Is wor wonton soup healthy?

Quick Answer

Wonton soup can be a healthy option when prepared properly. Wontons are dumplings that are traditionally filled with pork and shrimp, which provide protein. The broth is made by simmering meat and bones, providing additional protein plus vitamins and minerals. However, restaurant wonton soup often contains large amounts of sodium and fat from frying the wontons. Opt for low-sodium broth and steamed or boiled wontons to make a healthier soup.

Is Wonton Soup Good for You?

Wonton soup can be nutritious and good for you when made with healthy ingredients. Here are some of the potential health benefits of wonton soup:

  • Provides protein from the wonton filling and broth. Protein helps build muscle, bones, and skin.
  • Contains vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and broth. This includes vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
  • Offers hydration from the broth. Staying hydrated is important for digestion, circulation, and brain function.
  • May boost immunity due to antioxidants like vitamin C and amino acids in the broth.
  • Delivers probiotics from fermented broth. Probiotics support gut and immune health.

The nutrient content of wonton soup can vary widely depending on the specific ingredients used. For example, using chicken or vegetables instead of pork can lower the fat and cholesterol content. Overall, wonton soup made with lean fillings, lots of veggies, and a sodium-controlled broth can be a nutritious addition to your diet.

Are Wontons Healthy?

Wontons themselves can be a healthy food option when made with care. Here’s a look at some of the key factors that determine the health profile of wontons:

Filling: The filling determines much of the nutritional value of the wonton. Traditional pork and shrimp fillings provide protein, vitamins, and minerals. However, they also add saturated fat and cholesterol. Switching to lean ground turkey or chicken breast reduces fat and cholesterol while still providing protein. Adding vegetables like mushrooms or water chestnuts boosts fiber and nutrients.

Wrapper: Many wonton wrappers are made from refined wheat flour. Opt for wrappers made with whole wheat flour whenever possible to add more fiber and nutrients. You can also find wrappers made from vegetables for an extra nutrition boost.

Cooking method: Boiling or steaming wontons is healthier than frying them. Deep fried wontons absorb a large amount of oil, increasing calories, fat, and often trans fats if the oil is reused.

Portion size: Be mindful of your portion sizes, as the calories can add up quickly if you eat a lot of wontons in one sitting. Stick to 2-4 wontons as a side, or 8-10 in a full soup serving.

Overall, wontons made with lean fillings, healthy wrappers, and boiled or steamed cooking methods can be a nutritious choice as part of a balanced diet. Just be wary of fried wontons and large portion sizes.

Is Wonton Soup Broth Healthy?

The broth is what really distinguishes wonton soup and gives it many of its nutrients. Here are some factors that determine the health profile of wonton broth:

Ingredients: Broth made by simmering meat, bones, and aromatics provides protein, vitamins, and minerals. Chicken or vegetable broth tend to be lower in fat than beef or pork broth. Using bones and connective tissue boosts collagen, gelatin, amino acids, and minerals.

Sodium: Restaurant broths are often extremely high in sodium, with one bowl containing over 1000mg in some cases. Consuming too much sodium can increase blood pressure. Look for low-sodium broths or reduce sodium by making it yourself.

Oil: Many restaurants add a spoonful of oil to finish wonton broth. Cutting out this oil reduces saturated fat and calories.

Vegetables: Leafy greens, mushrooms, carrots and other veggies increase the nutrient content and fiber of the broth. Go for a variety of different vegetables.

Probiotics: Fermented broths made with yeast, lactobacillus or ginger provide gut-healthy probiotics. You can also add a dollop of fermented vegetables.

Overall, a wonton broth made with bones, meat, veggies and probiotics can be incredibly nourishing. Just watch out for high amounts of added sodium and oil.

Nutrition Facts of Wonton Soup

The nutrition facts of wonton soup will vary depending on the exact recipe and ingredients used. However, here are some general nutrition facts for a typical serving of restaurant chicken and veggie wonton soup made with 8 small wontons:

Calories: 300
Fat: 9g
Saturated fat: 2g
Carbohydrates: 45g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 15g
Sodium: 980mg

As you can see, a bowl of wonton soup delivers a good amount of protein. However, it’s also fairly high in sodium since most restaurants use pre-made broth. You can lower the sodium substantially by making your own low-sodium broth.

