Keto Crab Rangoon

This keto crab rangoon recipe is a delicious yet healthy and keto-friendly recipe featuring the perfectly crisped up and golden keto wonton filled with rich and gooey crab meat and cheese filling. This recipe is typically served with a keto-friendly sweet and sour sauce making it the perfect appetizer for you and your family to enjoy! It is easy to make and far easier to store, allowing you to enjoy these puffs whenever you want!

Quick Recipe Links:

• What is crab Rangoon?
• Is crab Rangoon keto-friendly?
• Can I eat crab Rangoon on the keto diet?
• Tips to remember when making keto crab Rangoon
• What to serve keto crab Rangoon with?
• Can you make keto crab rangoon ahead of time?
• How to store keto crab Rangoon?

What is crab Rangoon?

Crab Rangoon is a delicious appetizer known as cheese wontons or crab puffs. These are made from wonton dough and are filled with a cheesy crab meat filling. These are then fried to get a crispy crust and are served with a sauce on the side.

Most people think crab Rangoon has its roots in Chinese cuisine because of the term "wonton." The dish might be inspired by Chinese cuisine, but its origin has nothing to do with it. In fact, crab rangoon is said to have roots in Burmese (because it is named after a Burman city) or Polynesian-style cuisine.

It is believed that the crab rangoon appetizer dish first came into light when it was invented by Joe Young, who worked at Trader Vic's in the 1950s. Well, whatever the story and whoever is involved in the process, we are happy that their recipe worked. We can enjoy a delicious appetizer today!

Is crab Rangoon keto-friendly?

Well, the traditional crab rangoon recipe is made from wonton wrappers. These wrappers are usually made from wheat flour or all-purpose flour, a carb-rich ingredient. Because keto-friendly recipes are low in carbohydrates, we can safely say that a traditional crab rangoon recipe is NOT keto-friendly. And for this reason, most people would think they have to stop eating crab puffs when they switch to a keto diet. Plus, it is not a gluten-free recipe as well.

So, suppose you are on a keto diet and want to enjoy crab puffs. In that case, you will probably have to improvise just like we did and deviate from the traditional recipes!

Can I eat crab Rangoon on the keto diet?

Most people on the keto diet will probably think they can't enjoy their favorite dishes, and the diet is a restriction for their tastebuds. For all those who think so, here is the good news! You can eat all your favorite dishes, even on a keto diet. All you have to do is think out of the box and replace high carb ingredients with low carb and keto-friendly ingredients. The only difference you might feel is that of flavors, but hey, when you can eat for favorite dishes, a slight adjustment to taste is acceptable, isn't it?

So, the answer to the above question is yes! You can only eat crab Rangoon on a keto diet if the recipe follows keto rules. It means you can enjoy the delicious keto crab Rangoon version. All you have to do is replace wheat flour with almond or coconut flour and add cheese for an extra kick. It doesn't sound too difficult, does it?

Tips to remember when making keto crab Rangoon

Now when making crab Rangoon's keto version, here are a few tips you should keep in mind:

• When using blacked almond flour, make sure it is super fine.
• Although almond flour is low-carb and gluten-free, it works well for this recipe. However, you can also use coconut flour instead of almond flour. It will work just fine too.
• There are two ways you can melt mozzarella cheese. Simply place the shredded cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 20 seconds intervals. Stir in between intervals until the cheese is smooth. Or you can melt the cheese over a double boiler like you melt chocolate. Stir until the cheese is soft.
• Xanthan gum works as a binding agent, ensuring your dough has the right consistency. If you can't find it, you can also use ground flax seeds. Just let them sit in a small quantity of water so that they get a gel-like consistency. They work well as a binding agent too.
• You can use canned crab meat or fresh crab meat for this recipe. If you are using canned meat, drain it first. It shouldn't have moisture in it.
• If you feel the dough is too sticky for you to handle, don't panic. You can add a little more almond flour to get the right texture or place it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so the dough firms up a bit.
• I prefer the samosa-style keto crab rangoon because the triangular shape is easy to handle and gets an even color as you fry them. You can, however, shape them into simple rectangles as well. Moreover, you can shape the dough into a circle using a circular cookie cutter and fill and seal them into a semi-circle. Whatever shape you like will work.
• I prefer frying these keto crab rangoons in a bit of olive oil as it will give the dough a crispy texture and color. You can use avocado oil for this purpose as well. You can also bake these puffs or air fry them, especially when you don't have to use oil at all.
• You can use premade cheese dip instead of cream cheese and mozzarella cheese. It is super easy to work with and is super convenient. All you have to do is mix crab and green onions in the three-cheese dip, and that's it!

What to serve keto crab Rangoon with?

Honestly, any dipping sauce you choose will work wonders with this keto recipe. Here are a few ideas you will love:

• Sweet and sour sauce: I love serving this dish with sweet and sour sauce. It is super easy to make, and I love it so much that I have included a recipe in the end. It has the right balance of sweet and sour and complements the keto crab rangoon well. 
• Sriracha mayo: This dip is also perfect with this keto crab rangoon recipe. It is made with just two ingredients, i.e., mayonnaise and sriracha. It's creamy, spicy, and just perfect!
• Cheese sauce: You can use any cheese sauce to indulge in the cheesiness. Cheese and keto recipes go hand and hand, so if you are a cheese lover, don't hold yourself back!

Note: You might be tempted to try Asian or Thai dipping sauces. Although plain low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, or sesame oil might work just right, I recommend you not to indulge in sweet sauces.

Can you make keto crab rangoon ahead of time?

Of course, you can! You can shape them and refrigerate them to cook later. Plus, you can cook them and serve them later as well. The best way to work with keto crab puffs, especially when making these for a party or in large batches, is to prepare the individual components separately and leave the assembly and cooking till the end. Because they are the crispiest when served hot, this approach works really well. You can prepare the keto dough and fill and refrigerate them for later use.

How to store keto crab Rangoon?

Have leftover keto crab rangoon? No worries. You can place them in the refrigerator by loosely covering them, and they will last for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the microwave, but the dough might be slightly soggy. So, heat them over the stovetop, oven, or air fryer to get the crisp back.

The best thing about this keto crab rangoon recipe is that you can make these in large batches and freeze them for later use. Place them in a freezer-safe container or a plastic Ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Now the right way to freeze these is by placing them in a single layer over a tray and flash freezing it for 3 to 4 hours or until they are solid. Next, put them in the Ziplock bag or container, and that's it!