Here’s a Chinese takeout classic: crab rangoon!
This is one of the easiest recipes to replicate everyone’s favorite appetizer from the local Chinese restaurant. Not only is crab rangoon easy to make, but it also uses ingredients readily available and easy to find!
The Basic Ingredients:
Cream cheese, sugar, salt, crab sticks and wonton wrappers – that’s it!
I wanted to keep my ingredients simple, but feel free to add more seasonings if you’d like. I decided on a very basic filling recipe because the Thai sweet chili dipping sauce has such a strong flavor already, which balances the crab rangoon really well.
All of these ingredients can be found at an Asian grocery store. The wonton skins will be in the refrigerated, or sometimes frozen section. Always keep the wonton skins covered because it will dry out if exposed to air for too long.
Alternative ingredients:
- soy sauce
- scallions
- garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Sriracha
- Japanese mayo (or American mayo + rice vinegar & sugar)
Thai sweet chili sauce is a staple ingredient in my kitchen that I always have on hand. The flavor profile is sweet and tangy and it pairs perfectly with savory dishes. In addition, it can be used as a dipping sauce or as the base of a marinade. The ONLY brand I use is Mae Ploy, which can be found at any Asian grocery store.
Watch my video tutorial below!
Cooking Method
Crab rangoon cooks very quickly in the deep fryer. I took these out after a minute or two when the wonton skins turned a light golden brown. I recommend frying in oil with a high smoke point such as canola, vegetable, corn or peanut oil. Alternatively, you can cook these in an air fryer by spraying with oil and setting the temperature to about 350F.
Crab Rangoon
- Yield: 15 pieces
Ingredients
– 1 block (8oz) cream cheese, softened
– 1 tsp sugar
– pinch of salt
– 6 crab sticks, roughly chopped (you can substitute lump crab as well)
– 15 wonton wrappers + side of water
Instructions
1. Add the cream cheese, sugar and salt to a bowl and mix until smooth. You can use cream cheese straight out of the refrigerator, but it will be more difficult to mix. That’s why I let it sit out until it has come to room temperature.
2. Roughly chop the crab and add it to the bowl. Mix again.
3. Lay out your wonton skins and add a tablespoon of filling in the middle. You don’t want too much and you don’t want too little in order for these to have a nice shape. A tablespoon is the perfect amount. Pinch together the opposite ends, then do the same for the remaining two. Then, pinch the four sides and make sure not to leave any gaps. You don’t want the filling to seep out when cooking!
4. Deep fry for about 1 minute until golden brown. You can alternatively brush/spay with oil and air fry.
Serve with sweet chili sauce & enjoy!
