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Crab Rangoon is a popular take-out appetizer that’s just as easy to make at home and tastes even better! Shrimp, cream cheese, onion and spices are deep fried in wonton shells until crispy. Add this to your next party menu! Check out my entire Yummy Appetizers section for more ideas!
What is crab rangoon anyway?
Crab Rangoon, also known as crab puffs or crab wontons, are a popular American-Chinese dish consisting of wonton wraps filled with a mixture of crab meat, cream cheese, and spices. It is then deep fried until golden brown and crispy and served as an appetizer. Rangoons are similar to the Chinese dish of wontons… except they’re usually boiled rather than fried. Take crab rangoon to the next level by dipping them in soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, or sweet and sour sauce!
Rangoon Variations
While crab meat is the usual seafood, you can substitute shrimp, lobster, or faux crab — although the flavor isn’t quite the same. Make sure you drain canned crab really well before adding it to your stuffing mix. If you want to make these vegetarian, try replacing the crab meat with a mix of chopped veggies like mushrooms, carrots, and peppers.
How to Make Crab Rangoon
For full recipe details, including a list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card below. One thing to note here, I highly recommend giving the cream cheese mixture a few hours to combine flavors in the fridge. You won’t regret it, time permitting. Here is step by step what to expect when preparing this recipe:
Make the crab filling
Mix in a small bowl cream cheese, shrimp, spring onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil And pepper and stir to combine well. Note: Cream cheese, crab, and soy sauce are all very salty, so this recipe doesn’t call for extra salt.
Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. (This is optional but highly recommended if you have the time.)
Preheat the frying oil + prepare the work surface
in one fryer or casserole, start heating your frying oil to 350°F. Peanut, vegetable, canola, or avocado oil are good options for frying. How much oil you need depends on how deep your fryer or dutch oven is, so adjust accordingly.
Pull out Wonton wrappers and fill a small bowl of water for your workspace.
Fill the wonton
Work in small batches of 2 or 3 wontons and insert fingers Water And moisten each wonton on one side (or just the edges is fine too), hold a damp towel over the remaining won tans to wait for them not to dry out.
using a 2 teaspoons measuring spoonplace a ball of crab stuffing each in the middle wonton.
How to fold crab rangoon wontons
To fold the wonton into a crab rangoon pyramid, gently bring the opposite corners together by just pressing against the filling. Don’t let the tips meet just yet. Take the other opposite corners and do the same thing, gently pressing the dough from underneath along the side seams, making sure to squeeze out any air bubbles. Keep pushing up and seal all the edges and the top. There should be no air bubbles and all seams should have met and sealed during this process.
Bubbles are your enemy here! They will cause your rangoons to burst and lose all of their filling, so take your time here and be diligent.
Set aside until all of the wontons are filled and formed, covered with a damp towel.
Fry them up!
Location wonton in the fryer in small batches so as not to be overcrowded. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning with a utensil to ensure even browning.
When golden brown, place on a paper towel-lined plate or rack to drain. Serve hot.
Can I use an air fryer instead?
Absolutely! You can fry these by spraying them with air baking spray and air fry at 400°F for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Make Ahead + save instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
To warm up – Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and crispy. Reheating in the hot air fryer would also be a good option.
Get ahead – Crab Rangoon can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to cook. Just follow the directions until fried. Then, when you plan to fry them for the next day or two, place them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper dividers. When ready to fry, do as the recipe instructs you to do so.
Freeze – Place them on a baking sheet, in a single layer and in the freezer for 1 hour. After they’re frozen, they can be stored in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container Up to 3 months in the freezer.
Dipping sauce and entree ideas
Sweet and sour sauce and sweet chili sauce are the natural dipping sauces for the rangoon, but you can dip in gyoza sauce if you like. Crab rangoon is best served with your favorite Chinese entrees like chow mein, orange chicken, beef and broccoli, steamed vegetables, or rice.
Love Crab Rangoon? Try these Asian-inspired recipes…
The printable recipe card is below. Be sure to save, print, bookmark, or share this appetizer for your next gathering or occasion! If you try this recipe, I would appreciate it if you gave it a one star rating and let me know what you think in the comments. Have a fantastic day, friends! 🙂
Crab Rangoon
Crab Rangoons are a popular grab-and-go appetizer that’s just as easy to make at home and tastes even better! Shrimp, cream cheese, onion and spices are deep fried in wonton shells until crispy. Add this to your next party menu!
instructions
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In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, crab, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper and stir well.
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Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. (This is optional but highly recommended if you have the time.)
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In a deep fryer or Dutch oven, begin heating your frying oil to 350°F.
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Pull out wonton wraps and fill a small bowl with water for your work surface.
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Working in small batches of 2 or 3 won-tans, dip fingers in water and wet one side of each won-tan. Hold a damp towel over the remaining won-tans to wait for them not to dry out.
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Using a 2 teaspoon spoon, scoop a scoop of the shrimp filling into the center of each wonton.
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To fold the wontons into a crab rangoon pyramid shape, gently bring opposite corners together, just pressing against the filling. Don’t let the tips meet just yet. Take the other opposite corners and do the same thing, gently pressing the dough from underneath along the side seams, making sure to squeeze out any air bubbles. Keep pushing up and sealing all the edges and the top. There should be no air bubbles and all seams should have met and sealed during this process. Bubbles are your enemy here! They will cause your rangoons to burst and lose all of their filling, so take your time here and be diligent.
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Set aside until all of the wontons are filled and shaped, covered with a damp towel.
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Place wontons in fryer in small batches so they are not overcrowded. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning with a utensil to ensure even browning.
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When golden brown, place on a wire rack to drain. Serve hot.
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Alternatively, you can air fry these by spraying with cooking spray and air frying at 200°F for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Remarks
Cream cheese, crab, and soy sauce are all very salty, so this recipe doesn’t call for extra salt.
Nourishment
Portion: 1G | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 20G | Protein: 10G | Fat: 11G | Saturated Fatty Acids: 6G | Polyunsaturated fat: 1G | Monounsaturated fatty acids: 3G | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 520mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1G | Sugar: 1G | Vitamin A: 454ie | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg