30-Min Crispy Crab Rangoon Recipe
Crispy Crab Rangoon has a golden, crunchy wonton wrapper filled with creamy crab and scallions. Serve with homemade sweet chili sauce for dipping!
Ingredients
For the sweet chili dipping sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
For the Crab Rangoon
- 12 sheets wonton wrappers
- 8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese spread
- 1½ cups crab sticks, finely chopped
- 2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of white pepper
- 4 cups cooking oil, for frying (high-smoke-point oil such as avocado or peanut)
Instructions
- To make the sweet chili dipping sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the water, rice vinegar, ketchup, sugar, sambal oelek, and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water to make a slurry, then stir it into the sauce. Continue stirring until thickened. Set aside.
- To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese spread, crab sticks, scallions, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
- To assemble the Crab Rangoon: Lightly wet the edges of a wonton wrapper with water, then add about 1½ teaspoons of filling to the center. Bring two opposite corners together, then bring up the remaining two corners. Press the edges firmly together to seal and form a four-pointed star. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- To fry the Crab Rangoon: In a large pot, heat the cooking oil to 325°F (163°C). Working in batches, fry the Crab Rangoon for about 3–4 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- To serve: Serve the Crab Rangoon warm with the sweet chili dipping sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
Don’t overfill: About 1½ teaspoons of filling is enough. Too much filling can make the wrappers difficult to seal.
Seal well: Press the edges firmly together to help prevent the filling from leaking during frying.
Keep the wrappers covered: Wonton wrappers dry out quickly, so keep the unused wrappers covered while assembling.
Cream cheese: I use Philadelphia cream cheese spread because it’s already soft and creamy and mixes easily with the other filling ingredients.
Crab options: You can use real crab instead of crab sticks. Drain it well before adding it to the filling. Finely chopped shrimp also works as a variation.
Prep ahead: Make the filling up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can also assemble the Crab Rangoon a few hours before frying and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
Freeze for later: Freeze the assembled, uncooked Crab Rangoon in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Fry from frozen, allowing additional cooking time as needed.
Air-fry: Lightly spray or brush both sides with cooking oil and air-fry at 375°F (190°C) for 7–9 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crispy. Air fryers vary, so check toward the earlier end of the cooking time.