This cheesy crab rangoon dip is a recipe that has wow factor. Made with chunks of crab, cream cheese and a little hot sauce this is one dip you won’t be able to stop eating once you start. Great for parties, potluck dinners or any occasions when you are entertaining guests.
Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip
There are a few constants in life. The universe is ever expanding. Men with big feet have big shoes. And cheesy crab rangoon dip wins friends. In all my time, there have been a few dishes I have come across that gets people to congregate. This recipe is seriously one of them.
This dip is a very simple dish to make and can be made beforehand and left in the fridge until ready to cook. It is as basic as combining ingredients together in a bowl then baking it in the oven for 25 minutes. There is nothing hard to it and you will be very pleased with the results.
The original recipe comes from Once Upon a Chef at the following link https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/hot-crab-rangoon-dip-with-crispy-wonton-chips.html
Choosing the Crab Meat
When it comes to crab meat you really do get what you pay for. There is a vast difference between cheap and premium quality crab meat. For this recipe I have only included tinned crab meat and premium crab meat.
I strongly recommend the premium stuff for this recipe since it really does taste that much better. However, the price difference between the two is considerable. You should always go with what you can afford.
Tinned Crab (approx. $20/kg)
Tinned crab meat is the cheaper option coming in at about $3.30 for a 170 gm tin. It is usually sold in a brine solution to increase its shelf life. My gripe with this type of crab meat is that it lacks flavour and breaks up easily. When used in this recipe, the crab flavour gets lost in the dip. I have tried doubling the crab amount but it did not intensify the crab flavour all that much.
Premium Crab (approx. $75/kg)
This usually comes in plastic containers and comes in at about $10 for a 140 gm pack. Admittedly, it costs a small fortune but I promise it is well worth it. The flavour is much more pronounced and when you bite into it you are instantly hit with a burst of crabby goodness. Whether you choose the claw or lump crab meat, it tends to hold together much better and all round a much better product.
What Cheese to Use?
The main star of the dish is the crab, so you want to make sure that all the other ingredients are playing a supporting role. In light of this I highly recommend using a lighter cheese to not over power the crab flavour, like Gouda, Edam or Monterrey Jack.
What to Dip With?
I honestly believe you could using anything with this dip and it would still taste good! However, the best pairing in my opinion is fried wonton chips. I have included the method to make these below. Other great pairings are:
- Crusty bread
- Crackers
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Capsicum strips
- Cucumber sticks
Making Fried Wonton Chips
- Cut the wonton squares from one corner to the opposite corner making triangles.
- Heat up some oil in a fry pan (about 2 cm / 1 in depth) on medium high.
- Drop the wonton triangles in and spread it out flat on top of the oil.
- Fry for a for roughly 5 seconds on one side and then flip.
- Repeat until crispy and golden.
- Drain on paper towels.
My Tips for a Successful Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip
- If you are serving this dip for a party, make it the night before. Simply keep the uncooked dip in the baking dish and cover it with cling wrap. Leave it in the fridge until needed. This way, once the guests start arriving you can just pop it into the oven and serve it hot!
- Do not freeze the dip. The consistency of the cream cheese will change and will not be as good.
- There is a lot of liquid in crab meat so drain it well. Extra moisture will dilute the flavour.
- Do not break up the crab. You want big chunks of crab in the dip to create pops of flavour.
- Avoid mixing the dip ingredients to vigorously. This will break up the crab chunks and also the fun.
- Avoid putting too much cheese on top of the dip before baking. If the cheese layer is too thick, then it will form a very thick and tough skin when it starts to cool. This makes it very hard to dip with more fragile dippers like wonton chips or crackers.
Other Crowd Pleasing Recipes for Gatherings
- Curry Puffs
- Vegan Curry Puffs
- Vietnamese Savoury Pastries – Banh Pate So
- Spring Rolls
- Crispy Scotch Eggs with Runny Yolk
- Chocolate Ripple Cake
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Scruff and Steph
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Scruff & Steph
Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip
Equipment
- Baking dish (approx 22 cm (8.5 in) diameter and 4 cm (1.5 in) depth)
Ingredients
- 250 gm cream cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 50 gm Gouda / Monterrey Jack cheese, grated and divided
- 140 gm crab meat (up to 200 gm for more punch)
- 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
Garnish
- 1 spring onion (green part), chopped
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
- Put the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and soften in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, spring onion, lime juice, garlic, salt and sugar and 40 gm of cheese. Combine well with a spatula.
- Add the crab meat to the bowl and gently fold it into the mixture.
- Taste check and adjust to your preferences.
- Place the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or bubbling and golden on top.
- Once done, take out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Drizzle the sweet chilli sauce over the top and garnish with spring onions.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I crave crab rangoon but cannot eat the flour wraps it gets fried in. This was to die for made just as written!!! I used lump crab (not canned, but in the plastic container). Thank you again
Hi Carole! We hope you enjoy the recipe and thank you for your kind words.