Dairy-Free Crab Rangoons with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Crab Rangoon lovers get excited because these Dairy-Free Crab Rangoons with Sweet and Sour Sauce are delicious!!!

I remember growing up and *always* ordering Crab Rangoon when I saw it on the menu at Chinese restaurants. Crispy fried wontons filled with cream cheese, crab filling and served with a lovely, bright red sweet and sour sauce. There is really nothing not to love about that!

I had a craving for them and some wonton wrappers in my freezer and thought it might be fun to give it a try! With a can of fresh crab meat, some Dairy-Free cream cheese (you can use any cream cheese you’d like!), and a few seasonings, the actual Crab Rangoon couldn’t be easier to make. 

Forming the Rangoon may take a little time, but it is super easy. You can see below how I wrapped them; however, if you want a quicker easier method, just fold it in half and form a triangle with the Rangoon. They taste fantastic and look great either way! 

But the other *very important* element is the sweet-and-sour sauce. You can buy it at the store out of the jar, but this homemade version that I made using better-for-you ingredients is absolutely delicious and takes very little time and effort to make!! I will say one thing, because it uses monk fruit sweetener it doesn’t store well, as monk fruit tends to crystalize when it is refrigerated. If you plan on making this ahead of time, I’d just opt for regular sugar. 

Last but not least —  let’s discuss the wonton wrappers. So many of you have asked about a Gluten-Free option and I haven’t found that yet at my grocery stores that I visit often. If you happen to know of one, please let us know in the comments below! 

This is a super fun, festive appetizer for the holidays, but it’s also just a fun item to put at the dinner table any day of the week to enjoy! 

Crab Rangoons

Serves: 6 people

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Ingredients

For the Rangoon:

• 8 ounces lump crab meat drained
• 4 ounces cream cheese I use Kite Hill Dairy Free Cream Cheese
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• ¾ cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 22 to 24 square wonton wrappers
• 1 cup avocado oil

For the Sweet-and-Sour Sauce:

• ¾ cup pineapple juice from a can
• 1 tablespoon ketchup I use Primal Kitchen No Sugar Ketchup
• ½ teaspoon chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ½ cup monkfruit sweetener regular sugar is ok to use here, also
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot flour
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, cream cheese, coconut aminos, green onions, garlic powder and salt and stir until well combined.
• To form the Rangoon: Place about 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Using your fingers, dip your fingers in the water. Wet the edges of the wonton. Fold two opposite corners of the wrapper in half to form a triangle and press to seal the tip of the triangle. Then, grab the remaining loose ends and bring them to the sealed point and press once more to seal. Using your fingers seal any open edges. (see photo in the blog post for visual reference).

  Once all of your rangoon is formed, set aside while you make the sauce.
• Make the Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the pineapple juice, ketchup, chile flakes, rice vinegar, monkfruit sweetener and coconut aminos. Stir until well-combined and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, add the arrowroot and water and stir together to make a 'slurry'. While whisking slowly stir in the arrowroot to the sauce until well-combined. Cook, stirring, until the sauce just thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you fry the rangoon.
• Heat a large skillet with sides over medium heat with avocado oil. When the oil is hot, carefully place the rangoon to the skillet. (You’ll likely have to do this in two batches to not overcrown the pan.) Fry the rangoon until golden brown, about 2 minutes on the first side. Using a spoon, gently flip the rangoons and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and continue until all of the rangoons are cooked.
• Serve immediately with the sweet-and-sour sauce for dipping. Enjoy!