Filled with crab, cream cheese, scallions and wrapped in a delicate wonton, crab rangoon are irresistible.
But what happens when you leave these tasty parcels in the fridge overnight?
They turn into a soggy disappointment.
I’ve experimented with four different ways of reheating crab rangoon to see which one was best at bringing the crisp back.
Want to know the best way? Keep reading!
A note on my experiment
I cooked up a large batch of crab rangoon one weekday evening and then reheated them in 4 different ways for my lunch the next day.
I tested:
- The microwave
- The oven
- An air fryer
- Re-frying
Spoiler alert: The air fryer is an excellent method for reheating crab rangoon. They turn out crispy and delicious.
The oven is a nice second but takes longer.
Re-frying gives a crispy coating but makes the crab rangoon a little greasy.
A microwave will do its job of warming the food up, but you end up with soggy dumplings.
Reheating crab rangoon in the oven
To reheat crab rangoon in the oven, place them on a wire rack (or a preheated baking tray) and heat them in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 5-10 minutes. Frozen rangoon will take up to double the time. If you’re using a baking tray, flip the rangoon halfway through cooking.
How to reheat crab rangoon in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Lightly spray crab rangoon with oil (optional, not recommended if they already seem oily).
- Place the crab rangoon on a wire rack. If you don’t have a wire rack, use a preheated baking tray.
- Put the wontons in the oven.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes (allow up to double the time for frozen rangoon).
- If using a baking tray, flip the rangoon halfway through cooking.
- Serve immediately.
Using a wire rack helps prevent sogginess on the bottom of the crab rangoon by allowing the hot air to circulate.
A preheated baking tray is the next best option. The hot tray helps crisp the bottom of your wonton.
Verdict
The oven is a good method for reheating crab rangoon.
The rangoon wrappers were crispy, although not as crisp as the day before.
I could have left the rangoon in longer to crisp them up a bit more, but I was worried about drying out the filling.
Reheating crab rangoon in an air fryer
To reheat crab rangoon in an air fryer, set the fryer to 350°F (180°C). Arrange the crab rangoon in the air fryer, minimizing overlap. Heat them for 3-4 minutes or until warmed all the way through.
Reheating crab rangoon in an air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350℉.
- Heat the crab rangoon for 3-4 minutes.
- Check one crab rangoon for doneness before removing the rest.
Avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket because this can impede airflow and mean the wontons don’t crisp up as much as they should.
The air fryer works really quickly, especially for small things like crab rangoon, so progress checks are important.
If you leave the wontons in the air fryer for too long, you risk them burning.
Verdict
The air fryer was the best method for reheating crab rangoon.
I wasn’t surprised by this because the air fryer always does really well with fried foods.
The crab rangoon were super crispy on the outside and still moist on the inside.
If you eat a lot of fried foods and don’t have an air fryer – get one (I recommend this one).
Trust me.
You’ll soon wonder how you lived without one!
Reheating crab rangoon by frying
To re-fry crab rangoon, use a deep fryer (or deep pan). Heat oil to 350°F (180°C). Carefully lower the crab rangoon into the hot oil, a few at a time, and fry them for between 30-60 seconds (longer for frozen rangoon). Drain the rangoon on paper towels before serving.
Reheating crab rangoon by frying:
- Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or deep pan to 350°F (180°C). Measure the temperature with a thermometer.
- Carefully lower the crab rangoon into oil and fry between 30-60 seconds (90-120 for frozen rangoon). Fry a maximum of 3-4 rangoon at a time.
- Drain the crab rangoon on paper towels to get rid of excess oil.
- Serve and enjoy.
The oil temperature is critical when you’re deep-frying things.
If the oil is too hot, the dish will burn. If it’s too cold, the crab rangoon will soak up all the oil and become greasy.
This is why I recommend using a cooking thermometer (like this one) to measure the oil temperature.
There are other ways (such as dropping a crumb into the oil and seeing if it sizzles), but these aren’t always accurate.
Shallow frying will work too, just remember to turn the rangoon halfway through cooking so they crisp up evenly.
