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    Home » China » Crab Rangoon Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling

    Crab Rangoon Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling

    Published on Jan 18, 2022 Modified: Aug 7, 2020 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

    Jump to Recipe

    These crab rangoons are a Chinese American speciality that are filled with cream cheese, crab meat, and scallions.

    Plate of crab rangoons with sliced green onions garnished over the top on a plate with a dipping sauce in a bowl.

    Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!

    This Chinese American speciality is an amazing snack or appetizer, especially when entertaining! It is filled with a delicious cream cheese filling mixed with crab claw meat and green onions. 

    YouTube video
    Jump to:
    • Recipe Origins
    • What is the History of Crab Rangoons? 
    • Why Make this Recipe? 
    • What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • Expert Tips
    • Tips for Frying 
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Crab Rangoons Recipe

    Recipe Origins

    Chinese American Food History in the United States 

    In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, limiting the amount of Chinese immigrants allowed into the United States. For a long time, the only Chinese allowed to immigrate to the US were merchants. 

    In the early 20th century, the definition of merchants expanded to include those that owned and operated restaurants. Suddenly, every hopeful Chinese immigrant became a restaurateur, and the number of Chinese restaurants in the United States quadrupled in ten years. 

    Racism against the Chinese was running high, though, and in order to make a living, the Chinese restaurants had to appeal to white people as well. 

    Thus, Chinese American food was born. Almond boneless chicken and fortune cookies are a far way from Dim Sum Chicken Feet and Peking Duck. They are special in their own way, but they did not come from Chinese origin. Instead, they are in a category all on their own: food made by Chinese immigrants to please Americans. I think we can safely throw crab rangoons into that category as well 😉 

    What is the History of Crab Rangoons? 

    Given that the main ingredient of crab rangoons is cream cheese, it’s pretty easy to assume that the dish is not of Chinese origin. As the myth has it, crab rangoons originated in San Francisco, at a tiki bar called Trader Vic’s in the 1950s or 1960s. 

    Crab rangoons have since grown very popular, and are certainly a favorite amongst Americans ordering Chinese carry-out (just ask my ultra-legit instagram poll that showed the majority of my followers requesting crab rangoons over any other “Chinese” food). 

    But just because the dish doesn’t come from China, does that mean it is not Chinese? Do Chinese American dishes count as their own form of Chinese cuisine? I think it does. Perhaps not traditional, but no less real. Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

    Why Make this Recipe? 

    1. Cheaper than Takeout: If you LOVE crab rangoons, you know that they can be expensive to order from takeout! Make these at home and get a lot more bang for your buck. 
    2. The Filling: One of my complaints with ordering takeout crab rangoons is that there is NEVER enough Cream Cheese Filling for my liking. By making your own at home, you can add as much filling as you want! 

    What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

    Ingredients 

    Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

    Measured ingredients to make wontons with crab.
    1. Cream Cheese: Full fat, softened to room temperature
    2. Crab Meat: I use a package of claw crabmeat. You can use imitation crab meat if you prefer. 
    3. Wonton Wrappers: These are different than egg roll or spring roll wrappers.
    4. Oil: For frying. I like using vegetable oil. 

    Tools

    1. Medium Bowl 
    2. Rubber Spatula or Spoon
    3. Medium Frying Pan 
    4. Tongs

    How to Make this Recipe

    Step 1: Make the Filling

    Wonton filling: whipped cream cheese with spices, herbs and crab on top, ready to be mixed in.

    In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix your cream cheese until it can be easily stirred. 

    Then pour in the crab meat, scallions, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Use a spoon to mix until combined. 

    Mixing bowl with crab filling prepared.

    Step 2: Assemble the Crab Rangoons

    4 Steps to creating rangoons with an egg wash and inserting filling into the wonton wrapper, folding it up.

    Crack an egg in a small bowl, and use a fork to whisk it. 

