Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (2024)

Recipes
Snacks and Appetizers

These air fryer crab rangoon—wontons made with cream cheese and crab—are super crispy, delicious, and easy to make at home. You may never order takeout wontons again!

Nick Evans

Nick has been creating recipes for home cooks for almost 15 years. He is the author of Love Your Leftovers and has contributed to Simply Recipes since 2017.

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Updated November 18, 2022

6 Ratings

What Is a Wonton?

Wontons are a type of Chinese dumpling made with a thin wonton wrapper and a filling. The wrappers come in two main shapes: circles or squares.

These days most grocery stores carry at least one brand of wonton wrapper, although you might have to ask around to find them. Since wonton wrappers have to be refrigerated, check the deli section or the prepared veggie area first.

I prefer the square wonton wrappers for this recipe, since they're bigger and easier to crimp closed.

Ingredients for These Wontons

I like a mix of cream cheese, crab, scallion, and a dash of soy sauce for my Crab Rangoon. Classic Crab Rangoon also adds a dash of Worcestershire sauce, but I prefer them without. If you love Worcestershire, add a few dashes to taste before assembling the wontons.

You can also make these without the crab for plain ol' cream cheese wontons (equally delicious). You’ll just get fewer wontons out of the recipe because of the decreased volume of filling. (Also, here's a vegetable and cream cheese version that would be easily adaptable to the air fryer!)

Tips for Making Wontons

Wontons are sturdier than you think, and working with them is fairly straightforward once you get the hang of it. Here are my basic rules for working with wontons:

Don't overfill them: At an absolute max do one tablespoon of filling per wonton. I tend to do a scant tablespoon which is probably closer to two teaspoons. If you overfill them, the wontons will explode while frying.
Use water to seal: You can also use egg wash, but water works just as well. Paint the edges of the wonton with water, and then crimp the corners up to the center.
Press out the air: When sealing the wonton, try to press out as much air as possible. If you have too much air in the filling, it will balloon up while frying and cause the wonton to burst open.

Why the Air Fryer Is Awesome for Wontons

I love the air fryer for this recipe. The wontons get very crispy on top and even a bit crispy on the bottom. The air fryer makes cleanup super easy, too. Shape the wontons, fry them, eat them, done! Just remember to spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray to avoid any sticking issues.

New to the air fryer? Check out our First Timer's Guide to Using an Air Fryer.

Don't have an air fryer? You can still make these wontons! Just use a deep fryer or a sturdy deep pot. Heat your oil to 350°F, and then fry them for three to four minutes, or until the wontons are golden brown.

A Great Wonton Sauce

My preferred dipping sauce for these wontons is a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. It's as easy as a dipping sauce gets but has serious flavor!

Make-Ahead Wontons

You can shape and fill the wontons in advance and store them in the fridge on a baking sheet, up to a day, until you're ready to put them in the air fryer. Don't let the wontons touch each other on the baking sheet, though—if they do, they might stick together and rip when you pull them apart.

How to Freeze Wontons

If you find yourself with an abundance of wontons, you can freeze them before you fry them. Freeze them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and once they are frozen solid, store them in a freezer-safe bag.

More Terrific Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Falafel
Air Fryer Chinese Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
How To Make Crispy Air Fryer French Fries

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Servings5to 7 servings

Yield27to 30 wontons

Ingredients

30 square wonton wrappers
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces lump crab meat or imitation crab
2 tablespoons minced scallions
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Nonstick spray, for the air fryer

For the dipping sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, for garnish

Method

Make the filling:
In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, crab, scallion, and soy sauce. Mix well so the filling is a single consistency, and the crab is evenly distributed.
Make the wontons:
Working with one square wrapper at a time, add a 1/2 tablespoon of filling to the direct center of the wonton. Use your finger to paint the edges of the wonton with warm water, and then crimp the corners up to meet in the center, forming a dumpling. Use your fingers to press out as much air as you can along the edges as you seal the dumpling.
I typically make 6-7 dumplings at a time, and then make the rest while those are frying. You can also make them all in advance and keep them in the fridge for up to a day.
Fry the wontons:
Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Place as many wontons as possible, without touching, into the air fryer basket. You should be able to fit 7-8 wontons. Air fry the wontons at 350°F for 6 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown.
Serve the wontons:
Let the wontons cool briefly, then serve with the dipping sauce. Cooked wontons don’t keep very well (they get soggy), so cook only as many as you intend to eat right away!

