This crab rangoon recipe is real crab meat mixed with cream cheese and seasonings, then folded into wontons and cooked to golden brown perfection. You can either bake or fry your crab rangoon for a restaurant quality result!
I cannot resist the appetizers at my local Chinese restaurant. I always order sweet and sour pork, vegetable lo mein, homemade egg rolls, chicken lettuce wraps and these delicious crab rangoon. My homemade version of rangoon is just as good, if not better than, the restaurant recipe.
One day I ordered crab rangoon at a restaurant, and ever since then I’ve been hooked. Who could possibly resist crispy wontons stuffed with cream cheese and crab? This staple of American Chinese restaurants is surprisingly easy to make. Now that I’ve learned to make crab rangoon at home, I can skip the Chinese takeout, and my family is just as happy with my version.
These rangoon are perfect to serve with other Asian inspired recipes like kung pao shrimp, beef and broccoli, chicken and green beans and shrimp lo mein.
Table of Contents
Crab Rangoon Ingredients
To make crab rangoon you will need crab, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, green onions, wonton wrappers, egg and oil.
How Do You Make Crab Rangoon?
Make crab rangoon by mixing together the crab, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and green onions in a large bowl. Place two teaspoons of the creamy crab mixture into the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper with egg. Fold up each corner of the wrapper to make a packet shape around the filling and pinch the wrapper at the top to seal the packet. Repeat to form the rest of you rangoon. Heat oil to 350 degrees F, then fry the wontons in batches until they are deep golden brown. Transfer the wontons to paper towels on a baking sheet to absorb any excess oil, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Crab Rangoon
- I prefer using real crab meat for this dish. In this case I used frozen lump crab meat, but you can also purchase fresh crab meat at your local grocery store’s seafood counter. You can also use finely chopped imitation crab meat if you prefer.
- You can fold your wontons any way you like. I typically just pinch them together to make these little squares because it’s easy, looks nice, and you can fit a lot of filling into this shape.
- Cover any wrappers you are not using with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out.
- Use a spider strainer or a slotted spoon to place the wontons in the oil and to remove them from the oil.
- Be sure to use a thermometer to bring your oil to the correct temperature for frying. The oil should be in the 350-375 degrees F range. If the oil is too hot, the wontons may burn. If the oil is too cold, the wontons can absorb too much oil and be overly greasy.
- These wontons are best eaten freshly made. If you need to reheat leftovers, use the toaster oven to re-crisp them up.
Quick Tip
You can often find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated area in the produce section.
Recipe FAQs
Crab rangoon consists of wontons stuffed with a mixture of crab, cream cheese, garlic powder, green onions and Worcestershire sauce. The wontons are either baked or fried until golden brown and crispy and are often served with a dipping sauce.
You can assemble your wontons up to 4 hours in advance. Store them loosely covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake or fry them.
Both crab rangoon and cream cheese wontons contain cream cheese deep fried in a wonton wrapper. The difference is that rangoon contain crab and often other seasonings. Cream cheese wontons are less seasoned and don’t contain seafood.
You can freeze cooked crab rangoon in an airtight container or a freezer bag for about 2 months. Reheat them in an oven at 350 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes or until warm on the inside. You can also reheat them in an airfryer at 350 degrees F. for about 7-9 minutes.
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Baked Crab Rangoon
While traditionally people deep fry crab rangoon, you can also bake your rangoon. Simply place them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray in a 400 degrees F oven for 12-15 minutes. They won’t get that same crunchy exterior, but it’s a good option if you’re looking to save on a few calories.
Flavor Variations
- Dips: I like to serve these wontons with a side of sweet and sour sauce. Sweet Thai chili sauce is another great dip. You can also try soy sauce, plum sauce or oyster sauce.
- Garnish: I like to sprinkle thinly sliced green onions over the top of the this dish. You could also drizzle a little toasted sesame oil over the top.
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian version, try replacing the crab with a quarter cup of finely grated carrot and a quarter cup of thinly sliced green onions. Brush the edges of your wrappers with water instead of egg before folding them if you prefer.
Crab rangoon are a fun party snack. They pair perfectly with other Asian favorites like Hunan beef and veggie fried rice. Once you see how easy they are to make at home, you’ll never be tempted to order the take out version again!
More Takeout Favorites
Sesame Chicken
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Chinese Lemon Chicken
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Sweet and Sour Chicken
50 mins
Cream Cheese Wontons
30 mins
Mongolian Beef
30 mins
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Crab Rangoon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crab meat or chopped imitation crab
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons sliced green onions plus more for garnish
- 20 wonton wrappers
- 1 egg beaten
- oil for frying
- dipping sauce for serving
Instructions
- Place the crab meat, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and green onions in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Place a wonton wrapper on a flat surface and drop 2 teaspoons of the crab mixture into the center. Brush the edges of the wonton with the egg.
- Bring 2 opposite corners together in the middle of the wonton and pinch. Repeat with the other 2 corners and pinch to form a package shape.
- Repeat with the remaining wontons and crab mixture until all are filled.
- Heat 4 inches of oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees F
- Fry 5-6 wontons at a time, turning them as needed to make sure they brown evenly. This process should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Drain the cooked wontons on paper towels and repeat the frying process with remaining wontons.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce of choice and garnish with more sliced green onions.
Notes
- For baked crab rangoon, assemble the wontons as directed then coat the tops with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
- I prefer using real crab meat for this dish. In this case I used frozen crab meat, but you can also purchase fresh crab meat at your local grocery store’s seafood counter. You can also use finely chopped imitation crab meat if you prefer.
- You can fold your wontons any way you like. I typically just pinch them together to make these little squares because it’s easy, looks nice, and you can fit a lot of filling into this shape.
- Be sure to use a thermometer to bring your oil to the correct temperature for frying. The oil should be in the 350-375 degrees F range. If the oil is too hot, the wontons may burn. If the oil is too cold, the wontons can absorb too much oil and be overly greasy.
Can you use canned crab meat?
That should be fine!
Perfect!!
Turned out delicious!!!