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What is Crab Rangoon?
Cran Rangoon is a delicious crispy wonton wrapper filled with a creamy crab mixture and deep fried to golden perfection. It's a popular takeout dish that you can get at your Chinese restaurant! Best served with sweet Thai chilli sauce or plum sauce!
Interestingly enough, these cheese wontons have nothing to do with Chinese cuisine, but it’s a seafood served at American Chinese Restaurants. Victor Bergeron, the founder of Trader Vic's, created this dish in the 1930's in America.
I love these little crispy creamy parcels of joy! The best part is that you can prepare the wontons ahead of time, freeze them and fry them up on the day of serving.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients
- Wonton wrappers: that are about 3 x 3-inches in diameter. The Asian markets or select Western grocers will carry them in the refrigerated section. Make sure they are fresh as they are easier to work with. You can also purchase the frozen wonton skin, but you will need to thaw them before wrapping.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Cold Water: to seal filled wonton wrappers.
Filling
- Imitation Crab Meat or Real Crab Meat: This is entirely up to you! I prefer imitation crab meat since it's more accessible and less fishy tasting than real crab meat and it's also budget-friendly. The grocer will carry imitation or real crab meat or in canned form, which will make things much easier.
- Light or Normal Cream Cheese
- Green onions
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: If you're allergic, feel free to omit.
- Worcestershire sauce: to balance the savoury flavors.
- Sugar
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
Dipping Sauce Suggestions: sweet chili sauce or plum sauce
Variations
- Gluten-free version? Substitute the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice. Substitute the Worcestershire sauce with a gluten-free version.
- Dairy-free version? Substitute with a vegan cream cheese for a dairy-free version!
Expert Tips
- Chop the crab meat into 2 cm wide pieces for easier mixing and so that they can break down quickly.
- Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften. This will make it easier to combine cream cheese with other ingredients.
- Keep the wonton wrappers moist by placing a damp clean towel over them.
- Don't overstuff the wontons with filling or they will burst while frying.
- Pinch and seal the wontons well to prevent the filling from leaking out into the hot oil.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven for frying as the heavy bottom maintains oil temperature.
- Make sure oil is hot enough before frying, at least 325-350 degrees F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden utensil into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Fry in small batches. This maintains a consistent oil temperature when frying.
- Drain off excess oil. Transfer the fried wontons to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil which makes it soggy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make crab rangoon:
Chop imitation crab meat into small pieces, about 2 cm wide, and set aside.
In a large bowl, soften room temperature cream cheese with a spatula until smooth.
Add imitation crab meat into your bowl of softened cream cheese, along with the rest of filling ingredients as listed.
With a fork, mix very well until crab meat breaks down.
On a clean surface, lay out a wonton wrapper. Add ¾ tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper. Prepare a small bowl of cold water nearby. Dab a bit of the water along the edges of the wrapper.
Lift and pinch the two opposite corners of the wrapper.
Then lift the adjacent corners and seal the edges. Pinch them well to prevent leakage as you fry, especially the tip of the wonton.
Place crab rangoons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap to prevent the wonton skins from drying out.
In your pan, add oil and bring to medium heat or 325 F. Once oil is hot, add crab rangoons in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Deep fry crab rangoons for 2 minutes on both sides, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to wire rack set on a baking pan or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Allow this to cool down a bit before enjoying with sweet chili sauce or plum sauce!
Storage
- Leftovers: This is best enjoyed immediately but leftovers will last up to 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. To reheat: bake them in a preheated oven at 350 F or air fry at 300 F for 6-7 minutes or until warm.
- Freezer-friendly? Yes, you can make them ahead and store them in a single layer in a freezer bag, so they don’t stick to each other. They will last 2 months in the freezer or until freezer burn begins to form. You can then deep fry, air fry or bake them from frozen.
Pairing Suggestions
Crab rangoons serve well with:
- starters like egg rolls, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Chicken, Honey Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Bang Bang Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, and more!
FAQ
Crab rangoons are best enjoyed fresh but you may make them up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or air fry for 5-6 minutes at 350 degrees F until hot.
To air fry crab rangoons: Spray air fryer basket with enough oil. Pre-heat air fryer to 350 F. Place uncooked crab rangoons in a single layer with enough space around each one. Do not overlap. You may need to air fry in batches. Evenly spray enough oil (about 1 tablespoon per batch) over the exterior of the rangoons. Air Fry for 6-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
To bake crab rangoons (note: these won't be as crispy as the fried or air fried kind): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Place the wrapped wontons in a single layer with enough space between them. Lightly spray them with oil and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
Yes! I usually reuse it a second or third time depending on how clean I can keep the oil. Cool down the hot oil, then strain of any browned bits and transfer to a reusable container to store in the fridge.
📖 Recipe
Easy & Quick Crab Rangoon Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 pcs wonton wrappers
- 2 cups vegetable oil or neutral tasting oil
- water for sealing wontons
Filling:
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp imitation crab meat or canned real crab meat
- ½ cup cream cheese (I used Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese)
- 1 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil omit if you're allergic
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Serve with:
- Sweet Thai Chili sauce or plum sauce
Instructions
- Chop imitation crab meat into 2 cm wide pieces and set aside.
- In a large bowl, soften room temperature cream cheese with a spatula until smooth.
- Add imitation crab meat into your bowl of cream cheese, along with the rest of filling ingredients as listed.
- With a fork, mix very well until crab meat breaks down.
- Add ¾ tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Using your fingers, dab a bit water along the edges of the wrapper.
- Then lift two opposing corners of the wrapper and pinch only the tip of it.
