If you love Chinese food like I do, this Crab Rangoon recipe will become your new favorite! The wonton wrapper is crispy, and the crab filling is creamy and savory. They are so much better than takeout and use REAL crab meat!!.
Crab rangoon is a beloved appetizer that graces the menus of countless Chinese restaurants across America. This crispy, creamy wonton is filled with a savory mix of cream cheese and crab. Or is it? The truth about crab rangoon may surprise you.
The Origins of Crab Rangoon
Crab rangoon was invented in the 1950s during the tiki culture craze that swept across America after WWII. Victor Bergeron founder of Trader Vic’s tiki restaurant began experimenting with stuffing wonton wrappers with different fillings. His original version of crab rangoon used real crab meat seasoned with A1 steak sauce.
While the dish was created by an American restaurateur, crab rangoon takes inspiration from Asian-American cuisine. Chinese immigrants opened many restaurants in America in the early 1900s after legislation made it easier for restaurateurs to migrate. This led to the development of Americanized Chinese food, like crab rangoon.
Imitation Crab is Common
Here’s the shocking truth most crab rangoon sold in restaurants today doesn’t actually contain crab at all. Instead, it’s made with imitation crab meat, or surimi Surimi is a paste made from white fish (usually pollock) blended with starch, sugar, and other additives like crab flavoring.
Using imitation crab makes economic sense for restaurants – it’s much cheaper than real crab. While not authentic, the fish and crab flavoring makes surimi a tasty filler. Trader Joe’s sold frozen crab rangoon made with imitation crab called surimi in the past.
Real Crab Can Be Used
Just because imitation crab is common doesn’t mean you can’t find real crab rangoon. Some restaurants do use real crab meat. The original Trader Vic’s recipe calls for fresh crab.
When making crab rangoon at home, you have the choice to use real or imitation crab. Lump crab meat from the refrigerated section makes excellent homemade crab rangoon. But for convenience and cost savings, imitation crab works great too.
While not always authentic, the creamy filling and crispy wonton wrapper are what really make this appetizer shine. The small amount of crab, real or fake, adds a nice accent of briny flavor.
Cheese Takes Center Stage
Far from authentic to Chinese cuisine, the cream cheese in crab rangoon makes it extra decadent. Dairy is not commonly used in traditional Asian cooking due to historical and digestive factors. But cream cheese is the star ingredient that makes crab rangoon so indulgent.
Oozing, gooey cream cheese complements the crispy wonton wrapper perfectly. Some riffs on crab rangoon even eliminate the crab altogether, like Panda Express Cream Cheese Rangoons. The creamy filling makes these crunchy bites simply irresistible.
Easy to Make at Home
Part of the appeal of crab rangoon is that it’s easy to recreate at home. The ingredient list is simple:
- Wonton wrappers
- Cream cheese
- Imitation crab or lump crab
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
Mix the filling and stuff into wrapper. Wet the edges to seal then deep fry until golden brown. Serve immediately with a sweet chili sauce.
You can also bake or air fry crab rangoon for a lower calorie option. Either way, the crispy wrappers and rich filling make these bites addictive.
Rangoon Refers to a City in Myanmar
This appetizer is sometimes called crab puffs or cheese wontons, but crab rangoon is the most common name. However, Rangoon is not a Chinese word – it’s the former name of the city Yangon in Myanmar.
Like many Americanized Chinese dishes, the exotic sounding name gives crab rangoon an air of the foreign and mysterious. But there’s no real connection between this appetizer and the country of Myanmar.
Friends, Not Lovers
National Crab Rangoon Day on February 13 celebrates these crispy bites. Created as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, this “holiday” focuses on friendship instead of romantic love.
Cooking and sharing crab rangoon with good friends makes for a fun anti-Valentine’s celebration. The communal cooking experience and rich, nostalgic appetizer help bring people together.
