Crab Rangoon contains a simple mixture of crab, cream cheese, and seasonings wrapped in a wonton wrapper and fried crispy (or baked in the oven)!
This easy recipe is a go-to at any Chinese restaurant but it’s also super easy to make at home!
We love to dip our Crab Rangoon in a simple sweet and sour dip (just like our fave restaurant) for maximum flavor!
This Crab Rangoon recipe is one of our favorite things to order when we go out for Chinese (although they are an American invention)! They’re surprisingly easy to make!
How to Make Crab Rangoon
This Crab Rangoon recipe contains a simple mixture of crab, cream cheese, and seasonings wrapped in a wonton wrapper and fried crispy!
For this recipe, I prefer the flavor and texture of canned crab but you can certainly use what you have on hand. Softened cream cheese and some seasonings make the perfect creamy filling.
They taste great on their own or can be served with soy, duck sauce, or sweet and sour sauce!
How to Fold Crab Rangoon
To fold crab rangoon, you’ll want to work in small batches of 2 or 3 at a time as the wonton wrappers can dry out. Place about 1 teaspoon or so of filling in the middle of each wrapper.
Wet the edges with a little bit of egg and be sure to seal very well. If the filling leaks out, it can cause splattering which can be dangerous. You can fold these either diagonally to form a triangle or fold the sides in (which is how I fold them) to create a sort of a packet.
These amazing little crab rangoon bundles can be fried or even baked if you’d like to lighten them up a bit. (I personally prefer fried for that delicious crunchy exterior).
Feeling Kinda Crabby?
Crab Cake Recipe: An easy Crab Cake Recipe that creates juicy cakes, full of meaty crab chunks and fresh flavors.
Hot Crab Dip: Hot, creamy, cheesy and loaded with crab this dip is perfect served with fried wonton chips, tortilla chips or crackers for dipping!
Crab Rangoon Crescent Cups: Flaky crescent cups filled with creamy crab and cheese!
To prepare these ahead of time, mix up the crab early in the day and put them together just before our guests arrive and either pop them in the oven or fry them up as you are ready to eat!
You can find wonton wrappers in most grocery stores. They’re usually located near the produce area (where the tofu and fresh Asian noodles are) or in the freezer. If you don’t see them, just ask… sometimes they’re in a different area.
Wonton wrappers tend to come in a large package however they do freeze well. If you have extras, you can fill them with everything from avocado to jalapeno popper dip or even apple pie filling!
Crab Rangoon (Crab & Cream Cheese filled Wontons)
Ingredients
- 5 ounces crab meat drained, 1 can, can be substituted with fresh or packaged crab
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 green onion finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 18 wonton wrappers
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat 1 inch of oil to 325°F over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, gently combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (if using), and garlic powder.
- Layout 3 wonton wrappers at a time. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each. Dab the edges with water and fold the two opposite corners together to form a triangle. Wet the tips of the triangle and fold inward. Continue until all of your filling is used up.
To Deep Fry
- Drop the wontons into the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Notes
- We find this recipe has the best flavor with either canned or lump crab meat. Imitation works but the flavor is not the same.
- To stretch the filling further, you can add up to 6 oz cream cheese.
- Drain the crab very well. Moisture can build steam and cause the rangoon to puff up as it cooks.
- Press out as much air as possible when sealing the edges and ensure they are well sealed so the filling doesn't leak out. Do not overfill the wonton wrappers.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
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These were very good! The only thing I added different was about 1/4 cup of diced red pepper and I used 2 stalks of green onion. I did this because I am crazy in love with both of these and had to use them up. I added only half of the amount of soy sauce (optional) because I was not sure if they’d be too salty if I added the full amount. Figured I could dip them in it if they needed more. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you.
the worcestershire ruined this recipe!!!
Hi Judy, while we love the flavor it adds you can definitely omit it if you prefer!
Amazing recipe!!!!! So easy and very few dishes to clean. They taste exactly like P.F Chang’s crab wontons, just paid it with some sweet chili sauce! Was a big hit and will make again!
what kind of dipping sauce would you serve with this?
