It’s pretty rare that Shane and I don’t eat dinner together during the week. We’re both usually home, and I generally try to make something that appeals to both of us so we can enjoy this one meal of the day together. This week was a bit of an exception, though, as Shane’s schedule meant I’d be left to my own devices two nights in a row. Any time Shane’s not around for dinner, I use it as an opportunity to make something I know he wouldn’t like (often something meatless or containing a ton of veggies). I’ve been pinning recipes like crazy over on Pinterest lately, and I knew I had a few that were not Shane-friendly, so I headed over to find some inspiration.
That’s when I remembered these baked Crab Rangoon! We don’t order Chinese food all that often, but when we do, Crab Rangoon is one of my very favorite indulgences. If you’ve never had it before, it’s basically a fried wonton wrapper stuffed with a cream cheese and crab mixture. Utterly delicious, but not exactly healthy, which is one reason I was so intrigued by this baked version.
This recipe was really easy to whip up, and I enjoyed the Crab Rangoon so much I ate them both nights Shane was out! The filling was super creamy, and the wrappers crisped up quite nicely in the oven. These also had way more crab flavor than anything I’ve ever had from a Chinese restaurant. I splurged on good crabmeat for the recipe, but it was absolutely worth it. One tip if you decide to make these – it’s really important to try to eliminate all of the air pockets around the filling as you assemble the Crab Rangoon because air bubbles will cause your wrappers to open up while baking resulting in some of the filling spilling out. It happened on a few of mine; it’s not the end of the world, but worth trying to avoid, if possible π (Updated: Check out the comments below for an idea from a commenter who suggested making these using a mini muffin pan to avoid the trouble of trying to get the air out of the wrappers!)
{PS – If you’re wondering where to find wonton wrappers, they’re available in most grocery stores these days. They’re over in the refrigerator section of the produce department in mine.}
{PPS – I’ve also included a sweet chili dipping sauce recipe below that accompanied the recipe for the Crab Rangoon on Kristin’s site. To be honest, I’m still on the fence as to whether I like it but she raved about it, and it had a ton of positive reviews on the original author’s site, so it’s entirely possible I’m the odd man out here.}
Baked Crab Rangoon
adapted from Food.com (via Iowa Girl Eats)
2 tablespoons sour cream (light is fine)
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup crab meat, drained
wonton wrappers
Preheat oven to 415 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, scallion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sugar together until well combined. Fold in the crab meat.
Lay a wonton wrapper on your work surface. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling mixture in the center of the wrapper, then brush two adjacent sides of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper over on the diagonal. Press around the filling to remove air pockets, then press the sides to seal the wrapper tightly. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Spray the tops of the wonton wrappers lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crisp.
Makes 20-24
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
from She Simmers (via Iowa Girl Eats)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 red serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeds removed
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Add the garlic, chili peppers, sugar, water, vinegar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined – the pieces of garlic and chili should be very small. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking until the pieces of garlic and pepper soften a bit, about 3 minutes.
Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Add to the sauce mixture in the pan and continue simmering, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes. Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 cup
out of curiosity did you use crab or Krab? (these look wonderful, btw!
wow, these look phenomenal!! so pretty π i love them!
So happy you did a post on this! I saw you mention it on Twitter & hoped you would. This is one of my all time favorite appetizers to order at Asian rest. although spring rolls are right up there. Yours look so perfect! I’m surprised you only get ~ 20 with 8 oz of cream cheese.
These look so delicious! They totally look fried.
Crab rangoons are my favorite thing EVER to order at Chinese Restaurants. Can’t wait to try out this lighter version, thanks for sharing!
Sometimes I love it when I’m eating at home alone, and I can make whatever I want to eat! It’s a good time to try those recipes no one else enjoys.
Hmmm -I can see myself growing very addicted to these little beauties.
I like the idea of having these baked instead of fried…very nice and they look delicious. Sauce sounds wonderful as well…going to try both soon for ballgame watching days…maybe tomorrow in fact with the pork loin sandwiches from JoVonn’s blog. The great thing about ballgame watching food is that it doesn’t necessarily need to go together with the other ballgame food served…variety is appreciated!
My husband would love for me to make these for him. He loves crab rangoon’s, but a healthier version at home would be a great alternative!
These sound better than the ones you get in a restaurant – they seem to be all cream cheese, and I’d prefer more crab. Plus I feel guilty eating them. This recipe is going on my must-make list!
I always get crab rangoon when we order Chinese. Hubby doesn’t love it like I do though. You won me over with “baked”. I like more of a soy based dipping sauce. Looking forward to trying these.
I’ve never had crab before, but I hear it’s really good and these baked wonton crab things sound intriguing. I’ll definitely have to give this a try if and when I find out if I like crab.
These look good. I love making China Food. And yours is always good. And the fact that they aren’t fried is an extra plus.
Those look so good!
they look so good and crispy and paired with that sauce? delicious!
These look fantastic! My son and I love these – my husband is a fish of any kind hater. I think I might make them without the crab for all of us!
I tried baking crab rangoon once and didn’t like it at all but it’s my husband’s favorite so I guess I should give it another try! Yours look so much better than mine did.
Yum, these look delicious. My other half hates crab so these are definitely a night at home treat. Thanks for the inspiration! Sam x
Crab wontons are our favorite Chinese appetizer! I love the idea of a baked one. We had one night this week where we didn’t eat together, which is rare for us too. I try to do the same thing as you on those occasions and make something Josh wouldn’t like, but this time I just had leftovers. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
I love that these are baked instead of fried. I’m definitely going to try them. I bet they would be delicious with all sorts of fillings.
