Just like the inside of your favorite takeout crab rangoon, this is a crab rangoon DIP recipe with freshly fried wonton chips (or skip that, use tortilla chips!). Just a few ingredients make this absolutely incredible appetizer, perfect for a holiday potluck recipe to try or as a starter to gluten free orange chicken.
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I LOVE crab rangoon. The crispy shell, creamy filling, and sweet dipping sauce? Done, done, and done. When I had a crab rangoon dip recently at a dumpling restaurant in Greenville, I realized THIS was the way to serve classic crab rangoon flavors to a crowd without a lot of folding/last minute frying.
This dip is: creamy, simple to make, and DOES feature homemade fried wonton chips but you can absolutely skip that part and the crab rangoon dip will be just as delicious.
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Pro Ingredient-Planning Tip:
This dip uses imitation crab for several reasons, mainly affordability and that imitation crab lasts longer in the fridge and we are not trying to have a super stinky dip that can't be used for leftovers.
You'll probably have some leftover imitation crab, so use it to make spicy crab salad (like in sushi!) and spicy crab poke bowls, which are a fun and easy way to get some sushi at home! Imitation crab also keeps in the freezer really well for months and months.
Ingredients and Ingredient Variations
- Creamy Stuff: The base of the dip comes from cream cheese with mayo and sour cream to smooth the dip out. The combo of three is ideal for flavor and texture, and please use regular, full-fat variations of all three. They taste the best and are the most stable.
- Crab: The superstar! I use imitation crab in this dip on purpose for the mild flavor and the longer shelf life - it won't start to smell fishy even after a few days in the fridge, which means this dip is really easy to make-ahead and serve for leftovers. Using lump crab will make this dip very different than a classic takeout crab rangoon flavor, which is what we're going for. Imitation crab is a great ingredient and this is the perfect time to try it out if you never have.
- Wonton Wrappers: These are usually found in the produce section of your grocery store, where tofu might be. They fry quickly into lovely crispy wonton chips BUT if you don't feel like messing with frying, sub any dipper you like - rice crackers, tortilla chips, and pita chips all work great with this dip.
See the recipe card below for full ingredient list and quantities.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Microwave the cream cheese for about 15 seconds to help it soften - a bit longer if the cream cheese is coming straight from the fridge. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Step 2: Add the chopped imitation crab and sliced scallions and gently stir to combine everything. Taste the dip, and add more salt and pepper until the dip is very flavorful. Transfer the dip to a shallow serving bowl.
Step 3: Heat about an inch of oil over medium heat until it registers 350F with an instant-read thermometer. Cut the wonton wrappers into triangles or strips and fry a few at a time, flipping them once, for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden.
Step 4: Remove the crispy wontons to a cooling rack to drain and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Recipe Notes and FAQ
In this case, mostly creamy stuff and imitation crab meat, which I find gives the texture and taste closest to a classic crab rangoon appetizer. Cream cheese thinned out with mayo and sour cream, imitation crab sticks, and scallions make the base of this incredible dip!
Yes. In short, this version can go both ways! I like it cold or at room temperature with hot wonton chips on the side, but I have also microwaved this for 2 minutes to warm it up, then stirred it really well and served the dip warm. Both versions are great, I can't choose a favorite.
Any dipper you like! I love making this version of easy homemade wonton chips because you're literally just frying premade wonton wrappers. That said, frying is a PITA, and this dip is really good with pita chips, tortilla chips, rice crackers, or Ritz crackers. Choose your own adventure!
Wonton wrappers! One ingredient and some frying oil, done and done. They are best served freshly fried for maximum crispiness, so you can opt to skip the wonton chips in this recipe if that works better for you.
Assembly and Serving
When the dip is done and the wontons are fried (or not, choose your own adventure on that one), drizzle it with the sweet chili sauce and sprinkle with a few leftover scallion slices, optional but very pretty.
- Make it spicy if you'd like by drizzling on some sriracha in the same pattern as the chili sauce. YUM.
- Serve this warm or cold. I like this dip cold - make it ahead, grab it out of the fridge, done. However, I've also microwaved the crab mixture for 1 minute, stirring halfway through, and the warm creamy crab mixture is also DELIGHTFUL, so try both and let me know which one is your favorite!
- Note that this may feel like a lot of chili sauce, and it is, but it gives a perfect balance between the crab mixture and sweet/savory. If you're unsure, start with half the amount of the sweet chili sauce and add more as needed once folks start digging into the dip - I find that usually the parts with the chili sauce get eaten first!
What to Serve with This Dip
I love this as a holiday potluck appetizer offering, but it's great on a table with other dips and appetizers like Thai style guacamole and pimento cheese sausage balls.
Make Ahead and Leftover Storage
You can make the cream cheese part of the dip up to 3 days in advance and drizzle the chili sauce over top right before serving. I like to fry the wontons freshly before serving.
Leftovers are great in the fridge for 3-5 days - the benefit of using imitation crab! The dip may separate slightly due to the scallions; just stir it really well and drizzle with a little more sweet chili sauce before serving leftovers.
You will LOVE this dip recipe. It is such a fun twist on a really familiar, classic flavor, but so much simpler to serve than a gazillion individual crab rangoon dumplings.
Recipe
Crab Rangoon Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature (1 block)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 clove garlic grated or very finely minced
- 5 sticks imitation crab finely chopped (about ½ cup chopped imitation crab)
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha optional
- canola oil or other neutral oil for frying
- 20 sheets wonton wrappers cut in half or into strips
Instructions
Crab Rangoon Dip
- Add the cream cheese to a bowl and microwave for 15 seconds to soften it - more if it's coming straight out of the fridge.
- Add the mayo, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic to the cream cheese and mix until combined and smooth.
- Stir the scallions and chopped imitation crab into the dip. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if you'd like.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture into a shallow bowl or serving dish and top with the sweet chili sauce and sriracha, if using. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Fried Wonton Chips
- Add about 1 inch of oil to a pot or skillet over medium heat. Let the oil heat until it reaches 325-350F using a candy or instant-read thermometer.
- Fry the wonton wrapper pieces in batches, as many as you can at a time without crowding the pan. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Let drain, and sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot. Repeat until all the wonton chips are fried.
Serve
- Serve the crab rangoon dip with the wonton chips or any dippers you like. If the sweet chili sauce feels like too much, start with half the amount and increase as folks eat the dip and the top layer of sweet chili sauce gets eaten.
The crab dip was so creamy and kip-smacking. I made this along with some smashed potatoes. Tasted amazing.
Crab rangoon dip is delicious. This is versatile, I am going to make it again.
So yummy! Thank you!
I brought this Crab Rangoon Dip to an evening of drinks and snacks with friends and it vanished basically instantly. The flavor and creamyness where incredible, but my favorite thing were those crunchy wonton chips.