Pan-frying with minimal oil doesn’t really work for traditional crab rangoon because of their shape.
There are lots of nooks and crannies that would never touch the frying pan, and therefore wouldn’t get crispy.
If you have flat rangoon, then pan frying as an option.
Verdict
Deep frying the crab rangoon resulted in the crispiest wrappers, but there was a noticeable greasy feel biting into them.
Not everyone will mind that (my partner, for example), but I didn’t like it.
I also don’t like the idea of adding a whole load of extra oil to the wontons.
Reheating crab rangoon in the microwave
To reheat crab rangoon in the microwave, line a microwave-safe plate with paper towel and add the crab rangoon. Place wontons in the microwave and heat in 15-second intervals until heated through, around 30 seconds for one portion.
Reheating crab rangoon in the microwave:
- Select a microwave-safe plate and line it with a paper towel.
- Spread the crab rangoon out on the plate.
- Heat the wontons in 15-second intervals until heated through.
- Let the crab rangoon rest for 60 seconds before serving.
Microwaves work by exciting water molecules in the food. This leads to steaming, which will render the crab rangoon soggy.
To fix this, you can pop the crab rangoon under the broiler for 30-60 seconds after microwaving (but be warned – it won’t work miracles).
The paper towel on the plate will soak up any excess grease that leaks out of the crab rangoon.
Verdict
The microwave, unsurprisingly, left me with soggy crab rangoon. The wrapper had lost all of its crunch.
They didn’t taste bad though, and I would probably use the microwave again in a pinch.
How to store crab rangoon
To store crab rangoon, allow them to cool to room temperature while lining an airtight container with paper towel. Spread the crab rangoon out in the container, making sure they don’t touch too much. The wontons will last up to 3 days in the fridge but will get soggier every day.
If you seal the crab rangoon in the container while they’re still hot, condensation will build up and drip back onto the wontons.
Try to lay each wonton flat without piling them on top of the other.
At points where the wontons touch, they’ll become soggy.
If you have a large batch of wontons, consider adding a layer of parchment paper in between the levels of wonton. This will keep them separate but allow you to fill the container.
Can you freeze crab rangoon?
Yes, you can freeze crab rangoon. Frozen crab rangoon can last up to 6 months. The best way to freeze crab rangoon is to flash freeze them on a baking tray, then transfer them to a freezer bag for long-term storage.
How to freeze crab rangoon:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the crab rangoon out on the parchment paper so none of them touch.
- Freeze the baking sheet for 2 hours, or until the rangoon are frozen solid.
- Gather frozen rangoon and place them in a freezer-safe bag.
- Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag before putting it in the freezer.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
The baking sheet freezing method is also known as flash freezing.
Freezing the wontons separately first means they won’t stick together when you bag them, so you can easily take two or three out at a time.
To get rid of the air in the freezer bag, I like the dunk-n-go method.
Submerge the freezer bag in a bowl of water. The pressure from the water will remove the air, and you can seal the bag.
It’s like a makeshift vacuum sealer (of course, if you have a vacuum sealer, that is way better!).
Be sure to label the freezer bag or container with the exact date you’re freezing it. That way, you’ll have a handy reminder of the frozen crab rangoon’s expiration date.
How to reheat frozen crab rangoon
The best way to reheat frozen crab rangoon is in the oven. Crank the oven up to 350°F (180°C) and spread the wontons out on a wire rack (or a preheated baking tray). Heat the crab rangoon for 12-15 minutes.
You can also use the microwave, but the crab rangoon will come out pretty soggy.
Line the plate with a paper towel to soak up any excess water or grease.
Never thaw the crab rangoon before heating them. Thawing them will just result in mushy wrappers.
The BEST Way To Reheat Crab Rangoon
Equipment
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 portion crab rangoon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Lightly spray crab rangoon with oil (optional, not recommended if they already seem oily).
- Place the crab rangoon on a wire rack. If you don’t have a wire rack, use a preheated baking tray.
- Put the wontons in the oven.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes (allow up to double the time for frozen rangoon).
- If using a baking tray, flip the rangoons halfway through cooking.
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