The calories, fat and carbs will depend on factors like the filling ingredients, cooking method, and amount of noodles or veggies. Customizing your wonton soup can help enhance the nutrition. For example, using chicken and mushroom filling, whole wheat noodles, and lots of bok choy and carrots creates a more nutrient-dense bowl.

Healthiest Wonton Soup Ingredients

You can pack extra nutrition into your wonton soup by choosing healthy ingredients. Here are some smart choices:

Wontons: Lean protein fillings like chicken, turkey, tofu or shrimp. Whole wheat wrappers. Steamed or boiled cooking method.

Broth: Homemade from chicken or veggie broth. Bones add collagen. Low sodium.

Vegetables: Spinach, bok choy, carrots, mushrooms, celery, green onions.

Noodles: Whole wheat or vegetable-based noodles like zoodles or kelp noodles.

Garnishes: Ginger, garlic, chili oil, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro.

Probiotics: Fermented broth, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha.

Choosing a variety of vegetables, whole food ingredients, and smart cooking techniques ensures wonton soup can be a nourishing addition to your diet.

Low Calorie Wonton Soup

Wonton soup doesn’t have to be a high calorie meal. Here are some tips for reducing calories in wonton soup:

– Use chicken, turkey, shrimp or tofu filling instead of pork.

– Choose vegetables like mushrooms and bamboo shoots instead of fatty meats.

– Skip the oil, or use just 1⁄2 tsp sesame oil to finish.

– Use broth made from roasted chicken bones rather than fatty pork bones.

– Load your bowl with low cal veggies like bok choy, cabbage, celery and carrot.

– Avoid cream, coconut milk, cornstarch thickening.

– Steam or boil wontons instead of frying them.

– Stick to 2-4 medium sized wontons per serving.

– Use shirataki noodles instead of wheat noodles.

– Flavor with vinegar, ginger and chili instead of salt or MSG.

With smart substitutions and veggie-centric additions, you can enjoy wonton soup for under 300 calories per bowl.

Is Wonton Soup Keto?

Wonton soup isn’t typically considered keto, since the noodles and broth contain carbohydrates. However, you can modify wonton soup to make it keto-friendly:

– Use “fathead” wonton wrappers made with mozzarella and almond flour.

– Replace noodles with spiralized vegetables like zucchini or kelp noodles.

– Choose a bone broth made with no vegetables or starches.

– Add keto-approved garnishes like sesame seeds, scallions, chili oil or ginger.

– Stick to just 1-2 wontons so carbs stay under 20g per serving.

– Avoid corn starch thickeners.

With these carb-cutting tweaks, you can achieve a keto wonton soup with around 5g net carbs. Just watch your portions, as the calories from high fat ingredients like pork or chicken skin can still quickly add up.

Is Wonton Soup Paleo?

Wonton soup isn’t strictly paleo since it contains noodles, but you can adjust it to fit paleo guidelines:

– Use wonton wrappers made from almond flour or coconut flour.

– Replace noodles with spiralized sweet potato or zucchini noodles.

– Choose a bone broth made with grass-fed bones.

– Add paleo-friendly veggies like bok choy, spinach, mushrooms.

– Use clean, paleo protein fillings like shrimp, chicken or turkey.

– Avoid soy sauce and use coconut aminos instead.

– Skip white sugar and use stevia or honey to sweeten if needed.

With these substitutions, you can create a more paleo-friendly version of wonton soup that still captures the classic flavors. Just watch your portions and enjoy as part of a balanced paleo diet.

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

There are many ways to make vegetarian and vegan wonton soup:

– Use tofu, seitan or tempeh fillings instead of meat.

– Choose vegetable broth instead of meat-based broth.

– Add lots of veggies like bok choy, mushrooms and celery.

– Use vegetable-based noodles like kelp or zucchini noodles.

– Garnish with fresh herbs and chili oil.

– Flavor filling with ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil.

– Use wonton wrappers without egg for vegan soup.

You can also swap in plant-based meat substitutes like Beyond beef in the filling or broth for a vegetarian take with a similar texture and flavor. With creative veggie-based ingredients, wonton soup can still be hearty and comforting without any meat.

