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Crab Rangoon

takeout fakeout nights, holiday parties, game day parties and everything in between! These crab rangoon taste straight out of a restaurant – or dare I say even better?! They are tantalizingly crunchy on the outside giving way to warm, melty creamy crab filling inside. I’ve included step by step photos, easy to follow instructions for deep fried, baked and air fried crab rangoon, and how to freeze for an easy snack or appetizer any night of the week!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 36 crab rangoons

Ingredients

  • 36 wonton wrappers
  • 3 tablespoons water mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Filling

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Instructions

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

  • Whisk together all Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened. Set aside. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)

TO MAKE RANGOONS

  • Mix together all of the filling ingredients except the crab meat, then gently fold crab into cream cheese mixture.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (to lay assembled wontons on).
  • Working on a flat, dry surface, lay out 2-4 wonton wrappers. Keep remaining wontons covered with plastic wrap or in a large freezer bag. Place one scant tablespoon wonton filling in the center of each wonton wrapper.
  • TO FOLD ALL FOUR CORNERS: Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, lightly brush the 4 edges of the wrapper with the water/cornstarch mixture. Bring the two opposite corners of the wonton together and pinch to seal. Next, pull the other two corners up so all the tips are touching. Press the tips together to seal, then work your way down to tightly seal the edges, pressing out excess air. It is okay if the edges don’t evenly meet, as long as they are sealed closed. Place finished wontons on prepared surface and cover with a clean damp towel. Repeat with remaining wontons.
  • TO FOLD INTO TRIANGLES (recommended if baking): Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, brush the top 2 sides of the wrapper with water. Bring the two opposite corners of the wonton together (2 dry, 2 wet) to form a triangle and enclose the filling, pinching edges of the wrapper together to firmly seal, pressing out any air. Place finished wontons on prepared surface and cover with a clean damp towel. Repeat with remaining wontons.
  • Fill Dutch oven with 4 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees (medium-high). If you don't have a thermometer, make sure to test a spare wonton to ensure the oil isn't too hot.
  • Gently add rangoons in batches so they don’t overcrowd the pot, about 4-6. Fry until golden brown, either pressing down with a metal spyder to submerge or turning over once to cook evenly. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining rangoons.

Notes

*CRAB MEAT

You have three options for crab meat in your crab rangoon recipe: canned crab, fresh crab or imitation crab. See post for full breakdown. This crab rangoon recipe combines crab with the cream cheese for a creamy filling, so I don’t think there’s a need to splurge on fresh crab.  I personally prefer using canned crab because it is more economical, easy to use because it’s already been picked through, easy to keep in the pantry and the flavor and texture are ideal for the filling.  When purchasing canned crab meat, you will need one 6 oz. can white lump crab meat, which comes from the knuckles of the crab and is the highest grade of canned crab meat.   You may also use fancy white crab meat, which contains the white body meat, but it is considered one step down.

TIPS FOR MAKING CRAB RANGOON

There are a couple tricks to ensure perfect homemade crab rangoon and prevent the wrappers from tearing:
  • Cover wrappers.  Wonton wrappers can easily dry out which will make them brittle and break or tear easily either while filling or while frying.  To prevent this, keep any wrappers you are not working with under a damp cloth or in a sealed bag.  Only remove them when you are ready to use them. 
  • Remove excess moisture. You don’t want any excess moisture from your crab because soggy filling will make soggy crab rangoon that can easily tear.  Make sure your crab is very dry before adding to the filling.
  • Don’t over stuff.  If you are having trouble sealing the wonton around the filling, then reduce the amount of filling.
  • Remove excess air.  Make sure you push out any excess air as you fold the wonton to prevent the filling from leaking into the oil or the oil leaking into the rangoon and causing it to crack.
  • Seal tightly.  It is important that the crab rangoon are completely sealed otherwise the filling can leak out while frying and cause dangerous splattering. If you find your wrappers aren’t sealing, it might be because the edges are too wet – don’t use too much slurry to seal.
  • Use parchment.  Placing the stuffed crab rangoon on parchment paper is important so they don’t stick, otherwise, they can stick to a cutting board/other surface and tear.
  • Limit water. Don’t use too much water/cornstarch slurry to seal the wrappers otherwise the wontons become soggy and the edges will not stick together.  Only lightly dampen the edges.
  • Clean work surface.  Before you start a new batch of wontons, wipe your working surface so it is dry otherwise your wrappers will become soggy and tear.
  • Cover after assembling.  Just like you need to cover the wrappers before using, you need to keep the assembled crab wontons covered.  If the wrappers dry out, they will easily crack when placed in the hot oil. As soon as you have folded your crab rangoon, place them on parchment paper and cover with a damp cloth.

Do I have to fry CRAB RANGOON?

If you want the same tantalizing, shatteringly crunch you get from restaurant crab rangoon, then yes, you should fry them.  No other cooking method will deliver the same satisfying crunch, the same puffed pillowy wonton wrapper or the same uniformly golden crackling exterior.
That being said, you still can bake the crab rangoon or cook them in the air fryer (instructions to follow) but don’t expect the same golden appearance or all-over crunchy exterior.

