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    Home » Appetizers

    Easy vegan crab rangoon appetizer

    Published: Feb 7, 2020 · Modified: Mar 8, 2023 by Cadry Nelson
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Text overlay: Easy vegan crab rangoon. Hand dipping filo appetizer into sauce.

    Vegan crab rangoon appetizers look surprisingly fancy for something that’s so easy to put together!

    They’re a crowd pleasing finger food at parties or a tasty side dish for a stir-fry.

    Instead of using dough, the appetizers are made in mini filo cups.

    You still get that signature crunch without folding or frying. And instead of crab meat, they’re made with vegan crab cakes and non-dairy cream cheese. 

    Hand holding plant-based crab rangoon.

    Before I went vegan, crab rangoon were my favorite side dish at a Chinese restaurant in Des Moines, Tsing Tsao.

    Crab rangoon are fried pouches that are loaded with cream cheese, green onions, and a dotting of flaked crab meat.

    (Crab rangoon are also called crab puffs or cheese wontons.)

    They’re served with sweet and sour or sweet chili sauce for dipping.

    (Heads up. Sometimes imitation crab is used for crab rangoon, but that’s not vegan either. The imitation is made with binders & fish, usually Alaskan pollock.)

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Where did crab rangoon originate?
    • Semi-homemade appetizer
    • Vegan cream cheese
    • Vegan crab cakes
    • Step by step instructions
    • Serving ideas
    • How to reheat
    • More vegan seafood recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Where did crab rangoon originate?

    If a cream cheese-filled appetizer doesn’t sound like a typical dish from an area where cheese is far from standard, that’s because crab rangoon is not actually from China.

    (The majority of East Asians are lactose intolerant.)

    Crab rangoon originated in San Francisco at a restaurant called Trader Vic’s.

    Since then, many Chinese restaurants in America have started selling them.

    Semi-homemade appetizer

    Square spoons holding vegan crab rangoon appetizer.

    I went vegan in 2007 and vegetarian a couple years before that.

    So it’s been a long time since I’ve cracked through the fried pastry to the softened cream cheese inside of a crab rangoon.

    And a vegan version isn’t something that I ever see in restaurants.

    What’s a vegan to do?

    Egg-free wonton wrappers are hard to find.

    Making dough from scratch, filling but not over filling them, getting them to seal properly, and then deep frying sounds like a lot of effort.

    So when I was walking down the freezer aisle at a local grocery store, I had an aha moment when I saw miniature filo shells.

    The filo shells just so happen to be vegan. I could use them for vegan crab rangoon instead!

    I’d still get that crisp shell without any of the detail work of making dough and folding it just right.

    So I picked up a package.

    Then I used non-dairy cream cheese for the filling, green onions, lemon juice for tang, and a splash of non-dairy milk to make it extra creamy and light.

    Vegan cream cheese

    Hand dipping vegan crab rangoon appetizer into sweet chili sauce.

    There are so many good vegan cream cheeses on the market these days.

    Miyoko’s is my favorite. Kite Hill is a good second choice.

    Non-dairy cream cheese from Trader Joe’s or Go Veggie is fine. And the price is right.

    Any of them will work for this recipe.

    Just make sure it’s a non-dairy cream cheese that you personally enjoy since that’s a dominant flavor.

    To maximize the efficiency of the dish and to make sure that the results were repeatable for readers, I chose to use packaged non-dairy cream cheese instead of homemade.

    If you’d rather make it from scratch, you may need to adjust the amounts of non-dairy milk and lemon juice that you include. The cream cheese recipe in Artisan Vegan Cheese is my favorite.

    Vegan crab cakes

    Package of Gardein crabless cakes and beefless burgers in grocery store freezer.

    Gardein mini crab cakes make up the “crab” in this recipe. They’re chopped small and browned in a skillet.

    Gardein crab cakes come 10 to a bag. So you’ll only need half of a bag for this recipe.

    Some of the crab cakes goes into the cream cheese mixture. And some is used as garnish.

    That way you get crab cake flavor in each bite.

    Plus, it emulates a bit of that deep fried feeling by getting extra crunch in every mouthful.

