These Cheese Wontons with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce are the BEST! Crispy, crunchy on the outside and filled with hot, gooey melty cheese! What could be better?
“I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it!” – Buddy the Elf
Too soon for Christmas movies? [Trevor from the other room… YES TOO SOON!] Maaaybe, but that’s the only way to describe how I feel about this recipe, because I’ve done it! Yes. I have in fact found the perfect food pairing. Cheese wontons, meet honey mustard dipping sauce. Honey mustard dipping sauce, meet cheese wontons. I know what you’re thinking, cheese wontons and honey mustard isn’t the most ground-breaking combo, but you haven’t had cheese wontons until you’ve made these at home and you haven’t had honey mustard until you’ve tried THIS honey mustard dipping sauce.
Did I mention that these wontons have a double crust? That’s right. A double crust for an extra thick and crunchy wonton.
I have never been so excited to share a recipe on SMTY. I’ve made these 3 days in a row…they’re just that good. They’re fried (or baked!) and then dipped in this incredible sauce made up of tangy mustard, sweet honey and a little lemon juice helps to cut the sweetness. These wontons are amazing, but you could pretty much dip anything in this honey mustard: chicken fingers, french fries, your index finger…whatever floats your boat.
Growing up, I was a reeeeally picky eater. My diet consisted of the three primary food groups, mac & cheese (only Kraft in Looney Tune shapes), PB&J’s (made only by mom with the crusts removed), and cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce (from the Irish Democrat in Cedar Rapids, IA) If you’re on I-80 driving through Iowa reading this, hop up to Cedar Rapids… trust me.
Heads up, the sauce tastes best after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. So plan ahead! I’d recommend whipping it up before heading into work one morning. Mix together mayo, yellow and dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined and place in the fridge until ready for use!
I always thought wonton wrappers and frying would be really complicated (wrong!), so I avoided it for the longest time…what a mistake!
Start with one wonton wrapper, brush it with water (you can just use your finger like below too if you don’t have this really cool brush
), and place another wrapper directly on top of it. Press down on it firmly all over so they stick together.
Then slice your cheese, I think Monterey Jack works the best for these, into 3/4 – 1 oz cubes. If you don’t have a scale, you can just eye ball it based on the photos! I put 4-5 cubes in each wonton, it should fill it up pretty well once folded.
Dip your pointer finger in water, and brush the outside edges with water. No need to be stingy, the water helps the wonton adhere to itself.
Take opposite corners of the wonton and bring them together.
Pinch tightly and repeat with the other two opposite corners.
Make sure the seams are firmly pinched together (really… make sure they’re stuck together well) and then place the whole wonton into your hand and gently squeeze out any excess air.
Check to make sure there are no holes, pockets, or loose seams in the wonton wrapper, as the cheese will melt out! Repeat this process with as many wontons as you’d like.
Now you’re going to grab a saucepan (I don’t suggest using a frying pan for this, it’s too messy and dangerous) and place about an inch worth of vegetable oil in it on medium high heat until it’s 325 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a candy thermometer to make sure I stay in the 325-350 range.
Place your wonton(s) carefully in the hot oil and cook until golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how many you’re cooking at once. It took me about a minute for two wontons, and we flipped them about half way through. Tipping the pan, so the oil can fully submerge the wonton helps to cook them faster, and you don’t have to flip them! You’ll be able to tell when they’re ready, just look for a nice golden color! I would suggest testing one at a time, until you feel comfortable on the amount of time it takes to get a golden, crunchy outside, with a gooey cheese center!
Also, make sure you’re keeping an eye on the oil temperature, because you may need to adjust the heat level as you’re going to maintain 325 degree F oil.
After the wontons are done, place on a paper towel to drain excess oil and serve immediately with that really awesome honey mustard that’s been waiting in the fridge.
If you really don’t feel comfortable frying (even though, I know you can do it!) these can be baked (full instructions in the notes below) at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, just make sure to flip them over half way through and know that these won’t be as crunchy as the frying option, however, they are equally as delicious. Can’t go wrong with wonton wrapped cheese can you?
You guys are going to go NUTS over these and the best part is you can make as many as you want!