PRO TIPS FOR FRYING CRAB RANGOON

If you aren’t familiar with frying, it is easy!  Here are some helpful tips and tricks for the perfect fried crab rangoon every time:
  • Use enough oil. Use enough oil so the crab rangoon can sit comfortably in the oil without touching the bottom of the pan.
  • Use an instant read thermometer.  I highly recommend an instant-read thermometer to ensure you have the correct temperature not only at the beginning of frying, but throughout the entire frying process.  It will save you a few “test wontons” or wrappers.  If your oil is too hot, then the wontons will brown quickly, but won’t be as crispy because there wasn’t enough time for the water to evaporate.  If the oil is too cold, the wontons will never reach peak crispiness.  You can still fry without a thermometer, but it may be more trial and error.
  • Test oil.  If you don’t have a thermometer, medium-high heat should be about right, but every stove is different, so you will want to test the oil before frying the wontons.  Test the temperature with a pinch of flour or better yet, an extra wonton wrapper.  If it boils, your oil is ready but if it boils and turns dark within a minute or so, your oil is too hot. You will have to remove from the heat, wait a few minutes, return to heat and try again.
  • Don’t overcrowd pan. Be patient and cook just 4-6 crab rangoon at a time depending on your pan size.  This allows them to cook evenly without touching and gives you plenty of room to flip the wontons over with tongs.  This also helps you keep a close eye on them so they don’t overcook.
  • Adjust heat.  If you find your crab wontons are cooking too quickly and surpassing the golden brown, then lower heat.
  • Don’t overcook. We are not worried about cooking any raw filling, so it is best to remove the homemade crab rangoon when you think they could become a little more golden because they will deepen a few shades when removed from the oil.  Keep a close eye on the wontons because they cook extremely quickly!
  • Cook evenly. To fry crab rangoon evenly, you can flip them over while cooking to submerge the tops or the easiest, more effective way, is to push them down with ametal spyder so they are completely submerged in oil.
  • Line on paper towels. Use a stainless-steel strainer or slotted spoon to transfer fried crab rangoon to a paper towel lined baking sheet or serving platter in a single layer without touching.  You don’t want them touching or they will steam and you don’t want them sitting in oil or they won’t be as crispy. If you don’t have a strainer, then you can use tongs but be careful not to puncture or drop them!
  • Don’t stack.  Resist the urge to stack the cooked crab wontons or they won’t be as crispy.  I know I didn’t follow my own advice in the photos so I can speak from personal experience that stacked wontons will steam and you will lose that shatteringly crispy coveted exterior.  It is best to serve the homemade crab rangoon lined in a single layer with a little breathing room in between each one.
  • Wait before eating.  Wait 5 to 10 minutes before serving or biting into the crab wontons because the filling will be piping hot and can easily burn your mouth.

TO BAKE:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Place a baking rack on top of baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the sheet in the
    oven for 5 minutes.  This will help crisp
    up the bottom of the rangoons.
  • Carefully line rangoons on the greased baking rack so they
    aren’t touching.
  • Spray rangoons with cooking spray or lightly brush with coconut or olive
    oil.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes or until corners are browned and
    crispy.

TO AIR FRY: 

  • Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray.
  • Place crab rangoon in a single layer in the basket without
    touching, don’t overcrowd.
  • For best results, brush generously with oil on both sides. You
    can also lightly spray them, but they won’t taste fried.
  • Air fry at 350°F for 8-10
    minutes or until golden.   You can air
    fry without flipping them over, but for best results, flip halfway through
    cooking with tongs. Please note Air
    fryer models can vary in so watch the first batch closely and adjust the time accordingly.

HOW TO REHEAT CRAB RANGOON

Homemade crab rangoon are best eaten hot when the wrappers are the crunchiest, BUT you can reheat leftover rangoon:
  • OVEN: line them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
  • AIR FRYER:  place rangoons in a single layer and reheat a per instructions per your air fryer model.

Can crab rangoon be made ahead of time?

Crab rangoon can be assembled and frozen ahead of time but they cannot be refrigerated uncooked.  Wonton wrappers dry out very quickly and will become brittle when refrigerated if they have not been cooked, which will cause them to tear and leak when baked or fried. It is better to freeze uncooked crab wontons instead of refrigerating them (see section below).

HOW TO FREEZE UNCOOKED CRAB RANGOON:

Instead of refrigerating uncooked crab rangoon which will dry them out, you can freeze them instead!  Freezing uncooked crab rangoon is the best option if making ahead. To freeze:
  • Place assembled, uncooked crab wontons on a parchment-lined baking sheet/plate (whatever will fit in your freezer) without touching.
  • Loosely cover with plastic wrap.
  • Freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
  • Transfer wontons to a freezer bag.
  • To cook, let crab rangoon sit at room temperature for 10 minutes then either fry, air fry or bake (they will still be partially frozen), according to recipe directions, adding a few extra minutes to cooking time.

HOW TO FREEZE COOKED CRAB RANGOON:

Freezing the cooked crab rangoon creates a fabulous easy- snack/appetizer option for all those busy parties or nights.  To freeze:
  • Cook crab wontons according to recipe directions.
  • Let them cool COMPLETELY.
  • Place assembled crab rangoon on a parchment-lined baking sheet/plate (whatever will fit in your freezer) without touching.
  • Loosely cover with plastic wrap.
  • Freeze wontons until solid, about 1 hour.   Flash freezing them allows them to be stored together without sticking to each other.
  • Transfer wontons to a freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air.
  • When ready to serve, either re-fry rangoons straight out of the freezer (don’t defrost), OR bake from frozen per instructions, adding about 5 minutes to baking time.
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