Molly loves Crab Rangoons at Chinese buffet restaurants. So when we saw a TikTok recipe for a Crab Rangoon Dip, we saved it immediately to try.

Unfortunately, the dip disappointed. It was a solid crab dip, more like some we’ve eaten in places like Charleston, S.C., but it didn’t taste one bit like Crab Rangoon filling.

To be somewhat fair, we probably should have expected the difference in our expectations and reality solely based on the ingredients. The dip called for cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha sauce and green onions. None of those flavors are in any crab rangoons we’ve ever eaten in the American South.

So we searched the internet far and wide for more accurate recipes for Rangoon dip. We finally found a few that simply used cream cheese, sugar, and either real or fake crab meat. After some experimentation, we arrived at the recipe we share here. It’s a mostly sweet filling (and one that comes together quickly by just combining everything in a saucepan) with a touch of crab flavor, which better matches the taste we know from our Chinese restaurant experiences.

You can indeed use real crab meat or imitation crab. We’ve tried both. The imitation crab meat actually offered a stronger crab flavor, but I believe the real crab meat made the dip closer to restaurant Rangoon filling, giving a subtle indication of crab. (NOTE: If you buy a package of imitation crab, you may have a LARGE portion left after making this recipe. If you have a food processor, it goes great in crab cakes when minced. Or you could make a seafood salad or just whip up several more batches of this Rangoon dip!)

For the chips to dip, we stuck with the common Rangoon dip recipe recommendation of frying wonton wrappers. That takes some time and effort, even though it’s not a difficult process. (What WAS difficult was finding wonton wrappers. After struggling to find them at our local supermarkets, we finally realized that some Walmart locations even carry them in a refrigerator portion of the produce section. Just keep looking carefully!) We believe the thin and crispy chips that result also add to the Rangoon experience and make this step worthwhile. But you can absolutely buy tortilla chips to simplify that part of this recipe.

We absolutely recommend you have some sweet Thai chili sauce on hand for drizzling on your dip, chips or both. That really adds a nice element to the flavor, and it’s a condiment you can use on many other things in your kitchen. I’m planning to use some as a wing sauce soon!

Like most dips, this may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but it sure tastes great. And this recipe is so much more like the Crab Rangoons we know than most of the dip recipes out there.

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Crab Rangoon Dip

What You Need:

1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese

2 tablespoons white sugar (adjust for your taste)

1 can crab meat (or 1/2 cup to 1 cup imitation crab chopped small)

1 package wonton wrappers (or tortilla chips)

cooking oil, enough to fry wonton chips in a large pot

sweet Thai chili sauce

What You Do:

1. If using wonton wrappers to fry for your dipping chips, use a sharp knife to cut the block of un-packaged wonton wrappers in half. Then take each half and cut them in half again. That will make good-size pieces for chips. NOTE: The wrappers combined with the dip give even more of a Rangoon feel, but you can absolutely simplify this and make it even quicker by buying tortilla chips.

2. Get your oil hot and then fry your pieces until they just start to brown. We fried batches of 10-12 pieces at a time. They’re so thin that they will burn quickly if you leave them in the oil too long. If your oil is hot enough, the wrappers won’t need more than 30-60 seconds in the oil. Drain each batch and then transfer to a serving bowl. We use paper towels in a mixing bowl as our draining station.

3. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, combine cream cheese, sugar, and crab meat or imitation crab. You can cut the sugar in half or altogether if you wish, but we believe it adds the appropriate sweetness to make the dip taste like Crab Rangoon filling. The dip will be ready when it just starts to bubble and all ingredients are combined well.

4. Transfer your dip to a safe serving bowl, and dig in with your chips.

5. Drizzle your sweet Thai chili sauce on top of your dip, on your individual chips, or do both!