Air Fryer Crab Rangoon (Crab and Cream Cheese Filled Wontons)

Crab rangoon is a delicious mixture of crab meat, cream cheese, herbs, and other flavorings and spices wrapped in a wonton wrapper. 

 

Crab rangoon is an appetizer whose roots are traced back to Trader Vic's, one of the first "tiki style" or Polynesian-style restaurants, which was based in San Francisco in the 1950s. 

I remember visiting Trader Vic's in San Francisco when I was in college, although the draw for us was the giant mai tai's and other tropical cocktails in giant coconut shells with multiple straws... totally exotic for underage kids from LA visiting a city with bars that didn't check IDs. 

Typically, crab rangoon is deep fried to crispy goodness and then served with a dipping sauce. 

I've had some success converting deep fried appetizer recipes for the air fryer, including spring rolls, and I thought that these crab and cream cheese wontons would be a good candidate. 

How to make air fryer crab rangoon:

First, mix together some cream cheese, scallions, crab, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. If you like, you can add some minced garlic or garlic paste as well. 

Next, you drop a dollop of the mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper, and seal up the edges with water. I shaped mine into triangles. Next time I plan to try gathering up the corners to make little square pouches with all of the corners meeting in the middle. 

Definitely make sure you don't overfill the wrappers or you will have a few "blow outs," that is, some of the filling will ooze out while they are cooking. Also, be sure to press out any air when sealing the wontons. 

I'll admit that I had a few that lost some of their filling on my first try, but practice helps. Plus, you get to eat the casualties for quality control purposes. 

Once you've assembled the wontons, spray them lightly with spray oil, and "fry" them in batches in your air fryer for about 8 minutes. 

As you air fry each batch, you can assemble the next batch. You could also assemble all of the wontons at once, and refrigerate them to air fry up to 24 hours later. Just be sure they aren't touching or they might stick together. 

These also freeze nicely prior to air frying. Freeze them separated on a baking sheet and them place them in a freezer bag. 

You can air fry them straight from the freezer. Just add a few extra minutes to the frying time. 

My favorite dipping sauce for these wontons is bottled Thai sweet chili sauce. You could also go with a soy vinegar sauce for a more savory flavor. 

These are fun to make and super tasty for appetizers. While not as crispy as deep-fried, they definitely have all the flavor of crab rangoon, and they are totally delicious. Plus, they are so much easier to make. 

P.S. My favorite air fryer is the Philips. I also have the Breville Air Fryer Toaster Oven so I tried making these in both appliances. To adjust for the toaster oven air fryer, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F and use the air fryer rack. 

This month, the Fish Friday Foodies are sharing recipes for seafood appetizers. Our host is Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen. She happens to be an amazing bread baker by the way. 

Be sure to check out all of the recipes. 

• Air Fryer Crab Rangoon by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Crumbed Fresh Herbed Fried Fish by Sneha's Recipe
• Peel-N- Eat Shrimp by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Piri Piri Shrimp by Palatable Pastime
• Spiced Salmon bites by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Sweet and Spicy Shrimp by A day in the life on the farm
• Vietnamese-Style Summer Rolls with Smoked Trout Pate and Smoked Salmon by of Goats and Greens

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon Recipe

Yield: 5 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Crab rangoon is a delicious mixture of crab meat, cream cheese, herbs, and other flavorings and spices wrapped in a wonton wrapper.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 ounces crab meat (about 1/3 cup) picked over for shells
• 2 scallians, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 15 wonton wrappers
• Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping

Instructions

1. Mix together the cream cheese, crab, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. 
2. Drop a scant tablespoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper that has been placed with the points at the top, bottom, and sides like a diamond on a clean surface. 
3. With your finger, spread warm water along the edges of the wonton and then fold the bottom over the filling and match it to the top. Press out any air so that the wrapper is snug against the filling. 
4. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling. 
5. Heat your air fryer to 340 degrees F. Spray the basket with spray oil and lightly spray the shaped wontons on all sides. 
6. Air fry the wontons in batches (make sure they are not touching) for 8 minutes, turning halfway through. 
7. Serve hot with the dipping sauce. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

199.76

Fat (grams)

8.51

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.72

Carbs (grams)

22.21

Fiber (grams)

0.85

Net carbs

21.36

Sugar (grams)

1.05

Protein (grams)

8.25

Sodium (milligrams)

398.44

Cholesterol (grams)

41.56

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2021/08/air-fryer-crab-rangoon-crab-and-cream.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

air fryer, wontons, crab rangoon

Appetizers

Chinese American

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