Crab Rangoon are crab and cream cheese wontons with green onions pinched into little purses and deep fried, the perfect Chinese copycat.
We love Chinese Food Recipes and our absolute favorite Asian appetizer is these (slightly Americanized) Crab Rangoon bites dipped in Sweet and Sour Sauce.
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 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 party at home is actually a breeze with this recipe since it freezes so well. You can spend time ahead making these wontons, the cream cheese version, Korean Ground Beef Egg Rolls, potstickers and more. Then just before it is time to serve the recipes. 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. Crab rangoon is best served with your favorite Chinese food entrees including Lo Mein, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef and steamed vegetables or rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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 it’s quickly fried and served hot in less than 20 minutes from start to finish.
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.
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Tips for 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, any 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.
How to Store Crab Rangoon
- Serve: It’s best to serve Crab Rangoon hot and fresh from the fryer. Do not leave this dairy and meat recipe at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Crab Rangoon will keep in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 375 degree oven to crisp back up.
- Freeze: It’s best to freeze Crab Rangoon before frying and fry it fresh before serving. You can also freeze after cooking and completely cooling. Freeze in a single layer before sealing in an airtight plastic bag for 2-3 months. Reheat in a 375 degree oven 15-20 minutes until hot and crispy.
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 large egg , beaten
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
This is so easy to make and the taste is better than store bought. Thank you
It’s missing green onion! That’s what I’m gives it it’s sweetness and crunch on the inside.
Missing some kind of flavor, it was okay to eat but needed something else I did add salt n pepper to it for second batch but still was not doing it. Easy to make though
I love to beagle to see the recipes.they are great.had friends who worked in Chinese restaurants. Some times I would sit and help.make them.i thank each person has their ideas of how food should taste .so just taste as you go.and make to suit your self.thank you for sharing your recipes. I look forward to try others.i give your star
Im about to make these, how do you make the sweet red dipping sauce?
This recipe is okay. I think it would be better with less cream cheese.
Not very good. It was missing something
I’m confused by the ingredient list… 8 ozs of crabmeat and 8ozs of cream cream and only 12 wonton skins? the recipe clearly states that you are only using 1 tsp per wonton skin. Don’t you need way more wonton skins for this recipe? and if there are 12 servings (as noted), then everyone gets only 1? I think you mean 1 pkg of skins, which are generally 48, then it’d be 4 pieces per person and would use up nearly 16 ozs of filling.
That makes perfect sense to me!
They were ok. I highly recommend using a peanut oil or an oil that is used to deep fry Chinese inspired foods.
Also, for anyone curios, you should definitely use your finger to egg wash the outside border of the egg roll wrappers. AND. Doing the star takes A LOT of time. I ended up just folding the wrapper I half to make a triangle shape.
I was craving Rangoons this afternoon and immediately decided to go here, your amazing recipes are an asset in this world.
Great stuff – It’s a keeper in my recipe book.
LOVE THIS RECIPE – THANK YOU
Absolutely fantastic! These are my daughter’s favorite. Really easy to make too. I make these every year for our holiday parties.
I just made this and they turned out good, but dry like you said. Definitely going to try adding some mayo next time, thank you.
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!
If I’m using imitation crab should I cook it? Or is it okay if I use it raw?
Hello, if you are using imitation crab or lobster, they have already been cooked so they just need to be warmed up for your meal. Hope this helps|
Out of curiosity…how do you have “uncooked” crab meat? Uncooked crab meat is a snotty Looking gook (see the movie “Castaway”) that doesn’t resemble cooked meat at all.
I read that and was thinking the same thing “uncooked crabmeat?” ?
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 agree, Chris.
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.
Should have been included or should not have?
I decided not to include it.
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).
Are u asking this? What do you really think would happen? Just do it. There’s no law, for crying out loud ?
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!
Hi Sabrina, this one was nice. Very close to what I recall. I do substitute soy sauce or even a drop or two of dark soy for the worcestershire sauce, I think the result is a bit more “asian” flavor and I never included garlic before, I use minced green onion in mine. But these were a nice change for a more “American” palate. Yummy and served up with oyster sauce and duck sauce for dipping. I’ll probably do these again.
What brand of wonton wrappers did you use? Also, What brand/kind of imitation crab meat?
I just use the standard brand that you get in produce section, any will do as long as they are wonton wrappers and not egg roll size. For the imitation crab, again no brand preference, just not the store brand 🙂
Absolutely awesome!
Thanks Lacey!
These were perfect! I did add a 1/2 teaspoon of sweet and sour, sugar and some green onion to the mixture, but they turned out phenomenal.