    (If you don’t have access to Gardein crab cakes, you could try using my vegan crab cakes instead. You’ll definitely need to use fewer of them, because they’re considerably bigger than Gardein’s. I haven’t tried using them yet with this recipe. Let me know if you do it!)

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Gardein crabless cakes browning in a skillet.

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

    Take a package of Gardein mini cr’b cakes out of the freezer.

    Put 5 of the cakes into a lightly oiled skillet. Then brown on both sides.

    Remove them from the skillet.

    Broken up Gardein crabless cakes in skillet.

    Chop the crab cakes. Then put them back into the skillet to brown all over.

    Filo cups on table by Gardein crabless cakes package. In a bowl, cream cheese & vegan crab cakes are being stirred together.

    In a bowl, combine the following:

    • Vegan cream cheese
    • Lemon juice
    • Non-dairy milk
    • Sliced green onions
    • A portion of the browned crab cakes

    (Save some of the crab cake pieces to use as a topping.)

    Vegan crab and cream cheese appetizer in filo cups on baking sheet.

    Then fill mini filo cups with the cream cheese mixture.

    Finish with some of the remaining crab cake pieces, and bake.

    Remove from oven and finish with more sliced green onion.

    Serving ideas

    Platter of vegan crab rangoon with sweet chili dipping sauce.

    Serve the vegan crab rangoon with jarred sweet and sour or sweet red chili sauce.

    (Trader Joe’s makes my preferred sweet chili sauce.)

    They would be great for a dinner party alongside pineapple fried rice.

    How to reheat

    If you have any leftovers, vegan crab rangoon keep well if you put them in a single layer in a covered container and freeze them.

    (The filo cups soften too much in the refrigerator.)

    Then when you’re ready to eat them, move them directly to a parchment paper covered baking sheet and pop them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

    They reheat beautifully. And I daresay they may be even better that way because the filo becomes extra crispy.

    It’s great for having appetizers in an instant, or if you want to make everything ahead of time for a gathering.

    More vegan seafood recipes

    Here are even more vegan seafood recipes you’ll love:

    • Fried vegan shrimp
    • Vegan fish tacos
    • Carrot lox
    • Vegan tuna salad
    • Vegan ceviche
    Hand dipping vegan crab rangoon into sweet chili sauce next to others on platter.

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan crab rangoon on flower plate with dipping sauce.

    Easy vegan crab rangoon appetizer

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 10 votes
    These crab rangoon appetizers look surprisingly fancy for something that’s so easy to put together! They would be great for a dinner party, game night, or watching the big game if you’re into that sort of thing. 
    Serve with a dipping sauce like sweet & sour or sweet chili sauce.
    Makes 15 vegan crab rangoon
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 26 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 36 minutes minutes
    Servings: 7 people
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Asian, Vegan
    Keyword: finger food, party food, starter
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 Tablespoon neutral high heat oil I use avocado oil
    • 5 Gardein crabless cakes
    • 8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese*
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon non-dairy milk
    • 3 green onions white and green parts chopped small, divided
    • 15 mini filo shells I use Athens brand
    • Pinch of salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Bring a skillet to a medium-high heat with oil. Add frozen crabless cakes to skillet and brown on each side for 6 to 7 minutes.
      Remove them from the skillet and chop them very small. Return them to the skillet and continue browning for a few minutes more.
      Once the pieces are nicely browned, remove from heat, and set aside.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, combine non-dairy cream cheese, lemon juice, and non-dairy milk until light and whippy.
      Stir in 2 Tablespoons of green onions and ¼ cup of the chopped crabless cakes.
    • Line the filo shells across a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Put a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into each shell.
      Then top the filled shells with the remaining crabless cake pieces and a pinch of salt.
    • Bake the filled shells for 10 minutes.
    • Remove from oven, transfer to a serving platter, garnish with the remaining green onions, and serve with dipping sauce of your choice.

