Vegetarian Wontons with Butternut Squash

Vegetarian wontons with roasted butternut squash filling are a must-have holiday appetizer for my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas! They are crispy, sweet, and the perfect combo of seasonal flavors for winter celebrations. 

Butternut squash is definitely one of my favorite fall and winter foods to cook! I’ve perfected how to roast butternut squash, used it in butternut squash soup, and turned it into this roasted butternut squash appetizer that everyone loves!

It’s so good I usually recommend doubling or tripling the recipe. This ensures you have leftovers to freeze for future holiday gatherings or dinner parties. It’s one of the best healthy wonton wrapper recipes that’s sure to satisfy all palates!

💚 Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Wonton Recipe

• A tasty vegetarian Thanksgiving appetizer you will want to serve all season long!
• Suitable for vegans and vegetarians, but the flavors will appeal to everyone!
• Made with healthy, wholesome ingredients.

🛒 Ingredients

Making vegetarian wontons with butternut squash filling requires a handful of simple ingredients you can find in most grocery stores.

• Butternut squash: This winter squash is the perfect balance of savory and sweet that works perfectly in this wonton appetizer recipe. Other winter squash will work too. Try it with pumpkin, which is sweeter, or kabocha squash.
• Extra virgin olive oil: One of my favorite healthy oils for roasting butternut squash.
• Maple syrup: Adds sweetness to the roasted butternut squash and also makes the dip for the vegetarian wontons.
• Onion: Sauteed to add depth of flavor to the butternut squash appetizer filling.
• Sage: I highly encourage using fresh sage. Its flavor is far superior to dried. We will be adding the sage to the filling, dip, and for garnish.
• Pecans: Give a bit of texture to the filling while their flavors meld perfectly with the filling.
• Wonton wrappers: Available in most grocery stores. Look for them in your grocery store's produce or refrigerated section.
• Olive oil spray: We’re going to use this for cooking the wontons in the skillet. Invest in an eco-friendly spray bottle and fill it with olive oil. It’s a great way to avoid buying canned spray, which has other ingredients added and is more sustainable.

✅ How to Make Veggie Wontons with Roasted Butternut Squash

Don’t worry if you feel like wontons are a difficult recipe to make! It really isn’t and I’m going to walk you through it step by step. Detailed instructions are in the recipe card.

Step 1: Prepare the Butternut Squash Appetizer Filling

1. Roast the squash. Toss the squash with two tablespoons of olive oil, maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread it out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 375° F, stirring once or twice. The squash is ready when it’s tender, and the exterior begins to caramelize in about 25 minutes. 

TOP TIP: To save some time, roast the butternut squash halved. When done, mix the maple syrup & salt into the filling.

2. Mash it. After cooking, transfer it to a bowl and mash it. You should have about 2 cups of mashed squash.

3. Cook the onions in the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet for about ten minutes. 

4. Add the chopped pecans and cook for an additional two minutes.

5. Add the mashed squash and cook, constantly stirring, until heated through.

6. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sage. Add salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon) and a few grinds of black pepper. Allow the filling to cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Prep the Vegetarian Wontons

Here's a step-by-step on how to fold a wonton. The first few may take a bit of time but the more you fold, the faster it will get!

1. Set up your workspace. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil. Set aside a small bowl of water and a pastry brush. If you don't have a pastry brush, your finger works just fine!

2. Place a wonton wrapper on a smooth work surface (cutting board or plate). Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. 

3. Dip your finger or brush in a small bowl of water.

4. Dampen the edges of the wonton wrapper.

5. Press the opposite corners of the wrapper together. 

6. Press tightly, sealing the edges.

7. Give the edges a final press making sure they are sealed.

8. Check the corners are sealed.

9. Place the stuffed wontons on the prepared baking sheet and continue filling each wonton until the filling is used up.

TOP TIP: The filled wonton can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Just be sure to keep them stored without touching on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in a freezer for 3 hours or more to store it longer. After frozen, remove the wontons and place them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Step 3: Cook the Wontons

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F and lightly spray the wontons with olive oil. 

2. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

3. While they are cooking, heat the maple syrup and sage in a small pot until warm. Serve on a platter topped with chopped sage and maple dip.

🍽️ How to Serve

Serve up these vegetable wontons with butternut squash and sage before your Thanksgiving dinner with holiday favorites such as a tasty vegan turnip gratin or mashed rutabagas.

Vegetarian wontons work great for other parties too! Especially when served with other appetizers such as Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms and Red Pepper Hummus. 

❄️ Storage Tips

Here's everything you need to know about storing this veggie wonton recipe whether making ahead or you happen to have leftovers.

• Leftovers: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.

• Reheat: Return them to a parchment-lined baking tray and heat at 350° F until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. 

• Make Ahead: These vegetable wontons are perfect for making ahead. To make a day or two in advance, follow the instructions to assemble the wontons and the store laid out on a baking tray for up to two days. Be sure they aren’t touching and are in a single layer. You can also flash freeze them on the baking sheet pan and then transfer them to a freezer container once they are frozen. They are safe to store for up to three months.

• Cooking Frozen Wontons: When you’re ready to prepare, lay them in a single layer with space in between on a baking sheet. Let them thaw for about 15 minutes and then cook in a 375° F oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned and heated through.

🔪 Helpful Kitchen Tools & Gadgets

Making vegetarian wontons requires simple ingredients, but there are a few things that aren’t required but do make things easier. 

Utensils: You will need a potato masher for mashing the squash. I also enjoy using a small cookie scoop to measure out the filling on the wontons evenly, but a one-tablespoon measure works too. Other items include a wooden spoon or spatula and measuring cups and spoons.

Cooking: You will need a medium skillet for preparing the filling and a baking sheet pan for roasting squash.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Save time by making a double or triple batch of vegetarian wontons and freezing them! Then you have an easy appetizer for fall gatherings with family and friends.
• Be sure to use water to seal the edges and squeeze tightly to make sure they don’t fall apart.
• Allow the filling to cool completely before folding the wontons. If the filling is warm, it will soften the dough, and it may tear.
• Don’t overstuff the wontons with too much filling.
• When cooking from frozen, remove wontons from the freezer 15 minutes before cooking.  Spray with olive oil and cook according to the directions above.
• Time saver tip: Roast the butternut squash halved. When done, mix the maple syrup & salt into the filling.

🌎 Sustainability Suggestions 

For the least impact on the environment, use butternut squash when it’s in season and choose fresh over frozen. While the butternut squash is often found year-round, it may travel a further distance to get to you when it’s out of season.

September and October are the best months for buying and using it! For the best flavor, try to choose butternut squash grown in a colder area, as it will have better flavor and more sweetness.

Store it in a cool, dry place, and it will last for a few weeks. To avoid food waste, don’t let the butternut squash go bad. You can always make the filling in advance and freeze it.  

➕ More Appetizer Recipes

If you made this recipe, please leave a star 🌟 rating on the recipe card right below! You can also drop a review in the comment section. Your feedback is appreciated! And don’t forget to tag @themindfulfork so we can see your creations.

📖 Recipe