Yum! That sounds delicious – happy to hear it turned out great!
I’m wondering how this would work with the air fryer… Have you tried it?
I haven’t tested it using one but if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
I just made in the air fryer and they were great!
Glad you enjoyed them!
How did you do them in the air fryer? I’m interested in doing them that way but don’t know what temp or how long
Can these be cooked in a air fryer and if so what temperature and how long?
I’ve not tested it so if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
The recipe worked well. I did find the recipe particularly meaty, even after following the comment recommendation of using only half the crab meat. The recipe being meaty isn’t a bad thing, I was just hoping for a sweeter cream cheese filling.
Crab Rangoon is my daughter’s favorite and let me say that this recipe did not disappoint! I substituted real crab meat for the imitation and added green onion to the cheese mixture. This recipe definitely earned a spot in my cookbook of favorite recipes!! Thanks for sharing ?
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This recipe makes a huge batch. I fried about a dozen, then assembled and froze the remaining ones. I’m hoping they will be good after freezing.
They are great to freeze! You cook them straight from frozen which makes it so easy!
Crab Rangoon is my daughter’s favorite and let me say that this recipe did not disappoint! I substituted real crab meat for the imitation and added green onion to the cheese mixture. This recipe definitely earned a spot in my cookbook of favorite recipes!! Thanks for sharing ?
A little too much crab for my liking. I would take out half the crab for this recipe.
I made these last week and they turned out fantastic! I used half real lump crabmeat and half fake (I had some lump meat left over from a she-crab soup recipe). They were better than any Rangoon we’ve had at any restaurant. I added the green onions and just a tiny bit more Worcestershire sauce (just a drip). But our taste buds need more bold.
Do you have a sweet & sour sauce recipe that you like?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have 2 sweet and sour recipes on the blog. One is a Panda Express copycat https://dinnerthendessert.com/panda-express-sweet-sour-sauce/ and here’s the link to the other https://dinnerthendessert.com/sweet-sour-sauce/.
Either would be fantastic!
These were delicious and super easy to make. Chop green onions into the mix you won’t be disappointed! Yum! Even better than the restaraunts.
That’s a great compliment, Lori! Thank you!
Thanks for all your recipes.
This recipe was easy and pretty yummy. I added green onions and some extra spices. All in all I think about there was just a little too much crab for this 1:1 ratio, so I added 4oz more of cream cheese.
Tried it not as good as expected. Would use half of the crab listed
Hi Sabrina,
I see that under the recipe section you give a description that includes green onions in the mixture, but yet the recipe list does not include green onions. I like green onions in mine and would like to know if you cook yours with the green onions and what was the outcome??
Thanks!!
Yes, you can add them in with the cream cheese mixture. So yummy!
Imitation crab meat is made with fish. This recipe is not vegetarian. I wish it were — I miss Crab Rangoon! P.S. If you do have a brand of crab that is not made from fish, would you mind sharing the brand? I’d love to try your recipe!
I’m sorry I don’t but thanks for catching that! I’ve heard people using jackfruit but I haven’t tried it so I can’t really say if that was the best alternative.
These are really good with avacado too instead of crab meat! A little thai place in my home town used to do this.
Do I cook these from frozen or should I thaw
If you are making these ahead of time and freezing, no need to thaw before you fry them. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Sabrina, I would love it if people left comments after making the recipes. It would be a great reference. Thank you.
Yes girl!!! There’s little I hate more than people feeling the need to tell everyone that they think something LOOKS good when they have no input on the actual taste! That’s the spread of Facebook idiocy across the entire internet.
I did actually make this recipe and found that the people in the house who like the salty/bland crab rangoons really liked it. I prefer the sweeter version so I added about a 1 T of powdered sugar and really liked the slight sweetness that added to the rest of the batch.
Oh my gosh, my boys would be thrilled if I made these at home. They LOVE them and yours look so delicious!
Thank you!
These look really good! Would be perfect for any party!
Such a great appetizer for a party!
I LOVE these!! The perfect appetizer!!
Thank you Katerina!
These look irresistible! My family would love these for sure!
Make sure to get at least one before your family eats them all up!
These would be a great appetizer option! Love them!
Definitely!
I made this by your recipe but after cooking i had no crab left in the wanton
oil temp was 350.
what happened
I’m not sure what you mean by no crab left. If the wonton opened up and the filling was out, it sounds like the wontons needed to be pinched a bit firmer to ensure no air was left inside before frying. You want to make sure the inside is sealed properly. Hope this helps for next time.