Super Easy Crab Puffs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between crab puffs and crab Rangoon? ›

At most Chinese-American restaurants, you can find Crab Rangoons and they are a hugely popular item. Also known as Crab Puffs, Crab Pillows, and Cheese Wontons, these are essentially fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and imitation crab (or sometimes real crab).

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.

Fry wontons in batches until golden brown and crispy, gently moving them around in the oil with a strainer to brown each surface, about 3 minutes. Let cool about a minute before eating. Serve with the dipping sauce. Whisk ketchup, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sriracha sauce together in a bowl for the dipping sauce.

The filling is made with a combination of cream cheese, crab meat or imitation crab meat, scallions or onion, garlic, and other flavorings. A small amount of the filling is wrapped in each wonton wrapper.

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).

Space them out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen, then transfer to a zipper-lock bag. They'll keep for up to three months.

Imitation crab is made with surimi, a paste made out of finely shredded or pulverized fish. After the fish is minced, it is heated and pressed into shapes that resemble meat from a crab leg. The resulting imitation crab looks similar to the original crab in its coloring and texture.

It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer. It has a Burmese name, is served in a theoretically Chinese restaurant, and its main component was invented in New York in the late 19th century.

To freeze: Lay your uncooked crab rangoons in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours or until individually frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keep up to six months. No need to thaw before frying, but oil needs to be at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese, Mascarpone, and Cottage Cheese

Fresh, spreadable cheeses like cream cheese and mascarpone generally work well as 1:1 substitutes for sour cream in baking. Be sure to let them warm up to room temperature before using, and thin them out slightly by stirring in milk or lemon juice to get a similar texture.

What are wonton wrappers made of? ›

Traditional Chinese wonton wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs and water, and can be used to wrap around any number of fillings to be cooked in soups or fried. That's obviously a no-go for anyone eating gluten free.

steps. In a mixing bowl, stir cream cheese, crab meat, sugar, MSG, soy paste, chinese five-spice, and scallions together until well-combined. Let cool down all the way. Cut spring roll wrappers to be about 5×5-inches.

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.

Cream Cheese Rangoon

Wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese and served with sweet and sour sauce.

THE SECRET: At first glance, you might think Money Bags are the same as Chinese crab rangoon. It is only after a taste that you realize they are uniquely Thai.