We love to dip our Crab Rangoon in a simple sweet and sour dip (just like our fave restaurant) for maximum flavor!
Do you think I can make these ahead, refrigerate, and bake them at the event I need them for? Would they still be tasty?
To prepare these ahead of time, we mix up the crab early in the day and put them together just before our guests arrive, and either pop them in the oven or fry them up as you are ready to enjoy them. Hope that helps, Stephanie! If you try fulling assembling them ahead of time we would love to hear how they turn out.
I love crab rangoon, but cannot do the wheat in the traditional wrapper. Unfortunately my wheat allergy results in my finger joints swelling and indigestion that takes days to resolve. Have you tried it in a rice wrapper? Also, I am trying to come up with a dip that I can use with the rice crackers that I can eat.
I have not tried that, but we do have a crab rangoon dip that would work with your crackers! Check the ingredients, as I’m sure you do, to make sure they don’t contain wheat. Enjoy Kathleen!
OMG..they are awesome! Even got my husband involved making them!
That is so fun, Susan! Glad you enjoyed them.
Nope. Not good. Bland. Boring. Filling did not stay in. Going to try refrigerating the filled wontons before frying. Simply must have more seasoning. Dipping sauce was terrible too.
I am sorry this recipe wasn’t a hit with you, Julie. We have remade and tweaked it just slightly to help improve the flavor! Hope you enjoy it.
I’m always one to order this dish at restaurants but I appreciate that this recipe gives me the opportunity to try making rangoons at home.
These are my sons absolute favorite and I’ve been wanting to learn how to make them. So delicious and so easy, thank you so much!
So glad you loved the recipe Chandice!
My family and I love crab so much, and it looks like an easy dish to make for my family.
I’m always looking for something fun for our weekend dinner and these wontons are perfect! I’ve never heard of crab cream cheese or this appetizer but we love crab cakes so I can’t wait to try!
These were much easier to make than I would have thought, and they were delicious. A big hit at our New Years Eve gathering.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing crab rangoon crab creamcheese filled crispy wontons recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Very bland recipe, stomach hurts afterwards
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, Jessica. If using fresh crab meat you will want to make sure it is fully cooked before adding to this recipe.
Lol, probably because one of your ingredients was past it’s expiration. Don’t blame the person who came up with the recipe.
No flavor at all. The consistency was great but no flavor at all. Will have to try another recipe.
Hi Helen, for extra flavor, you can adjust the spices as you see fit. Some readers have loved doubling the garlic while others have loved adding a touch of sugar for some sweetness.
Absolutely NOT. I don’t know what I was thinking trusting this recipe but oh nooooooo! I understand the idea behind it but the flavor was horrible. No offense here, just my opinion.
Sorry to hear that, Sam. This recipe is usually a reader favorite.
Can I use vegan cream cheese to make these? I am have a dairy issue, but not a vegan!
Hi Allison, I haven’t tried this recipe with vegan cream cheese but I think it should work okay. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Correction from submission.
We tried this. Good, I especially liked it, but my adult children wanted less crab. Also we used less oil, with a little water at the beginning to steam to heat through as my son’s favorite vegetarian dumplings do. Of course, Americanized restaurants that make crab rangoon usually only use a little crab, cheaper!
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, JL. Glad this recipe worked well for you!
“This easy recipe is a go-to at any Chinese restaurant.”
Uhh, I’m going to guess you’ve never been to China, have you…
In fact I’ve never seen them outside the US despite living in Europe a decade and Japan for fifteen years. (And Hong Kong another three.)
That said your recipe looks good. I hadn’t thought of using real crab but will try that.
We have Chinese Restaurants in North America so you are correct that is what we are referring to when we say it’s our favorite at any Chinese Restaurant. But we hope you enjoy our take on this recipe! You will have to let us know what you think.
We tried this. Good, but my adult children wanted less crab. Of course, Americanized restaurants that make crab rangood usually only use a little crab, cheaper!
Crab ragoons – or crab puffs – were invented in North America, so I’m not surprised you haven’t seen them in Europe or China. They are a staple however at every American-Chinese restaurant.