Whenever I make crab rangoon, they disappear quickly. Fried crab in a crispy pouch? Hard to say no, especially when freshly fried.
Making crab rangoon at home is a great way to stretch expensive crab meat to feed a crowd and keep them happy.
Serve them on their own or with a sauce for extra flavor.
What is Crab Rangoon?
Crab rangoon are crispy wontons filled with a creamy mixture of crab meat and cream cheese. They’re often served as appetizers at Chinese-American restaurants.
The filling is savory, creamy, and slightly sweet from the crab. When fried, the wontons puff up and turn golden brown with crunchy edges.
What You Will Need
To make these crispy crab and cream cheese wontons, gather the following ingredients:
- Crab meat: I’m using fresh lump crab meat that I got at Costco, in the refrigerated section. You can also use canned crab or imitation crab.
- Cream cheese: Any variety works. Whipped cream cheese would be easier to mix but regular cream cheese in brick form will also do.
- Wonton wrappers: Thin squares of dough made from flour, water, a little salt, and sometimes eggs. You can usually find them in the fridge or freezer section at most grocery stores. For this recipe, we are simply using water to seal them. The folds may open slightly while frying but that’s totally fine. If you prefer a tighter seal, use a beaten egg instead.
- Seasonings: Light soy sauce, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and sesame oil.
- Green onions: Add a bit of freshness and mild onion flavor.
- Neutral oil: For deep frying. You can use vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.
How to Make Crab Rangoon
Step 1: Make the filling
In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onion and the seasonings. Mix until well combined.
Step 2: Assemble the wontons
Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten the edges with water, fold it diagonally into a triangle, and press to seal.
You can stop there, but for a more decorative touch, fold the two corners toward the center and pinch to seal.
Step 3: Deep fry wontons
In tall skillet, pour in about 1½ inches of oil and heat to 325°F, or until a small piece of wonton or a bit of flour dropped in sizzles gently.
Working in batches, fry the rangoons for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
They tend to float, so gently press them down with a large utensil or flip frequently. Remove the wontons and drain on paper towels or a wire rack. Repeat until all the wontons are fried.
Step 4: Serve
Serve immediately, either as is or with a side of sauce for dipping.
FAQs
Can I make them ahead of time?
Yes. You can assemble the rangoons a day in advance and store them in the fridge. This saves time if you don’t want to wrap and fry them the same day.
Do I need a sauce?
The wontons are delicious on their own, but if you want extra flavor, serve them with your favorite dipping sauce. There are many store-bought brands available such as this popular sweet chili sauce, or chili oil.
You can also make your own:
Can I air fry or bake these?
Yes to both but keep in mind that deep frying delivers the ultimate and preferred crunch.
To air fry, preheat air fryer then lightly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil. Add the wontons in a single layer. Spray the wontons with a thin layer of oil. Air fry at 370°F for about 8 minutes or until crispy and golden.
To bake, preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer wontons to a baking pan with lined with parchment paper or foil. Generously spray with oil and bake for about 12 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
Transfer crab rangoon in an airtight container. They keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge. To reheat cooked crab rangoon, either deep fry or air fry just enough to regain crispiness and warmed through.
For longer storage, freeze the uncooked rangoon on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. Fry directly from frozen, adding about 1 extra minute to the cooking time.
Print
Crab Rangoon (Crab & Cream Cheese Stuffed Wontons)
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 30 fried wontons 1x
Description
Crispy on the outside and creamy inside, these homemade crab rangoon taste just like takeout but without the takeout price.
Ingredients
- 5 oz lump crab meat (squeeze out excess liquid if any)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 30 wonton wrappers (3.5″x3.5″, about 12 oz)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
- Neutral oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine crab meat (5 oz, drained if needed), cream cheese (4 oz), green onion (2, thinly sliced), light soy sauce (2 teaspoons), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), ground black pepper (1 teaspoon), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), and sesame oil (2 teaspoons). Mix until well combined.
- Assemble the wontons: Place about 1 teaspoon to 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten the edges with water, fold it diagonally into a triangle, and press to seal. You can stop there, but for a more decorative touch, fold the two corners toward the center and pinch seal.
- Deep fry wontons: In tall skillet, pour in about 1½ inches of oil and heat to 325°F, or until a small piece of wonton or a bit of flour dropped in sizzles gently. Working in batches, fry the rangoons for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. They tend to float, so gently press them down with a large utensil or flip frequently. Remove the wontons and drain on paper towels or a wire rack. Repeat until all the wontons are fried.
- Finish: Serve immediately, either as is or with a side of sauce for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Deep Fry, stove top
- Cuisine: American-Chinese
