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Home » Blog » Recipes » Wonton Soup (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)

Wonton Soup (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)

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This paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and keto version of wonton soup is so dang delicious, you won’t even miss the wonton wrapper! It’s the perfect Asian-inspired soup to chase the chills away!

A close up of a bowl of paleo, whole30, and keto wonton soup where the bowl if filled with meatballs and baby bok choy

My recipe for Wonton Meatballs is a Nomster favorite on the blog and iOS app because it captures all the flavors of this classic Chinese dish without the tediousness of folding up any dumplings. It’s so popular that we decided to add it to our latest cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! 

Although my Wonton Meatballs taste great out of an air fryer or oven, lots of folks continue to ask me how to transform them into wonton soup. I get it—sometimes nothing satisfies as much as a steaming bowl of soup!

How to turn Wonton Meatballs into Wonton Soup!

Yes, you can plop the already-baked or air fried wonton meatballs into a bowl of soup, but I think they taste better if the meatballs are gently cooked in a rich chicken stock infused with ginger. Cooked this way, the bite-size balls develop a more tender texture and the resulting one-pot dish is more reminiscent of the wonton soup my mom cooked for me as a kid.

An overhead shot of four bowls of paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, keto, and low carb wonton soup.

Ingredients

Almost all of the ingredients for my Wonton Soup can be purchased at a well-stocked grocery store!

An overhead shot of the raw ingredients to make paleo, Whole30, and keto wonton soup.

  • Dried shiitake mushrooms*: You don’t need to buy the fancy dried shiitake mushrooms for this recipe because you’re chopping them up for the meatballs. If you don’t have any dried shiitake mushrooms, you can use fresh shiitakes.
  • Shrimp: Because you’re chopping up the shrimp, you don’t have to buy expensive large shrimp. I normally use frozen and pre-peeled small shrimp for this recipe. If you have a shrimp allergy, you can leave it out and use more ground pork. Also, some folks like to use scallops in place of shrimp.
  • Ground pork: The traditional ground meat to use in wontons is pork, but you can substitute ground dark meat turkey or chicken in this recipe.
  • Fresh herbs: Minced cilantro and scallions/green onions are mixed into the wonton meatballs. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, just use scallions.
  • Coconut Aminos: I use this in place of soy sauce to help season the meatballs.
  • Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt*
  • Paleo-friendly fish sauce: I always use Red Boat fish sauce because it’s the best!
  • Ground white pepper*: Adds a slight peppery bite to the wonton meatballs.
  • Toasted sesame oil: It imparts a subtle toasty flavor to the meatballs and to the soup.
  • Avocado oil: Coating your hands with a little avocado oil makes it a lot easier to form round wonton meatballs.
  • Chicken broth: You can use homemade broth or your favorite store-bought brand. My favorite store-bought brands are Roli Roti’s Butcher’s Bone Broth or Bonafide Provisions.
  • Ginger: I use fresh ginger to season the broth but I don’t add it to the meatballs ’cause it’ll make the texture mushy!
  • Baby bok choy: My favorite vegetable to use in this wonton soup recipe is baby bok choy, but you can substitute baby spinach or broccoli instead.

*You can also substitute ¾ teaspoon of my Umami Stir-Fry Powder for the dried shiitake mushrooms, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ground white pepper. See the instructions in the “How To Make  This Wonton Soup Even Faster” section below.

How to make paleo, keto, and Whole30 wonton soup

Make the wontons meatballs

If you haven’t already, rehydrate your dried mushrooms. (Pro tip: Soak them in a bowl of water in the morning so they’ll be plump and tender by the time you’re ready to make dinner.)

A hand is grabbing some dried shiitake mushrooms from a bowl of water.

Once you’re ready to cook, squeeze the water out of the mushrooms. Cut off and discard the stems, and finely mince the caps.

Closeup of someone finely chopping rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms on a cutting board.

Finely chop the shrimp until it turns into a chunky paste—you don’t want big chunks of shrimp in your wonton meatballs.

Raw shrimp is chopped into a fine paste on a cutting board with a chef's knife
Transfer the chopped shrimp to a large bowl. Add the pork, mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, coconut aminos, salt, fish sauce, white pepper, and sesame oil.

Adding a spoonful of white pepper to a bowl filled with ingredients for wonton meatballs.

Use your hands to squeeze and mix the meatball mixture until a sticky and tacky mass is formed. (Alternatively, use a food processor to chop and combine the ingredients.)

A hand is mixing and squeezing the wonton meatball ingredients in a large glass mixing bowl.
Form a little patty and cook it in a small skillet over medium heat or microwave it on a microwave-safe plate for 30 seconds. Taste it and season with more salt if needed. (Not ready to cook just yet? You can refrigerate the meat mixture for up to 12 hours.)