    Notes

    *Miyoko’s cream cheese is my favorite. Kite Hill, Trader Joe’s, and Go Veggie are also fine options.
    Depending on how generously you fill your filo cups, you may have extra cream cheese mixture left over. There are 15 filo cups in a package. But if you have a second package with more filo cups, you can fill more of them. (The way I fill them, I usually have enough cream cheese mixture for about 5 additional mini cups.)
    How to reheat: If you have any leftovers, vegan crab rangoon keep well if you put them in a single layer in a covered container and freeze them. (The filo cups soften too much in the refrigerator.) Then when you’re ready to eat them, move them directly to a parchment paper covered baking sheet and pop them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.6mg

    Content updated January 15, 2023. Originally posted October 24, 2016.

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

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    1. Desiree

      December 28, 2019 at 7:58 am

      5 stars
      I made this on Christmas Eve doubling the recipe and using the sweet chili sauce. It was a big hit. I highly recommend Miyokos cream cheese over the others as it has so much flavor. I will make this again.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2019 at 8:30 am

        I’m so glad that the vegan crab rangoons were a hit, Desiree! I completely agree that Miyoko’s cream cheese is the best. Her packaged cream cheese wasn’t around when I created this recipe back in 2016 (only the cream cheese recipe from her book was available.) But hers is easily the best vegan cream cheese out there. Time to update this recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Shell

      November 01, 2016 at 9:07 am

      5 stars
      What a good idea! I love these cute, little treats. These are definitely appealing to my anti-fiddly nature.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 03, 2016 at 10:35 am

        Excellent, anti-fiddly personalities unite! 😀

        Reply
    3. Sarah

      October 29, 2016 at 1:33 am

      I’m still oohing and ahhing over your pictures—so beautiful! I’ve never been a seafood fan, but I’ve got a couple of seafood lovers in my life so I’ll have to give this a try!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 03, 2016 at 10:35 am

        That’s so nice to hear, Sarah! Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Mary Ellen @ VNutrition

      October 27, 2016 at 10:28 am

      I used to love crab rangoon too! They were my favorite! I cannot wait to try these – they look so perfect and easy. Your pictures are beautiful too!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:55 am

        Thank you! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 😀

        Reply
    5. Hannah Teson

      October 25, 2016 at 8:02 pm

      I’ve never had crab rangoon of any kind because I’m also a bit lazy. Using filo is so smart! I’m way more likely to make something if there’s a pre-made short cut 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:55 am

        Pre-made shortcuts for the win!

        Reply
    6. Jenn

      October 25, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      You have no idea how many times I have picked up the packages of wonton wrappers in every single grocery store around here PRAYING that they will be vegan. Sadly, they never are. I LOVE the idea of using this little pastry shells – genius. You get that perfect crunch and as much filling as you want. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Gardein Crabless Cakes in our stores, but I’m sure Whole Foods has it…I just need to get over that way one day. Thank you for this recipes – I can’t wait to make them!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:54 am

        Yes! What is up with the elusiveness of vegan wonton wrappers? I see them all the time in vegan cookbooks and recipes, but they are nowhere to be found in grocery stores. I’ve literally looked for them across the country in grocery stores for 9 years! After all of that searching, I finally found some at the local Korean market, and then funnily enough, I didn’t buy them! After all of that time, I couldn’t remember why I needed them. Haha! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Andrea

      October 25, 2016 at 5:30 pm

      Great solution to an age-old problem — simplifying a complex recipe to the balancing point between easy and delicious! Now, I wonder if you’ll ever make them again. (Just kidding.) By the way, I once made a huge batch of pierogi that were fantastic — and never made them again. I understand.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:50 am

        I wish pierogi weren’t so fiddly. I really miss them, but not quite enough to tough out making the filling, making the dough, and folding all of them. I’m glad to hear that you also were one-and-done with homemade pierogi. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

      October 25, 2016 at 5:15 pm

      I love when something looks like it took hours to make but it didn’t take long at all! I’ve never actually had crab, but I’d love to try these! They look like they’d be great for a potluck, too.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:48 am

        Yes, they’d be great for a potluck! And a benefit of them being so easy to make is that you could easily double or triple your batch, and it wouldn’t be much additional work.

        Reply
    9. Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day

      October 25, 2016 at 1:18 pm

      I’ve never had crab rangoon, but yours look delicious! I love hearing about the origins of famous dishes. Did you read the book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles? You might enjoy it.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:47 am

        Oh, I’ve never heard of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. It sounds really interesting! I’ll have to see if they have it at my library.