I am obsessed with these!! I love your baked version π
I am amazed at the beautiful things that you are making over there these days. Pinterest is a veritable wonderland – so cool that you found a delicious dinner while pinning!
Yum! I hate to fry things in my kitchen, so I’m loving this baked version. I’ll be giving them a try very soon π
OMG, you are my new hero. I absolutely love these, and now Incan make them at home. Hurray!! π
OMG, you are my new hero. I absolutely love these, and now Incan make them at home. Hurray!! π
OMG, you are my new hero. I absolutely love these, and now Incan make them at home. Hurray!! π
OMG, you are my new hero. I absolutely love these, and now Incan make them at home. Hurray!! π
@m – I used fresh crab.
love crab rangoon. thx so much for this baked version! yum!
These crab rangoons sound amazing! I can’t wait to try these tonight for dinner
These look amazing I’m so happy a slightly healthier version of crab rangoons exist!
These are one of my favorites too, and I am happy to have a healthier alternative. Do you have the nutrtion information on them?
@Anon – I don’t have the nutrition information, but I’ve heard good things about this site if you want to run the recipe through: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Do you have any tips to get the air bubbles out? I tried making them and thought I got them out, but the filling came out of many of them.
I loved your baked version but was totally bumbed when mine oozed out, as you fair warned. Solution-take a mini cupcake pan and place a wonton wrapper in every other cup, fill with a dollop, in the oven they go! They make a perfect bite size, and are WAY faster for prep time. Don’t forget to spray the mini cupcake pan with cooking spray before getting started.
@Anon – It’s sort of hard to explain, but after I fold the wrapper over, I start around the filling, pressing out the air until I get to the edges where I press and seal. I’m definitely no expert since the filling came out of some of mine too, as I mentioned π
The commenter right below you had a suggestion for making these even easier with a mini muffin pan. I haven’t tried it, but it definitely sounds like it could work!
I’m going to try these. It seems they are easy to make and they look so good. Crab Rangoon is my all time favorite Chines food.
These look de-lish!! I think I may try them with shrimp too!! Thank yoU π
I make these as well. Only i use crab meat, cream cheese, dash or two of garlic and hungarian paprika (just a dash or two also). Its really yummy and u dont have to buy all that extra stuff. I deep fry mine but i will try them in the oven next time.
I made these because I’m on weight watchers. I have to say, the baking did make them somewhat crunchy out of the oven but over all they tasted stale. You just can’t get that same crispness without frying.
I just made these for the Super Bowl. They were a huge hit! I did mess up a little and used fresh ginger instead of ground (I think I need glasses). I could taste the fresh ginger and it was lovely. Even my picky 12 year old snapped them up, and the dipping sauce was SO good! Thank you for sharing these recipes, they are our new favorite. π
O.K. I just made these for my kids who get to rate all new receipes. These were wonderfull and they are rated a 4.5 out of 5!! Only chocolate gets a 5 π I didn’t make the sauce, we just used sweet and sour sauce. Thanks for the receipe.
Thanks for posting this recipe. The filling is delish and would make a good dip without the wonton too!
The edges of mine were crispy but the center was bland and soft. I tried using sprayed parchment paper, cooking them for 6 minutes then flipping them and cooked for another 6 minutes and they were a perfect texture on both sides…not too crispy, not to soggy! Thanks again.
These look great! I wonder if, in an effort to keep the triangular shape, but prevent filling from spilling out, you could pinch/crimp the edges with a fork, similar to how you would with hand pies…
Just made these tonight and I love them!! I used the tip to use a mini muffin pan and they came out perfect!!
Just made some for lunch and oh, were they good! My 1 year old loved them, she kept taking a bite from mine. My husband mixed up the filling this morning and then I made up a pan full for lunch, will make up some more later for snack for my older kids, well, maybe I will. Not sure I want to share π
I just made some for lunch and they were so good. My husband mixed up the filling for me this morning and then I made enough to fill the cookie sheet. My 1 year old loves them, taking a bite out of almost every one of mine. I might make some later for the older kids for snack, but then again, I might be selfish and not do that and save it all for me. π
Let me just say…I made this as a dip for game night with friends and they RAVED over it! I used imitation Crab (Crab with a “K” we call it) and it was divine. Thanks for the recipe!
I make a jalapeΓ±o raspberry sauce for fish sometimes. It’s hot, sweet and delicious. Just the right amount of “cool” flavor from the raspberries to pair well with Cajun catfish or jerk seasoned tilapia.
i make these with shrimp, too. cook some up with a bunch of garlic, chop, and mix with the cream cheese mixture. so good!
Hi, do you think that I could make these a few hours ahead of time, and keep in the fridge? Thank you for the recipe; I look forward to trying them!
I will have to make them more like a wonton shape next time…made this tonight and even though I used a hit of water in the edges and pinched them tightly shut to seal them, ALL of my filling leaked out of each one and baked into my sheet. We ate them anyway, but yet were hollow lol.
I’m sure I just didn’t seal them perfect, but I don’t think I could have made any better effort.
The filling tasted wonderful though π
Do you think they would be okay to make the night before and cook the next day? These would be a great appetizer for Christmas eve, and it would be alot easier if they were made in advanced. What do you think?
I can’t wait to try them!!!
I make these in mini muffin cups & spray the wontons before popping into the oven. That way the edges will be crispy. My favorite sauce is orange marmalade, horseradish & honey mustard – sweet & hot.
Martha in KS
I’ve made these a few times and the family loves them! I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream past few times and can’t tell a difference. I have had issues with air and spillage. Thanks for noting the muffin pan. I’m going to try that next time for sure.