Seriously, what’s better than crispy fried golden wontons stuffed with gooey, melty cheese and dipped in sweet and tangy honey mustard dipping sauce? That’s right. Nothing.
– Jennifer
Have a friend that loves cheese? Let them know about it!
What’s your favorite dipping sauce? Show me the yummy!
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 package wonton wrappers
- 1 (1 lb) block Monterey Jack cheese
- Vigorously whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Cover and chill for at least a few hours, but preferably overnight.
- Start with one wonton wrapper, brush it with water (you can just use your finger like below too if you don't have this really cool brush
), and place another wrapper directly on top of it. Press down on it firmly all over so they stick together. - Then slice your cheese into small cubes. I put 4-5 cubes (about 1 oz) in each wonton.
- Dip your pointer finger in water, and brush the outside edges with water. No need to be stingy, the water helps the wonton adhere to itself.
- Take opposite corners of the wonton and bring them together.
- Pinch tightly and repeat with the other two opposite corners.
- Make sure the seams are firmly pinched together (really... make sure they're stuck together well) and then place the whole wonton into your hand and gently squeeze out any excess air.
- Check to make sure there are no holes, pockets, or loose seams in the wonton wrapper, as the cheese will melt out! Repeat this process with as many wontons as you'd like.
- Now you're going to grab a saucepan (I don't suggest using a frying pan for this, it's too messy and dangerous) and place about an inch worth of vegetable oil in it on medium high heat until it's 325 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a candy thermometer to make sure I stay in the 325-350 range.
- Place your wonton(s) carefully in the hot oil and cook until golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how many you're cooking at once. It took me about a minute for two wontons, and we flipped them about half way through. Tipping the pan, so the oil can fully submerge the wonton helps to cook them faster, and you don't have to flip them! You'll be able to tell when they're ready, just look for a nice golden color! I would suggest testing one at a time, until you feel comfortable on the amount of time it takes to get a golden, crunchy outside, with a gooey cheese center!
- Also, make sure you're keeping an eye on the oil temperature, because you may need to adjust the heat level as you're going to maintain 325 degree F oil.
- After the wontons are done, place on a paper towel to drain excess oil and serve immediately with that really awesome honey mustard that's been waiting in the fridge.
Nutritional information does not include how much oil is absorbed into the wonton. It's too hard to calculate.
**If you place the wontons in the hot oil and you hear "crackling" noises, it probably means that your cheese is leaking out. Take out immediately and try again with another wonton. Make sure that they are all tightly sealed! 🙂
The best thing about this recipe is that you can make just one, or make enough for a crowd! 1 (1 oz) cube of cheese + 2 wonton wrappers = 1 serving.
1 (1 lb) block of cheese = 1 package wonton wrappers.
If you really don't feel like frying, these can be baked at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time!
The honey mustard makes about 3/4 cup!
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Prepare wontons as directed above, but only use 1 wrapper per wonton and fold the wontons a little differently. Fold them so the shape is like a rectangle. Place the wontons on the baking sheet and spray the top very lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
I can see why you made these three times!! Holy cow they look amazing! That sauce is awesomeness! I do not remember the Looney Tunes Mac and Cheese! That is too funny!
Thanks Tanya! Is it bad that I’m craving more now at 8 AM? 😉 Oh, and the Looney Tunes mac is where it’s at, ha! 😉
Oh goodness, girl, these look absolutely delicious! I love the honey mustard dipping sauce, and the pictures are just gorgeous! And is it too soon for Christmas? neeever lol!
Thank you Phi! I don’t think it’s ever too soon for Christmas, either…Trevor thinks differently 😉
The Wontons are fantabulous!! (New word!) Bah, humbug to our friend!! How ’bout Christmas ALL YEAR! (~_~) !!
Thanks Brent! Get ready for Christmas movies galore when you’re in town next week 😉
A recipe for honey mustard? This is awesome!
Yea! I think you’d really enjoy it! 🙂
I can definitely picture myself devouring many of these cheesey wontons.. they look SO good, especially with all that dipping sauce!
