These homemade cheese and crab spring rolls (crab rangoon spring rolls) are super easy to make and loaded with crab and creamy cheese - includes a step-by-step guide on rolling spring rolls too! A great bite-sized party snack or seafood appetizer.
Table of Contents
Crab and Cream Cheese Spring Roll
If you are looking for a satisfying and cheesy snack, finger food or appetizer then these might be in!
These easy-to-make crab and cream cheese spring roll are great to entertain friends and family with or if you're like me, you can just make a whole batch for yourself!
These cheesy crab spring rolls are made with imitation crab and are very similar to the cheese wontons you get at the sushi restaurant, but there is much more filling and a lot more gooey and cheesy.
...and don't worry about not knowing how to roll spring rolls, it's a lot easier than you think. After rolling a few, you'll be a pro at it and you'll see how easy it actually is. 🙂
If you have extra imitation crab meat, you can also use it in my easy-to-make Spicy kani salad (Japanese crab salad) recipe!
If you're looking for delicious shrimp spring rolls, you should definitely check out Keesha's Shrimp Spring Rolls recipe which is made in an air fryer!
Crab Spring Rolls Ingredients
- Imitation Crab (aka surimi or kani) - This ingredient is the star of these crab spring rolls. You can use real crab meat, but imitation crab meat has a much nicer texture and flavor when mixed with the cheese filling.
- Spring Roll Papers - You can find spring roll paper in most supermarkets in the fridge or freezer section but they are most common in Asian grocery stores.
- Cream Cheese - This is what makes the crab rangoon filling creamy and cheesy.
- Mozzarella Cheese - Adding mozzarella cheese will give you more cheesiness but it will also give you that gooey cheese stretch!
- Garlic and Green Onions - Aromatics that give the cheese filling a lot of extra flavors.
- Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce - Definitely do not skip adding these ingredients. They give a lot of flavor to the crab filling. If you don't have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar but you should mix a pinch of sugar into it since it has a sharper and strong vinegary flavor.
- Sriracha Hot Sauce (Optional) - If you want to make it spicy, add sriracha for a garlicky spicy kick.
How to Roll Spring Rolls
Chop up the crab, grate the mozzarella and finely dice the garlic and green onion and combine all the ingredients together. I like to hand shred the crab meat so they are in long stringy form, for more texture.
Tip #1 : Leave the cream cheese in room temperature an hour before making this. This makes the cheese softer and easier to mix all the ingredients in evenly.
When you are working with the spring roll papers, make sure they are covered with a damp cloth, or they will dry out. I find that pre-peeling a few at ahead of time makes the rolling flow a bit easier and faster.
Same goes with the wrapped homemade spring rolls, if you don't plan to fry them right away, cover them with a damp cloth or paper towel to keep it from drying out.
To seal the homemade spring rolls you can use water, but not all spring roll papers are created equally so if you are finding that they are not staying sealed then you can also use an egg to seal it as well.Deep fry them on 350F (176C) or medium heat if you are using the stove top for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Sauces and Dips to Serve with Crab Rangoon Spring Rolls
These homemade crab and cheese spring rolls go fantastic with seafood sauce, sounds weird but it works! Something to do with the crab meat being seafood! 😉
If you're looking for a sauce with a bit more zing, these also taste amazing with our homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce, easy hoisin dipping sauce, Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham), or sweet Thai chili sauce!
If you're looking for dips that are a bit creamier, then you can also try using a creamy honey sesame dip, spicy sriracha mayo, or my easy Thai peanut satay sauce.
If you're like me and you want to deep fry even more dishes (since you already have the deep frying station setup), you should definitely consider making my Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken, Crispy Beef or Sweet and Sour pork recipes as well!
I need more snack ideas like these homemade crab and cheese spring rolls for dinner!
