These crab rangoon egg rolls are a party favorite! They're a delicious appetizer that's loaded with crab, green onions, cream cheese, a few spices, and then fried to golden perfection. There's also a homemade sweet and sour sauce for dipping to really make you feel like you're at your favorite restaurant.
For more apps, try this Hamachi Crudo, Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms!
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Crab rangoon is one of my favorite takeout dishes and is the ultimate party appetizer. They're the perfect finger food and always pack that super creamy, slightly salty and slightly sweet flavor that I just love - especially with that sweet and sour sauce for dipping! Whenever I go to my local Chinese takeout spot, crab rangoons are on the list.
That being said, I made those perfectly fried golden bites into egg rolls and they are SO good. They're classic crab rangoons wrapped in a egg roll wrapper as opposed to a wonton wrapper. So, essentially, you're getting a bigger crab rangoon - and to me, that is a win!
They're filled with a delicious cream cheese mixture with the perfect blend of spices, green onions, a lot of crab meat, and a my favorite dipping sauce made completely from scratch!
Save this side dish for your next gathering, holiday party, or game night - everyone will LOVE it.
Ingredient Notes
Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
- Crab Meat - for the crab filling, I used imitation crab meat. That's what they use at my favorite take-out spot so I didn't want to mess up the formula. However, if you don't like the taste of imitation crab meat, feel free to use fresh crab meat for a more authentic crab flavor.
- Green Onions or Scallions
- Cream Cheese
- Sauces - Worcestershire Sauce, and Soy Sauce. These will go into the cream cheese mixture for flavor.
- Seasonings - garlic powder and onion powder
- Sugar - just a pinch of sugar seals the deal on these delicious deep fried egg rolls. It balances all of the flavors and makes this easy appetizer irresistible.
- Egg Roll Wrappers - I found these in the frozen section of my grocery store near the international food section. It may be helpful to check with your store to see if they carry them. If you're feeling fancy, you can even make your own egg roll wrappers from scratch!
- Egg - some use a small amount of water to seal the egg roll wrapper, however, when deep frying, the cream cheese can tend to leak out. I've found that egg has the best results for the egg rolls.
- Frying oil - I used vegetable oil, but any neutral oil with a high smoke point works. This includes canola oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, and sunflower oil.
Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
A few simple ingredients make the most delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce!
- Pineapple Juice - if you don't have pineapple juice, you can use water instead. The sauce won't have a strong fruity flavor but it will still be yummy!
- Sugar
- Vinegar
- Ketchup
- Soy Sauce
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Red Pepper Flakes (for garnish) - totally optional, but I like to have a little kick to my sauce to add to the sweet flavor.
Tips for the BEST Crab Rangoon Rolls
- You can use real crab meat or imitation crab meat for this recipe - both have great flavor! If using real crab meat, I recommend using fresh white crab or king crab.
- When you're ready to fry, do a test egg roll prior to frying multiple at a time! You want to fry each roll until they're nice and golden brown. This could take about 3-5 minutes depending on the temperature of the oil. It's good to do a test roll to make sure you've got the temperature just right.
- It's really helpful to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. This prevents the oil rom getting too hot and burning the crab egg rolls, it also tells you if you need to crank up the heat a bit if the oil's temperature goes too low.
- Enjoy with a multitude of sides like easy peanut noodles, veggies, or a house salad.
How to make Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
- Add oil to a large pot or deep fryer. You'll need about 4 inches of oil. Begin heating the oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F so that it's ready by the time you're finished prepping the egg rolls.
- Start by making the cream cheese mixture. In a large bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, scallions, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, diced garlic, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut up crab into small chunks and fold into the cream cheese mixture. (Image #1)
- Place one of the readymade egg roll skins on a flat surface and add about 2-3 tablespoons of the crab meat mixture onto the wrapper in a diagonal line. Leave about an inch of space on the corners to fold the wrapper over the filling. (Image #2)
- Brush the edges of the wrapper with a beaten egg, then fold one edge firmly over the filling. Press gently to remove any excess air bubbles. Then fold the two short edges over the filling and roll the remaining side over the middle to seal the egg roll. Repeat until the filling is used, about 10-11 egg rolls. (Image #3, #4, #5)
- Fry 2-3 rolls at a time, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain any excess grease. (Image #6)
- While the egg rolls cool, make the sweet and sour sauce. Add pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Turn off the heat and lightly whisk in the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. (You can add a few drops of red food coloring for that bright red color) Pour into a bowl and garnish with red pepper flakes, optional.
Other Cooking Methods
If you don't like frying, you can also bake or air fry your crab rangoon egg rolls.
- Baking: spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake egg rolls in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Air Frying: spray the air fryer baked with cooking spray and air fry at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes. Then flip the rolls and continue to cook for another 6 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
The filling is made of crab meat, green onions, seasonings, worcestershire sauce, and a little sugar.
Usually imitation crab is used, however, you can use real crab meat if you prefer.
No, imitation crab is actually made from a mix of different fish pounded together to form a paste along with seasonings to resemble crab flavor.
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Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Large Pot or Deep Fryer
- Saucepan
- Paper Towels
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 12 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 6 tbsps Green Onions (sliced thinly)
- 1 clove Garlic (diced)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 2 cups Imitation Crab Meat or Fresh Crab Meat*
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 1 large Egg
- 10 Egg Roll Wrappers
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 cup Pineapple Juice
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 tbsps Ketchup
- 2 tbsps Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsps Water
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 3 drops Red Food Coloring (optional)
Directions
- Add oil to a large pot or deep fryer. You'll need about 4 inches of oil. Begin heating the oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F so that it's ready by the time you're finished prepping the egg rolls.
- Start by making the cream cheese mixture. In a large bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, scallions, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, diced garlic, onion powder, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut up crab into small chunks and fold into the cream cheese mixture.
- Place one readymade egg roll skins on a flat surface and add about 2-3 tablespoons of the crab meat mixture onto the wrapper in a diagonal line. Leave about an inch of space on the corners to fold the wrapper over the filling.
- Brush the edges of the wrapper with a beaten egg, then fold one edge firmly over the filling. Press gently to remove any excess air bubbles. Then fold the two short edges over the filling and roll the remaining side over the middle to seal the egg roll. Repeat until the filling is used, about 10-11 egg rolls.
- Fry 2-3 rolls at a time, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.
- While the egg rolls cool, make the sweet and sour sauce. Add pineapple juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to form a slurry.
- Turn off the heat and lightly whisk in the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. (You can add a few drops of red food coloring for that bright red color) Pour into a bowl and garnish with red pepper flakes, optional.
Notes
- You can use real crab meat or imitation crab meat for this recipe - both have great flavor! If using real crab meat, I recommend using fresh white crab or king crab.
- When you're ready to fry, do a test egg roll prior to frying multiple at a time! You want to fry each roll until they're nice and golden brown. This could take about 3-5 minutes depending on the temperature of the oil. It's good to do a test roll to make sure you've got the temperature just right.
- It's really helpful to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. This prevents the oil rom getting too hot and burning the crab egg rolls, it also tells you if you need to crank up the heat a bit if the oil's temperature goes too low.
These look amazing! Air fryer? Time and temp? Thanks!