Wonton Soup Recipe

Here is a basic healthy homemade wonton soup recipe:

Ingredients

For the broth:
– 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
– 1 inch ginger, sliced
– 3 cloves garlic, smashed
– 3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– 2 carrots, cut into coins
– 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
– 8 oz bok choy, chopped

For the wontons:
– 1 lb ground chicken or pork
– 1 egg
– 2 green onions, minced
– 1 tsp sesame oil
– 1 tsp minced ginger
– 24 wonton wrappers

Instructions

For the broth:

1. In a large pot, combine the stock, ginger, garlic, green onions and sesame oil. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to infuse broth with flavor.

3. Add carrots and mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes more.

4. Add bok choy and simmer 1 minute just to wilt.

For the wontons:

1. In a bowl, combine pork, egg, green onions, sesame oil and ginger.

2. Place 1 tbsp filling into center of each wonton wrapper. Fold and seal edges.

3. Boil or steam wontons for 5 minutes until cooked through.

To serve:

Add 8 wontons to each bowl and ladle over hot broth and vegetables. Garnish with cilantro, chili oil or extra green onions. Enjoy!

Wonton Soup Variations

There are many tasty ways to vary wonton soup:

– Use chicken, turkey, shrimp, beef, pork, tofu or veggie fillings.

– Swap in udon, ramen, rice noodles or veggie noodles.

– Add bok choy, napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn.

– Garnish with chili oil, sambal, sriracha, sesame seeds, cilantro, basil, mint.

– Season broth with garlic, ginger, 5-spice powder, tamari, rice vinegar.

– Make the broth with chicken, beef, pork, vegetable or miso base.

– Top with crispy fried wontons for texture.

– Add kimchi, daikon radish, mung bean sprouts.

– Use Chinese black vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce.

– For protein use tofu, crab meat, ground chicken, turkey or pork.

Get creative with the fillings, broth flavors and assorted toppings to craft your own signature wonton soup.

Best Wonton Soup Toppings

Wonton soup tastes great on its own but can be enhanced with delicious toppings. Here are some of the best mix-ins:

– Chili oil or chili crisp – adds heat and flavor

– Sesame oil – nutty aroma

– Scallions – fresh onion flavor

– Cilantro – brightness

– Fried wontons – crunchy texture

– Sambal or Sriracha – spicy kick

– Lime juice – acidity

– Ginger – pungency

– Garlic – aroma

– Soy sauce or tamari – savory umami

– Rice vinegar – mild acid

– Sesame seeds – nuttiness

– Peanuts – crunch

– Hot chili peppers – heat

– Shredded chicken or pork – extra protein

Mix and match toppings to customize your soup. Spicy, crunchy and fresh garnishes take wonton soup to the next level.

FAQs

Is wonton soup gluten free?

Wonton soup is not typically gluten-free. The wonton wrappers and noodles contain wheat-based ingredients with gluten. However, you can modify the recipe for gluten-free wonton soup by using rice paper wrappers and rice noodles. You also need to ensure the broth doesn’t contain soy sauce, which has gluten.

Is wonton soup dairy free?

Traditional wonton soup does not contain dairy and is dairy-free. However, some modern recipes add cream, cheese or butter which would make it unsuitable for people with dairy allergies or on a vegan diet. Always check the specific ingredients list to be sure.

Is wonton soup Whole30 approved?

Wonton soup is not part of the Whole30 diet which eliminates grains, legumes, dairy, soy, sugar and processed foods. However, you may be able to modify the recipe to be Whole30 compliant by using sweet potato noodles, bone broth, and dairy-free wontons cooked without any sugars or industrial seed oils.

Is it OK to reheat wonton soup?

Yes, you can safely reheat wonton soup 1-2 times without losing quality or safety. Allow the soup to cool before refrigerating. Gently reheat on the stove or microwave until hot, avoiding boiling which can make wontons mushy. Eat within 3-4 days and don’t reheat more than twice.

Can you freeze wonton soup?

It’s best to freeze wonton soup without the wontons. Allow the wonton soup to cool fully, then transfer broth to freezer bags or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and add fresh wontons. The wontons don’t freeze well and can become gummy.

The Bottom Line

Wonton soup can be a light yet filling and nutritious meal when prepared properly. Opt for healthy wonton fillings like shrimp and chicken instead of just pork. Choose lots of veggies like mushrooms, bok choy and celery to add nutrients and fiber. Make your own broth using bones for minerals and gelatin, and keep sodium low. Avoid deep frying the wontons if possible. With wholesome ingredients and proper portion sizes, wonton soup can be an excellent addition to a balanced diet.

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