These delicious & easy Crab Rangoons Egg Rolls are a great party appetizer! The crispy wonton skins are filled with luscious cream cheese, green onions, shrimp and crab. These will be a fan favorite when you serve these creamy egg rolls at your next dinner party or eat them at home on a movie night!
These crab rangoon egg rolls are inspired by my parents’ Japanese restaurant. They were a hit among our customers due to the creamy and umami flavor. What’s different about these egg rolls is that you top it off with teriyaki sauce! The sweetness really complements the savory shrimp and crab inside. Serve with this Easy Chicken Chow Mein or my One Pot Mushroom Rice for a full delicious meal!
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Ingredients:
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious crab rangoons:
- Cream cheese (softened) – This is the base of the filling and gives that creamy texture when the filling is fried inside the wonton.
- Imitation crab – I like using imitation crab because it gives the filling an umami and sweet flavor. Imitation crab is also more affordable than real crab especially if I’m mixing it with cream cheese. Feel free to substitute with real crab if that is your preference.
- Shrimp – adds texture and sweetness to the filling.
- Mirin – adds sweetness and umami to the filling. You can find this sweet cooking wine at most Asian grocery stores.
- Sake (optional) – makes the filling more sweet and cancels the fishiness of the shrimp!
- Green onion – gives flavor and makes the cheese less decadent.
- Wonton skins– try to find packages labeled ‘wonton’ or ‘egg roll skin.’ These wrappers are thicker. If it is too thin, the cream cheese will burst out.
- Corn oil (for frying) – I like to use corn oil because it has a high burning point. You can also use avocado oil or your preferred oil for frying. Just make sure it has a high burning point (not like olive oil).
- teriyaki sauce – We like using a homemade teriyaki sauce. However, if you don’t have your own, I recommend this store bought teriyaki sauce to garnish on the egg roll after cooking.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Steps to make the cream cheese crab rangoon:
Step 1. Slice green onions and cut imitation crab in 2 inch pieces. Chop shrimp in small pieces. Mix cream cheese, imitation crab, green onions, chopped shrimp, white onion, mirin, sake, melted butter, green onions, and salt.
Step 2. For one egg roll wrapper, scoop 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the bottom center.
Step 3. Start rolling from the bottom really tightly.
Step 4. Fold the corners of the egg roll wrapper together.
Step 5. Whisk one egg. Egg wash is used to seal the egg roll wrappers. Add some egg wash at the top and finish rolling.
Step 6. Add corn oil in a pot. Heat to low-medium. Once the oil is hot (325 degrees), cook a few egg rolls in the pot. Cook for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
PRO TIP: Make sure the oil is not too hot or the egg rolls will brown up too quickly and the inside of the egg roll skin will not be cooked.
Step 7. Rest the egg rolls on a paper towel or wire rack for the oil to drip.
Step 8: Cut egg rolls in half and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Top with teriyaki sauce and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
The crab rangoon egg rolls are meant to be fried for a light and crispy exterior. If you bake or air fry them, the egg roll may be chewy due to the thick skin.
Crab Rangoon is a popular appetizer in American Chinese cuisine (served at famous Chinese-American restaurants likePanda Express). The crispy wonton wrapper is filled with a creamy mixture of crab meat, cream cheese, scallions, and often other seasonings.
Despite its association with Chinese-American cuisine, the dish did not originate from China. The exact origins of Crab Rangoon are somewhat unclear, but it is widely believed to have been created in the United States, possibly in the mid-20th century, as part of the fusion cuisine that emerged from Chinese-American restaurants.
Yes! The cream cheese filling is so delicious, you can enjoy it as a crab rangoon dip! Heat up the dip in a pot or pan until warm. Then add on top of your favorite chips or fry up some wonton chips! If you’re looking for a good dip, check out this Korean corn cheese dip!
You can freeze crab rangoons egg rolls. After folding them (still raw), place them on a tray or plastic bag. Ensure they are not squished or touching each other because once crushed, they can easily change their shape. When you’re ready to eat them, take them directly out of the freezer and follow the frying instructions. Frozen leftovers don’t need to be thawed out before frying. Eat the frozen crab rangoon egg rolls within 1 month.
Expert Tips
- Serve the cheese rangoons with teriyaki sauce to adds some sweet and savory flavor.
- Mix the cream cheese filling very throughly to ensure that the crab, green onions, shrimp and salt are evenly distributed.
- Use a thermometer to check the oil. Don’t get the oil too hot or the egg rolls will burn quickly and turn a dark brown color. Cook them at 325 F.
Cooking for a dinner party? Need more appetizers? Try these
- cream cheese rangoons – this recipe is a little more simple and required less ingredients compared to this egg roll. There’s also a sweet and sour sauce recipe you can make with this!
- shrimp toast – super airy and light shrimp toast can be made in an air-fryer!
- healthy chinese lettuce wraps – these are crispy and flavorful! Also the water chestnuts in this recipe makes this so fragrant!
Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 sticks imitation crab cut in 2 inch pieces and shredded
- 4-6 pieces large shrimp chopped
- ¼ white onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon sake optional
- 2 tablespoon melted butter unsalted
- 1 green onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6-8 sheets wonton skin
- 3-4 cups corn oil for frying
garnish
- sliced green onions
- sesame seeds
- teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- Slice green onions and cut imitation crab in 2 inch pieces.
- Chop shrimp in small pieces.
- Microwave butter and melt.
- To make the filling, add cream cheese, imitation crab, green onions, chopped shrimp, ¼ white onion, ½ tablespoon mirin, ½ tablespoon sake, 2 tablespoon melted butter, sliced green onions, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Whisk one egg. Egg wash is used to seal the egg roll wrappers.
- For one egg roll wrapper, scoop 2-3 tablespoons of filling. Start rolling from the bottom really tightly. Fold the right flap in and fold the left. Add some egg wash at the top and finish rolling.
- Add corn oil in a pot. Heat to low-medium. Once the oil is hot (325 degrees), cook 3-4 egg rolls in the pot. Cook for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Rest the egg rolls on a paper towel or wire rack for the oil to drip.
- Cut egg rolls in half and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Top with teriyaki sauce and enjoy!
Video
@cookwithdana finishing the year with some delicious cheesyyy egg rolls 😉 #easyrecipes #foodtiktok #appetizer #cheatdayeats
♬ original sound – cookwithdana
Notes
- Make sure the oil is not too hot or the egg rolls will brown up too quickly and the inside of the egg roll skin will not be cooked.
- Serve the cheese rangoons with teriyaki sauce to adds some sweet and savory flavor.
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Nutrition
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Kelly says
Hi Dana, if I make this recipe and have like a lot of rolls left over that I can’t eat and want to save, will that be possible if I put them in the fridge? If so, for how long? And how to heat them up again, what would you recommend?:)))
Cook With Dana says
Hi Kelly,
There’s a few ways. For raw, you can put them in the fridge for up to 1 week. I prefer to cook all of them at once and fry the ‘leftovers’ until they are golden (90%) done. Then place the leftover rolls in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you want to eat, defrost for an hour or 2 until they are not too frozen. I air fry them at 325 for 10ish minutes (depending on your air fryer) and they get crispy again! I haven’t tried the oven yet but you might you need to do some testing to get your preferred crisp in your own oven or air fryer 😉