Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (2024)

  • Snacks and Appetizers
  • Air Fryer
  • Cream Cheese
  • Crab
  • Chinese

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!

By

Nick Evans

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (1)

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

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (2)

6 ratings

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Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (3)

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Is it even possible to order Chinese takeout and not get a batch of cream cheese wontons? My wife and I get an order (or two!) every time. That's probably because making crab rangoon (wontons made with cream cheese and crab) at home is usually a bit of a chore. The shaping, the frying—it just doesn't make a lot of sense to heat up a huge vat of oil for a few wontons!

I think you know where I'm going here...air fryer to the rescue!

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.

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (4)

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.

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (5)

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.

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (6)

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.

To cook them, you can go straight from the freezer to the air fryer, but add two to three minutes on to the cooking time to account for the frozen filling.

More Terrific Air Fryer Recipes

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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

  1. 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.

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (7)

  2. 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.

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (8)

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (9)

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (10)

  3. 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.

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (11)

    Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (12)

  4. 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!

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

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5to 7
Amount per serving
Calories329
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g23%
Saturated Fat 8g41%
Cholesterol 87mg29%
Sodium 1281mg56%
Total Carbohydrate 26g10%
Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 15g
Vitamin C 2mg10%
Calcium 88mg7%
Iron 2mg10%
Potassium 264mg6%
*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.

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook phillips crab rangoon in air fryer? ›

Air Fry from Frozen:
  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
  2. Cook for 5½ to 6½ minutes until Rangoon are golden brown on each side.

How to cook crab in an air fryer? ›

Instructions
  1. Cut the crab legs into 1-inch segments.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the crab, butter, and seasoning.
  3. Put the crab in the air fryer (in batches, if necessary) at 380 degrees for 8 minutes, shake, and put in for 8 more minutes, or until the crab reaches your desired crispiness.
Jan 8, 2023

What is crab rangoon filling made of? ›

Crab rangoons, if you've never had them, originated at Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco in the 1950s and are crispy, fried wontons filled with cream cheese, imitation crab, and seasonings.

Why do my crab rangoons puff up? ›

2) Ensure your crab meat and cream cheese filling is not too wet. 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 crab rangoon supposed to be hot or cold? ›

They can be served hot or cold. In North America, crab rangoon is often served with a sauce for dipping such as soy sauce, plum sauce, duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or a hot mustard sauce.

Is crab rangoon healthy? ›

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.

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

What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

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.

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer? ›

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.

Which cooking method is best for crab? ›

One of the most popular ways to cook a crab, especially in Maryland and along the eastern shore, steaming provides an even and gentle cook for the delicate meat. The extreme heat caused by the method brings exquisite flavor into it without as much of a threat of overcooking.

How many minutes to cook the crab? ›

Boiling crab in salted water is pretty simple. Start by bringing a pot of salted water—about ¼ cup salt per gallon—to a boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully place your crabs in the water and cook for about 10-20 minutes. The crabs are ready when they turn orange and start to float.

Are cream cheese wontons the same as 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.

Do Chinese restaurants use real crab in crab rangoon? ›

It consists of cream cheese, sometimes sweetened, plus, usually, very small bits of imitation crab, stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer.

Is cheese rangoon the same as crab rangoon? ›

Rangoon is actually a Burmese city. Wontons filled with cream cheese and imitation crab are named after the city – crab rangoons, whereas wontons just filled with cream cheese are often referred to as wontons – but they are used interchangeably.

How to reheat wontons in an air fryer? ›

Reheat the leftover wontons in the air fryer for five minutes at 350°F (180°C). For uncooked wontons, store them the same way as you would with cooked wontons.

How do you reheat cheese wontons in the air fryer? ›

Note: If you've already cooked the wontons and want to reheat leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-4 minutes or until they're warm and crispy again.

How do you reheat crabs in an air fryer? ›

Wrap the seasoned crab legs in foil. Place the crab legs in your air fryer basket. Air fry at 380°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the crab legs from the basket and remove the foil to serve.

Do crab Rangoons reheat well? ›

Storage and reheating

Leftover, fried crab rangoons can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. To reheating, re-fry at 350°F for about 1 minute.

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