    Place a wonton wrapper in front of you, with one corner pointed away from you and one pointed towards you. Fill the middle of the wonton wrapped with about 1 tsp cream cheese filling. 

    Dip your finger in the whisked egg and brush the edges of the wonton with an egg wash. 

    Fold the bottom corner of the wonton up to meet the top corner, folding your wonton into the triangle. 

    Then fold in the two bottom corners of the triangle to attach at the back of the wonton. Use egg wash to hold each folded corner in place. 

    Step 3: Fry the Wontons

    Cast iron skillet with hot vegetable oil and crab rangoons bubbling up on one side to a crispy texture.

    Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, deep enough where the wontons will not touch the bottom. Once the oil has heated up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, fry the rangoons for about 3 minutes on each side or until they are browned on both sides.

    Cast iron skillet with hot vegetable oil and crab rangoons frying up on the other side, ready to remove from the pan.

    Remove the rangoons from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess oil. Enjoy!

    Expert Tips

    Hand picking up a crab rangoon and about to dip into the red sauce.
    • Crab Rangoons are delicious when served with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Make sure to have some on hand! 
    • Make sure that the wonton wrappers are sealed well. Any cream cheese leaking into the oil can cause dangerous splattering. 
    • Look for wonton wrappers in the fridge or freezer section of your grocery store. I normally go to my local Asian grocery store to buy them. 
    • Some wonton wrapper brands fry/brown a lot faster than other brands. Make sure to keep an eye on your wrappers to make sure they brown but do not burn. 

    Tips for Frying 

    Frying your crab rangoons is really easy! When you seal your rangoons, make sure that you seal them tightly. As the rangoons heat up, they can leak filling into the oil. This fries the cream cheese/crab and creates a big mess in the bottom of your wok. 

    Once you make sure that your rangoons are sealed tightly, it’s time to heat up the oil. I chose to fry my rangoons in my wok, but you can use whatever pot you prefer.

    I use sunflower oil/vegetable oil as my frying oil of choice, because they’re very low maintenance to fry with. 

    Typically, I use one rangoon as a tester with my oil, which should be about 325 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil should start to bubble around the rangoon as soon as it hits the oil. Then it should fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side. If your oil doesn’t start to bubble the minute your wonton hits the surface, it’s not hot enough. 

    Recipe FAQs

    Plate of crab rangoons on a plate with sweet and sour dipping sauce on the side.
    How to Bake Instead of Fry 

    Of course you can! If you’d like to bake your crab rangoons instead of fry them, you can bake them at about 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. 

    Reheating Instructions

    If you want to reheat your Crab Rangoons, I would recommend baking them. Simply microwaving them will make the wonton a little soggy, which takes away from the beautiful texture of this dish. 

    Baking the rangoons means that they will crisp up again! 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5-10 minutes should do the trick. 

    Air Frying Instructions

    Place as many Crab Rangoons as possible in the air fryer without letting them touch. Fry for 6 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are brown and crispy.

    Can You Freeze Crab Rangoons?

    If you want to make your crab rangoons ahead of time, I would recommend making the filling and assembling the rangoons and then freezing them before you fry them. Then, when it comes time to eat the dish, you’ll need to remove them from the freezer, thaw them, and then fry them. 

    Once the wontons are cooked and crisped, you’ll want to eat them right away as that is when they are most delicious. Freezing the finished product would unnecessarily detract from the deliciousness of the final dish, as they wouldn’t be as crispy once thawed. 

    Freezing the dish before frying is definitely the way to go. 

    What To Serve with Crab Rangoons

    I recommend serving your Crab Rangoons with Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice, Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, or Chicken with Cashew Nuts. 

    Thanks for reading my post on the history of Chinese American food and crab rangoons. If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out my other recipes for: 

    • Chinese Steamed Pork Buns
    • Chinese Egg Roll
    • Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

    A Personal Story

    I went to college at Michigan State University, which, if you didn’t know, is a school known for its baller cafeterias. The food at MSU was always so delicious, and there were 12 different dining halls for me to choose from at all times. And they were all actually yummy!

