Easy Crab Rangoon – Take Out Favorite! (VIDEO)

My #1 Key Tip for This Recipe

Freeze the Filling for 10 Minutes

• This is my #1 KEY TIP for successfully making Crab Rangoons at home. Once you’ve made the Crab Rangoon filling, I highly recommend freezing the filling for 10 minutes to firm up before you start assembling the Crab Rangoons. (Don’t leave them in for much longer than 10 minutes, as you don’t want the filling to be frozen.) Doing this will make it much easier to work with the filling – softened cream cheese and the crab meat can be very soft.

Ingredients for Crab Rangoon

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!

• cream cheese, softened – make sure to pull out the cream cheese before you start making this recipe so it has time to soften. It will be a lot easier mixing softened cream cheese.
• crab meat, roughly chopped – The filling can be made with lump crab (like my Baked Crab Dip or Garlic Noodles with Crab), claw meat, or even imitation crab. Do not feel like you have to use a certain kind of crab meat for Crab Rangoons to taste delicious!
• wonton wrappers + side of water
• Neutral oil for frying – my go to oil is avocado oil but you can also use canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil. Avoid olive oil or sesame oil.
• Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping – you can use store bought or make my homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce!

If you love Crab Rangoons, make sure to try my Crab Rangoon Dip!

Note: When making the filling, it’s much easier if you are working with softened cream cheese. In a bowl, add softened cream cheese, white pepper, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and scallion. Mix until well combined.

Roughly chop the crab meat. Add it to the filling and fold until incorporated.

Do not skip this next step! Place the bowl with the filling inside the freezer for 10 minutes so it can firm up. (Don’t go longer than 10 minutes, as you don’t want the filling to actually freeze.) Doing this will make it much easier to work with the filling when making your Rangoons.

Time to make fold the Crab Rangoons! Tip: Cover any wonton wrappers you are not using with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out.

Take one wonton wrapper in your hand and add approximately 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Wet the corners with water and pinch together two opposite corners. Once pinched, pinch together the remaining corners. Lastly, pinch the four sides together, making sure to seal it completely, ensuring any excess air has been pinched out of the inside of the dumpling.

This sounds a lot more confusing than it is, so refer to the images or video if you need a visual.

Set aside and keep folding your rangoons!

In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat neutral oil (my go-to is avocado oil) to 350F. (I highly recommend using an infrared thermometer to check the temperature when frying. If the oil is too hot, the wontons could burn. If the oil is not hot enough. the wontons can absorb the oil and become oily and soggy.)

Gently drop the Crab Rangoons in the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Keep in mind that the filling doesn’t need to be cooked, so you’re really just frying until the wonton wrappers crisp up and turn golden brown. This will happen very fast! I like to use a spider strainer or slotted spoon.

Storage, Reheating, and Freezing Tips

Crab Rangoons are best when eaten fresh. I don’t recommend frying them ahead of time (an hour or so is fine, as long as you ventilate them properly so they don’t get soggy from any steam).

If you need to save time, you can make the filling ahead of time – store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

If you want to freeze any leftover Crab Rangoons, I recommend doing so BEFORE frying. Place the folded Crab Rangoons on a baking sheet or tray and freeze for 15 min – 1 hour. They can then be stored in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

Frozen Crab Rangoons can be fried for at the same temperature and length of time as room temperature Crab Rangoons.

Leftover fried Crab Rangoons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They will soften as they sit – you can try to restore some of the crispiness by reheating in the air fryer at 375F for 4-6 mintues until crispy and warmed through.