This restaurant favorite can easily be made at home. Try air fryer crab Rangoon, you won’t be able to stop eating them!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Just like your restaurant fave, but not deep fried!
How long it takes: 21 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, bowl, spoon, tongs
Servings: 20
With a creamy crab filling, these crisp crab wontons are one of my favorite things to order at Chinese restaurants. Doused in spicy sweet chili sauce, I could literally make a meal of this appetizer. In fact, that’s exactly what my niece does.
In all fairness, she’s only five. The waiter doesn’t even ask. He just brings her a plate of crab Rangoon with a little paper umbrella stuck into the middle of one. Isn’t that sweet?
Of course, since I love my air fryer so much, I had to try making crab Rangoon. I love my Air Fryer Egg Rolls. Once again, air frying is a winner. The crab Rangoon turn out so well: crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside. Hurray!
About this recipe
These crab Rangoon really taste just like the ones you get in restaurants. You’re going to love them.
The filling is easy to make. The most time consuming part is filling and sealing the wonton wrappers. It isn’t difficult but 40 wontons is a lot of wontons!
Since the wontons have to be cooked in batches, you can get the first batch started right away and keep filling and cooking as you go. Keep reading for make ahead ideas.
If you’re really not in the mood for making individual crab rangoon, this crab rangoon dip with crisp homemade wonton chips is easy and very, very popular.
Here’s a quick look at how it’s done:
What you need
- Crab meat: Imitation crab meat is fine, too, and is usually what I use.
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese is best but lower fat is okay, too. Don’t use fat-free. Let it soften at room temp for an hour or two.
- Green Onion, Worcestershire Sauce, and Garlic: This trio adds lots of flavor to your wontons.
- Wonton Wrappers: These little goodies are easy to use and inexpensive. Find them in the refrigerated produce section of your grocery store.
- Egg: A little beaten egg is the glue that holds the wrappers together.
- Olive Oil Spray: Because the wontons are air fried, not deep-fried, a little olive oil spray helps them get golden brown and crisp.
- Sweet Chili Sauce: A tangy sweet sauce with just the right amount of heat, it perfectly complements the crab rangoon. You need this sauce!
How to make it
You’ll need a good-sized bowl to mix the filling. Prep the green onions and garlic. Get your air fryer out. In a small bowl, lightly beat an egg. Open up the package of wonton wrappers. Cover them with a damp towel so they don’t dry out.
Put all the filling ingredients into the large bowl. Stir it all together, mashing the crab with a fork to break up any large chunks. You’ll be glad you softened the cream cheese.
Ready to fill the wonton wrappers? Put a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of a wrapper.
Brush all four edges with the beaten egg.
Bring the corners up diagonally and press together firmly.
It’s really kind of fun especially if you have a wonton buddy to help.
Spray the rangoon lightly with olive oil or another oil of your choice.
Air fry for about six minutes. That’s all it takes! Remember to time them because they brown quickly. Still good, but not as pretty.
Serve them immediately with the sweet chili sauce. Bet you can’t eat just one!
No, not really. Wontons are traditional Chinese dumplings, filled with a variety of meats and/or vegetables, deep-fried, steamed, or served in soup. Crab Rangoon is American Chinese food. Cream cheese is not found in traditional Chinese food.
Rangoon (or, Yangon) refers to the former capital city of Myanmar (Burma). It’s a little difficult to determine how this American Chinese food got that name.
Real crab or imitation crab! You’ll find either in crab Rangoon and both are good.
Ha! That reminds me of the Exploding Kittens game!
Do your crab rangoon pop open while you’re frying them? Make sure the edges are sealed tightly. A light egg wash helps glue them together. Press the edges together firmly with your fingertips.
How to make Baked crab Rangoon
No air fryer? You can bake crab rangoon in the oven. They aren’t quite as good as their air fried cousins though. Here’s how: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place wontons on wire rack sprayed with nonstick spray, set inside of baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Make the crab ranoon ahead but don’t cook them. Put them between parchment paper in a single layer in a sealable container. Refrigerate overnight. Air fry as directed.
Or, freeze in a single layer on parchment paper after wonton wrappers are filled. Once frozen, put the rangoons into an airtight container for up to 3 months.
To air fry, remove desired amount from freezer. There’s no need to thaw them first. Spray lightly with olive oil or avocado oil spray, and cook at 350ºF in preheated air fryer for 6 minutes.
Air fryer crab rangoon are really best eaten right away. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, air fry them a couple of minutes or put them in your toaster oven to bake for 5 minutes or until heated through.
More Asian style recipes
While you could probably make a meal of crab Rangoon, you may want to check out these recipes, too:
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps – restaurant copycat!
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Stir-Fry with Ginger and Basil
- Easy Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry Recipe
- Sweet Chili Chicken
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice Recipe
- Instant Pot Honey Sriracha Chicken
Air Fryer Crab Wontons
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces crab meat or imitation crab meat
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 40 wonton wrappers (12 oz. pkg)
- 1 egg beaten
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 350ºF for 5 minutes.
- In large bowl, mix, combine cream cheese, crab meat, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Using a fork, break up large chunks of crab.
- Place 1-1 ½ teaspoons of filling mixture onto the center of each wonton wrapper. Brush all edges with beaten egg. Bringing up diagonal corners, seal wontons.
- Spray lightly with oil and place in air fryer in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd. Cook them in batches. Cook for 6 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Makes about 40 wontons
- Make the crab wontons ahead but don’t cook them. Put them between parchment paper in a single layer in a sealable container. Refrigerate overnight. Air fry as directed.
- Or, freeze in a single layer on parchment paper after wontons are filled. Once frozen, put the rangoon into an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To air fry, remove desired amount from freezer. There’s no need to thaw them first. Spray lightly with olive oil or avocado oil spray, and cook at 350ºF in preheated air fryer for 6 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Fantastic :)
Thank you so much!
Turned out very good… we ate them up and didn’t take a photo. Thank you!
That’s always a good sign! Glad you liked them!
I was a bit intimidated but the recipe was so easy to follow and delicious.
They look perfect!
My weren’t as pretty as yours, but they were delicious! A big hit with my dinner guests and a perfect accompaniment to my husband’s beef lo mein. I will make these again and again and again….
So glad you liked them! Thanks for leaving a review!
Just yesterday, I was thinking how easy it would probably be to make these in the air fryer, and boom, you supplied me with the recipe.
Yay! Love it when things work out that way! I hope you love them!
First time trying these and they were FABULOUS! Such a great recipe!
I’m so hooked on these! I can eat waaaaay too many!
Hi Rachel, are you able to tell me what brand of air fryer you use? I want to get one, but don’t have a clue.
I had a different one, but I just got the Cosari. My mom also has another one and the Cosari is my favorite of all three. It has a nice big basket and is easy to use.
sounds delicious!
Thanks Denise!
Holy moly! Didnt know i could make these at home and they tasted wicked awesome!! Thanks for posting this recipe!!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!