Cold crab rangoon dip and crispy air-fried wonton chips is a chilled take on the classic, creamy goodness of crab rangoon. Served with lighter, salted, crispy air-fried wonton chips, this flavor packed dip is the perfect, unique appetizer.
I love this dip because it combines all of the amazingness of crab rangoon in a sharable appetizer. You know how some foods are strangely fantastic after sticking them in the fridge as leftovers? That's how I feel about crab rangoon. I first made crab rangoon dip cold for a party because there was no way to time serving it hot. As I mixed the ingredients, and added seasoning to taste, I realized it was truly delicious cold. I love crab rangoon and the filling is my favorite part. This cold crab rangoon dip feels like a lighter version of crab rangoon without any compromise on flavor. The air fried wonton chips lighten the load considerably compared to deep frying. It's easy to make, no crazy timing necessary, and no need to keep reheating to maintain texture.
Cold Crab Rangoon Dip and Crispy Air-Fried Wonton Chip Ingredients
The cold crab rangoon dip mainly consists of the ingredients found in the filling of crab rangoon dumplings.
Imitation Crab Meat: I prefer imitation crab in this recipe over real crab for a few reasons. First, imitation crab is easy to find in any grocery store. Second, the flaky, imitation crab meat is much easier to work with because it does not involve cracking open crab legs. Last, but not least, it's a lot less expensive but using imitation doesn't jeopardize the flavor in any way.
Sour Cream: Sour cream is not typically found in the filling of crab rangoon, but for this recipe, it makes the base creamier and lighter.
Green onion and garlic: these two little ingredients pack a ton of flavor. Both are key components of traditional crab rangoon.
Cream Cheese: base of the filling of crab rangoon and the main base of this dip.
Ginger and soy sauce: I added these because they bring a little flair to the flavors in this dip and kick it up.
Lemon and sugar: lemon adds a little liquid and complements the flavor of the crab meat, and sugar provides a little bit of sweetness which is typical for crab rangoon.
Wonton wrappers: these wrappers are the traditional "housing" for the crab rangoon filling, but I salt and air fry them instead of deep frying them. They're lighter and just as crunchy as the deep fried version.
How to Make the Cold Crab Rangoon Dip
Prepare all ingredients: Shred crab meat, thinly slice green onions, mince garlic, grate ginger (or use paste), juice lemon and warm cream cheese to room temperature.
For any dip, I always combine the ingredients of the base first before mixing in other ingredients. For cold crab rangoon dip, let the cream cheese soften first. I pull it out of the refrigerator and let it get to just cooler than room temperature. Mix it with the sour cream either by hand or with a hand mixer to give it a whipped texture.
Combine shredded crab, lemon juice, green onion, garlic, ginger, sugar, and soy sauce. From there, mix and incorporate the softened cream cheese and sour cream.
Smooth over the top of the dip and sprinkle some green onion on top for garnish. Refrigerate before serving (about an hour) to allow all of the flavors to permeate the base.
How to Make Crispy Air-Fried Wonton Chips
While the dip chills in the refrigerator, prepare the crispy air fried wonton chips. Any time I can avoid deep frying in my kitchen without sacrificing flavor or texture, I'm there. For this recipe, I cut square wonton wrappers in half on a diagonal and coated them in vegetable oil on both sides. Before placing the wonton wrapper strips in the air fryer, I also sprinkled them with sea salt flakes on both sides. They air fried very quickly. I air fried at 400°F for 1-2 minutes on each side. For reference, I use a Breville air fryer (linked here). Remove from the air fryer and place on a napkin to absorb any oil and let them cool.
After the cold crab rangoon dip has had a little time to chill and the crispy, air-fried wonton chips are cooled, serve and enjoy!
Cold Crab Rangoon Dip and Crispy Air Fried Wonton Chips
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened (2 blocks= 16oz)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup green onion/scallions
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh grated or paste)
- 12 oz imitation crab, shredded *fresh shredded crab is also delicious for this.
- ½ large lemon
Crispy Air Fried Wonton Chips
- 1 package square wonton wrappers
- vegetable oil
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients: Shred crab meat, thinly slice green onions, mince garlic, grate ginger (or use paste), juice lemon and warm cream cheese to room temperature.
- Combine shredded crab, lemon juice, green onion, garlic, ginger, sugar, and soy sauce. From there, mix and incorporate the softened cream cheese and sour cream.
- Mix everything until it's evenly distributed. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer on a low speed setting. Cover and place dip in the refrigerator to chill for an hour before serving.
- Smooth the top of the dip and sprinkle on added green onion for garnish (optional)
Crispy Air Fried Wonton Chips
- Slice wonton wrappers in half and preheat air fryer to 400°F.
- Brush the wonton wrappers on both sides with vegetable oil to coat (or dip them in the oil and wipe off excess). Sprinkle on sea salt flakes after coating in oil.
- To air fry the wonton chips place them in a single layer and cook at 400°F. Air fry for about 90 seconds (check at one minute to make sure they aren't getting dark they cook FAST).
- Allow the wonton chips to cool and serve with chilled dip. Enjoy!
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