A small patty of cooked meatball meat on a blue and white plate.

Form the wonton meatballs

Using a medium disher, portion out 20 equal blobs of the mixture.

A medium ice cream scoop is used to portion out wonton meatballs on a blue and white plate.

Rub a little oil on your palms, and roll the meat into uniform-sized balls.

Someone in a gray apron is using their hands to roll wonton meatballs and placing them on a blue and white plate.

Make the soup

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and ginger to a boil over high heat.

Chicken broth with ginger slices is simmering in a large pot.

Season the broth with fish sauce and salt to taste.

Pouring a spoonful of fish sauce into a simmering pot of chicken broth and ginger.
Add the baby bok choy to the broth and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Adding baby Bok Choy to a pot of simmering chicken broth
Remove the bok choy with a slotted spoon or tongs and divide it into four soup bowls.

A woman is dividing cooked baby Bok Choy into four soup bowls.
Add the wonton meatballs to the broth and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until fully cooked. You can stab the middle of a meatball with an instant-read thermometer and it should read 145°F. The resulting meatball texture should be bouncy and light.

Wonton Meatballs simmering in a gingery chicken broth in a large pot.

Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil.

A hand is adding toasted sesame oil from a small bowl to a pot of wonton meatball soup
Divide the meatballs into the four serving bowls with baby bok choy and ladle the soup on top.

A ladle is adding broth to a bowl filled with wonton meatballs and baby Bok Choy.

Garnish with sliced green onions and slurp it up!

A side view of four bowls of Nom Nom Paleo's wonton soup

How do you store leftovers?

If you have leftover wonton soup, you can keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat it in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering and the meatballs are cooked through. Alternatively, you can microwave in an Anyday bowl for 90 seconds on high power or until heated through.

How to make this wonton soup even faster!

Don’t have any dried shiitake mushrooms or too lazy to chop everything by hand? No problem! If I want to make these meatballs in a flash, I substitute ¾ teaspoon of my Umami Stir-Fry Powder for the dried shiitake mushrooms, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ground white pepper. Also, I use my food processor to chop and mix all the meatball ingredients. The resulting meatballs will have a more uniform texture, but they’ll still taste amazing!

Image of the Nom Nom Paleo Umami Stir-Fry Powder bottle and spice blend

Don’t forget that you can stock up on all my Nom Nom Paleo spice blends online at The Spice Lab and you can save 15% with the one-time code: letsgo.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

An overhead shot of a bowl with wonton meatballs and baby Bok Choy in a bowl of clear broth.
Print Recipe
4.87 from 23 votes

Wonton Soup (Paleo, Keto, Whole30, Gluten Free)

This paleo, Whole30, gluten-free ,and keto version of wonton soup is so dang delicious, you won’t miss the wonton wrapper! It’s the perfect Asian-inspired soup to chase the chills away!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Shiitake mushroom soaking time30 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: gluten-free, keto, low carb, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo, Whole30
Servings: 4
Calories: 393kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

Wonton Meatballs

  • ¼ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in water until rehydrated
  • ½ pound raw shrimp shelled and deveined
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 scallions finely chopped
  • ¼ cup cilantro minced
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Avocado oil

Soup

  • 6 cups bone broth or chicken broth
  • 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and cut into thin coins
  • 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • 1 pound baby bok choy ends trimmed and cut lengthwise in half or in quarters
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

Instructions 

Make the Wonton Meatballs

  • If you haven’t already, rehydrate your dried mushrooms. (Pro tip: Soak them in a bowl of  water in the morning so they’ll be plump and tender by the time you’re ready to make dinner.)
  • Once you’re ready to cook, squeeze the water out of the mushrooms. Cut and discard the stems and finely mince the caps.
  • Finely chop the shrimp until it turns into a chunky, sticky paste.
  • Transfer the chopped shrimp to a large bowl. Add the pork, mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, coconut aminos, salt, fish sauce, white pepper and sesame oil.
  • Use your hands to squeeze and mix the meatball mixture until a sticky and tacky mass is formed. (Alternatively, use a food processor to chop and combine the ingredients.)
  • Form a little patty and cook it in a small skillet over medium heat. Taste it and season with more salt if needed. (Not ready to cook just yet? You can refrigerate the meat mixture for up to 12 hours.)
  • Using a medium disher, portion out 20 blobs of the mixture. Rub a little avocado oil on your palms and roll the meat into uniform-sized balls.

Make the soup

  • In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and ginger to a boil over high heat. Season the broth with fish sauce and salt to taste.
  • Add the baby bok choy to the broth and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender crisp. Remove the bok choy with a slotted spoon and divide into 4 soup bowls.
  • Add the meatballs to the broth and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until fully cooked. You can stab the middle of a meatball with an instant-read thermometer and it should read 145°F. The resulting meatballs should be bouncy and light.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Divide the meatballs and soup into the four bowls. Garnish with scallions.

