Crab Rangoon Flatbread Pizza with Sweet Chili Sauce is made with creamy cream cheese, imitation crab (surimi), crisp green onions, gooey mozzarella, crispy wonton strips, and drizzled with sweet chili sauce.
All the delicious flavors of your favorite Chinese appetizer crab rangoon on a pizza!
Every time we order Chinese food we have to get an order of crab rangoon, which is why I was really excited to discover crab rangoon pizza. Two of my favorite foods in one.
I love flatbread pizzas, they are so easy to make. Here are some of my favorites; Shrimp Scampi Flatbread, Chicken Spinach Artichoke Flatbread, Greek Chicken Flatbread Pizza, Shrimp Pesto Flatbread, and Buffalo Chicken Flatbread.
Jump to:
I first heard about crab rangoon pizza while watching "Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network. Alton Brown mentioned the crab rangoon pizza he had at Fong's Pizza in Iowa.
But Iowa is a bit too far to drive just to try a pizza. So I decided to create my own version.
Recipe Ingredients
All you need are a few simple ingredients to bake this delicious Crab Rangoon Pizza.
Flatbread: Feel free to use store-bought or if you have a sourdough starter try this delicious recipe for Sourdough Discard Flatbread. If you don't have a sourdough starter you can use this recipe for No Yeast Flatbread.
Crab: You can use any type of crab meat. Whatever is the easiest/most economical for you. Lump crab meat can be found in the freezer section or in a can in the seafood department.
Most of the time I use surimi or imitation crab meat. A majority of restaurant crab rangoons are actually made with imitation crab meat.
Cream Cheese: Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature so it mixes easily. You can also microwave it at 15-second intervals until it is soft.
Sour Cream: Sour cream adds just a bit of tang which pairs well with the sweetness of the cream cheese.
Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Sweet Chili Sauce: These sauces add some classic Chinese flavors to the cream cheese spread. Look for low-sodium soy sauce to keep the pizza from being too salty.
Green Onions and Sweet Bell Pepper: I like to have a few vegetables on my pizzas they add a nice crunch to contrast with the creamy sauce and gooey cheese.
Wonton Strips: Look for these next to the croutons in the salad dressing aisle.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
Add the softened cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Stir in the sour cream, garlic, powdered sugar, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce.
Step 3: Place the flatbreads on a pizza pan/steel/stone and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across them.
Step 4: Sprinkle with crab meat or surimi, bell pepper, and green onions.
Step 5: Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 6: Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.
Top the baked pizzas with wonton strips and drizzle with sweet chili sauce.
Storage
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing this pizza.
There are a couple of ways to reheat Crab Rangoon Flatbread Pizza.
- Microwave: You can reheat it in the microwave at 30-second intervals but the flatbread will not be as crunchy.
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C) and bake the flatbread pizza on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes. This is my favorite method it maintains the pizza's crispy crust.
Recipe FAQs
The answer is either. Most takeout crab rangoon is made with imitation crab or surimi. Imitation crab is sold in the seafood section of the grocery store and is typically cheaper that crab meat.
Surimi or imitation crab meat was first created in Japan during the 12th century by chefs who would grind and salt leftover fish as a means of preserving it. In the 1960s, a Japanese chemist discovered that by adding sugar to the traditional surimi-making process, he could stabilize the product, freeze it, and preserve its shelf life.
Pollock is the most commonly used fish to produce imitation crab meat due to its lack of flavor, abundance, and ready availability.
Yep! Just assemble the pizzas and pop them in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.
Expert Tips
- Try making your own flatbread. Flatbread is incredibly easy to make. If you happen to be a sourdough baker I put together a recipe to make Flatbread with Sourdough Discard. If you don't have a sourdough starter you can use this recipe for No Yeast Flatbread.
- Use a pizza stone or pizza steel. They will give you an amazingly crispy crust. You can even use it on your outside grill if you’d rather not heat up the kitchen. If you don't have a pizza stone you can also use this pizza pan which is perforated to help crisp the crust.
- For easier cutting, allow the pizzas to cool and the cheese to set for a few minutes before cutting.
More Dinner Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Baked Crab Rangoon Flatbread Pizza with Sweet Chili Sauce
Equipment
- sheet pan or pizza stone
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Base
- 8 ounces of cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 in fresh ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
Pizza
- 4 Pieces of flatbread
- 1 8 oz package Surimi Imitation Crab Meat - roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and cut into strips
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Garnish
- wonton strips
- sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Add the 8 ounces of cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy. Stir in the ¼ cup sour cream, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1 in fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce.
- Place the 4 Pieces of flatbread on a sheet pan and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across them. Sprinkle with 1 8 oz package Surimi, 1 red bell pepper, and 3 green onions Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and crust is crispy.
- Top with wonton strips and drizzle with sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Microwave: You can reheat it in the microwave at 30-second intervals but the flatbread will not be as crunchy.
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the flatbread pizza on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes. This is my favorite method.
- Try making your own flatbread. Flatbread is incredibly easy to make. If you happen to be a sourdough baker I put together a recipe to make Flatbread with Sourdough Discard. If you don't have a sourdough starter you can use this recipe for No Yeast Flatbread.
- Use a pizza stone or pizza steel. They will give you an amazingly crispy crust. You can even use it on your outside grill if you’d rather not heat up the kitchen. If you don't have a pizza stone you can also use a pizza pan which is perforated to help crisp the crust.
- For easier cutting, allow the pizzas to cool and the cheese to set for a few minutes before cutting.
Deb says
What size pkg of crab did you use?
Erica @ Raspberries and Kohlrabi says
8 ounces