When I was in college, I worked as a hostess at a Chinese restaurant and one of my jobs was actually assembling the crab rangoons before they went back to the kitchen to be cooked. The kitchen was massive with giant woks where everything was cooked hot and fresh. Before working there, I honestly never cared much for Chinese food, but I quickly realized I had just never had really good, freshly cooked Chinese food before.
The restaurant served incredible Szechuan-style dishes with so much flavor and working there completely changed my mind about Chinese food. And the crab rangoons? They were amazing. Crispy on the outside with a warm, creamy crab filling inside. They were always one of my favorites. This easy homemade version brings back a little bit of that memory and gives you that same creamy, crispy combination without being difficult to make at home.
Makes: 20–24 rangoons
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6 oz imitation crab meat, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 20–24 wonton wrappers
- Water, for sealing
- Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, soy sauce and sugar until well combined.
- Place one wonton wrapper on a clean work surface. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the crab mixture into the center.
- Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Bring the four corners together over the filling and pinch firmly to seal. Pinch along the seams so the filling stays inside while frying.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or saucepan to 350°F.
- Fry the rangoons in small batches for 2–3 minutes, turning as needed, until crisp and golden brown.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack and let cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
Serve warm with sweet chili sauce, sweet-and-sour sauce or duck sauce.
Quick Note
Don’t overfill the wonton wrappers. About 2 teaspoons of filling is plenty and makes them much easier to seal. Gently press out any pockets of air around the filling before pinching the seams closed.
Air Fryer Option
Lightly spray the assembled rangoons with cooking spray. Air fry at 370°F for 7–9 minutes, checking toward the end, until crisp and golden.
Estimated Nutrition (Per Rangoon)
Approximate, based on 24 rangoons and excluding dipping sauce.
Calories: 75
Protein: 2g
Net Carbs: 6g
Fat: 5g
Fiber: 0g
