Crab Rangoon Recipe

Crab rangoons are my favorite thing to order when we get Chinese takeout. Well mine, and my daughter’s. She’s completely obsessed! 

I can’t really blame her, I mean they’re always delicious, hot and crispy on the outside, and creamy and smooth on the inside.

But for the amount you get from a takeout place, and what you pay for it, it’s not a cheap appetizer, that’s for sure.  

But a lot of people don’t realize how easy they are to make yourself!

When you make them at home, you can control the quality of ingredients, the sweetness level, and you can make your own dipping sauce!

How to make crab rangoon at home?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Make filling. I find using a food processor is the quickest way to do this, but you can use a hand mixer or just a rubber spatula.
2. Assemble. Add about a Tbsp of filling onto wonton wrappers.

1. Fold. Wet edges of wonton wrappers and fold into a little purse-like shape.
2. Fry. Fry in batches, until golden brown.

Variations of this recipe

• Cream cheese – feel free to adjust the cream cheese amount to your tastes, adding more for a creamier consistency, and less for a firmer consistency.
• Crab – traditionally, these are made with imitation crab meat, so that’s what I used in this recipe. However, if you wanted something different, an equal amount of real crab meat is just as delicious (provided you like the taste of real crab).
• Garlic powder – if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, feel free to substitute with 1/4 tsp of garlic powder.
• Spicy – if you want some heat in your rangoons, feel free to increase the cayenne pepper, or add some finely minced jalapeños to the filling mixture.
• Sweeter – most American Chinese restaurant’s crab rangoon have a very sweet filling. This is a more savory version, but you can absolutely play around with the sugar amount until it’s as sweet as you’d like.
• Sauce – we really love the mustard sauce shared here in this recipe, but if you want a more traditional feel, my homemade sweet and sour sauce is a great alternative.

Making crab rangoon ahead of time

The only downside to working with wonton wrappers is that they dry out really easily.

So for that reason, I don’t recommend assembling the rangoon ahead of time and refrigerating.

However, you can absolutely prep them ahead, or freeze them!

Prepping ahead:

• Filling – the filling for this rangoon recipe can be made 1-2 days ahead, then kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
• Sauce – the mustard sauce can also be made several days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Freezing

This crab rangoon recipe also freezes well!

I didn’t like the texture when the already cooked rangoon were frozen, but you can easily freeze them before cooking.

Freezing crab rangoon before cooking:

• Once assembled and folded, place rangoons on a wax or parchment paper lined baking sheet or large platter.
• Place baking sheet or platter into the freezer and flash freeze the rangoons for about an hour, or until hard.
• Place frozen rangoons into a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Cooking rangoon from frozen:

• If you plan to fry the rangoons, just let them sit on the counter for a few minutes while your oil is almost up to temperature.
• Fry as directed.
• If you plan to bake them, let them sit on the counter and thaw for about 10 minutes, then bake as directed.

Storage

Leftover crab rangoon should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 2-3 days.

To reheat, bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes, until hot and crispy.