cheese, minced onion, sugar (I have always added chives for color). I change it up sometimes with minced crab meat. I love love love garlic, so I will be trying garlic!
Stephanie says
January 26, 2018 at 9:41 amI love chives in there.
Fred Collinsworth says
August 31, 2017 at 3:47 pmI wonder if they could be friend in a air fryer? Just brush with oil and air fry at 400 for the same time as the recipe calls for.
Stephanie says
September 2, 2017 at 1:52 pmI have seen it done, the results aren’t the same, the wonton skin is crispy, but I don’t think it cooks through the same as it would if you fried it.
shari says
August 15, 2017 at 10:33 amWould sesame seeds oil work well
Stephanie says
August 16, 2017 at 3:48 amI think that would be very expensive to fry in.
shari allen says
August 15, 2017 at 10:32 amWould sesame seeds oil work well
Nicole says
September 19, 2018 at 9:18 amSesame oil is primarily used for flavor. Could it be used for frying? Technically yes, but it has such a strong flavor you wouldn’t want to because it would completely overpower the entire dish and likely make it completely inedible. Also, sesame oil is super expensive! Just stick to vegetable/peanut/coconut oil!
Marisol Sanchez says
July 22, 2017 at 4:25 pmI tried this recipe, but I mixed in some ricotta cheese with the cream cheese and let me say it was amazing just like Panda Express!
Karen Sawyer says
September 15, 2018 at 8:59 amYumm! Adding Ricotta to the mix sounds delicious.
Karen S
Karen Hilton says
May 23, 2016 at 10:18 pmI, too, fell in love with these when I ate at Panda Express. I make these all the time, but I bake them.
Instead of green onions, I use dried minced onions, about 2 tablespoons +/- (I always have minced onions on hand!). You can use onion powder, too! I add a little salt to taste when mixing the cream cheese and onions together. Bake at 400 degrees about 8-10 minutes on a sprayed/oiled cookie sheet. Just watch them, when the tips of the wontons start to brown they are done. Happy Eating! ~LOVE~
Yammie says
March 6, 2017 at 8:50 pmWill def try the non fry way. Love these and was going to fry. Gkad to hear they can be baked. I will just or them in muffin tins like I do with my WW french dippers
LeeAn says
February 1, 2016 at 8:58 pmWhere do you get the wraps at ? And what department.Never have bought any.Thanks/,
Jes says
April 8, 2016 at 3:27 pmYou can usually find packages of them refrigerated in the produce section of your local grocery store/wal mart.