        Reply
    10. Pamm Mosey

      October 25, 2016 at 6:11 am

      I can’t wait to try these – sound so yummy. And I am serving them to my non-veg friend who is allergic to sea food – she’ll be elated!!!!!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:46 am

        That’s wonderful, Pamm! I hope that you and your friend enjoy them.

        Reply
    11. Ginny

      October 24, 2016 at 9:29 pm

      5 stars
      This is a wonderful appetizer. I didn’t know Gardein had crabless cakes.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Yes, the crab cakes are a new-ish item from Gardein. They came out in 2015. They’re terrific and also really good in tacos.

        Reply
    12. Mandy

      October 24, 2016 at 6:15 pm

      5 stars
      Wow!!! First of all, your photos are beautiful and the food really does look fancy – literally like something you’d order from a nice (expensive) restaurant. I’m impressed! Haha!! Anti-fiddly nature ?? I’m right there with you! That’s awesome that you were able to find vegan mini filo dough shells – so nice to have a quick, convenient option. These sound amazing and look almost too pretty to eat!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        November 02, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Thank you, Mandy! That’s so nice of you to say. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Susan

      October 24, 2016 at 5:46 pm

      5 stars
      I like your filo tart shell shortcut! I don’t often make things that need a lot of fiddly pastry work, but premade shells sound perfect.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:57 am

        Yes, filo tart shells are such an easy fix! Fiddly pastry work is pretty and all, but it doesn’t suit my temperament. These are appetizers I’ll actually make again and again. 😀

        Reply
    14. Gabby

      October 24, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      5 stars
      Definitely making these next week for our house warming party. I was looking everywhere for easy good finger foods and you just fit the bill perfectly with these! I cant wait!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:56 am

        Excellent! I’m so glad to hear it. And congratulations on the new home!

        Reply
    15. Heather

      October 24, 2016 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      OMG that is one thing I “miss” terribly- Crab Ragoons!

      I am so making these- thank you for creating such an easy vegan version xo

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:55 am

        Awesome! I think you’re going to love them. It’s nice that they’re freezer-friendly, so that you can have a couple whenever you want.

        Reply
    16. Janis

      October 24, 2016 at 11:49 am

      I am so excited to try these! These will be a great make-ahead easy appetizer for the holidays. If you are ever in NYC, go directly to Red Bamboo! They have fantastic vegan crab rangoon! While you’re there, you can get a vegan shake as well. Just be really hungry when you go!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:53 am

        Oh, wow, I didn’t know that! Thanks, Janis. I’ll add Red Bamboo to my extensive list of “must visits” for my next trip to NYC. I hope that happens sooner rather than later. It’s such an amazing place! And I hope you enjoy the crab rangoon recipe. I’ll definitely be adding them to my make ahead appetizers for the holidays too. Let me know if you try them!

        Reply
        • Janis Ware

          March 24, 2019 at 12:55 pm

          5 stars
          Yes, I most definitely DID enjoy this recipe! It is so unique, and I love the little bite-sized portions. Simple to make, too!

          Reply
          • Cadry

            March 25, 2019 at 9:40 am

            Excellent! Thank you for letting me know, Janis!

            Reply
    17. Becky Striepe

      October 24, 2016 at 11:43 am

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh, crab rangoon was one of my go-to appetizers before I went vegan. Using those crabless cakes is genius – they’re so spot on and affordable!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:45 am

        If you liked crab rangoon in your pre-vegan days, you’re going to love these!

        Reply
    18. VeganLinda

      October 24, 2016 at 11:33 am

      I missed the Crab Rangoon phase since I went veg then vegan before it showed up on Midwestern menus, but a dear non-veg friend orders them as her “guilty pleasure” whenever we’re at a certain restaurant. I’ve always wondered what the hype was all about. Now I can try it for myself, thanks!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2016 at 8:43 am

        Oh, I hope you try these, Linda! I’m thinking about making another batch just for the freezer, so that I can take out 2 or 3 whenever I want a little appetizer with my meal.

        Reply

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