Thanks Thalia! If only you could see me shoving these in my face fresh out of the fryer 😉
OH my goodness. I am doing a cleanse this month and ALL I can think about is cheese. So naturally my mouth is watering with this recipe. Great idea! Can’t wait to make it in 2.5 weeks. 🙂
Thanks Katie! You’ll have to let me know how you like them…good luck with the rest of your cleanse, great job so far! 🙂
Um yea, these look amazing! I can’t wait to make that mustard sauce!
Thank you 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!!
Ughhhhhhhhh! These look so delicious! Melty cheese is my thing!
Thanks, Jess! Melty cheese is totally my thing, too 😉
That last shot of cheese oozing out is totally drool worthy!! Yummy!
Thank you 🙂
I admire your dishes and photos♥
Thank you! 🙂
These were amazing! I made some with Monterrey Jack, some with Pepper Jack, and some with Sharp Cheddar. The pepper jack ones went great with some homemade pico de gallo. Definitely making these again for sure!
Yay!! Thanks Maggie! I’m so happy they turned out well for you 🙂 Love the idea with the pepper jack and pico de gallo…sounds amazing!!
I am anxious to try these! ID is the place to go! Curious to ask, do the taste similar to ID? Thanks!!!
Hi Jen! Definitely give these a try! The wontons taste just like the ID’s wontons. The honey mustard isn’t exactly the same, but it’s pretty darn close to what I remember.:) I hope you love them!
Stumbled on your post while on Pinterest – a former Eastern Iowan myself, I about teared up with the memory of the Irish Democrat’s cheese wontons and honey mustard sauce. It seems to be a Midwestern thing – I’ve never seen this combo in the Pacific Northwest (where I live now). I know what I’ll be making this weekend! Thanks for the recipe!
What a small world, Amy! My husband, Trevor, and I are living in Seattle now! Where in the PNW are you? I absolutely love it out here. I hope you enjoy the wontons and honey mustard…they’ll definitely bring you back to your ID days! 🙂 I’m so happy you found these!
I go on Buzzfeed literally everyday looking for new recipes. My boyfriend, who’s originally from Seattle but lives in Cedar Rapids, took me to the Irish Democrat a couple of weeks ago for a date and said we HAD to get the cheese wontons. Now, here I see I’ve found a recipe and even though it’ll be midnight soon he’s begging me to go to the store NOW. Will be making these soon enough….
What a small world!! You can’t go to Cedar Rapids without enjoying way too many baskets of those cheese wontons. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the homemade ones as well!
FINALLY made them tonight and they were phenomenal! My attempt at the wrapping didn’t go quite as well, but they tasted delicious all the same. Everyone in my house loved it!
Hi Dulcinea! So, SO happy you loved these. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve made these…the wrapping takes practice, but it definitely gets easier with time! The brands can vary too…some wrappers aren’t as sturdy as others! Thanks for making (and enjoying!) the wontons. 🙂
How about baking? What degrees and for how long should I bake them for? These look delicious!
Hi Katrina! You can bake these for 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. They won’t be quite as delicious as frying, but still amazing! I’ll put more detailed instructions in the notes on the recipe. Thank you! 🙂
I made these and they’re absolutely amazing. I was wondering if they’re supposed to fry/cook the the inside layer because it looked like mine didn’t
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad you loved these. 🙂 The inside layer won’t be fried, but it shouldn’t be raw. If your inside layer was raw, I’d try cooking them a bit longer next time. 🙂
Absolutely love your creative idea with cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce! Never seen something like this! Definitely i will try to make it too! Thx for sharing!
Aww thank you so much!
Inspired by the recipe I made these last night. Delicious!! I made them with just one wrapper each, but after actually reading the recipe I am going to try it with 2 wrappers. I can hardly wait, these are really great!
Yay!! Thank you so much! You’re gonna love the double wrapper!
I am obsessed with creative recipes! Definitely cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce will be yummy! I’m seriously so inspired right now. Thx for sharing Jennifer!
Aww thanks so much!
Can you prep these ahead of time(in the morning) and then fry them later in the evening?
That should be fine! Keep them in an airtight container or ziplock baggie in the fridge. 🙂