    My freshman year of college, I shared my room with my friend Anika. She and I spent so much of our time together, studying, socializing, and, of course, eating our meals together. One day we discovered that the dining hall in our dorm building served crab rangoons. 

    Neither her nor I had ever really had crab rangoons before, but we quickly fell into an obsession with them. Each dining hall would post their menus every day, and each morning my friend and I would look to see if crab rangoons were being served anywhere on campus. If they were, even if that dining hall was 40 minutes away, we would make the trek.

    No crab rangoons existed on campus untouched by us.

    So when it was time to make recipes for China, I decided that the recipe I most wanted to make were crab rangoons. I’ll be honest, China is not known for its crab rangoons. So today, instead of a traditional Chinese meal, we’ll be exploring the beauty of this Chinese American wonder. Oh dear, you are in for a treat <3

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    Crab Rangoons in a pile next to sweet and sour sauce.

    Crab Rangoons Recipe

    These crab rangoons are a Chinese American speciality that are filled with cream cheese, crab meat, and scallions.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 35
    Calories: 53kcal
    Author: Alexandria Drzazgowski

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowl(s)
    • Rubber Spatula
    • Frying Pan
    • Tongs
    • Whisk
    • Wok
    • Electric Hand Mixer
    • Paper Towel

    Ingredients

    • 16 oz cream cheese, softened
    • 8 oz crab meat
    • 4 scallions, chopped
    • ⅔ teaspoon salt
    • ⅓ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 egg
    • 1 package of wonton wrappers, thawed
    • Vegetable Oil for frying

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix your 16 oz cream cheese until it can be easily stirred. Then pour in the 8 oz crab meat, 4 scallions, ⅔ teaspoon salt, ⅓ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder. Use a spoon to mix until combined.
    • Crack an egg in a small bowl, and use a fork to whisk it.
    • Place a wonton wrapper in front of you, with one corner pointed away from you and one pointed towards you. Fill the middle of the wonton wrapped with about 1 tsp cream cheese filling.
    • Dip your finger in the whisked egg and brush the edges of the wonton with an egg wash.
    • Fold the bottom corner of the wonton up to meet the top corner, folding your wonton into the triangle. Then fold in the two bottom corners of the triangle to attach at the back of the wonton. Use egg wash to hold each folded corner in place.
    • Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, deep enough where the wontons will not touch the bottom. Once the oil has heated up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, fry the rangoons for about 3 minutes on each side or until they are browned on both sides.
    • Remove the rangoons from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess oil. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
    • Cream Cheese: Full fat, softened to room temperature
    • Crab Meat: I use a package of claw crabmeat. You can use imitation crab meat if you prefer. 
    • Wonton Wrappers: These are different than egg roll or spring roll wrappers.
    • Oil: For frying. I like using vegetable oil. 
    • Crab Rangoons are delicious when served with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Make sure to have some on hand! 
    • Make sure that the wonton wrappers are sealed well. Any cream cheese leaking into the oil can cause dangerous splattering. 
    • Look for wonton wrappers in the fridge or freezer section of your grocery store. I normally go to my local Asian grocery store to buy them. 
    • Some wonton wrapper brands fry/brown a lot faster than other brands. Make sure to keep an eye on your wrappers to make sure they brown but do not burn. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheForeignFork or tag #TheForeignFork!

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    Comments

    1. Nick says

      February 24, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      5 stars
      These are my girlfriend’s favorite dish to get when we eat at asian restaurants!! I loved learning about their history and different ways I can prepare them. Can’t wait to make this recipe with her!

      Reply
      • Alexandria Drzazgowski says

        February 24, 2020 at 11:49 pm

        I haven’t found a person out there yet that doesn’t love crab rangoons! lol I can’t wait for you to make them, too 🙂 Make sure to come back and let me know how they turn out!

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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