I think many—if not all of us—can agree: The Cheesecake Factory is the happiest places on Earth. There’s just so much drool-worthy food, like the seasonal cheesecake and everything else on that epic 21-page menu. There’s nowhere else like it!
If you missed the Factory during quarantine (we definitely did), you may have kept busy by making recipes from its online cookbook. Now, the restaurant is adding to its make-at-home dishes by sharing the recipe for Cheesecake Factory wontons.
Crab Wontons Are BACK!
Earlier this year, Cheesecake Factory rolled out a menu of its Timeless Classics, and it included a dish many longtime fans were overjoyed to see: crispy crab wontons. This dish disappeared from the menu, breaking hearts all around the country. But now the creamy, crunchy appetizers are back, with a center of crab, cream cheese, green onions and water chestnuts, all enclosed in a crispy fried coating.
Here’s How to Make ‘Em
You can order the crispy crab wontons at Cheesecake Factory—or make them at home.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ounce sweet and sour chili sauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 ounces crab meat
- 2 ounces sliced water chestnuts, minced
- 1 ounce green onions, finely chopped
- 1 ounce mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 ounce fontina cheese, grated
- 1 ounce panko bread crumbs
- 25 small square wonton wrappers (approximately 3-1/2″)
You can easily measure the weight of ingredients with a food scale like this.
Directions
Step 1: Make the filling
Place the cream cheese, sweet and sour chili sauce, mustard, chili garlic paste, lemon juice and granulated sugar into a mixing bowl. Fold the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
Add the crab meat, minced water chestnuts and chopped green onions to the bowl. Continue folding the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
Step 2: Fold in the cheese
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, fontina cheese and panko bread crumbs into the bowl and continue folding gently until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Assemble the wontons
Place the wonton skins onto a clean work surface or cutting board. Place a half ounce of filling onto the center of each wrapper. Lift the bottom and top flat edges of the wrapper up over the filling. Pinch the center sections of the top and bottom edges tightly together. Lift the left and right flat edges of the wrapper up over the filling.
Carefully pinch the center sections of the left and right flat edges tightly together with the pinched center section of the top and bottom edges. When done correctly, the edges will remain slightly open at the 4 corner points, forming a “flowerlike” shape.
Step 4: Deep-fry the wontons
Pour a generous amount of vegetable oil into a sauce pot or deep-frying pan and the heat oil to 350° F. Carefully place the wontons (a few at a time) into the hot oil and fry them until they become golden brown and crispy.
Arrange the crispy crab wontons on a serving platter with sweet and sour chili sauce on the side for dipping.
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Emily Hannemann