More Snacks and Appetizers You May Like
- Bacon Cheeseburger Potstickers
- Bite-sized Crispy Honey Garlic Ribs
- Korean Fried Popcorn Turkey
- Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) Dumplings
- Garlic Cheese Baked Mussels
- Baked Crispy Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers (Crab Rangoon Style)
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Recipe Card
Crab and Cheese Spring Rolls
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- If your spring rolls don't stay sealed with water, another option is to use an egg to seal it
- Keep the spring roll papers and spring rolls covered with a damp cloth or paper towel so they don't dry out before cooking
- Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for at least an hour to soften it up so that it is easier to mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Dipping Sauces Ideas
Ingredients
- 15-20 spring roll wrappers
- 2 cups imitation crab meat (chopped or shredded)
- 250 g cream cheese (soften)
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Seasoning
- 3-4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2-3 stalks green onions (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
Instructions
Preparation
- Leave the cream cheese in room temperature for an hour to soften
- Once the cream cheese is soft, mix in the mozzarella, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar and sugar
- Chop or shred the crab meat and mix it into the cheese mixture
- Mince the garlic and finely chop the green onions and add it into the cheese mixture
Rolling the Spring Rolls
- Carefully peel 1 sheet at a time and place the sheet in front of you with a corner facing you. (Place a damp cloth or paper towel over the stack of spring roll papers to prevent it from drying out while you are rolling out the spring rolls)
- Add a few spoonfuls of crab and cheese mixture near the bottom of the paper (but away from all edges) into a log shape.
- Start rolling from the bottom, then take 1 side from the left or right and fold it into the center while rolling.
- Then take the other side on the left or right side and fold it into the center and continue to roll
- Wet the top corner with water or egg (which will be the glue to seal the spring roll) and keep rolling until all the paper is sealed.
- Put aside covered with a damp cloth or paper towel and continue making the rest of the spring rolls
Deep Frying
- Heat up the oil to 350F (176C), and fry them for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- f you are deep frying these on a stove top in a pot, use medium heat and keep a close eye on them, when they turn golden brown pull them out. They still continue to cook after they have been pulled out of the oil.
- Enjoy! 🙂
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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jeff says
I made these but rolled in phyllo dought instead, they were the bomb! Thanks!
Joyce says
That's a wonderful alternative to spring roll paper that you can probably bake too! Great idea! 🙂
Jamie | A Sassy Spoon says
Absolutely LOVE these step-by-step photos! Also, I love spring rolls. As much as I hate frying, I'm gonna have to make these soon! Thank you, Joyce. 🙂
Joyce says
Thanks Jamie! 🙂 I haven't tried baking them but I wonder if you lightly spray and coat the spring rolls in oil if you can stick them in the oven to crisp up! Almost like deep frying in the oven! haha 🙂
Elizabeth says
Beautiful pictures, as usual! And I've never heard of putting cream cheese in spring rolls - so creative! I bet they taste amazing!
Joyce says
Thanks Elizabeth 😀 Cream cheese melts into creamy goodness so it gives the spring roll a velvety texture with the gooey stretchy mozzarella cheese! For a vegetarian option I would probably use broccoli instead of crab, because broccoli and cheese are sooooo amazing together! haha 🙂
Alison @ The Sunday Glutton says
I had to save this recipe for my Superbowl planning. I loooooove cheese wontons/crab rangoons from my local Chinese restaurant, but making them into spring rolls looks like it's just more of that ooey gooey filling. Can't wait to try it!
Joyce says
We love cheese wontons and crab rangoons here too 😀 like LOOOVE haha so spring rolls seemed like the right direction since we wanted more cheesy crab fillings per bite! haha
Marie @ Yay! For Food says
Snacks for dinner happens a lot in my house too! ha ha! I love your how-to roll a spring roll picture; such a neat way to present it. The spring roll itself sounds so tasty. Pinning this! Thanks, Joyce!
Joyce says
Lately snacks for dinner have been happening a lot here as well! The only problem is, since snacks are bite sized I can't seem to stop or know when I'm full! haha 🙂
Romain says
This post is great on the strength of the spring roll making instruction alone. Add the cheese, crab and green onion and you may have invented the bar food recipe of the year! Pics are mouthwatering.
Joyce says
Thanks Romain 😀 ! I am a very visual person, so I thought visual instructions might be helpful as well! 🙂
Erica says
OMG! I don't care how "unhealthy" these are, they look absolutely to die for! Imitation crab is one of those secret loves of mine, shouldn't be embarrassed to love it, right?! Thanks for sharing, definitely pinning for later!
Joyce says
Yes! haha it's also a secret love of mine too, just don't tell Terry haha I like to make fun of him for it.