There’s something irresistibly fun about these crispy, creamy bites, and that’s exactly what makes this Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe a standout appetizer. The combination of crunchy wonton cups filled with luscious crab and cream cheese is pure magic every time.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe is one of my absolute go-to crowd-pleasers. It’s quick, flavorful, and so easy to make, even if you don’t consider yourself a kitchen pro. Plus, just the way the crispy wonton cups hug the creamy filling is utterly addicting.
- Perfect Party Food: Bite-sized and beautifully handheld, these wonton cups vanish fast at gatherings.
- Simple Ingredients: You probably have most of the filling ingredients at home already—no complicated shopping runs needed.
- Crunch Meets Cream: The contrast between the crunchy shell and the creamy crab mixture is just delightful.
- Customizable: You can easily tweak the filling and dipping sauces to suit your taste or dietary needs.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Each ingredient in this Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe plays a role in creating that perfect balance of flavor and texture. When combined, they deliver on that classic tangy, savory, and creamy taste you want with a hit of crispness from the wonton wrappers.
- Crab meat: Authentic lump crab or imitation crab works here, just be sure it’s drained well to keep the filling from getting soggy.
- Cream cheese: This adds richness and a luscious creaminess that holds the filling together.
- Sour cream: Provides a subtle tang that brightens the flavors.
- Garlic: Fresh, finely minced garlic gives a punch of savory aroma without overpowering the crab.
- Green onions: Both the white and green parts add freshness and a mild onion bite.
- Soy sauce: Just enough to introduce a savory depth and saltiness.
- Sugar: A small touch to balance the salty and tangy notes perfectly.
- Mozzarella cheese: Melts beautifully inside the filling, adding stretch and extra gooeyness.
- Wonton wrappers: The trusty shell that crisps up golden and keeps the filling contained.
- Cooking spray or oil: Helps the wonton cups bake up crisp and golden without sticking.
Make It Your Way
I love playing around with the filling for these wonton cups—sometimes I add a pinch of cayenne for heat or swap in smoked crab for a different flavor. You should definitely experiment to see what tickles your taste buds!
- Variation: Once, I tried mixing in some finely chopped water chestnuts for extra crunch, which added such a fun texture contrast. Totally worth a try!
- Dietary Mod: For a lighter version, swap out cream cheese for a light cream cheese or Greek yogurt; it changes the texture but keeps it creamy.
- Seasonal twist: Add fresh herbs like dill or chives to brighten the filling in spring and summer.
- Difficulty level: This recipe is super approachable — even beginners can whip it up with confidence.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe
Step 1: Prep your oven and muffin tin
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. I always coat my 24-count mini muffin tin with cooking spray to make sure the wonton cups don’t stick. If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, no worries—use a regular muffin tin and double up the wonton wrappers for each cup. Just make sure the corners don’t overlap too much to keep them cup-shaped.
Step 2: Bake the wonton cups until golden and crispy
Press one wonton wrapper gently into each muffin cup, spray them with a bit more cooking spray on top, and bake for about 6–8 minutes. Keep a close eye here — the edges can turn from golden to burnt quickly. You want them crisp but not dark brown.
Step 3: Mix the crab rangoon filling
If your cream cheese isn’t at room temperature, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Then, stir together the crab meat, cream cheese, sour cream, minced garlic, sliced green onions, soy sauce, sugar, and mozzarella until everything is well combined. The filling should be creamy with little pockets of crab throughout.
Step 4: Fill and bake
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling into each baked wonton cup. Cover the tray loosely with foil to prevent too much browning, and pop it back in the oven for about 10–12 minutes until the filling is heated through and bubbly.
Step 5: Garnish and serve
Carefully remove the cups from the muffin tin using a small spatula or butter knife. Transfer to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to keep them crisp. Top each with some thinly sliced green onion and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces—my go-tos are Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Spicy Mayo.
Top Tip
Having made this Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe countless times, I’ve learned a few tricks that truly make a difference. Follow these, and your bites will be crispy, creamy, and downright irresistible every time.
- Don’t skip the cooking spray: It keeps those delicate wonton edges crisp and golden, which makes or breaks the cup.
- Room temp cream cheese: Warm cream cheese blends more smoothly into the filling — avoids lumps!
- Watch the bake time closely: An extra minute or two can quickly turn the wonton cups from perfect to too dark.
