We love making these Crab Rangoon at home! Also known as crab and cream cheese wontons, these crunchy fried wontons have the most perfect creamy filling! I can’t wait for you to make them!
I’m going out on a limb and saying this easy Crab Rangoon recipe boasts a better filling than what you’ll find at most takeout spots, because if I’m making crab wontons, I want to taste the crab, so we’re extra generous with it! Oh, and that sweet and sour sauce? It’s outrageously good!
We developed this recipe with the help of Chef Richard Hattaway, and every time we’ve tested it, the wontons disappeared in minutes! For more of our favorite takeout-inspired dishes, check out our crispy chicken spring rolls!
Key Ingredients
- Wonton wrappers: I use thin square wonton wrappers for crab rangoon. My grocery store sells them in the refrigerated section near tofu, but you’ll find an even better selection at International grocery stores. Consider using leftover wonton wrappers to make these baked wonton cups.
- Crab: I love using real crab for these. We used Dungeness crab in the photos and video, but blue crabmeat is also excellent. Imitation crab works, too (surimi), but it tastes milder and sweeter than real crab.
- Cream cheese: This makes our crab rangoon filling creamy and rich while helping to bind everything together. You might notice that our recipe calls for less cream cheese than other recipes, making these wontons more crab-forward and less heavy.
- Veggies: For flavor, we stir in sliced green onion, chopped red bell pepper, and a bit of garlic. I highly recommend using all three.
- Soy sauce: Crabmeat is naturally salty, so you don’t need much seasoning in the filling. I add a teaspoon of soy sauce or tamari to the mix.
There are a few ways to fold your wontons, but making little envelopes is the easiest. You can see me do this in our video (which I highly recommend watching before making this recipe).
For the best results, fry them! I’m not someone who fries a lot of food at home, but it’s worth it for these crunchy wontons.
I’ve tried them in an air fryer and the oven, and while they absolutely work, the wontons don’t get nearly as crispy (because the filling is so wet from the cream cheese).
Don’t miss our homemade sweet and sour sauce (it’s so good!). It takes less than 5 minutes to make. Once you try it, you’ll understand why I’m pushing you so hard to make it!
Crispy Crab Rangoon
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Our family absolutely loves these homemade Crab Rangoon. Watch our recipe video to see me folding them. For best results, fry them using a deep saucepan or a Fry Daddy (inexpensive and handy for frying at home). Baking and air fryer tips are below, but since the filling is wet from the cream cheese, the wontons do not get as crisp or golden brown.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
Crab Rangoon8 ounces (226g) fresh or pasteurized crabmeat, like blue crab or Dungeness crab
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
1 small clove garlic, grated on a microplane or finely minced
1 teaspoon light soy sauce or tamari
26 wonton wrappers
Peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce2 tablespoons Sambal Oelek chili paste (we use Huy Fong)
6 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
Directions
1Prepare the crab: Place the crabmeat in a colander and let it drain for at least 5 minutes. Then, pick through the crabmeat for any bits of shell and remove them.
2Make the dipping sauce: Combine the chili paste, sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside for serving. If needed, warm the sauce after frying the wontons.
3Make the filling: In a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, green onion, bell pepper, garlic, and soy sauce. Fold in the crabmeat.
4Make an egg wash: Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl.
5Fill wontons: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Lay a few wontons out on a lightly floured work surface. Keep the rest under a damp towel or plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
6Place one teaspoon of the cream cheese and crab filling in the middle of each wonton. Moisten the edges with the egg wash, then fold into a triangle, pushing as much air out of the middle as possible. Moisten one of the corners of the triangle, and then bring the two corners together, overlapping the moistened corner on top of the other corner and pressing to seal to make a little envelope. Watch us do this in our video. It is important the edges are sealed, otherwise they will not hold together in the oil.
7Place filled and folded wontons onto the prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean dishcloth. Repeat with remaining wontons (this recipe makes about 24).
8Prepare the oil: To avoid using a large amount of oil, use a small, deep saucepan (like in our video). Fill it with 2 to 3 inches of oil, ensuring ample space to fry the crab Rangoons without the oil rising too close to the top. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) as registered on an instant-read thermometer.
9Fry the wontons: Carefully drop 5 to 6 wontons into the oil. Cook, adjusting the heat to maintain close to 350°F (175°C). Use a wire mesh spider to flip them in the oil.
10When the wontons look crisp and golden brown, carefully transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining wontons. Occasionally, a wonton will split and cause the oil to spit around it. If you’ve left enough room in your pot, this should not be a problem. If you are worried, place a splatter screen over the pot.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Crab substitute: You can use 8 ounces of imitation crab (surimi) cut into 1/2-inch pieces. You can also try cooked and finely chopped shrimp.
- Baked crab rangoon: These are not as golden brown and crispy. The edges become crisp, but since the filling is so wet, the areas touching the filling stay soft. Lightly brush with cooking oil and bake in a 375°F (190°C) oven until crisp. Check them at 5 minutes, and continue to bake until crisp (5 to 10 minutes more).
- Air fryer crab rangoon: Crispier than baked, but still not as good as fried. Lightly brush with cooking oil and air fry at 375°F (190°C). Check them at 5 minutes, and continue to air fry until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Save and reuse the oil: After frying the wontons, allow the oil to cool completely (this takes a while), and then save it for another day. I use a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits and pour the oil back into the bottle using a funnel.
- Keeping fried wontons warm: Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Transfer the fried and drained wontons to a baking sheet in the warm oven and hold until ready to serve.
- Make-ahead filling: Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing uncooked wontons: Freeze them in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until hard. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and store them for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, you can fry them directly from frozen.
- Freezing cooked wontons: Freeze cooked crab rangoon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and store them for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition is difficult with fried foods because we cannot determine how much oil is absorbed. So we have provided nutrition for everything but the oil. We realize this isn’t the most helpful, but it is the best we can do without a laboratory.
I made your recipe for Crab Rangoon and they were divine! I followed the recipe as written….no changes. Will definitely make them again and again! Thanks for a great recipe❤️
Yay! We are so happy you enjoyed them 🙂
I can’t do red bell peppers what else can I use
You can leave them out or use a spicy chile pepper (if you like spice).
I made these yesterday and they turned out amazing. The dipping sauce was my husbands favorate as the has an iron mouth, but for me it was way to HOT. In another container I added 1 tbsp of sugar and vinegar, melted the sugar and then added 1 tsp of the origional sauce to it. That new sauce was great and not overpowering. Next time I will make the sauce but only add 1 tsp of the chili paste as you can alway add more but you can’t take it out! Keep up the great work.
Hi, I made this recipe today. Awesome & excellent! Thank you!
Can the wontons be frozen after they are fried and reheated in an air fryer?
Hi Gayle, I bet that they can!
Hey whats the red? I want more veggies in my rangoons and I’m curious what you’re using.
We use bell pepper in this recipe.