Crab Rangoon are crab and cream cheese wontons pinched into little purses and deep fried, these are the perfect Chinese restaurant copycat recipe served with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce.
We love Chinese food recipes here and our absolute favorite Asian appetizer is these (slightly Americanized) Crab Rangoon bites dipped in Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Crab Rangoon
Crab Rangoon is one of the most popular Chinese food appetizers on the menu in any of a million local Chinese Food takeout spots, second perhaps to egg rolls. These wontons are a bit different than the Panda Express Cream Cheese Rangoon I made a year ago because of the addition of imitation crab meat.
The recipe is also incredibly easy to make and prepare for the future. Once the wontons are stuffed and closed you can freeze them before frying. If you do freeze them before frying you’ll find they keep the perfect shape much more often as they fry and start to crisp up before they have a chance to wilt into a deformed four corner star.
Making a dim sum at home party is actually a breeze with this recipe as well since it freezes so well. I frequently will make these wontons, the cream cheese version, Korean Ground Beef Egg Rolls, potstickers and more. Then just before it is time to serve the recipes I will heat the oil and ten minutes later all the food is crispy and hot and ready to eat.
Sweet and sour sauce and sweet chili sauce are the natural dipping sauces for the rangoon, but you can also dip into gyoza sauce if desired.
What to serve with crab rangoon?
Crab rangoon is best served with your favorite Chinese food entrees including Lo Mein, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef and steamed vegetables or rice.
What is crab rangoon made out of?
In more traditional family restaurants crab rangoon is made with actual crab meat but in traditional Chinese takeout restaurants it is a mixture of imitation crab meat with cream cheese, garlic, Worchestershire sauce and wonton skins deep fried and served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
How do you make crab rangoon?
The crab mixture is stirred together and a small spoonful of the filling is added to a wonton wrapper. Once the wonton is pinched into a flower shape its quickly fried and serve hot in less than 20 minutes from start to finish.
What is a fried wonton?
A fried wonton is a square of very thin dough fried to a light and crispy texture in just a couple of minutes. Often, homemade ravioli are also made using wonton skins instead of pasta sheets. Wonton sheets are a fantastic quick substitute for pasta dough.
Troubleshooting Making Crab Rangoon:
- Make sure no air remains inside the wonton. As you fry the rangoon any air inside will turn into steam and break open the wonton leaving the oil covered with the filling.
- Make sure to fold the wonton sheet into a four cornered star shape but keep the inside sealed. Here’s a great tutorial.
- Make sure the oil is at 350 degrees, lower will cause oily food. Too high will result in quickly burned crab rangoon.
- If baking the crab rangoon, spray or brush well with canola oil before baking at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Tools used in the making of this Crab Rangoon:
Skimmer: The easiest way to fry and gently remove the wontons without breaking them open.
Dutch Oven: This dutch oven holds heat great and the top is actually a skillet.
Crab Rangoon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crab meat Imitation crab meat
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 12 wonton skins
- 1 beaten egg
- deep frying oil
Instructions
- Chop up the crabmeat in small pieces.
- Mix well with the cream cheese, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add 1 teaspoon of filling to the center of the wonton.
Brush the edges with the egg and pinch the corners together (make sure there is NO trapped air) to form a four cornered star like in this tutorial.
Fry in 350 degree oil until browned and crispy, roughly 1-2 minutes.
I have uncooked lump crab meat. Should I cook it first or will it cook enough inside the wrapper?
You’ll want to cook it first. Enjoy!
This is a great recipe! After reading the comments, I added curry powder and it was delicious!! I did find the filling a bit dry, so I added a tbsp of mayo just to get it creamier, but other than that it will now be my go-to recipe! Thank you
good but i always add 1/2 tsp curry powder to mine it adds a touch more flavor
Thanks for sharing. I love crab rangoons. The text mentioned scallions but they aren’t in the list of ingredients. They add something to the flavor.
Never use imitation crab. It’s not crab $10 at a grocery store can get you the real thing. Plus its made with white fish, which there are people that are allergic to. Then there is the Sugar in it.
I live on prince Edward Island in Canada. The Chinese food here is disgusting i started making my own
I did my best – followed the recipe and I got big fried lumps- yuck my German Shepherd liked them though
Oh no!
I made mine after preheating for 5 mins at 350 and then cooking at 350 for 6 mins and they came out nice and browned and fully warmed through. I did spray the actual wontons rather than the basket just to get the coloring.
Someone in the comments mentioned putting Curry in the mix and I would like to thank him. Made for a wedding reception with curry and everyone commented on how delicious it was. The recipe is excellent but please add the curry powder. You will be glad you did
I agree with other commenters. You would benefit from not saying 12 won ton wrappers. It would be far more accurate to say a package of won ton wrappers (since one has to purchase them anyway). Or at least 24–30, a range since there will be variation of consistency depending on the person making them. But there is no way all that filling will fit into only 12 no matter how much you try to overstuff them.
I agree I did half of this recipe and it made well over 12
I did 12oz of cream cheese, doubled the worcestershire, added finely chopped green onion, skipped the egg wash, and since I don’t own an oil timer I guess on the heat of the oil but they turned out fabulous!! I made pffft at least 30 little guys and I’m glad I made that many so I can save some for leftovers tomorrow! I used frieda’s wraps which were pretty small but oh so perfectly thin 🙂
I noticed that the opening paragraph of the recipe mentions green onion but it’s not listed anywhere in the ingredients. Was it accidentally omitted?
It shouldn’t have been included. Thanks for catching that.
Best recipe for crab rangoon. Really easy instructions to follow. Made these several times and each time they were a big hit at dinner time.
So glad you enjoyed it so much!
Can I mix half cream cheese and half ricotta cheese, instead just all cream cheese? Thank you – Lisa I.
You absolutely could, the difference will be in the tang of the cream cheese you’ll be missing in the ricotta. Add a bit of green onions and garlic powder to bring the flavors back around and you’ll be a-ok. Hope that helps 🙂 (sorry I had to edit your comment, there’s weird stuff surrounding talking about all of that on here and how it affects recipes – beyond long story).
These were so easy and yummy. Liked the recipe as is. Had my 10 & 6 yr old granddaughters help. They watched the tutorial and shaped them up perfectly. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome. Thanks for the 5 stars, Donna.
These recipes can help you pop out some things you didn’t know you could, but there is no substitute for tasting before you say – thats it!
Most folks would have said: little sugar, a ever so light dash of cayenne- ah there it is. 🙂
I also used about 4oz of crab, knowing that most Chinese restaurants skimp on the crab.
This recipe helped me get to – ah there it is!
I had really high hopes for this recipe, but was disappointed with both the flavor and the accuracy of the recipe.
As to the accuracy, not only do I believe the amount of filling to be added to each wonton should have been stated as 1 tablespoon (scant) vs. 1 teaspoon, but also the yield should have been listed as 30 vs. 12 (that’s even using 1 Tablespoon per wonton). If I had only used 1 teaspoon per wonton, I expect I would have yielded 90, which would have been 7.5 times as many.
As to the flavor, they didn’t taste too bad, but were nothing like what I’ve had at any Chinese restaurant I’ve been to. I noticed a slightly fishy taste, whereas I don’t normally even taste the crab. Also, I think there was just a little too much Garlic and Worcester flavor (I might try using half as much next time). Finally, they were missing the slightly sweet flavor I’m used to.
I would like to bake mine instead of deep frying. Do you think they would be ok if I make them the night before the event and then bake them the next day. I think I would have to make sure I keep them moist overnight….thoughts?
You can bake these if you’d like. I suggest lightly spraying them with cooking spray once on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Hope this helps!