- Then lift the adjacent corners and seal them. Make sure to pinch them very well to prevent leakage as you fry, especially the tip of the wonton. (See step by step images in above blog post.
- In a large heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven, add oil and bring to medium heat or 325 F. Once oil is hot, deep fry crab rangoons in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan. Fry 2 minutes on both sides, until golden brown. Remove and transfer to cooling rack or a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil. (To air fry crab rangoons, see instructions in Notes section below)
- Allow crab rangoons to cool down a bit before enjoying. Serve with store bought sweet chili sauce or any sauce of your liking.
To Freeze Leftovers:
- Place a large freezer friendly bag on a large plate or small baking tray. Place leftover rangoons into the bag in a single layer giving each one enough space. Seal the bag and place bag on top of plate/tray into freezer. After 1 hour of freezing, remove plate/tray. This keeps the rangoons in a single layer and prevents them from overlapping. They will last 2 months in the freezer (until freezer burn forms) and can be deep fried from frozen.
Amber
I need help with this, the flavor is great, but when I fry them the filling turns to liquid, am I doing something wrong?
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe 🙂 Hmm, I haven't heard of that happening to my other readers. It could be the temperature of your oil being too hot causing it to melt and liquify. I would suggest lowering the heat. The other thing I could think of is the cream cheese?
Tiff
Overall this recipe was really good. I think a bit more time consuming than I had anticipated. Followed it except added about a Tablespoon of grated onion (didn’t have green onions) and a Teaspoon of grated garlic. Omitted the sugar because I served with sweet and sour sauce & hot Chinese mustard.
I rarely fry foods but it was a fun project on a rainy day. I’ll likely order this from my favorite Chinese restaurant in the future but this recipe was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
Cass
These were so good! My first attempt at crab rangoons was the bare minimum of crab+cream cheese and they were so plain 🙁 These were so much better !!
christieathome
I'm so happy to read this, Cass! Thanks for making my recipe and have a lovely day! 🙂
Lisa I.
I love these and always order them from our favorite Chinese restaurant. Not every place makes them the same and use too much cream cheese same. Your recipe is for these is just as good as the ones I get from our favorite place. Great recipe and very easy to make. Definitely going to make again, just only one thing - I'm not a big fan of cream cheese. I do love these but wish there was none at all. I was wondering if you can you replace the cream cheese with something else or maybe season the cream cheese so you don't get that tangy cream cheese flavor. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Even though I'm not a fan of cream cheese this recipe is definitely a 5 star rating ☺
christieathome
Thanks so much for the kind review Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the 5 star rating! One idea is to add more crab meat and only just enough cream cheese to bind it together, that way you'll taste less of the cream cheese. Hope this helps!
Keri
They look amazing, going to be making these tonight!
christieathome
Thank you so much Keri! I sure hope you enjoy them 🙂
Michelle D
Hi there,
I saw that you can freeze the rangoons... Is that before or after you fry them? Are you freezing the leftovers or are you making them ahead and then freezing the raw wonton wrappers with filling?
christieathome
Hello Michelle, I am freezing them assembled and raw before they are fried.
Ria
Is there a dipping sauce typically used with crab rangoon?
christieathome
Sweet chili sauce is a great dip!
Kris
I absolutely love this recipe, they satisfy my fiancé's preggo cravings perfectly, so no more midnight runs 🤣 Do frozen leftovers need to be thawed out before frying?
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Kris! Glad you enjoyed it! No, frozen rangoons can be fried from frozen 🙂 So no need to thaw.
Laura
I’ve made crab Rangoons and these are very good, personal opinion though is that the sesame oil has too powerful of a flavor for someone who doesn’t like it. I would recommend not using the sesame oil if you don’t like it.
christieathome
Thanks for making them and for sharing your preference!
Sandra Dizel
I am dying to taste these. I have the rangoons made and have frozen them. Not sure whether I need to defrost before heating. Will best results come from cooking them in oven or air fryer? If I fry how do I reheat when I get to my destination. Any sauce recipes.
Jen
Hi! The author wrote underneath another comment saying to go straight from the freezer to the fryer. I assume it will take longer than normal though 😊
Debbie
Thank you so much as it helps tremendously. I've already made them once this week and making again today for a party. They are so delicious!!
Debbie
I don't even know how to convert grams to cups. Can you please help?
christieathome
Hi Debbie, I've updated the Recipe card to also indicate cups where the gram measurements are. Hope that helps!
Mary
My son and I made these and are delicious. Will definitely save this recipe and use again.
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe Mary! I'm so glad you and your son enjoyed it!
Jennelle Gary
Would it work better with powdered sugar ?, r should I use granulated sugar?
Christie Lai
I wouldn't recommend powdered sugar. Just normal white sugar will do.
Antoinette
Enjoy your recipes always tasty. Most of all you have two very important things 1. Always has printed ingredients 2. Never have to buy tons of ingredients
christieathome
Thank you so much Antoinette! This review brought the biggest smile to my face 🙂 I appreciate it so much! Have a lovely day - Christie
Susan Reedy
Made this recipe today for the first time. Absolutely delicious! I'll definitely be making them again...probably in a few days!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Susan! So glad you enjoyed this recipe of mine! I hope you enjoy it again in the next few days 😉
Mona
How big of a saucepan or skillet for for the 2 cups of oil??
Maria
Addictive indeed! Wow these were really easy to make and so good. I almost ate them all leaving none for my husband haha.
christieathome
Haha! Thank you for making my recipe! I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much!
nina
i'm excited to try your recipes🙃
christieathome
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy them!
nina
I thought u were my classmate🤣
christieathome
haha!