Crispy crab rangoon are a Chinese American take out classic. You can make this easy appetizer in just 20 minutes from start to finish. Whip up a batch whenever the mood strikes without ever picking up the phone or the take out menu.
My family loves getting Chinese takeout, but my wallet and my waistline don’t love it nearly as much.
One of our favorite things to order? Crab rangoon.
We love these little appetizers.
And I love them even more since I discovered that they can be deep fried or baked, giving us some options- convenience and calorie-wise.
Best of all? We can get all the same flavors we love from our favorite takeout, but whipped up at home in 20 minutes.
There’s never a wrong time to throw together a batch of these crab rangoon, but there are times that absolutely call for it!
We often make our favorite take out dishes at home and love pairing it with a big batch of our yummy fried rice recipe.
What is crab rangoon?
If you aren’t familiar with the classic Chinese takeout appetizer, they are fried little dumplings stuffed with a creamy crab filling made of cream cheese and flaky crab.
They are an Americanized Chinese staple.
Our version features an incredibly creamy crab filling that you can easily seal up into a triangle (or square) of delicious wonton wrapper casing.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this yummy appetizer. To make them you’ll need:
- Cream cheese– Use full fat cream cheese for best flavor and let it soften on the counter before you make it.
- Crab meat– Substitute 2 sticks of finely diced imitation crab meat if that fits your budget better.
- Confectioner’s sugar– While it’s not required to make this, I highly recommend adding it to give the mixture a hint of sweetness, which makes this unique Asian-American appetizer so special.
- Salt– Just a pinch.
- Wonton wrappers – In the grocery store you can find these in the refrigerated produce section. Make sure to grab wonton wrappers not egg roll wrappers, which are too large. Look for the square kind as they are easier to seal.
- Oil– For deep frying.
How to Make
Making these is easier than getting in the car with 4 kids and going to pick up takeout!
To do it, mix all the cream cheese, crab meat, sugar, and salt in a bowl until it’s evenly incorporated.
Place a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper.
Then, dab some water on the outer edges of the wonton wrapper and fold the two ends of the wrapper together. Now, fold the other two ends to make a tiny parcel and pinch it together to seal it tight.
Heat up a pot of oil for deep-frying and fry the crab rangoon in small batches until they are golden brown.
Dish out with a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess oil by laying the crab rangoon on a dish lined with paper towels.
Let the crab rangoon cools down a bit before serving them with sweet and sour sauce.
How to Bake Crab Rangoon
If you don’t want to deep fry these, put the filled wonton wrappers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil you’ve sprayed with nonstick spray.
Then bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the wrappers are golden brown.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover crab rangoon in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat them by warming them in the oven until they are heated through.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! You can either assemble them and put them uncooked in freezer bags and freeze them for up to a month or freeze the cooked leftovers.
To freeze the cooked leftovers, put them on baking sheet and flash freeze them for 20 minutes.
Once the leftover rangoon is frozen, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them for 2-3 weeks.
Tips and Tricks
- Let them cool a bit prior to serving. If you don’t, the filling could burn you when biting in.
- Avoid circular wonton wrappers for this recipe. They are harder to seal and more prone to leaking.
- Need a sauce to make it dippable? These pair perfectly with a good sweet and sour sauce.
Serve Crab Rangoon With These Other Chinese Takeout Favorites:
Whip up a batch of this easy crab rangoon recipe whenever the mood strikes, without every having to leave home or pay the high delivery prices.
Other Asian Appetizers to Try
This crab rangoon is our our favorite Asian appetizer to make at home. Make some for your next homemade takeout night and enjoy!
Looking for other Asian appetizers to try? Here are a few of our favorites.
If you’ve tried this CRAB RANGOON, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Crab Rangoon
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz block cream cheese softened
- 2 oz crab meat or 2 sticks imitation crab meat finely diced
- 1 tbsp confectioners sugar
- pinch salt
- 20 wonton wrappers
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix all the cream cheese, crab meat, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stirring to evenly incorporate.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Dab some water on the outer edges of the wonton wrapper and fold the two ends of the wrapper together.
- Fold the other two ends to make a tiny parcel pictured below. Pinch to seal tight and make sure that there is no leakage.
- Heat up a pot of oil for deep-frying and fry the crab rangoon until golden brown.
- Dish out with a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess oil by laying the crab rangoon on a dish lined with paper towels.
- Let the crab rangoon cools down a bit before serving them with sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
- Do not serve the fried crab rangoon immediately. The filling will still be piping hot and this could result in being burned when biting in. Let them rest a few minutes so that they're still warm, but safe to eat.
- Need a sauce to make it dippable? These pair perfectly with a good sweet and sour sauce.
Nutrition
originally published on November 23, 2015
These sound divine! I love crab rangoon! Can’t wait to give them a go! xo
Thanks, Joanna!
We love crab rangoons too – a favorite appetizer for New Year’s 🙂
Wow, MY kids & I love crab rangoon. I’m so happy to find this recipe. Can’t wait to try this recipe in my Ninja Air Fryer, Thank you
I hadn’t thought about air frying these. Great idea! Let me know how it turns out!!