Snacks and Appetizers
Air Fryer
Cream Cheese
Crab
Chinese

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
329	Calories
18g	Fat
26g	Carbs
15g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5to 7
Amount per serving
Calories	329
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 8g	41%
Cholesterol 87mg	29%
Sodium 1281mg	56%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	10%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 15g
Vitamin C 2mg	10%
Calcium 88mg	7%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 264mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

FAQs

What's the difference between a crab wonton and a crab rangoon? ›

While wonton filling can vary from pork to shrimp with seasonings like ginger, garlic, scallions, and soy sauce, crab rangoon always has cream cheese and crab filling.

What is crab rangoon filling made of? ›

In a small bowl, gently combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (if using), and garlic powder. Layout 3 wonton wrappers at a time. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each. Dab the edges with water and fold the two opposite corners together to form a triangle.

Read The Full Story ›

Is a crab puff the same as crab rangoon? ›

Crab puffs, aka crab rangoons, are a staple at most casual Chinese restaurants. They are made of crispy wonton wrappers stuffed with juicy crab meat and cream cheese. Although they aren't super authentic, they have become a popular appetizer to tack on alongside chow mein, broccoli beef, and other take-out favorites.

Discover More Details ›

Why do my crab rangoons puff up? ›

During the deep frying process, the water in the filling can turn into steam and cause the wonton to puff up and even burst, causing the filling to ooze out, leaving only an empty shell.

Is it okay to eat crab rangoon cold? ›

They can be served hot or cold.

Know More ›

Is Panda Express crab rangoon real crab? ›

I love Panda Express' Crab Rangoons and they're so easy to make! Oddly enough, they don't use crab or imitation crab in their original recipe. Feel free to add some though, it's delicious! My local Panda Express offers 3 for $2.35.

Get More Info Here ›

Do Chinese restaurants use real crab in crab rangoon? ›

According to Chowhound, crab rangoon usually isn't made with real crab meat. Imitation crab, a.k.a. surimi or "krab," is commonly the main ingredient. Fooducate describes surimi as a highly processed product composed of lean white fish pulverized into a thick paste.

Find Out More ›

Are cream cheese wontons the same as crab rangoon? ›

Wontons and crab Rangoon are, on the surface, similar dishes: They're both a form of dumpling (essentially, a dough pocket) stuffed with some kind of filling. However, crab Rangoon has a specific type of filling, while wontons have a little more wiggle room when it comes to what they're stuffed with.

Keep Reading ›

What kind of oil do you fry crab rangoons in? ›

HOW DO YOU FRY CRAB RANGOON?

Heat vegetable oil in a deep stock pot/Dutch oven or deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F or medium high heat.
Gently add wontons in batches so they don't overcrowd the pot.
Fry until golden brown, either pressing down with a metal spyder to submerge or turning over once to cook evenly.

More items...

Is crab Rangoon healthy for you? ›

Worst: Crab Rangoon

It's mostly cream cheese, wrapped in dough and deep-fried to create bite-sized calorie bombs. Because they're small, it's easy to eat more than one. Finish an order of 4, and you're likely to get more than half the calories and fat you should have in an entire meal.

Read The Full Story ›

Is crab Rangoon Chinese or Japanese? ›

Crab Rangoon is an appetizer commonly served in American Chinese cuisine - so technically, yes, Crab Rangoon is a “Chinese” dish. Is it a dish that features in authentic Chinese cuisine, one that pops up in restaurants and eateries in China? Well, one of Crab Rangoon's ingredients is cream cheese. 'Nuff said.