Crab Rangoon Across America
From sleek city takeouts to small town main streets, crab rangoon appears on Chinese restaurant menus everywhere. Its origins may be murky, but Americans just can’t resist the crispy wonton combined with creamy filling and a hint of crab flavor.
This iconic appetizer combines Asian inspiration with American innovation and accessibility. Crab rangoon has earned its place in the pantheon of classic American Chinese dishes.
So while there might not always be much real crab in crab rangoon, no one seems to mind. The crispy wonton wrappers and rich cream cheese filling are irresistible. Imitation crab adds plenty of flavor without the price tag of real crab. This is comfort food at its finest.
Next time you’re at a Chinese restaurant, don’t hesitate to order the crab rangoon. Just know that the creamy, crunchy filling takes center stage over the crab itself. But that velvety texture and crispy shell are what make this appetizer so craveable. Crab or no crab, crab rangoon satisfies!
How to Make Crab Rangoons
- In a medium bowl, mix the crab meat, soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, green onion, sugar, and pepper with the cream cheese.
- Spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese filling on top of each wonton wrapper. Use wet fingers to run the water along the edges of the seal.
- If you want to fold the wonton, first fold up the two sides of the wrapper, then the other two sides to make little pockets.
- Fully Seal: Make sure to press the seams to make sure they are fully sealed. Do this again with the rest of the wontons until there is no more filling.
- For a deep fry, put about 3 cups of oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat to 350 degrees. Once hot, add in the crab rangoons. I cooked four to five at a time so the pot wouldn’t get too full. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned and crispy.
- Drain Serve immediately with sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping!.
- Do not put too much in the wrapper! Do not put too much in the wrapper so that you can properly seal the crab rangoon. Since these are going to be fried, we don’t want any of the mixture to leak out!
- Don’t forget to seal the edges with water. This helps keep the mixture inside and makes the sides stick together.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, just leave out the crab and make cream cheese rangoons instead.
- Make sure that each rangoon gets really crispy by working in batches. If you put too many in the oil at once, the temperature will drop, and they might not get as crispy as you’d like.
- You can air fry my Air Fryer Crab Rangoon recipe instead if you don’t like to fry.
The Best Crab Rangoon
It’s much easier than you think to make your own crab Rangoons at home, and they taste so much better! Plus, I use REAL crabmeat when I make them, not fake crab meat.
The cream cheese crab filling is loaded with spices and is full of flavor. After the filling is put inside each wonton wrapper, they are deep-fried until golden brown and crispy. One great thing about making them at home is that you can eat them as soon as they get out of the oil. That means they are still crunchy! When I get crab Rangoons from a takeout, they are soggy and lukewarm by the time I eat them.
You can dip these in any of your favorite sauces, my personal favorite being sweet Thai chili sauce. These would be delicious dipped in soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or even gyoza sauce!.
My crab rangoon recipe uses accessible ingredients and is made quick and easy! Here’s what you’ll need:
- With Cream Cheese: The savory filling will be made with a base of cream cheese and crab meat. Let the cream cheese sit out at room temperature for a while.
- Lump Crab Meat: You can find lump crab meat in the chilled meat section of the grocery store, or you can also buy it in a can. Be sure to use real crab meat instead of fake crab meat.
- What You Need: Soy sauce, sesame oil, and Worcestershire sauce. These three sauces give the filling a lot of umami flavor and a lot of moisture.
- Onion
- Sugar: A little sugar is added to make all the flavors go well together. I promise it won’t make the filling sweet!.
- Green Onion: The green onion gives the filling flavor and a nice crunch!
- Pepper: Crack some pepper on top to round out the taste.
- Wonton Wrappers: To make things easier, you can buy wonton wrappers that are already made. They are typically in the refrigerated section by the cheeses.
What does the “rangoon” mean in crab rangoon?
FAQ
Do crab rangoons actually have crab in them?
Is there real crab in Panda Express crab rangoon?
Do Chinese restaurants use real crab?