Crispy fried wontons stuffed with a creamy crab mixture. This quick and easy crab rangoon recipe is so delicious and made with minimal ingredients in 30-minutes. A great starter, snack or party food that's better-than-takeout, saving you money!
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Crab Rangoon is a wonton filled with imitation crab meat or real crab meat, cream cheese, green onions and other seasonings. Then it's deep fried to golden perfection! I love serving these with sweet Thai chili sauce or plum sauce.
It's crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside! This is a popular takeout dish available at your local Chinese restaurant, but I'm showing you how to make these at home for a fraction of the cost.
The origin of this Asian seafood dish dates back to the 1950's, when it was invented by a Chinese-American chef, named Joe Young. Young worked for Victor Bergeron at Trader Vic's, which was a Polynesian-style restaurant.
These fried cheese wontons are addictively scrumptious! You can't stop at one - trust me, I've tried. My husband is also a big fan of them and loves this recipe so much!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- ready in 30-minutes.
- a crowd-pleaser making it also great for gatherings.
- you can prepare them ahead of time, freeze and fry from frozen.
- I also share how to air-fry these if you prefer this cooking method instead.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Wonton Wrappers: these are usually square-shaped, 3 x 3-inches wide and available at the Asian market in the cold section. I recommend fresh wonton skins, but you can use frozen and thaw overnight in the fridge. Or substitute with dumpling wrappers.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil.
Filling
- Imitation Crab Meat or Real Crab Meat: this is up to personal preference! Imitation crab meat is more affordable and is less fishy, but if you prefer real crab meat, you can use drained canned crab meat.
- Plain Cream Cheese: feel free to use light or regular cream cheese. For a dairy-free version: substitute with dairy-free cream cheese.
- Green Onions
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Worcestershire Sauce: or substitute with A1 steak sauce or omit altogether.
- Garlic Powder
- Sugar: either white granulated sugar or cane sugar.
- Black Pepper
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften for easy mixing.
- Chop the crab meat into 1-inch-long pieces, so they break down more easily.
- Mix with a fork to break down the crab meat and cream cheese.
- Don't overstuff the wontons with filling or they will burst or leak as they fry.
- Firmly press and seal the wonton edges together with water, so they won't leak.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan for frying as this maintains oil temperature better.
- Ensure the oil temperature is around 325 degrees F before frying.
- Deep fry in small batches to prevent uncooked or soggy wontons.
- Drain off excess oil by draining the wontons on a wire rack to keep them crispy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make crab rangoon:
- In a large bowl, with a fork combine the filling ingredients as listed above until well combined.
- Prepare a small bowl of cold water nearby. On a clean working surface, lay flat one wonton wrapper and add 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center (avoid overfilling). Lightly dab water along the edges of the wrapper.
- Pinch the two opposite corners of the wrapper together.
- Then seal the remaining corners with the pinched ones. Press edges firmly to prevent leaks, especially the tip of the wonton. Repeat this process until there is no more filling left.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat, around 325 degrees F. Deep fry the wontons 6-7 pieces at a time until golden and crispy, about 1.5 to 2 minutes in total. Flipping over halfway.
- Remove the fried wontons from the oil, shaking off any excess oil. Then drain on a wired rack or a paper towel-lined plate and let them cool down a bit before serving with suggested dipping sauce.
Storage & Reheating
- Leftover crab rangoon will last up to 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. To reheat: bake or air fry at 350 F for 5-7 minutes until hot throughout. Note: crab rangoons are best enjoyed fresh and will lose their crispy exterior over time.
- Cooked crab rangoons can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: let them cool down completely and then store them in a freezer-safe bag in a single layer. To reheat: air-fry or bake at 350 degrees F for 6-8 minutes until hot throughout.
- Uncooked crab rangoons can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: place the wrapped wontons in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag. To cook from frozen without defrosting: refer to the below recipe card for cooking instructions.
Pairing Suggestions
Crab rangoons serve well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, or hot and sour soup.
- white or brown rice, or fried rice.
- chow mein, or lo mein.
- 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 Sweet and Sour Chicken, Orange Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Black Pepper Beef, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Crab rangoons are best enjoyed fresh, but you can cook them for up to 4 days in advance and store in a single layer in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the fridge. To reheat: air fry or bake them at 350 degrees F until hot, about 5-7 minutes.
To air fry crab rangoons: Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil. Pre-heat air fryer to 350 degrees F. Place the filled wontons into the basket in a single layer with enough space between each other. You may need to air fry in batches. Lightly spray enough oil over the wontons. Air fry for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, no flipping required. Feel free to add 1-2 minutes more if needed, as each air fryer is made differently.
I strongly recommend deep-frying or air-frying crab rangoons over baking them to achieve best results. But if you prefer to bake them: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the filled wontons in a single layer with enough space between them. Lightly spray them with oil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
📖 Recipe
Easy & Quick Crab Rangoon Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 wonton wrappers
- 2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
Filling:
- ¾ cup imitation crab meat chopped into 1-inch long pieces (or sub with drained canned crab meat)
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Serve with:
- Sweet Thai Chili sauce or plum sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, with a fork combine the filling ingredients as listed above until well combined.
- Prepare a small bowl of cold water nearby. On a clean working surface, lay flat one wonton wrapper and add 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center (avoid overfilling). Lightly dab water along the edges of the wrapper.
- Pinch the two opposite corners of the wrapper together. Then seal the remaining corners with the pinched ones. Press edges firmly to prevent leaks, especially the tip of the wonton. Repeat this process until there is no more filling left.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat, around 325 degrees F with an instant read cooking thermometer. Deep fry the wontons 6-7 pieces at a time until golden and crispy, about 1.5 to 2 minutes in total. Flipping over halfway.
- Remove the fried wontons from the oil, shaking off any excess oil. Then drain on a wired rack or a paper towel-lined plate and let them cool down a bit before serving with suggested dipping sauce.
Notes
To Air Fry
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with enough oil.
- Pre-heat the air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- Place uncooked crab rangoons into the basket in a single layer with enough space around each one. Do not overlap. You may need to air fry in batches.
- Lightly spray just enough oil (about 1 tablespoon per batch) over the exterior of the rangoons. Tip: Brush oil on the outside of each wonton for more crispiness!
- Air Fry for 6-8 minutes until crispy and golden brown, no flipping required. Feel free to add another 1-2 minutes if it's not golden brown and crispy as each air fryer brand is made differently.
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!