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These Shrimp Wonton Cups are a fresh, bright appetiser that always impresses. Tender garlic prawns are quickly pan fried, then mixed through a lemony coleslaw-style salad with just enough mayo and sesame oil to bring it all together.
Spoon that over crispy, oven baked wonton cups and finish with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce. These shrimp in wonton cups are easy, festive, and perfect for any holiday spread.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
These Shrimp Wonton Cups take simple ingredients and turn them into something that tastes restaurant worthy. The combination of garlicky pan fried prawns, a bright lemon-kissed salad, and crunchy baked wonton cups gives you flavour, freshness, and texture in every bite. It’s the kind of appetiser that feels special without any complicated steps.
You’ll also love how versatile and make-ahead friendly they are. You can prep the shrimp salad in wonton cups ahead of time, bake the wrappers in one batch, and assemble right before serving. Whether you call them shrimp cups or shrimp in wonton cups, they’re easy, fast, and guaranteed to be the first thing to disappear.
What Goes Into Shrimp Wonton Cups
These Shrimp Wonton Cups come together quickly with simple, fresh ingredients.
- Wonton Wrappers: These bake into light, crunchy cups that hold the filling perfectly. Egg roll wrappers cut into squares also work.
- Shrimp: Medium peeled prawns give you tender, bite sized pieces that cook fast and absorb flavour well.
- Garlic: Fresh crushed garlic seasons the shrimp in the pan and adds the savoury depth that carries the whole recipe.
- Coleslaw Mix: A mix of shredded cabbage and carrot adds fresh crunch and balances the creamy lemon mayo dressing.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Shrimp Wonton Cups
- Prep Wonton Cups: Preheat oven to 176°C, spray a muffin tin with oil, press in wrappers, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden before cooling them on a rack.
- Prepare the Shrimp: Rinse the shrimp and pat them completely dry, setting aside 12 whole pieces and slicing the rest with the tails removed.
- Cook Sliced Shrimp: Heat oil in a pan, add the shrimp with most of the garlic and lemon juice, season lightly, and cook until opaque before transferring to a bowl.
- Cook the Whole Shrimp: Add the whole shrimp to the same pan with the remaining garlic and lemon juice, seasoning gently and cooking until just done.
- Mix Salad Base: Combine the coleslaw, mayonnaise, sesame oil, and lemon juice with the cooked shrimp, seasoning to taste.
- Fill the Wonton Cups: Spoon the shrimp salad mixture into each cooled wonton cup, packing the filling neatly without overflowing.
- Add the Garnishes: Place one whole shrimp on top of each cup and sprinkle with sliced scallions for colour and freshness.
- Serve with Sauce: Arrange cups on a platter and serve with lemon wedges and sweet chilli sauce on the side or drizzled on top.
These Shrimp Wonton Cups already bring freshness and crunch, so pairing them with dishes that add warmth, creaminess, or a bold punch creates a more exciting table. The key is choosing sides that contrast the bright shrimp salad but still feel cohesive at a party or holiday spread.
Serve them alongside Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats for a light yet hearty option that feels surprisingly comforting, Smokey Mexican Beef Wedges for a bold, spicy-savoury contrast that lifts the whole appetiser lineup, and Goats Cheese and Smoked Salmon English Muffins for an elevated, creamy bite that feels indulgent and unexpected next to your crisp wonton cups.
Tips For Making Shrimp Wonton Cups
- Bake the wonton cups until they’re a deep golden colour; trust me, the extra minute or two makes a huge difference in keeping them crisp. No one likes a soggy cup.
- Pat the shrimp completely dry before cooking. I’ve learned that even a little moisture keeps them from getting that nice, firm bite.
- Slice the shrimp evenly so the filling mixes smoothly. It makes every cup feel a little neater and more intentional.
- Give the salad a quick taste before filling. Sometimes it just needs that extra squeeze of lemon or a tiny pinch of salt to really wake it up.
Recipe FAQ’s
Fill them right before serving. The baked wontons stay crisp for hours on their own, but once the salad goes in, the clock starts ticking.
Cook them just until they turn opaque and curl slightly. They cook fast, so staying nearby for those few minutes makes all the difference.
Lightly spray the wrappers with oil before baking. A thin, even coat helps them crisp up and brown uniformly.
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Garlic Shrimp Salad Wonton Cups
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin 12 cup non stick
Ingredients
- 12 cubes wonton wrappers use egg roll wrappers as a substitute if you can find
- 24 medium Shrimp (prawns) deveined frozen peeled raw tails intact
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (large) crushed
- 4 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 2 cups coleslaw raw salad mix with no dressing (shredded cabbage and carrot)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise whole egg
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1 stem scallion or green onion (spring onion) sliced to garnish
- 1 bowl sweet chilli sauce serving suggestion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 176C. Spray a standard muffin tin with cooking oil spray. Line each muffin hole with a wonton wrapper, lightly pressing down into the sides and walls off each muffin hole to form them into cups. Lightly spray wrappers with additional cooking spray and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Transfer cups to a cooling rack, allow to cool and set aside.
- While cups are cooling, prepare prawns: Wash shrimp and thoroughly pat dry with paper towel. Set 12 whole shrimp aside, and slice the remaining shrimp, discarding tail.
- Heat oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add the sliced shrimp to the pan with 2/3 of the crushed garlic, 2/3 of the lemon juice and salt. Fry for about 5 minutes or until prawns have changed in colour and are cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining whole shrimp to the pan with the remaining garlic and lemon juice; season with salt. Fry on each side until cooked through. Transfer to a separate plate and set aside.
- Add the coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, sesame oil and lemon juice to the bowl with the sliced shrimp, mixing all of the ingredients through until combined. Season with extra salt if needed and extra lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon).
- Spoon the coleslaw filling into each wonton cup with one whole shrimp on top to garnish/decorate. Sprinkle with spring onion slices; serve with lemon wedges and sweet chilli sauce.
Notes
- Wonton Cups: Use a standard muffin tin. You must spray the tins (or the wrappers) with a little cooking oil spray before baking to ensure they get golden and crispy.
- Oven Temp: Bake at 350°F (180°C). Keep an eye on them; they burn fast!
- Prawns (Shrimp): Pan-fry them on high heat with the garlic just until they turn pink. Do not overcook them, or they’ll get rubbery.
- The Salad: It’s a coleslaw-style mix (shredded cabbage green, red or both and shredded carrot, you can have onion in there as well if you like). Use fresh lemon juice (not bottled!) for the dressing—it makes a huge difference.
- Cups: You can bake these the night before! Store them in an airtight container on the bench.
- Freezing: You can even freeze the baked cups. Thaw them on the day and reheat in a medium oven to crisp them up again.
- Salad: You can chop the veggies ahead of time, but mix the mayo, sesame oil, and lemon dressing in right before serving so it stays crunchy.
- Don’t skip the Sweet Chili Sauce drizzle at the end; it ties the creamy salad and garlic prawns together perfectly.
- Serve with extra lemon wedges on the side!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks so wonderful, but I am in the US, and do not know how to change the oven temp to F, lol. What is the conversion? Also, the grams, but I can figure that one out.
Hi! The conversions are 350F and 12 ounces! I’m sorry about that! If you have any other questions please let me know X
Wow these look so tempting!! Great for a Xmas party!
I love your recipe, so fresh, crispy and flavourful! It’s really interesting 🙂