Crab Rangoon Recipe

Crab rangoon may not be authentic (gasp) but they sure as heck are delicious.

Perfectly golden, crispy, molten bites of deliciousness filled with cheese, crab, and green onions, these crispy lil deep fried dumplings will be a forever yes from me.

I never knew what crab rangoon was until a trip to Chicago. For some reason, even though crab rangoon is decidedly in the American-Chinese food wheelhouse, it has never been a thing in Canada. I don’t think I’ve ever seen crab rangoon on a menu in Vancouver or even on the West Coast in general. But after that fated trip to the East, I had crab rangoon syndrome. I started seeing crab rangoon everywhere and it got stuck in my head. I went on a deep crab rangoon dive and got hooked. They kind of are the perfect little package: crispy, cheesy, hot, and absolutely the appetizer I always want to hang around when they come out of the oven.

What is crab rangoon?

If you’re a crab rangoon newbie like me, you’re in for a treat. Crab rangoons are crispy, cheesy, dumpling shaped appetizer bites full of deliciousness! You can find them mainly in Chinese-American restaurants on the appetizer menu. Essentially, crab rangoon are a mix of cream cheese, crab (real or imitation), green onions, and seasonings wrapped up in a wonton wrapper, then fried so they’re hot and crispy. The insides get gooey and melty, the outsides are crunchy and crisp, and they taste amazing dipped in duck sauce or sweet and sour.

What is crab rangoon made of?

Chopped crab meat (real or imitation), cream cheese, green onions, seasonings, and wonton wrappers.

Is there crab in crab rangoon?

Yes! You can use real crab or imitation crab meat. Most restaurants go for imitation crab meat, for obvious budgeting reasons. If you want to go the real crab route, you can buy canned crab (where they keep canned fish) or freshly picked lump crab, found in the fridge at the seafood counter. If you’re really over the top, you could steam, crack, and pick your own crab meat for this too.

Crab rangoon ingredients

• cream cheese – crab rangoon would not exist without cream cheese. Cream cheese is the bulk of the filling and it’s what gives crab rangoon its creamy, melty insides.
• crab – you have options here: real crab or imitation. For real crab, you can find canned crab in the canned fish aisle. Simply open it up, drain it, and add it to the filling. You can also get freshly picked crab meat, usually in the seafood department. They’re sold in small plastic tubs. Same deal, drain the crab, then add it to the filling. If you want to use imitation crab meat, they’re sold in the seafood section as well. Usually labeled as “crab sticks” or “seafood sticks.” If you want to use those, chop them up into small pieces and use a fork to shred before mixing into the filling. Crab sticks aren’t actually made of crab – they’re a fish called surimi (or pollock) that’s mashed up and shaped into crab stick.
• wonton wrappers – wonton wrappers are thin dumpling wrappers that are sold in the fridge department (usually near the tofu). They’re great for wonton (duh) and also for making bite sized crispy appetizers of all sorts. If you have an Asian grocery store nearby, you can get them there too, but lots of regular grocery stores carry them as well.
• green onions – you need 1 green onion, thinly sliced to add a bit of sharp freshness.
• seasoning – we’re seasoning these crab rangoons with garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. I know you’re thinking, Worcestershire sauce!? Yes! It adds that little bit of umami that you can’t quite put your finger on. Some recipes add soy sauce, but I prefer to keep our crab rangoons soy sauce free.

How to make crab rangoon

1. Mix. Add the room temp cream cheese, crab, green onions, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce to a bowl. Use a silicone spatula to mix until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
   
2. Make. On a cutting board, lay out 4 wonton wrappers. Place 1-2 teaspoons of filling into the middle of each wrapper. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrappers with water then fold the wonton wrapper up and around the filling, sealing the edges, and pushing out any excess air.
   
3. Fry. Heat up 2 inches of neutral, high heat oil in a deep sided, heavy bottom pot. The smaller your pot, the less amount of oil you’ll need. Add the rangoons to the oil when it reaches 325°F – an instant read thermometer is your friend here – being careful not to crowd the pot. Deep fry the crab rangoons, flipping as needed, until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Continue to fry the remaining crab rangoons until golden and crisp.
   
4. Eat. Enjoy your hot and crispy rangoons!

Deep fried crab rangoon

This is the classic for a reason
Heat up 2 inches of neutral, high heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat until it reaches 325°F.
Carefully deep fry the crab rangoons until golden brown and crispy, flipping as needed, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

Baked crab rangoon

Still crispy and golden, but a little bit more healthy
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the outsides of the wonton wrappers with cooking spray. Alternatively, brush lightly with oil. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.

Air fryer crab rangoon

Air fryer for the win; is there anything an air fryer can’t do?!
Spray the outsides of the wonton wrappers with cooking spray. Alternatively, brush lightly with oil. Air fry at 370°F for 8-10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.

Sauce to serve with crab rangoon

You can serve them with any sauce, but typically Chinese American restaurants will give you a little dipping dish of either:

1. duck sauce
2. sweet and sour sauce
3. orange sauce
4. hot mustard

What to serve with crab rangoon

Crab rangoon are an appetizer, so you serve them how you would an appetizer. If you’re looking to make a full take out inspired meal, try adding:

• wonton soup
• egg fried rice
• Singapore noodles
• orange chicken

Crab Rangoon

Perfectly golden, crispy, molten bites of deliciousness filled with cheese, crab, and green onions.

Serves 4

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese room temp
• 4 oz crab meat of choice, see post for details
• 1 green onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 20 wonton wrappers

Instructions

• In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, crab meat, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder until smooth.
  
• On a cutting board, lay out a couple of wonton wrappers. Add 1-2 tsp of filling in the centre of each wrapper.
  
• Lightly moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers and fold the wrappers up and around the filling, being sure to push out any excess air. Repeat until all the crab rangoons are complete.
  
• Heat up 1-2 inches of neutral, high heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat until it reaches 325°F.

  Carefully deep fry the crab rangoons until golden brown and crispy, flipping as needed, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

  If you prefer not to deep fry, spray the outsides of the wonton wrappers with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes in a preheated 425°F oven or air fry at 370°F for 8-10 minutes.
  
• Let cool slightly and enjoy!
  

Notes

Estimated nutrition is based on air frying. 

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Crab Rangoon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 180 Calories from Fat 12

% Daily Value*

Fat 1.3g2%

Saturated Fat 0.4g3%

Cholesterol 9mg3%

Sodium 563mg24%

Potassium 83mg2%

Carbohydrates 30.8g10%

Fiber 0.8g3%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 10.4g21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.