- Cool on a wire rack: Moving the cups off the hot tin keeps the bottoms from steaming and losing crispness.
How to Serve Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe
Garnishes
I love garnishing these wonton cups with a sprinkle of thinly sliced green onions for freshness and a pop of vibrant color. Sometimes I add a tiny drizzle of sriracha or a pinch of toasted sesame seeds for a little extra flair.
Side Dishes
Pair these cups with a simple Asian-inspired salad or some steamed edamame for a light meal. They also go beautifully alongside vegetable stir-fry or a bowl of hot miso soup to round out your spread.
Creative Ways to Present
For special occasions, I like to serve the wonton cups on a platter garnished with edible flowers or fresh herbs. You can also place them in mini cupcake liners for easy serving at parties, or use a lovely wooden board with dipping sauces in little bowls around for a rustic vibe.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I store leftover crab rangoon wonton cups in an airtight container in the fridge. However, they’re best eaten fresh because the wonton cups can soften overnight. If you do keep leftovers, re-crisp them in the oven before serving to bring back that crunch.
Freezing
Freezing works if you prepare the filled wonton cups but haven’t baked them yet. Lay them out on a tray to freeze individually before transferring to a freezer bag. Bake them from frozen—just add a few extra minutes to ensure they’re cooked through and crispy.
Reheating
To reheat, I recommend warming them in a 350°F oven for about 5–7 minutes on a wire rack, which helps keep the bottoms crisp instead of soggy. Avoid microwaving, which tends to make them lose their texture.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! Frozen crab meat works perfectly as long as you thaw and drain it thoroughly to avoid extra moisture in the filling, which could make the wonton cups soggy.
No mini tin? No problem. Use a regular-sized muffin tin and place two wonton wrappers crossed over each other to form a larger cup. This will yield fewer but bigger cups. Just add 2 tablespoons of filling per cup instead of one.
Absolutely — for a vegetarian version, skip the crab and add finely chopped mushrooms or water chestnuts for texture. Use vegan cream cheese and vegan wonton wrappers if you need a vegan option.
Cooling them on a wire rack immediately after baking prevents steam from making the bottoms soggy. Also, serving them promptly and reheating in the oven rather than the microwave helps maintain the crisp texture.
Final Thoughts
Making this Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe has become a bit of a ritual I adore—I love the way everyone lights up at the first bite, the crunch giving way to creamy, savory filling. It’s one of those dishes that’s equal parts fun to make and irresistibly tasty, so I hope you give it a try and enjoy making it your own in the kitchen.
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Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups combine creamy crab meat and cheese filling baked in crispy wonton wrappers, perfect as an appetizer or party snack served with sweet chili and spicy mayo dipping sauces.
Ingredients
Crab Rangoon Filling
- 1 cup crab meat (imitation or canned lump crab meat, well drained)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 4 green onions (thinly sliced, white and green parts)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Wonton Cups
- 24 wonton wraps
- Cooking spray or cooking oil of choice
For Serving
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced, for garnish)
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (for dipping)
- Spicy Mayo (for dipping)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare muffin tin: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 24-count mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or brush with cooking oil.
- Form wonton cups and bake: Press one wonton wrapper into each muffin tin space, spray or brush the tops with cooking spray or oil, then bake for 8 minutes until golden and crisp. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Prepare cream cheese: If the cream cheese is not room temperature, warm it slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds until soft.
- Mix filling ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, softened cream cheese, sour cream, minced garlic, sliced green onions, soy sauce, sugar, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until smooth and evenly combined.
- Fill wonton cups: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the crab rangoon filling into each baked wonton cup.
- Bake filled cups: Cover the muffin tin with foil and bake filled cups for 12 minutes until the filling is warmed through and bubbly.
- Cool and garnish: Remove cups immediately from the muffin tin and transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to keep them crispy. Garnish each with additional sliced green onions.
- Serve: Serve warm with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Spicy Mayo for dipping.
Notes
- Wonton wraps can be found refrigerated near tofu and salad dressings in grocery stores; egg roll or spring roll wrappers can be substituted.
- If you don't have a 24-count mini muffin tin, use a 12-count regular muffin tin by layering two wonton wrappers offset to form cups; fill with 2 tablespoons of filling each to yield 12 cups.
- Watch wonton wrappers carefully during baking as they can burn quickly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 wonton cup
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 240 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
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