Video

Notes

Shortcut to faster wonton meatballs:
  • Substitute ¾ teaspoon of my Umami Stir-Fry Powder for the dried shiitake mushrooms, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ground white pepper.
  • Also, use a food processor to chop and mix all the meatball ingredients. The resulting meatballs will have a more uniform texture, but they’ll still taste amazing!
Make-ahead instructions:
You can make the meatball mixture ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 12 hours before cooking them.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Margaret says

    February 15, 2022 at 4:45 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    Is there any substitute for the fish sauce that might work, even though it wouldn’t taste exactly the same? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 15, 2022 at 5:06 pm

      I have a No-Fish Sauce recipe in my newest cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go!

      Reply
  2. Deborah says

    February 15, 2022 at 6:43 pm

    Love the nom nom paleo recipes! Unfortunately I’m allergic to shellfish, should I replace the shrimp with something else, a scale fish perhaps?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 15, 2022 at 8:16 pm

      As stated in the ingredients section, you can leave out the shrimp and use an extra 1/2 pound of ground pork or sub in scallops.

      Reply
  3. Michael Mullady says

    February 16, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    Is there anything I could substitute for the mushrooms? My fiance is allergic to them.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 16, 2022 at 5:52 pm

      You can leave them out!

      Reply
  4. Meg says

    February 17, 2022 at 3:18 am

    I love that there’s now a recipe for the soup! I’ve been making the meatballs for years (one of my faves), but I could never really figure out the soup part of it no matter how much I tried. Unsurprisingly, it’s delicious!

    Reply
  5. Armen says

    February 20, 2022 at 2:56 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely excellent. We’re not quite paleo, and I added some rice noodles in the bottom of the bowl, but the flavors were perfect and I was hoping for leftovers, but I think my husband had 3rds….. I didn’t have scallions but chopped some shallots in their place. (We live too far from town to do a good run). Thanks!

    Reply
    • Armen says

      February 20, 2022 at 2:56 am

      *food run….

      Reply
  6. Stacey says

    February 22, 2022 at 1:32 am

    5 stars
    I made an embarrassing amount of slurping noises while downing a bowl of this soup. So good!

    Reply
  7. Leslie says

    February 23, 2022 at 12:03 am

    This soup is so awesome. I had the leftovers for breakfast. Cooked it just as the recipe stated. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you.

    Reply
  8. Ann Klein says

    February 24, 2022 at 9:43 pm

    Do you leave the ginger in the doup when it is served?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 25, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      No, I pick it out.

      Reply
  9. Florence says

    March 5, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    5 stars
    You must have read my mind! I have been looking for a simple, Paleo version of wonton soup for months. I started searching for the ingredients as soon as I received your newsletter. Most of the ingredients I had on hand. It was difficult locating ground pork. When I finally found it I brought extra, because I knew I will be making this soup again even though it’s 80° outside. I did chop up the bok choy to make it easy to scoop while slurping. I did not remove the bok choy before adding the meatball, too much fishing out. Once again, another delicious recipe. Thank you

    Reply
  10. Josianne Fitzgerald says

    March 12, 2022 at 2:55 am

    Very delicious. I wasn’t sure about the mushrooms – mostly because I don’t like them much – but they didn’t overpower the meatballs. Next time, probably next week this was so yummy, I will add green onions and garlic to the broth, and I won’t remove the chopped bok choy before adding the meatballs as suggested by a commenter.

    I do have one question. What is the patty that the instructions say to make about halfway? I don’t see that it is added anywhere after it is cooked.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      March 12, 2022 at 5:20 pm

      You make a small patty to taste for seasoning. You eat it! Then you form the meatballs.

      Reply
  11. Julie Ayla says

    April 16, 2022 at 9:32 pm

    5 stars
    I made my own version of this with basil, mint, cilantro, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, red chili, medicinal turmeric-ginger chicken broth, baby bok choy, mung bean sprouts, chicken-shrimp balls, and some whole shrimp. Came out sooo good! This is now my favorite summer breakfast soup!!

    Reply
  12. Kathryn says

    January 16, 2023 at 11:32 pm

    5 stars
    I used the 1.5 cups of water from the mushrooms as part of the broth and the flavor was amazing!!! I also had to use a little extra broth as there just didn’t seem to be enough….but yummy!!!

    Reply
  13. Kate says

    January 24, 2023 at 2:14 am

    5 stars
    This is so delicious and easy to make.I actually made it two days in a row! I baked the meatballs instead of frying them (350F for 10-15 minutes) because I couldn’t stand by the stove to fry them.
    I love this recipe! Thank you Michelle 🙂

    Reply

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